Gonzaga ranks No. 6 in KenPom’s all-time college basketball rankings
Like most U.S. sports debates, discussing which college basketball programs should be considered “blue bloods” is often subjective and leads to disagreements more than it does conclusions.
Ken Pomeroy, creator of college basketball statistical archive KenPom.com, sought to shed light on the topic using statistical data dating back to 1997. When accounting for a team’s best season, conference affiliation, recruiting and postseason resumes, the Gonzaga Bulldogs rank near the top of the sport’s hierarchy.
The Zags checked in at No. 6 in KenPom’s all-time program ratings behind only Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Michigan State. Gonzaga has made 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the second-longest active streak in the country, and has made it to the Sweet 16 a total of 13 times since 1997, which is more than Villanova (eight), UConn (10) and Louisville (eight) in that span.
The Bulldogs have made it nine straight trips to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, including two Final Fours and two national runner-up finishes in that span. The last team to make nine Sweet 16 rounds in a row was Duke from 1998-2006.
Despite not winning a national championship, the level of consistency at the highest level puts Gonzaga ahead of some teams that won multiple titles since 1997 — UConn, Villanova and Florida — due to the fact all three teams have had their down years.
Before rejoining the Big East in 2021, the Huskies missed the postseason in five out of the seven seasons they spent in the American Athletic Conference (2014-2020) and dropped as far as 179th in KenPom’s final rankings for 2018.
Villanova went through some early tournament exits early in the Jay Wright era. The post-Billy Donovan era in Florida hasn’t seen the Gators reach the Sweet 16 since 2017. Other programs like Baylor, Virginia and Louisville all hit lowlights at some point in the past 25 years before reaching the pinnacle of the sport and claiming a national title.
But as evidenced by KenPom’s algorithm, few programs have reached the level of consistency that Gonzaga has over the past two decades. In fact, only five programs have more finishes inside the top 10 of KenPom’s end-of-season rankings since 1997.
Another factor to consider is recruiting. Gonzaga has signed just three five-star recruits since 2000, which adds to the rarity of the program’s success but it might also be holding the Zags back in KenPom’s rankings.
Other interesting factoids from KenPom’s program ratings:
- Gonzaga (No. 6) and Memphis (No. 39) were the only two teams currently in mid-major conferences that were ranked in the top 50. Of course some programs like UConn, Louisville, Xavier, Cincinnati, Creighton and BYU were affiliated with smaller leagues before moving to their current spots in power conferences.
- The West Coast Conference had three teams in the top 100 — Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s (No. 71) and Washington State (No. 89), the latter of which spent more than the last 100 years in the Pac-12. Consider the addition a plus for the WCC.
- Kansas is the only team in the country that hasn’t finished a season ranked outside KenPom’s top 30, though Duke had the higher median ranking (No. 5).
- Of programs that have won a national championship since 1997, Syracuse (No. 25) was ranked the lowest.
COLE FORSMAN
Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Nation, a member of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation network. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.