Despite not winning a national championship, Gonzaga still ranked as top 10 program

CBS Sports ranked the 25 best college hoops programs of the past 25 years

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

There's no doubt the Gonzaga Bulldogs, under head coach Mark Few, have been among the most successful college basketball programs of the past quarter-century.

The Zags have made the NCAA Tournament every single season since the millennium, while making 12 Sweet 16 appearances, five appearances in the Elite Eight, and securing a pair of national championship runner-up finishes. All told, the program is one of just three in that time frame with over 700 wins, joining Duke and Kansas.

However, when CBS Sports ranked the 25 best college hoops programs of the past 25 years, Duke and Kansas rightfully took their spots at No. 1 and No. 2, but Gonzaga was down at No. 10 — behind UConn, North Carolina, Michigan State, Kentucky, Florida, Villanova, and Syracuse.

It would be tough — nay foolish — to argue Gonzaga over UConn, North Carolina, or Florida, who have five, three, and three national championships in that time frame, respectively. Even Villanova, which has a pair of titles and nearly 600 wins in the Big East, is pretty locked in ahead of the Zags.

But there is an argument that Gonzaga's dominance, even in the West Coast Conference, and significant national relevance should put them in the six or seven range rather than No. 10.

The 2021-22 Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate with the WCC Regular Season Championship Trophy following their victory over Santa Clara at the McCarthey Athletic Center. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Gonzaga is third in total wins, and while most of that has come against the WCC, the program's 12 Sweet 16 appearances — including nine in a row — are on par with both Michigan State (13) and Kentucky (13) and are just ahead of Syracuse (11).

Kentucky gets a boost with a national championship, something neither Michigan State nor Syracuse — nor, of course, Gonzaga — can boast in that time frame.

Michigan State and Gonzaga are very similar in a blind resume comparison, with MSU getting the slight edge in Sweet 16 appearances (13 to 12) while Gonzaga has the edge in overall wins (716-617). However, the Spartans have six Final Four appearances compared to just two for Gonzaga, which is a big enough gap to make up for the fact that Gonzaga actually has more appearances in the national championship game — two to one — than Michigan State.

Mar 25, 2017; San Jose, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few waves the net to the crowd after defeating the Xavier Musketeers in the finals of the West Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Syracuse is the team with the weakest argument to be ahead of Gonzaga. The Orange won a title back in 2003, led by the great Carmelo Anthony, and they were a very strong program during the early part of the 2000s while still in the Big East.

However, the Orange have not been nearly the same since making the move to the ACC in 2013, only making the big dance five times in the past 11 years, three of which were as a 10 or 11 seed.

Gonzaga has 137 more wins than Syracuse, one more Sweet 16 appearance, and the same number of Final Four appearances. And while the strength of the conference schedule does matter, it's hard to deny that Gonzaga has steadily grown in its national relevance while Syracuse has faded.

Gonzaga players celebrate their dramatic Final Four victory over West Coast rival UCLA at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4, 2021. The win sent the Bulldogs to the national title game, where they ultimately fell to Baylor. | Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Gonzaga did get listed ahead of four teams that won national championships in the past 25 years — Louisville, Maryland, Virginia, and Baylor — and was also ahead of Houston, Arizona, UCLA, and San Diego State, who came in at No. 15, 17, 20, and 22, respectively.

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