Is Memphis BBall Elite?

[Shaun1985]

Yes. I forgot Indiana. For sure elite. 5 titles, top 10 in NCAAT's, NCAAT wins and final fours. Tom Crean is so solid and will be there a long, long time.

 

[Daloth]

Yes. Elite programs generally have championships. They are close, but they will never truly be elite unless Pastner starts to coach as well as he recruits.

To me, elite programs have multiple championships, or one championship with so many wins/appearances/etc to make up for the lack of it.

If memphis won a title, they'd still need another and then remain relevant for 10 more years to be "elite."

You don't get one good coach or have a good 5 year run to be ranked with the best historically.

 

[SlyStone]

Historically Memphis has had a good program dating back to the Bartow era with Larry Finch, Larry Kenon and Ronnie Robinson. The Dana Kirk era with Keith Lee, Andre Turner and Bobby Parks to the Finch era of Penny Hardaway to Calipari era of D.Rose. Memphis has had elite talent, but program wise it falls a shade under elite.

 

[RationalThinker]

This topic comes up all the time by Memphis fans and ONLY Memphis fans. They are not elite. Elite is winning multiple national championships over your history and consistent tourney success over generations and/or with different coaches. They do not qualify. The elite (arguably) are Duke, UNC, UK, Indiana, UCONN, Syracuse, UCLA, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State.

Memphis is however, IMO in the second tier of schools which have a nice history (often with one coach) or a recent (last 10 years or so) run of success which places them in the next tier. Memphis has had success with 2 coaches, but really only Cal took them to the brink of elite, right before he left them standing at the alter. Pastner has not taken them over the threshold, in fact he has lost some momentum (on the court - not recruiting). The other teams (arguably) in the next tier are Villanova, Pitt, Butler, Louisville (although as long a Ricky P is there they could be in the above list), Ohio State, maybe Michigan (with Bielein and their history), Florida (they should be above, but their fanbase is sooo weak), Georegtown, and Gonzaga.

Then of course there are teams with periods of great success, but an inability to maintain it over the long-haul and/or recently. Tennessee, Texas, Purdue, NC State, Maryland, Arkansas, Wisconsin (could argue above, but playing style limits overall perception of program), Kansas State.

Just my thoughts though

Woah woah woah. Be careful mentioning Kansas State in here. Righ, BTO??

 

[RationalThinker]

I see Memphis as the Oregon of basketball currently.

I agree. We're not an Elite program. We were on the brink of Elite-ness when Cal left. But overall, we have had a great history and great runs, but in order to be elite, you must have a title or 2. But I will definitely take being the Oregon of basketball. Now if we could just get the Phil Knight hookup...

 

[notabed22]

Reasonably interesting metric to look it. Not the be-all and end-all by any means, but still. This is current through the end of the 2011-2012 season in which Kentucky was crowned champions.

50 in 50 series - Men's College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

Starting in 1962 hurts Kansas and UNC, wollops Indiana (and, without a doubt, Cincinnati)... and absolutely levels Kentucky. Granted, there are a host of other teams who won since the first tournament, but that didn't affect the Top 10 with the exception of those programs.

Memphis is a very good program and, if the Big East hadn't been leveled, could have made some even bigger waves this decade. When it comes to the history of college basketball, though, only fourteen teams have multiple titles... of them, less than 10 have actually been respectable decade-in and decade-out. Memphis, on the other hand, doesn't even have a single title. Not in the conversation of elite past or present by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[OrangeBalls]

Tiger High is only elite in their homer fans minds. When they've really been good, they've cheated their ass off to get there. Dana Kirk anyone? Derrick Rose anyone? Only an ignorant fool would consider them elite.