Duke Blue Devils - Greatest College Programs

Greatest NCAA College Basketball Programs of All Time: Duke Blue Devils

With 3 NCAA Championships, and 14 Final Four appearances in its storied history, its hard to deny the Duke Blue Devils a spot amongst the best men’s college basketball programs.

It took until the 1990s for Duke to earn its first championship, however coach Vic Bubas led the team to three Final Fours and four ACC championships in the sixties. After another unsuccessful Final Four appearance with Bill Foster at the helm, legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski took over in 1981. Since the eighties, Coach K has built up a Duke program that has become arguably the most dominant team in the NCAA tournament. Since 81 and as of the 2007 tournament, Duke had made it to an unbelievable 10 Final Fours, winning three championships.

In the 1992 tournament elite eight, Coack K’s crew took part in what many fans consider the greatest college game ever. The team led by Christian Laettner and Grant Hill saw themselves down by 1 point with 2.1 seconds left against the Kentucky Wildcats. After a timeout, Hill chucked it to a heavily defended Laettner who drained a shot just as time ran out to earn a berth in the Final Four where they eventually would eventually repeat as champions.

The championships and the big plays may say enough, but the Blue Devils have more to back up their spot up near the top. As of the completion of the 2007 tournament, Duke was the program with the fourth most wins in college basketball, over 70 Blue Devils have been drafted in the NBA, and nine players have been named National Player of the Year. JJ Redick and Jason Williams each received the honour twice.

Scripted by Derek Allen