CBS Top 25 for the next 25 years

My hatred for them aside, that is a lot of confidence in a program that wasn't top 10 in the last 25 years. Meanwhile, Purdue is still underrated. Michigan? Fucking Michigan? Dusty May is decent, I guess, and they seem to have infinite money but I have my doubts.

Purduepete09 said:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/projecting-top-25-college-basketball-programs-of-next-25-years-teams-set-for-most-long-term-success/ IU at 5. Lolololololololololol. Media just can't help themselves.

Who the foook is Kyle Boone and why should we care what he thinks? He seems to be in love with the Big XII. Trying to predict 25 years into the future is a fools errand at best.

And therefore projected as the best next 25 years of any BT team?

Perhaps the dumbest, most inaccurate, clickbaity article this week. What a clown. I actually hate myself for clicking on it and giving that asshat air.

The is the kind of article you write when you have nothing to write about. Absurd.

Picking L'ville #3 and IU #5 makes me think this buffoon believes the reincarnated versions of Pitino & Knight will be coaching there for the next 25 years. Sadly, I'll never get back the time I wasted reading this drivel.

Vagabondwboiler said:

The is the kind of article you write when you have nothing to write about. Absurd.

Completely agree. And my reply is mostly for the thread itself, but no reason to get butt hurt over a trivial article like this. Kyle Boone isn't that bad, and all he's doing is taking an "educated" guess on programs' futures. It's an exercise in futility that might drive some discussion, but not worth any of us getting worked up about. If we're being honest with ourselves, IU could end up in a much better spot thanks to their history and deep pockets. Luckily for us, they still have to get out of their own way and learn how to build a roster. Best take away from the article is that we're on the up and up. Otherwise, why care?

What are the odds he just asked ChatGPT and that's what it spit out?

Purduepete09 said:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/projecting-top-25-college-basketball-programs-of-next-25-years-teams-set-for-most-long-term-success/ IU at 5. Lolololololololololol. Media just can't help themselves.

Did he say irrelevant for the last decade :oops:, or did he slip up and meant to say last 4 decades? Good Lord. :rolleyes: We'd be significant higher on that list if we had deep upfront NIL pockets buying players out of the portal, which is the only reason IU is up that high.

dstchlk said:

What are the odds he just asked ChatGPT and that's what it spit out?

Because you asked....not better for us, but one team came in at *checks notes* #27. ****************************************************** Fun challenge. Here’s a forward-looking, data-lite projection based on five drivers: (1) consistent tourney performance, (2) recruiting footprint + NBA pipeline, (3) NIL/collective strength, (4) coaching tree + institutional commitment, and (5) conference stability/media money. Obviously, surprises happen—but these programs check the most boxes for sustained success. [HEADING=2]Projected Top 25 Programs (next 25 years)[/HEADING] [LIST=1] [*]UConn — modern dynasty momentum + elite recruiting/development [*]Kansas — blue-blood floor, Big 12 power, rock-solid infrastructure [*]Duke — perpetual five-star access and resources [*]Kentucky — talent magnet; NIL + brand keep ceiling sky-high [*]North Carolina — blue-chip pipeline with strong institutional support [*]Arizona — West’s recruiting hub; Big 12 profile boosts relevance [*]Houston — elite defense identity + Texas recruiting base [*]Baylor — player development, analytics edge, innovative staff [*]Michigan State — consistency and culture; Midwest footprint [*]Gonzaga — national brand, NBA development, scheduling savvy [*]UCLA — talent density in SoCal + Big Ten money [*]Villanova — culture, spacing/shooting identity, East-coast talent [*]Alabama — modern offense + SEC resources and NIL [*]Tennessee — defense culture, deep fanbase, SEC stability [*]Purdue — continuity, big-man development, rabid support [*]Texas — facilities, NIL, and in-state recruiting boom [*]Marquette — smart scheme, talent ID, Big East platform [*]Creighton — spacing/shooting pipeline; elite fan investment [*]Arkansas — in-state enthusiasm + portal/recruiting upside [*]Auburn — NBA-track record with wings/bigs; SEC runway [*]Virginia — defensive identity, player development, stability [*]San Diego State — defense, portal wins, SoCal talent overflow [*]Illinois — recruiting resurgence, Big Ten backing [*]Ohio State — resources, massive alumni/NIL upside [*]Oregon — Nike adjacency, West Coast recruiting reach [/LIST] [HEADING=2]Next-up watchlist (could crack the 25)[/HEADING] Miami (FL), Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Colorado, Saint Mary’s, Dayton, Kansas State, BYU. [HEADING=3]Why these picks?[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]Money & leagues: Big Ten/SEC/Big 12 media deals + NIL scale will keep their members near the top. [*]Talent geography: Programs sitting on Texas/California/Southeast pipelines have built-in edges. [*]Repeatable identity: Teams with stable player-development and a clear on-court style weather coaching turnover better. [/LIST] If you want, I can re-rank this for a specific metric (e.g., most combined Sweet 16s, titles, or average KenPom) and give 5- and 10-year checkpoints.

If you look at the programs that thrived the past 5 years with all the changes in the landscape, how does anyone not have Purdue in the top 5? Anyone that doesn't see that doesn't know much about hoops because the notion that you can buy championships has been disproven.

AlumInDallas said:

If you look at the programs that thrived the past 5 years with all the changes in the landscape, how does anyone not have Purdue in the top 5? Anyone that doesn't see that doesn't know much about hoops because the notion that you can buy championships has been disproven.

It's over the next 25 years though and a lot of the success lately is due to Matt Painter and the worry is can Purdue sustain this level of excellence when Matt retires? He's at the pinnacle of his success right now, there may not be a better more respected HC in America. I think that's the worry that if he leaves will the success continue at this level?

o_DavidBoiler said:

It's over the next 25 years though and a lot of the success lately is due to Matt Painter and the worry is can Purdue sustain this level of excellence when Matt retires? He's at the pinnacle of his success right now, there may not be a better more respected HC in America. I think that's the worry that if he leaves will the success continue at this level?

Is Purdue an attractive enough job in the grand scheme of things to draw the crèam of the crop head coaching replacement?

I forget where he ranked Houston and don't want to click on the article again, but they were picked high because Kelvin Sampson's son is going to be great. Has there ever been an example of a son being successful in a nepotism hire at the college level? I can only think of failures - hell, Brian Ferentz was fired before he even got to succeed his father.

nhdoublej said:

Kyle Boone isn't that bad, and all he's doing is taking an "educated" guess on programs' futures.

But he's not. He's 95% letting history shape his view of the future, and also conflating old history with recent history in the case of both Indiana and Purdue and several others. If he is taken as claiming he really peered into the future, it's lazy AF what he did. Pick some darkhorses (BYU?) and tell us why. Reward the programs that have dominated the past 5 years and have stable long-term coaches. There's little question in my mind that UConn, Purdue, and Houston, possibly in that order, are best positioned for the next 10 years or so. But Sampson may be nearing retirement so maybe scratch them. Add Alabama. Not Tennessee, Barnes is ancient. Kansas, Kentucky, and L'ville haven't done much lately, although if any two programs are built to survive coaching changes, is's UK and KU. UNC is in the shtiter, Duke looks promising but hasn't done anything yet. Texas Tech sans Beard, seriously? Michigan, okay, put 'em in the top 10 because you love May.

o_DavidBoiler said:

Is Purdue an attractive enough job in the grand scheme of things to draw the crèam of the crop head coaching replacement?

Yes.

Boiler52 said:

[HEADING=2]Projected Top 25 Programs (next 25 years)[/HEADING]

Here is my version, including the prompt. Purdue at #5, Michigan #17, which makes a whole lot more sense. One factor I "left out" is program's long-term history, otherwise Kentucky and UCLA and maybe IU would rise some along with any others having multiple NCs. Also of note, the fading legacy of the five they left out along with the inclusion of upstarts like KSU and SDSU. Me: Can you project and rank the Top 25 men's college basketball programs in the US over the period of the next 25 seasons? The factors to consider: (1) quality of facility, (2) rabidness and reach of fanbase, (3) quality of the current head coach and years that person is likely to continue at that institution, (4) results of the past 5 years. Discount any program that has had only one or two very successful coaches ever and the most recent one is either gone or nearing retirement. [HEADING=3]ChatGPT said:[/HEADING] Thought for 1m 2s Love this kind of long-view exercise. Here’s a forward-looking Top-25 projection for the next 25 seasons based on your four factors (facility quality; fanbase size/intensity; current head coach quality + expected tenure; last 5 years of results), with an explicit discount for “one-coach programs” whose singular star is gone or near retirement. I’m anchoring recent results and key coaching moves through the 2024–25 season (e.g., Florida’s 2025 title; Calipari to Arkansas; Pope to Kentucky; Hurley staying at UConn; Musselman to USC; BYU hiring Kevin Young). BYU Athletics+6NCAA.com+6Wikipedia+6 [HEADING=2]Top-25 programs for the next 25 years (projected)[/HEADING] [LIST=1] [*]Kansas — Blue-chip facilities, massive fanbase, Self’s machine shows no signs of slowing; safest long-horizon bet. [*]UConn — Two titles in the last 5 years and Hurley recommitted; facilities/fanbase travel. Risk: eventual NBA interest. ESPN.com [*]Duke — Scheyer has recruiting humming; brand + Cameron + national pull keep the floor sky-high. [*]North Carolina — Davis stabilized post-Roy and the Carolina engine (NIL + facilities + brand) travels. [*]Purdue — Mackey, an elite and rabid fanbase, Painter’s longevity, and sustained top-10 form make this a 25-year anchor. [*]Arizona — Tommy Lloyd has reloaded annually; McKale + phoenix of West-coast recruiting power. [*]Houston — Big 12 fit, elite recent efficiency, modern arena; long-term continuity beyond Sampson is the question. [*]Alabama — Oats’ style + SEC resources + recruiting pipeline; Coleman upgrades and fan growth lift ceiling. [*]Baylor — Drew proved multi-cycle staying power; facilities, NIL, and talent ID keep them nationally relevant. [*]Gonzaga — Fewer league headwinds, elite continuity with Few; postseason variance but 25-year win totals will stack. [*]Florida — 2025 national title resets trajectory; resources/fanbase to sustain top-15 outcomes. NCAA.com+1 [*]Kentucky — Pope inherits the sport’s largest fanbase and resources; upside enormous, but needs deep March runs to lock in. UK Athletics+1 [*]Auburn — Pearl + arena atmosphere + NIL momentum; consistent second weekends with title-shot spikes. [*]Arkansas — Calipari + Bud Walton + elite NIL/fanbase; immediate talent influx suggests high ceiling. ESPN.com+1 [*]Texas — Moody Center, brand, NIL, and recruiting footprint keep the floor high regardless of coach cycles. [*]Marquette — Shaka’s fit, Fiserv access, and strong donor base; consistent top-20 with occasional top-5 peaks. [*]Michigan — Dusty May plus blue-blood resources; Crisler/fanbase give a sturdy runway if recruiting sticks. [*]Illinois — Underwood stabilized to top-20; State Farm + energized fanbase = sustained relevance. [*]UCLA — History and Los Angeles recruiting base endure; needs NIL/facility execution to match brand. [*]Creighton — McDermott’s continuity, CHI Health Center game-day edge; consistent second-weekend threat. [*]Tennessee — Facilities/fanbase are elite; Barnes’ age nudges a medium-term transition risk despite strong present. [*]Iowa State — Hilton’s home-court + Otzelberger recruiting/portal chops; top-25 regular with puncher’s chance. [*]San Diego State — Fanbase, arena, defense-first identity travel; steady top-25 with occasional Final Four windows. [*]Kansas State — Tang’s energy + Bramlage atmosphere; donor buy-in suggests staying power in the Big 12. [*]USC — Musselman in L.A. gives portal power + talent churn; if Galen/NIL align, ceiling rises. ESPN.com [/LIST] [HR][/HR] [HEADING=2]Why some big names are discounted[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]Michigan State — Hall-of-Fame program, but much of the modern brand is Izzo-centric; with retirement on the horizon, this projects to a transition dip before we can credibly forecast a top-25, 25-year slot under the “single-coach discount” rule. [*]Villanova — Post-Jay Wright volatility undercuts a 25-year projection despite facilities and fanbase. [*]Syracuse — Post-Boeheim identity still forming; facilities/fanbase solid, but long-term coach certainty lags. [*]St. John’s — Pitino raises the floor now, but age makes a 25-year projection fragile. [*]Indiana — Massive fanbase/facilities, but results volatility + coaching horizon keep them just outside this list today. [/LIST] [HR][/HR] [HEADING=2]Method notes (short & practical)[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]Weighting (rough): Fanbase/brand 30%, Coaching (quality + likely tenure) 30%, Facilities 20%, Last-5-years results 20%. [*]Time horizon bias: We rewarded programs with institutional momentum (repeatable recruiting, NIL organization, donor support, scheduling, and arena experience) over single-era spikes. [*]Recency anchors: Recent champions and major 2024–25 coaching changes were verified to keep the baseline current. BYU Athletics+6NCAA.com+6Wikipedia+6 [/LIST] If you want, I can convert this into a one-pager with a scorecard per team (facility/fanbase/coach/results, 1–10 each) and an “aging-coach discount” flag so you can tweak weights and see the ranking update.

Articles like this are just fun, thought provoking, discussion starters. There is no way to predict this with any accuracy. College basketball is coach driven and there is no guarantee, even for blue bloods, that they continue to be great when their current coach is gone. Painter will not be coaching much beyond the next dozen years (if that) and a bunch of programs on his list will be looking for the next great coach to continue their tradition. I actually thought he was very complimentary of Purdue. Someone questioned Texas Tech, that is an eyebrow raiser but they are spending like drunken sailors and have a good young coach that could stick around for most of the time period.

dboilermaker said:

Yes.

We'll see in a decade or so. The MBB head coaching new hire carousel at this level when a legend retires can be a nightmare just ask IU.

dboilermaker said:

But he's not. He's 95% letting history shape his view of the future, and also conflating old history with recent history in the case of both Indiana and Purdue and several others. If he is taken as claiming he really peered into the future, it's lazy AF what he did. Pick some darkhorses (BYU?) and tell us why. Reward the programs that have dominated the past 5 years and have stable long-term coaches. There's little question in my mind that UConn, Purdue, and Houston, possibly in that order, are best positioned for the next 10 years or so. But Sampson may be nearing retirement so maybe scratch them. Add Alabama. Not Tennessee, Barnes is ancient. Kansas, Kentucky, and L'ville haven't done much lately, although if any two programs are built to survive coaching changes, is's UK and KU. UNC is in the shtiter, Duke looks promising but hasn't done anything yet. Texas Tech sans Beard, seriously? Michigan, okay, put 'em in the top 10 because you love May.

History can be a decent data point for the future, especially with "blue bloods" and Kansas/Duke/UConn currently. Though we don't know what happens after Self. Is Scheyer the right answer after Coach K? And how much longer will Hurley be at UConn? Does he jump ship? I'm not arguing about his list. I barely looked at it. There's a reason I put educated in quotes. My only point is there's no reason to get worked up over a list that is pure speculation. No one can see into the future. So for any of us fans to get worked up over it seems like a waste of our collective energy. Getting up in arms over a what I equate to as a "silly article" is something we should leave to fragile fan bases of ex-blue bloods. That is all.

dboilermaker said:

Here is my version, including the prompt. Purdue at #5, Michigan #17, which makes a whole lot more sense. One factor I "left out" is program's long-term history, otherwise Kentucky and UCLA and maybe IU would rise some along with any others having multiple NCs. Also of note, the fading legacy of the five they left out along with the inclusion of upstarts like KSU and SDSU. Me: Can you project and rank the Top 25 men's college basketball programs in the US over the period of the next 25 seasons? The factors to consider: (1) quality of facility, (2) rabidness and reach of fanbase, (3) quality of the current head coach and years that person is likely to continue at that institution, (4) results of the past 5 years. Discount any program that has had only one or two very successful coaches ever and the most recent one is either gone or nearing retirement. [HEADING=3]ChatGPT said:[/HEADING] Thought for 1m 2s Love this kind of long-view exercise. Here’s a forward-looking Top-25 projection for the next 25 seasons based on your four factors (facility quality; fanbase size/intensity; current head coach quality + expected tenure; last 5 years of results), with an explicit discount for “one-coach programs” whose singular star is gone or near retirement. I’m anchoring recent results and key coaching moves through the 2024–25 season (e.g., Florida’s 2025 title; Calipari to Arkansas; Pope to Kentucky; Hurley staying at UConn; Musselman to USC; BYU hiring Kevin Young). BYU Athletics+6NCAA.com+6Wikipedia+6 [HEADING=2]Top-25 programs for the next 25 years (projected)[/HEADING] [LIST=1] [*]Kansas — Blue-chip facilities, massive fanbase, Self’s machine shows no signs of slowing; safest long-horizon bet. [*]UConn — Two titles in the last 5 years and Hurley recommitted; facilities/fanbase travel. Risk: eventual NBA interest. ESPN.com [*]Duke — Scheyer has recruiting humming; brand + Cameron + national pull keep the floor sky-high. [*]North Carolina — Davis stabilized post-Roy and the Carolina engine (NIL + facilities + brand) travels. [*]Purdue — Mackey, an elite and rabid fanbase, Painter’s longevity, and sustained top-10 form make this a 25-year anchor. [*]Arizona — Tommy Lloyd has reloaded annually; McKale + phoenix of West-coast recruiting power. [*]Houston — Big 12 fit, elite recent efficiency, modern arena; long-term continuity beyond Sampson is the question. [*]Alabama — Oats’ style + SEC resources + recruiting pipeline; Coleman upgrades and fan growth lift ceiling. [*]Baylor — Drew proved multi-cycle staying power; facilities, NIL, and talent ID keep them nationally relevant. [*]Gonzaga — Fewer league headwinds, elite continuity with Few; postseason variance but 25-year win totals will stack. [*]Florida — 2025 national title resets trajectory; resources/fanbase to sustain top-15 outcomes. NCAA.com+1 [*]Kentucky — Pope inherits the sport’s largest fanbase and resources; upside enormous, but needs deep March runs to lock in. UK Athletics+1 [*]Auburn — Pearl + arena atmosphere + NIL momentum; consistent second weekends with title-shot spikes. [*]Arkansas — Calipari + Bud Walton + elite NIL/fanbase; immediate talent influx suggests high ceiling. ESPN.com+1 [*]Texas — Moody Center, brand, NIL, and recruiting footprint keep the floor high regardless of coach cycles. [*]Marquette — Shaka’s fit, Fiserv access, and strong donor base; consistent top-20 with occasional top-5 peaks. [*]Michigan — Dusty May plus blue-blood resources; Crisler/fanbase give a sturdy runway if recruiting sticks. [*]Illinois — Underwood stabilized to top-20; State Farm + energized fanbase = sustained relevance. [*]UCLA — History and Los Angeles recruiting base endure; needs NIL/facility execution to match brand. [*]Creighton — McDermott’s continuity, CHI Health Center game-day edge; consistent second-weekend threat. [*]Tennessee — Facilities/fanbase are elite; Barnes’ age nudges a medium-term transition risk despite strong present. [*]Iowa State — Hilton’s home-court + Otzelberger recruiting/portal chops; top-25 regular with puncher’s chance. [*]San Diego State — Fanbase, arena, defense-first identity travel; steady top-25 with occasional Final Four windows. [*]Kansas State — Tang’s energy + Bramlage atmosphere; donor buy-in suggests staying power in the Big 12. [*]USC — Musselman in L.A. gives portal power + talent churn; if Galen/NIL align, ceiling rises. ESPN.com [/LIST] [HR][/HR] [HEADING=2]Why some big names are discounted[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]Michigan State — Hall-of-Fame program, but much of the modern brand is Izzo-centric; with retirement on the horizon, this projects to a transition dip before we can credibly forecast a top-25, 25-year slot under the “single-coach discount” rule. [*]Villanova — Post-Jay Wright volatility undercuts a 25-year projection despite facilities and fanbase. [*]Syracuse — Post-Boeheim identity still forming; facilities/fanbase solid, but long-term coach certainty lags. [*]St. John’s — Pitino raises the floor now, but age makes a 25-year projection fragile. [*]Indiana — Massive fanbase/facilities, but results volatility + coaching horizon keep them just outside this list today. [/LIST] [HR][/HR] [HEADING=2]Method notes (short & practical)[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]Weighting (rough): Fanbase/brand 30%, Coaching (quality + likely tenure) 30%, Facilities 20%, Last-5-years results 20%. [*]Time horizon bias: We rewarded programs with institutional momentum (repeatable recruiting, NIL organization, donor support, scheduling, and arena experience) over single-era spikes. [*]Recency anchors: Recent champions and major 2024–25 coaching changes were verified to keep the baseline current. BYU Athletics+6NCAA.com+6Wikipedia+6 [/LIST] If you want, I can convert this into a one-pager with a scorecard per team (facility/fanbase/coach/results, 1–10 each) and an “aging-coach discount” flag so you can tweak weights and see the ranking update.

How long do you think Matt will continue to coach at Purdue? 15 years? Less? More? And since Purdue is not Duke or Kansas or Kentucky etc how confident are you that the transition to a new hire will be smooth and a new HC will be successful? Purdue as we've seen with Football and WBB is a tough place to be successful. Matt has been really successful the last few years doing it his way. It's taken his unique brand of coaching style especially lately to be successful at a university that is really tough for sport programs to be successful. The town and community has some drawbacks that may not appeal to some athletes, the NIL money may not be there compared to other higher profile programs, the new HC and their style etc may not be the perfect fit etc. We'll see how the next decade or so plays out but Purdue is a tough place to succeed. Just throwing that out there as a possible worry about the long term future of the last decade of this 25 year prediction of this PU MBB program.

Purduepete09 said:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/projecting-top-25-college-basketball-programs-of-next-25-years-teams-set-for-most-long-term-success/ IU at 5. Lolololololololololol. Media just can't help themselves.

Dumbest article ever. I too created a list in 5 seconds. Nice — love a bold 25-year forecast. Below I’ll make a ranked prediction of the 25 college basketball programs most likely to be the long-term elites over the next 25 years (i.e., programs that, based on resources, recruiting, institutional support, fanbase, coaching pipelines, and adaptability to NIL/transfer-era economics, are most likely to produce sustained top-25 / national-title–contending performance). This is necessarily speculative — lots can change (coaching moves, conference realignment, new laws on athlete pay, etc.) — but I’ll be transparent about why each program made the cut. [HEADING=2]My Top 25 (prediction for sustained elite status across the next 25 years)[/HEADING] [LIST=1] [*]Duke — recruiting machine, elite brand and facilities; remains a magnet for top high-school talent. ESPN.com [*]Kentucky — perennial recruiting powerhouse with deep NBA pipeline and enormous fan/booster support. On3 [*]Kansas — historic winning culture, strong coaching continuity and recruiting. [*]North Carolina — blue-blood brand, huge fanbase and recruiting reach. [*]UCLA — massive market, recruiting pull in California, resurging program. [*]Gonzaga — proven mid-major that behaves like a national power: strong player development and stable coaching. The Slipper Still Fits [*]Purdue — excellent recent results, Big Ten profile, strong roster construction (identified as top preseason team recently). ESPN.com+1 [*]Houston — elite coaching and defensive identity; projects to remain a top program. blog.evanmiya.com [*]UConn — recent national success, strong recruiting lift from championships. [*]Arizona — big-time recruiting upside and West Coast footprint. [*]Villanova — consistent program culture, coaching pipeline and player development. [*]Baylor — recent national success, strong program infrastructure. [*]Michigan State — long history of sustained success and national profile. [*]Michigan — resourceful program in a major media market with strong recruiting ties. [*]Texas — enormous athletic revenue base and recruiting reach; resources matter for NIL and facilities. USA TODAY [*]Ohio State — massive athletic budget and recruiting reach to sustain long-term competitiveness. USA TODAY [*]Louisville — big city, passionate fanbase and (per recent coverage) an accelerating rebuild. Card Chronicle [*]Florida — SEC resources + regional recruiting; has history of competing at a high level. [*]Syracuse — huge fanbase and brand, consistent national visibility. [*]Tennessee — strong recent investment in hoops and recruiting in the Southeast. [*]Arkansas — SEC backing, improving recruiting footprint. [*]Creighton — stable program that’s become a regular tourney team and strong mid-major to power-program bridge. [*]Saint John’s — resurging program with NYC recruiting advantages (already showing up in early top-25 chatter). ESPN.com [*]NC State — ACC market + recruiting pipeline in North Carolina high school hotbed. [*]Gonzaga/Notre Dame/Seton Hall-style pick — I’ll include — Providence — (final spot) a Big East program with strong local recruiting and the potential to be consistently good in the right circumstances. [/LIST] [HR][/HR] [HEADING=2]How I chose them (short methodology)[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]Recruiting pipelines & recent class rankings — programs that consistently bring top classes tend to stay near the top. (See recent recruiting leaderboards.) ESPN.com+1 [*]Institutional resources & revenue — bigger athletic budgets translate to better facilities, staff, and NIL capacity (which looks increasingly important). USA TODAY [*]Program culture & coaching stability — teams with strong coaching pipelines, identity, and continuity (Duke, Kansas, Gonzaga, Villanova) resist long declines. [*]Adaptability to NIL/transfer era — programs that can monetize player value and offer visible paths to pro careers will keep recruiting. (NIL/roster mobility is reshaping competitive balance.) ESPN.com+1 [/LIST] [HR][/HR] [HEADING=2]Caveats & uncertainty[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]This is a probabilistic forecast, not a certainty. Over 25 years, shocks happen: sustained sanctions, conference realignment, legislation, or a multi-decade collapse or boom at any single school. [*]NIL and revenue sharing are wildcards. If revenue-sharing rules or major new financial models emerge (or are ruled against), program economics could flip. nil-ncaa.com [*]“Top 25 over 25 years” can mean different things — I interpreted it as programs most likely to consistently be top-25/contenders across the next quarter century, not necessarily to win the most national titles (though those are correlated). [/LIST] [HR][/HR] If you’d like, I can: [LIST] [*]Convert this into a ranked probability table (e.g., estimated chance each program finishes a top-25 season in a given year), or [*]Show different lists (e.g., programs most likely to WIN multiple national titles vs. programs most likely to finish top-25 regularly), or [*]Produce a dashboard that scores each program on recruiting, budget, NIL capacity, coaching stability, and fanbase — with sources for each metric. [/LIST]

EGET said:

Perhaps the dumbest, most inaccurate, clickbaity article this week. What a clown. I actually hate myself for clicking on it and giving that asshat air.

Yep. I saw the 5 mascots on the link to the article and thought nah, rage bait

Boiler52 said:

Because you asked....not better for us, but one team came in at *checks notes* #27. ****************************************************** Fun challenge. Here’s a forward-looking, data-lite projection based on five drivers: (1) consistent tourney performance, (2) recruiting footprint + NBA pipeline, (3) NIL/collective strength, (4) coaching tree + institutional commitment, and (5) conference stability/media money. Obviously, surprises happen—but these programs check the most boxes for sustained success. [HEADING=2]Projected Top 25 Programs (next 25 years)[/HEADING] [LIST=1] [*]UConn — modern dynasty momentum + elite recruiting/development [*]Kansas — blue-blood floor, Big 12 power, rock-solid infrastructure [*]Duke — perpetual five-star access and resources [*]Kentucky — talent magnet; NIL + brand keep ceiling sky-high [*]North Carolina — blue-chip pipeline with strong institutional support [*]Arizona — West’s recruiting hub; Big 12 profile boosts relevance [*]Houston — elite defense identity + Texas recruiting base [*]Baylor — player development, analytics edge, innovative staff [*]Michigan State — consistency and culture; Midwest footprint [*]Gonzaga — national brand, NBA development, scheduling savvy [*]UCLA — talent density in SoCal + Big Ten money [*]Villanova — culture, spacing/shooting identity, East-coast talent [*]Alabama — modern offense + SEC resources and NIL [*]Tennessee — defense culture, deep fanbase, SEC stability [*]Purdue — continuity, big-man development, rabid support [*]Texas — facilities, NIL, and in-state recruiting boom [*]Marquette — smart scheme, talent ID, Big East platform [*]Creighton — spacing/shooting pipeline; elite fan investment [*]Arkansas — in-state enthusiasm + portal/recruiting upside [*]Auburn — NBA-track record with wings/bigs; SEC runway [*]Virginia — defensive identity, player development, stability [*]San Diego State — defense, portal wins, SoCal talent overflow [*]Illinois — recruiting resurgence, Big Ten backing [*]Ohio State — resources, massive alumni/NIL upside [*]Oregon — Nike adjacency, West Coast recruiting reach [/LIST] [HEADING=2]Next-up watchlist (could crack the 25)[/HEADING] Miami (FL), Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Colorado, Saint Mary’s, Dayton, Kansas State, BYU. [HEADING=3]Why these picks?[/HEADING] [LIST] [*]Money & leagues: Big Ten/SEC/Big 12 media deals + NIL scale will keep their members near the top. [*]Talent geography: Programs sitting on Texas/California/Southeast pipelines have built-in edges. [*]Repeatable identity: Teams with stable player-development and a clear on-court style weather coaching turnover better. [/LIST] If you want, I can re-rank this for a specific metric (e.g., most combined Sweet 16s, titles, or average KenPom) and give 5- and 10-year checkpoints.

Beat me to it.