Jay Williams doesn't include Kentucky on Mt. Rushmore of college basketball blue bloods

The debate over whether or not UConn should be considered a college basketball blue blood just got personal.

The Huskies claimed their fifth national championship on Monday night, which ties them with Duke and Indiana for the fourth most all-time behind UCLA (11), Kentucky (8), and North Carolina (6). All five of those titles have come in the last 25 years, the last three under three different head coaches (Jim Calhoun, Kevin Ollie, Dan Hurley). That in itself, in my opinion, qualifies UConn as a blue blood; however, the relevancy factor brings up a different question when it comes to Kentucky’s status as one of the elite of the elites.

This morning on “Keyshawn, J-Will, and Max,” Max Kellerman, Chris Canty, and Jay Williams debated the current blue bloods in the sport. Williams did not include Kentucky or UCLA — the teams with the most titles — in his “Mount Rushmore” of college basketball blue bloods, instead going with North Carolina, Kansas, UConn, and Duke. His reasoning? The Cats and the Bruins have history, but not enough recent championships, “recent” meaning within the past 20 years.

“I am removing [UCLA] because with the exception of 1995, which was 20+ years ago, before that, their last one was close to 50, 45 years ago. 1975. They had this incredible run [in the 60s-70s]. They haven’t won one in the 2000s. I feel like that program has been lost. Now, Mick Cronin is doing a great job, Steven Lavin, some guys have done good jobs, Ben Howland, getting them there but they haven’t won one in a very long time, so sorry I’m kind of taking you off the list.

“Even Kentucky, they got one [championship] and I’m like, okay, it feels like they struggle, where I look at Duke, Duke has had five. Three in the 2000s. 2001, 2015, 2010, 1992, 1993.”

“You’re right, Jay,” Canty said. “I think the criteria is multiple championships in the 2000s. If you’ve got that, you’re probably a blue blood program.”

While Kentucky only has one national championship in the last 20 years (2012), the Cats have been to four Final Fours during that span. In 2014-15, Kentucky had one of the most dominant runs in college basketball history, winning 38 games in a row, but, as we are all well aware, the Cats came up short of cementing their names in history as national champions and the first undefeated team since Indiana in 1976.

Should Star Power factor in?

Should Kentucky’s plethora of pros matter when it comes to its status as a blue blood? In the John Calipari era alone, 45 Kentucky players have been drafted. So many faces of the sport have worn Kentucky blue in the past 15 years; however, the panel agreed that Kentucky having all that talent and just one national championship to show for it actually works against them.

“The thing that makes this interesting is the school that by far has the most pros is Kentucky, right?” Williams said. “By far. With [Anthony Davis], Karl-Anthony Towns, John Wall, Julius Randle, [Devin Booker], DeMarcus Cousins, Tayshaun Prince, Jamal Murray, the list goes on and on and on. They have some iconic moments in the tournament with AD winning the [championship] but how do you factor that into one ‘ship in the last 20 years?”

“That almost counts against them in a way,” Kellerman argued. “You have multiple NBA All-Star teams coming out of Kentucky and you look and go, one ‘ship? Is it for them or against them?”

That’s a debate in itself. I still believe the Cats are a college basketball blue blood given the number of Final Fours, top-ranked teams (don’t forget the 2003 squad), and stars. Even if you extend the range of relevancy from 20 years to 25, there’s another title in 1998. Extend it to 27 years, there’s another in 1996, bringing the total up to three. Kentucky’s dynasty in the 90s deserves mention.

…However, it’s clear the Cats’ recent lack of postseason success is starting to catch up to them, to the point the talking heads aren’t including them in the conversation of college basketball’s best programs. That stinks. The clock is ticking. Time to work our way back in.

You can hear the entire conversation below, starting around the 8-minute mark.

College Basketball programs with the most National Championships

Team	Titles	Years Won
UCLA	11	1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995
Kentucky	8	1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012
North Carolina	6	1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017
Duke	5	1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015
Indiana	5	1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987
Connecticut	5	1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023
Kansas	4	1952, 1988, 2008, 2022