Best Basketball Schools in the US ranked by Academics

[SMU1523]

SMU is number 13, ahead of Kansas and UCLA. Let the recruits know!

From College USA Today

If the Super Bowl lasted for a month and included the best 68 teams in the nation, it would be as big as the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. March Madness has grown into one of the most popular sporting events in the world. If your athletic and academic skills are good enough, you too can be part of the madness.

Basketball is no longer only a major professional sport in the United States. The game is exploding across the globe, creating playing, coaching and officiating opportunities for more athletes than ever. Furthermore, savvy sports businesspersons can make a living in marketing, management and merchandising.

If your life after school no longer involves the game, you still have a chance to earn a great degree with your basketball scholarship. Before the March Madness begins, consider some of the best basketball schools in the U.S. ranked by academics as well as athletics.

http://college.usatoday.com/2015/03/16/top-10-division-i-schools-for-mens-basketball/

Rankings from CollegeFactual.com
1. Duke
2. Syracuse
3. Florida
4. Arizona
5. Villanova
6. Vanderbilt
7. Michigan
8. Louisville
9. Pitt
10. Texas
11. Michigan State
12. Wisconsin
13. SMU
14. Kansas
15. UCLA

[Pony_Law]

So I don't understand their methodology for this. UVA is a better school than most on this list. So is ND. If Michigan and Vanderbilt are on the list I would imagine Stanford has to be as well even though they didn't have a great year. Davidson is also an elite academic institution. Don't understand how Florida, Pitt, Louisville, and Michigan state, and Kansas make this list at all.

[AustinPerson]

Isn't Kansas where the Highland Park kids go whose only other option is Stephen F. Austin? How is KU comparable to UCLA?

This is the dumbest list ever created.

[SMU1523]

So I don't understand their methodology for this. UVA is a better school than most on this list. So is ND. If Michigan and Vanderbilt are on the list I would imagine Stanford has to be as well even though they didn't have a great year. Davidson is also an elite academic institution. Don't understand how Florida, Pitt, Louisville, and Michigan state, and Kansas make this list at all.

16. Miami (FL)
17. Stanford
18. Northwestern
19. UVA
20. UCONN
21. Kentucky
22. Ohio St.
23. UNC
24. Baylor
25. GWU

If you click on the link, you will see there are 206 schools listed.

[Junior]

Hasn't Northwestern never been to the tourney?

[LA_Mustang]

Hasn't Northwestern never been to the tourney?

.......yes. They are the only P5 school to never make the NCAA tourney.

[SMU1523]

as for their methodology...

http://resources.collegefactual.com/about/rankings-methodologies/best-sports-colleges-ranking-methodology/?_ga=1.185836204.400728397.1426601523

[gostangs]

This is a nutty list - Louisville is a dog meat school academically, as is Arizona. Its kind of ironic to list schools by academics but not know enough to know the good ones from the average ones.

[Junior]

Hasn't Northwestern never been to the tourney?

.......yes. They are the only P5 school to never make the NCAA tourney.

wow, then they should definitely be considered a basketball school with that resume.

[SMU1523]

None the less. We are 13 on this list. It is nice to see us listed with other excellent basketball schools.

[Bruin Steve]

Yes. that list is laughable...
And I don't even have to defend UCLA to explain why...
Just look at Arizona...
Arizona is well known in these parts as everybody's "fall back" school...
It is where kids apply just in case they don't get into any school they really wanted to get into...
It is definitely NOT known for its academics...
The Pac-12, as a whole, is an outstanding academic conference...schools like Stanford, UCLA, Cal, SC typically are high in aeveryone's academic rankings...
But the Arizona schools are sort of different...

Actually, the best line I ever heard about any school was about their sister state university...ASU
Bill Maher said of ASU:

"When strippers say 'I'm working my way through college'...THAT'S the college!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6zvASTpFjs

[Alaric]

Isn't Kansas where the Highland Park kids go whose only other option is Stephen F. Austin? How is KU comparable to UCLA?

This is the dumbest list ever created.

Kansas is one of several. Lots of their kids go to Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss so they can say they went there to "to see the world" instead of going to Texas Tech which is a pretty obvious "I couldn't get in to my top 6 in state choices"

[Alaric]

Yes. that list is laughable...
And I don't even have to defend UCLA to explain why...
Just look at Arizona...
Arizona is well known in these parts as everybody's "fall back" school...
It is where kids apply just in case they don't get into any school they really wanted to get into...
It is definitely NOT known for its academics...
The Pac-12, as a whole, is an outstanding academic conference...schools like Stanford, UCLA, Cal, SC typically are high in aeveryone's academic rankings...
But the Arizona schools are sort of different...

Actually, the best line I ever heard about any school was about their sister state university...ASU
Bill Maher said of ASU:

"When strippers say 'I'm working my way through college'...THAT'S the college!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6zvASTpFjs

horrible list. great post

[ojaipony]

Yes. that list is laughable...
And I don't even have to defend UCLA to explain why...
Just look at Arizona...
Arizona is well known in these parts as everybody's "fall back" school...
It is where kids apply just in case they don't get into any school they really wanted to get into...
It is definitely NOT known for its academics...
The Pac-12, as a whole, is an outstanding academic conference...schools like Stanford, UCLA, Cal, SC typically are high in aeveryone's academic rankings...
But the Arizona schools are sort of different...

Actually, the best line I ever heard about any school was about their sister state university...ASU
Bill Maher said of ASU:

"When strippers say 'I'm working my way through college'...THAT'S the college!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6zvASTpFjs

That's great. Completely agree with you. UCLA should be top 5 without a doubt. Many of these top 10 schools make no sense whatsoever.

[LA_Mustang]

Actually, the best line I ever heard about any school was about their sister state university...ASU
Bill Maher said of ASU:

"When strippers say 'I'm working my way through college'...THAT'S the college!"

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