The Best All-Time College Basketball Programs

ESPN has released its new "ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia," and by all accounts it's an incredible read. But at the end is a listing by Jeff Sagarin of the greatest college basketball programs of all time and that ranking has prompted heated debate throughout the college basketball world.

For those unaware, Jeff Sagarin is arguably the most well-known sports statistician in the nation. His methodology uses only wins and losses, and teams gain higher ratings within the Sagarin system by winning games against stronger opponents, factoring in such things as home-venue advantage. Sagarin resides in Bloomington, Indiana and his rankings regularly appear in USA Today. His statistical rankings are considered so good that gamblers use them as a source of "Power Rankings," traditionally used as a way to determine the spread between two teams.

Thus, within each season Sagarin's rankings carry a fair amount of weight and should be respected as one of the most unbiased ranking systems. However, in turning his statistical expertise to the best college basketball programs of all-time, Sagarin has stirred up controversy. Pat Forde explains why in a well-reasoned column at ESPN.com.

(Indiana clocks in at 5th place, with Western Kentucky placing at a respectable 44th.)