King of the Blue Bloods? How UConn can pass Duke this weekend

Who is and isn't a blue blood incollege basketballis often a heated debate. By definition a blue blood is a program with elite lineage.

UConn's blood line of elite success didn't get going until the 1990s. The Huskies reached six Sweet 16s in the decade before breaking through in 1999 with the program's first national title.

The Huskies arrive atthis week's Final Fourlooking to win aseventhnational title (and third in four years). It's a run unmatched in modern history and winning at a level we haven't seen since the Wizard of Westwood.

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Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nebraska's Berke Buyuktuncel celebrates with fans following a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on March 21, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Arkansas Razorbacks cheerleaders in the second half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Ore.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

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Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournamentat Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

If UConn wins the 2026 national championship, they would move into sole possession of third place on the NCAA's all-time title list, trailing only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8).

Is UConn a blue blood or a new blood? How about both.

Members of the USA TODAY Sports staff debated for an hour. "It's an inexact science," they said. Challenge accepted. Using that 1999 season as the marker, we looked at which programs have been the most successful by devising a super scientific formula:

• 20 points for national title

• 10 points for Final Four

• 6 points for regular-season conference title

• 5 points for Sweet 16

• -5 points for losing season

Here's how the math shook out:

10. Arizona (156 points)

• 10 Pac-12 regular season championships, 1 Big 12 title

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 2 Final Fours

• 0 national titles

• 0 losing seasons

• 709-250 (.739)

This might just be Arizona's first Final Four trip since 2001, but the Wildcats have been a model of consistency as one of the West's powerhouses.

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9. Villanova (158 points)

• 8 Big East regular season championships

• 8 Sweet 16s

• 4 Final Fours

• 2 national titles

• 2 losing seasons

• 659-291 (.694)

Life without Jay Wright hasn't been great, but his run of two titles in three years (2016, 2018) and two more Final Fours land the Wildcats on this list.

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8. Kentucky (185 points)

• 10 SEC regular season championships

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 4 Final Fours

• 1 national title

• 1 losing season

• 724-255 (.740)

A blue blood that still cracks this list. Kentucky fans will tell you they belong higher up on this list, but the numbers don't lie. Kentucky's eight national titles in program history are second-most in NCAA history, but the Wildcats have just one since 1999. In fact, UK hasn't been to a Final Four since 2015.

7. Florida (192 points)

• 7 SEC regular season championships

• 10 Sweet 16s

• 5 Final Fours

• 3 national titles

• 2 losing seasons

• 686-284 (.707)

Surprised to see Florida this low on the list, but sandwiched in between Billy Donovan and Todd Golden, the Mike White years were truly forgettable.

6. Gonzaga (234 points)

• 24 WCC regular season championships

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 2 Final Fours

• 0 losing seasons

• 801-163 (.831)

OK, so the 24 West Coast Conference titles are doing some heavy lifting here. But don't scoff at the 14 Sweet 16s. That's a remarkable run of steadiness, first as a Cinderella, then as a favorite. They played for the national title twice, losing to North Carolina in 2017 and Baylor in 2021. No one was won more (801) than the Zags.

5. Kansas (236 points)

• 11 Big 12 regular season championships

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 6 Final Fours

• 2 national titles

• 0 losing seasons

• 788-206 (.793)

No Sweet 16 appearances since winning the 2022 national title kept the Jayhawks from appearing higher on this list, that was actually the only Sweet 16 in the past seven tournaments for KU.

4. Michigan State (245 poins)

• 10 Big Ten regular season championships

• 17 Sweet 16s

• 8 Final Fours

• 1 national title

• 0 losing seasons

• 709-269 (.725)

The last Big Ten team to win a national title, Tom Izzo's staggering 17 Sweet 16s and eight Final Fours are a model of consistent excellence.

3. North Carolina (251 points)

• 11 ACC regular season championships

• 13 Sweet 16s

• 7 Final Fours

• 3 national titles

• 2 losing seasons

• 709-284 (.714)

Hubert Davisgot the Tar Heels to a national championship game in Year 1, and then a Sweet 16 in 2024, but back-to-back first round lossesdidn't cut itat a school with much higher aspirations, as their spot on this list illustrates.

2. UConn (270 points)

• 5 Big East regular season championships

• 11 Sweet 16s

• 8 Final Fours

• 6 national titles

• 3 losing seasons

• 682-279 (.710)

Not even its six national titles could push UConn to the top of this list. Those three straight losing seasons (2017-19) were the anchor weighing the Huskies down. But also, a lack of conference titles cost them the top spot. If UConn wins this year's title, they'll take the crown.

1.Duke(284 points)

• 9 ACC regular season championships

• 20 Sweet 16s

• 7 Final Fours

• 3 national titles

• 0 losing seasons

• 792-181 (.814)

Hate them all you want, Duke has earned its place atop college basketball.TwentySweet 16s! Now, the Blue Devils haven't won a national title since 2015, but they've been ranked No. 1 in seven of the past 10 seasons. Perhaps there should have been more March success, but the sheer volume of wins (nearly 800) is second only to Gonzaga.

Is Indiana still a blue blood?

Nah, the Hoosiers have bled out. Indiana has five national titles and eight Final Fours. But the last title was in 1987 and the last Final Four was in 2002. The program has had more coaches (four) than NCAA Tournament appearances (three) over the past 10 years. But hey, at least the football team is good now.

New blood or blue blood: Ranking college basketball's best teams

Based on our formula, calculating team success since 1999 (explained above).

1. Duke – 284

2. UConn – 270

3. North Carolina – 251

4. Michigan State – 245

5. Kansas – 236

6. Gonzaga – 234

7. Florida – 192

8. Kentucky – 185

9. Villanova – 158

10. Arizona – 156

11. UCLA – 110

12. Wisconsin – 105

13. Syracuse – 89

14. Ohio State – 80

15. Xavier – 78

16. Louisville – 77

17. Maryland – 73

18. Purdue – 70

19. Michigan – 69

20. Butler – 69

21. Virginia – 67

22. Illinois – 65

23. Tennessee – 59

24. Houston – 56

25. Texas – 53

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Blue bloods or new bloods? Ranking college basketball's top programs