Blog

15+ Best Basketball Colleges For Tryouts

By Bishow Adhikari / 8 December 2023 09:16 AM

Source : pinterest

The culture and coaches are the two most important factors in the top college basketball programs. Players will be around the consistently qualify for the NCAA Tournament programs.

NCSA examined 1,270 four-year institutions that offered men's college basketball programs at the D1, D2, D3 and NAIA division levels.

The best basketball colleges for tryouts may vary depending on your skill level, academic preferences and personal objectives.

There is no denying that collegiate basketball is a place where skill and passion meet. The idea of becoming up for a prestigious program displaying their abilities on a big stage and making their names in basketball history.

Due to the intense competition among college basketball programs being selected for a team may depend on your abilities, commitment and the team's needs. 

Nonetheless, several universities are well-known for having competitive basketball teams and might provide tryout opportunities.

1. University of Kentucky

Source : twitter

One of the most prominent college basketball programs is Kentucky. John Calipari is currently the Wildcats' current head coach.

Some of the key points are listed as:

  • Name of the Team: Kentucky Wildcats
  • First season: 1903
  • Athletic Director: Mitch Barnhart
  • Head coach: John Calipari (15th season)
  • Conference: SEC
  • Location: Lexington, Kentucky
  • Arena: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center (Capacity: 20,545)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 68

In 1968 and 2009, Kentucky became the first program to achieve 1000 and 2000 wins respectively. With sixty-three seasons of 20 wins, sixteen seasons of 30 wins and six seasons of 35 wins the program leads all schools.

Furthermore, Kentucky has won 53 conference regular season championships ranking second among all teams.

2. University of California, Los Angeles

Source : instagram

The program was founded in 1919 and has won 11 NCAA championships. UCLA went undefeated for four seasons which was a record. 

Some of the other key points are listed below:

  • Name of the Team: UCLA Bruins
  • Record: 1,931-877
  • Head coach: Mick Cronin (5th season)
  • Conference: Pac-12
  • Location: Westwood, Los Angeles
  • Arena: Pauley Pavilion (Capacity: 13,800)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 38-game NCAA Tournament winning streak

The team has won the most NCAA Championships of any school with 11 and it has had 12 head coaches in its history.

Between 1964 and 1975, John Wooden won ten national titles. Jim Harrick took home the other one in 1995.

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Source : reddit

The North Carolina Tar Heels the basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have a lengthy track record of accomplishments on the court.

Key information regarding the UNC basketball program is as follows:

  • Name of the Team: North Carolina Tar Heels 
  • First season: 1910-11
  • Record: 2,343-852
  • Athletic director: Bubba Cunningham
  • Head coach: Hubert Davi
  • Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference
  • Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • Arena: Dean Smith Center (Capacity: 21,750)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 27 straight appearances in the NCAA tourney from 1975

Several NCAA Championships have been won by the Tar Heels including titles in 1957 and 1982.

Michael Jordan and Larry Bird are just two examples of the NBA players that have come out of UNC's basketball program which has been a breeding ground for talent.

4. Duke University

Source : facebook

Duke University men's basketball team known as the Duke Blue Devils competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and has a rich history of success on the court.

Some key facts about Duke basketball include:

  • First season: 1905-06
  • Name of the Team: Duke Blue Devils
  • Record: 2,273-920
  • Athletic Director: Nina King
  • Head coach: Jon Scheyer
  • Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference
  • Location: Durham, North Carolina
  • Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium (Capacity: 9,314)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 27 consecutive appearances.

Duke basketball program has been particularly successful under the leadership of head coach Mike Krzyzewski who has led the team since 1980.

The Duke Blue Devils have won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship five times under Krzyzewski's guidance. It makes them the fourth-winningest college basketball program of all time.

5. University of Kansas

Source : threads

Kansas has six overall national titles and is regarded as one of the most elite collegiate basketball programs in the nation.

Some of the key points are:

  • Name of the team: Kansas Jayhawks
  • First season: 1898-99
  • Record: 2,370-885
  • Athletic Director: Travis Goff
  • Head coach: Bill Self (21st season)
  • Conference: Big 12
  • Location: Lawrence, Kansas
  • Arena: Allen Fieldhouse (Capacity: 16,300)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1952, 1988, 2008, 2022
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 28 consecutive appearances

There have only been eight head coaches for the Jayhawks in their more than 120-year history as a program. As coaches, four of their members have received Hall of Fame inductions.

With 39 seasons under his belt, Phog Allen had the longest tenure of any coach. Larry Brown had the shortest having only five seasons.

6. Indiana University Bloomington

Source : 247sports

The Indiana Hoosiers are the Big Ten team on this list for good reason. They are simply one of the most illustrious basketball programs in history.

Some of the key features of the team are:

  • Name of the Team: Indiana Hoosiers
  • First season: 1901
  • Record: 1,918-1,104 
  • Athletic Director: Scott Dolson
  • Head coach: Mike Woodson (3rd season)
  • Conference: Big Ten
  • Location: Bloomington, Indiana
  • Arena: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (Capacity: 17,222)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 41

When it comes to ranking college basketball programs the Hoosiers have a lot to boast about.

Led by Bob Knight, one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, Indiana rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s transforming from a good program to a legendary one. 

Indiana boasts the sixth-best ranking among all college basketball programs in the NCAA and the school takes great pride in representing its colors.

7. University of Louisville

Source : facebook

  • Name of the Team: Louisville Cardinals
  • First season: 1911
  • Record: 1,882-933
  • Athletic Director: Josh Heird
  • Head coach: Kenny Payne (2nd season)
  • Conference: ACC
  • Location: Louisville, Kentucky
  • Arena: KFC Yum! Center (2010 -present) (Capacity: 22,090) and Freedom Hall (1956-2010) (Capacity: 18,865)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1980, 1986, 2013
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 39

Louisville University has a remarkable record in intercollegiate basketball with a total of 1778 wins and 892 losses in the 102 seasons that they have played.

They ranked 10th in terms of victories and seventh in terms of winning percentage among NCAA Division I universities as of the end of the 2015-16 season.

It is worth noting that Louisville achieved an NCAA record of 46 consecutive winning seasons from 1944 to 1990 winning 20 or more games in 31 of those seasons.

8. Villanova University

Source : twitter

Villanova University has won the Big East regular season championship eight times recent four from 2014 to 2017.

They won the Big East tournament in 1995, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Their feature is listed. Such as:

  • Name of the Team: Villanova Wildcats
  • First season: 1920-1921; 102 years ago
  • Record: 1,849-956
  • Head coach: Kyle Neptune (2nd season)
  • Conference: Big East
  • Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania, U.S.
  • Arena: William B. Finneran Pavilion (6,500) and Wells Fargo Center (21,600)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1985, 2016, 2018
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances: 39

Some of the personalities to be included in the Wall of Honor are:

  • Paul Arizin: inducted 1978.
  • Rollie Massimino: coached Villanova to its first national championship in 1985 - inducted in 2013
  • Jay Wright: two-time National Championship-winning coach - inducted in 2021

9. University of Connecticut

Source : twitter

Along with their ten Big East regular season titles the Huskies also own one American Athletic Conference tournament championship.

Other important points are:

  • Name of the Team: UConn Huskies
  • First season: 1901
  • Record: 1,799-1,012
  • Head coach: Dan Hurley (6th season)
  • Conference: Big East
  • Location: Storrs, Connecticut
  • Arena: Harry A. Gampel (Pavilion 10,167) (XL Center 15,564)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 36 appearances a with combined record is 65-32

Since 1900 there have been 19 coaches. Dan Hurley is currently looking after the team's performance as their head coach. 2011 saw UConn win the NCAA and Big East national championships.

10. The Ohio State University

Source : pinterest

The Ohio State University has advanced to the national semifinals eleven times in its history. However, all of those Final Four appearances have resulted in only one national championship trophy.

Some of the wanted key features are:

  • Name of the Team: Ohio State Buckeyes
  • First season: 1898
  • Record: 1,765-1,143
  • Head coach: Chris Holtmann (7th season)
  • Conference: Big Ten
  • Location: Columbus, Ohio
  • Arena: Value City Arena St. John Arena (Secondary) (Capacity: 18,809)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1960
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 27

The school has two most memorable head coaches Fred Taylor and Thad Matta.

Taylor led the Buckeyes to three consecutive National Final appearances, including their first and only NCAA national championship in 1960. Later, Taylor led the team to a Final Four appearance.

11. University of Michigan

Source : bleacherreport

Basketball players from Michigan have achieved success in the professional ranks. The NBA has selected 76 players through draft selection with 31 of those players selected in the first round.

The facts about the university are:

  • Name of the Team: Michigan Wolverines
  • First season: 1909
  • Record: 1,700-1,094
  • Head coach: Juwan Howard (5th season)
  • Conference: Big Ten
  • Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Arena: Crisler Center (Capacity: 12,707)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1989
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 31

In addition to winning two National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), 15 Big Ten Conference championships and two Big Ten tournament titles Michigan has won one NCAA Championship.

It has also won a Big Ten tournament and an NIT championship that was canceled because of NCAA sanctions. Juwan Howard a former Michigan player is the team's coach.

12. University of Virginia

Source : twitter

Virginia won its first NCAA Championship in 2019 and it also won the Final Four last third-place game in 1981.

Since 1980, they have been ranked in the AP Top 5 more than 100 times and they have received seven No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Virginia is the only ACC program and one of two NCAA programs to have received No. 1 seeds in all four NCAA Tournament regions.

Some of the key features are listed below:

  • Name of the Team: Virginia Cavaliers
  • First season: 1905-06
  • Record: 1719-1204-1
  • Athletic Director: Carla Williams
  • Head coach: Tony Bennett (15th season)
  • Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference
  • Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Arena: John Paul Jones Arena (Capacity: 14,623)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 2019
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 25

Virginia has had 11 different head coaches. Pop Lannigan who coached the team for 24 years beginning in 1905 had the longest tenure.

13. Baylor University

Source : instagram

The Baylor Bears men's basketball team competes in the NCAA Division I men's basketball.

The Bears compete in the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Ferrell Center.

The key features are listed as:

  • Name of the team: Baylor Bears
  • First season: 1906
  • Record: 1,432-1,386
  • Head coach: Scott Drew (20th season)
  • Conference: Big 12
  • Location: Waco, Texas
  • Arena: Paul J. Meyer Arena at the Ferrell Center (Capacity: 10,284)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 2021
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 15

In their 117-year history, the Bears have had 17 coaches. Scott Drew is the current head coach at Baylor. He started in August 2003.

The Bears have made 15 appearances in the NCAA tournament. Their overall record is 22-15.

14. Gonzaga University

Source : sportskeeda

Gonzaga has had 15 players win the WCC Player of the Year award and two players have led the nation in scoring.

Morrison was named Co-National Player of the Year for the 2005-06 season.

Other key factors are included as:

  • Name of the Team: Gonzaga Bulldogs
  • First season: 1907-08
  • Record: 1,426-713
  • Head coach: Mark Few (25th season)
  • Conference: West Coast Conference
  • Location: Spokane, Washington
  • Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center (Capacity: 6,000)
  • NCAA tournament runner-up: 2017, 2021
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 25

The Bulldogs have had 26 head coaches in their 116-year history.

Mark Few is Gonzaga's current head coach. In July 1999, he was hired as the Bulldogs head coach succeeding Dan Monson who left to become the head coach at Minnesota.

They have also participated in 22 NCAA basketball tournaments reaching the Round of 64 in each appearance.

15. Syracuse University

Source : twitter

Syracuse University basketball team is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I and the team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Some of the key features enlisted are:

  • Name of the Team: Syracuse Orange
  • First season: 1898
  • Record: 1,973-964
  • Athletic Director: John Wildhack
  • Head coach: Adrian Autry (1st season)
  • Conference: ACC
  • Location: Syracuse, New York
  • Arena: JMA Wireless Dome (Capacity: 35,642)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 2003
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 41

Eight head coaches have been in the club since 1904 to present.

Ten Big East regular season championships, five Big East tournament championships, 35 NCAA tournament appearances and three national title game appearances under former head coach Jim Boeheim.

16. University of Arizona

Source : pinterest

The University of Arizona enters the 2023-24 season ranked nineteenth all-time with 1,884 wins and ninth in winning percentage.

It has spent 37 weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll.

Important key features are listed as:

  • Name of the Team: Arizona Wildcats
  • Record: 1,889-970-1
  • Athletic Director: Dave Heeke
  • Head coach: Tommy Lloyd (3rd season)
  • Conference: Pac-12
  • Location: Tucson, Arizona
  • Arena: McKale Center (Capacity: 14,644)
  • NCAA tournament champions: 1997
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 37

Tommy Lloyd coaches them and competes in the Pac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I.

After 45 years in the Pac-10 conference, Arizona has announced to join the Big 12 Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year on August 2023.

Former head coach Lute Olson (1983-2007) established the program as one of America's elite in college basketball driving it to national prominence.

17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Source : facebook

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is represented by the NCAA Division I men's basketball team which plays in the Big Ten Conference.

According to the Premo-Porretta Power Poll, Illinois won one pre-tournament national championship and one non-NCAA tournament national championship in 1915 and 1943.

Illinois has participated in five Final Fours, nine Elite Eights and eighteen Big Ten regular season championships.

Some of the key features are:

  • Name of the Team: Illinois Fighting Illini
  • Record: 1,857-1,037
  • Athletic Director: Josh Whitman
  • Head coach: Brad Underwood (6th season)
  • Conference: Big Ten
  • Arena: State Farm Center (Capacity: 15,544)
  • Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions: 1915
  • NCAA tournament appearances: 32

Brad Underwood was hired on March 18, 2017, and is currently serving the team as its head coach.

Illinois is ranked 12th in winning percentages and 15th in wins among all NCAA Division I men's college basketball programs as of the conclusion of the 2017-18 campaign.