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The winningest DI men's college basketball programs from every state – NCAA.com
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We’ve ranked all 50 states based on the number of Division I men’s basketball championships they’ve won and now we’re taking a closer look at each state. What is the winningest DI program in every state?
Well, that depends on how you define “winningest.” We broke it down based on all-time DI wins and all-time winning percentage at the DI level. The data was compiled via Sports Reference and the only schools that were considered are those currently competing at the Division I level. Only wins at the DI level were included.
The entire list is below (with some bonus trivia questions, too) and is updated through games played through the 2022-23 season.
Number of Division I programs: 10
Program with most wins: Alabama (1,769 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: UAB (.631)
Alabama has more than a 300-victory lead over rival Auburn. Newest to the state’s list of DI teams is North Alabama, which just finished its fourth season at the highest level of college basketball.
Number of Division I programs: 0
Program with most wins: N/A
Program with highest winning percentage: N/A
There aren’t any Division I men’s basketball programs in Alaska.
Number of Division I programs: 4
Program with most wins: Arizona (1,886 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Arizona (.663)
Arizona has more than 450 more wins than Arizona State, which has an all-time winning percentage that’s 13 percentage points lower than the Sun Devils.
Number of Division I programs: 5
Program with most wins: Arkansas (1,783 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Arkansas (.641)
Arkansas almost has as many wins as the other four DI programs in the state combined.
Number of Division I programs: 26
Program with most wins: UCLA (1,989 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: UCLA (.690)
UCLA has almost 29 times as many wins as a DI program as Cal Baptist, which just finished its fourth year as a DI school.
Number of Division I programs: 5
Program with most wins: Colorado (1,401 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Northern Colorado (.501)
Colorado is ahead of Colorado State for the most DI wins among schools in the state.
Number of Division I programs: 7
Program with most wins: Connecticut (1,744)
Program with highest winning percentage: Connecticut (.640)
The state of Connecticut is tied for fourth nationally with five national championships, despite only having seven DI men’s basketball programs. That’s all because of the Huskies.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: Delaware (999 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Delaware (.498)
Delaware’s 49.8 all-time winning percentage is roughly 11 percentage points higher than Delaware State.
Number of Division I programs: 13
Program with most wins: Florida (1,502 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Florida State (.592)
Florida Gulf Coast and Miami follow Florida State in all-time winning percentage.
Number of Division I programs: 6
Program with most wins: Georgia (1,465 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Georgia Tech (.525)
Georgia Tech’s all-time winning percentage is only slightly better than Georgia, which means the two schools could theoretically trade the lead every few months, depending on the ebbs and flows of a season.
Number of Division I programs: 1
Program with most wins: Hawaii (825 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Hawaii (.532)
Arguably the most famous non-conference men’s basketball tournament, the Maui Invitational, is in Hawaii but there’s only one DI program in the 50th state.
Number of Division I programs: 3
Program with most wins: Idaho (1,372 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Boise State (.563)
Idaho has 66 more years of history than Boise State but the Broncos have a winning percentage that’s 10 percentage points higher.
Number of Division I programs: 13
Program with most wins: Illinois (1,876 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Illinois (.640)
Did you know Bradley has the second-highest DI win total of any program in the state?
Number of Division I programs: 10
Program with most wins: Notre Dame (1,948 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Notre Dame (.641)
Indiana and Purdue both fall behind Notre Dame in total wins.
Number of Division I programs: 4
Program with most wins: Iowa (1,740 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Iowa (.588)
Three of the four DI programs in Iowa have an all-time winning percentage of at least 50 percent, so pound for pound, there’s some pretty good hoops in the Hawkeye State.
Number of Division I programs: 3
Program with most wins: Kansas (2,385 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Kansas (.729)
To put into perspective how storied the Jayhawks’ program is, Kansas State has over 1700 wins — a very good marks — yet Kansas is far and away the winningest program in the state.
Number of Division I programs: 8
Program with most wins: Kentucky (2,377 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Kentucky (.760)
Kentucky has the highest winning percentage in the country with the Wildcats’ winning more than three out of every four games in program history, on average.
Number of Division I programs: 12
Program with most wins: LSU (1,638 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Louisiana Tech (.591)
There are three other programs in the stat with a winning percentage north of 57 percent so for a football-crazy state, there’s also some good basketball being played in Louisiana.
Number of Division I programs: 1
Program with most wins: Maine (829 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Maine (.442)
There are five states with just one DI men’s basketball program. Hawaii and Maine are two of those states and they played each other during the 2020 season with Maine playing a road game at Hawaii.
Number of Division I programs: 9
Program with most wins: Maryland (1,619 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Maryland (.601)
Navy (1,445 wins, .569 win percentage) is the second-winningest program in Maryland.
Number of Division I programs: 8
Program with most wins: Holy Cross (1,439 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Holy Cross (.572)
Did you know that Holy Cross is responsible for Massachusetts’ only men’s basketball national championship?
Number of Division I programs: 7
Program with most wins: Michigan State (1,798 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Michigan State (.612)
Michigan State’s .612 winning percentage is only slightly higher than Michigan’s.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: Minnesota (1,699 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Minnesota (.572)
Minnesota ranks 22nd nationally in population, according to World Population Review, yet the state only has two DI men’s basketball program, with St. Thomas joining Minnesota.
Number of Division I programs: 6
Program with most wins: Mississippi State (1,502 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Mississippi State (.545)
Through the 2021 season, Ole Miss’ all-time record was 1,344-1,344 — exactly .500. They’re now at .497.
Number of Division I programs: 5
Program with most wins: Missouri (1,708 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Missouri State (.597)
Missouri State’s winning percentage is just higher than that of Missouri.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: Montana (1.505 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Montana State (.551)
Number of Division I programs: 3
Program with most wins: Creighton (1,655 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Creighton (.609)
Nebraska is almost 100 wins behind Creighton but the Bluejays have an all-time winning percentage that’s roughly nine percentage points higher.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: UNLV (1,166 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: UNLV (.686)
UNLV has been a DI program for 14 fewer seasons than Nevada but the Runnin’ Rebels have nearly 150 more wins.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: Dartmouth (1,338 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Dartmouth (.459)
Along with Delaware and Maine, New Hampshire is one of three states that doesn’t have a men’s basketball program with a winning percentage better than 50 percent.
Number of Division I programs: 8
Program with most wins: Princeton (1,807 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Princeton (.617)
Seton Hall, which has the second-most wins of any New Jersey program, is more than 200 wins behind Princeton.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: New Mexico State (1,612 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: New Mexico State (.589)
How about the New Mexico-New Mexico State rivalry? New Mexico State has a slight edge in all-time wins (1,612 to 1,557) and winning percentage (.589 to .571).
Number of Division I programs: 22
Program with most wins: Syracuse (2,074 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Syracuse (.683)
Syracuse won New York’s last men’s basketball national championship. Can you name the other New York school that won a national title? Hint: It’s no longer a Division I program (answer below).
Number of Division I programs: 18
Program with most wins: North Carolina (2,342 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: North Carolina (.733)
Duke’s 2,273 wins and .712 winning percentage would rank first in almost any state. But not in North Carolina.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: North Dakota State (588 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: North Dakota State (.675)
Both North Dakota State and South Dakota State have more wins and a higher winning percentage than North Dakota and South Dakota, respectively.
Number of Division I programs: 13
Program with most wins: Cincinnati (1,888 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Cincinnati (.639)
The state of Ohio won three consecutive men’s basketball national championships to start the 1960s with Ohio State and Cincinnati winning the title from 1960 to 1962.
Number of Division I programs: 4
Program with most wins: Oklahoma (1,754 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Oklahoma (.606)
Oklahoma State is within shouting distance of Oklahoma.
Number of Division I programs: 4
Program with most wins: Oregon State (1,812 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Oregon State (.562)
Oregon won the first-ever NCAA tournament as we know it today, but it’s Oregon State that leads all schools in the state in wins and winning percentage.
Number of Division I programs: 14
Program with most wins: Temple (1,978 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Villanova (.657)
With the Big 5, the city of Philadelphia has more DI programs than 24 states do individually.
NOTHING BUT NET: The NET rankings, explained
Number of Division I programs: 4
Program with most wins: Rhode Island (1,569 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Providence (.613)
Three of the four DI programs in Rhode Island have at least 1,000 wins.
Number of Division I programs: 12
Program with most wins: South Carolina (1,479 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: College of Charleston (.687)
College of Charleston has one of the highest all-time winning percentages in the country.
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: South Dakota State (324 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: South Dakota State (.600)
South Dakota State has only been a DI program for two more years than South Dakota but the Jackrabbits have 110 more wins.
Number of Division I programs: 12
Program with most wins: Tennessee (1,743 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Belmont (.672)
In addition to Belmont, three other schools in the state have an all-time winning percentage of at least 60 percent.
Can you name them? (Answer below.)
Number of Division I programs: 24
Program with most wins: Texas (1,878 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Texas (.625)
Texas’ 24 DI programs have combined to win just one men’s basketball national championship.
Which school is responsible for Texas’ lone title? Hint: The school has fewer letters in its name than “Texas” (answer below).
Number of Division I programs: 6
Program with most wins: BYU (1,897 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Utah (.63]
Only 13 active DI programs have more wins all-time than BYU.
Number of Division I programs: 1
Program with most wins: Vermont (1,011 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Vermont (.546)
Vermont is the state’s only DI men’s basketball program.
Number of Division I programs: 14
Program with most wins: Virginia (1,694 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: VCU (.651)
VCU (977 wins), which has competed in 49 DI seasons, could reach the 1,000-win mark by the time it finishes its 50th season as a DI program.
Number of Division I programs: 5
Program with most wins: Washington (1,850 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Gonzaga (.667)
Will Gonzaga ever catch Washington? Gonzaga’s all-time winning percentage is almost seven percentage points higher but the Bulldogs have almost 450 fewer wins. That’s quite a gap.
Number of Division I programs: 4
Program with most wins: Georgetown (1,713 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Georgetown (.602)
Can you name the four DI schools in D.C.?
Number of Division I programs: 2
Program with most wins: West Virginia (1,846 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: West Virginia (.616)
West Virginia’s all-time win statistics are impressive compared to any state’s DI population, not just a state with two DI schools.
Number of Division I programs: 4
Program with most wins: Marquette (1,712 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Marquette (.619)
The Wisconsin Badgers are a few wins behind the Golden Eagles all-time.
Number of Division I programs: 1
Program with most wins: Wyoming (1,594 wins)
Program with highest winning percentage: Wyoming (.560)
Wyoming ranks in the top 20 percentile in terms of all-time wins.
Trivia answers:
Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Indiana University.
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