TOP 10 NON-BCS CONFERENCE SCHOOLS For schools in the Top 25 overall, please see the Men's Top 25 for more on them:
1. Memphis Tigers (267-85, Conference USA, #8 Overall), 333 Pts
2. Gonzaga Bulldogs (264-66, West Coast, #9 Overall), 322 Pts
3. Xavier (OH) Musketeers (240-90, Atlantic 10, #18 Overall), 268 Pts
4. Butler Bulldogs (234-87, Horizon, #25 Overall), 211 Pts
5. St. Joseph’s (PA) Hawks (210-112, Atlantic 10, #27 Overall), 197 Pts
The Hawks made 4 NCAA appearances, including an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2004 when they completed an undefeated regular season, led by future NBA All Star Jameer Nelson, who I thought should have been a Top 5 pick from the beginning, and Delonte West who would earn starting roles with the Boston Celtics, Seattle Sonics, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. After Nelson graduated and West went for NBA dinero, the Hawks were still a loaded team and advanced to the 2005 NIT Championship game.
6. Kent State Golden Flashes (234-96, Mid American, #28 Overall), 191 Pts
This team, based near Akron, Ohio, has been a perennial power in the MAC, making four NCAA appearances, including a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight in 2001. The Flashes made four NIT’s as well, including making the quarterfinals in 2000.
7. Creighton Bluejays (233-92, Missouri Valley, #29 Overall), 180 Pts
The Bluejays have won at least 20 games each season and have made an appearance in the NCAA (six berths) or NIT Tournament (four berths) each year. Their farthest advance was to the 2nd Round in 2002, but they get ranked high because of their consistency.
8. Utah Utes (208-112, Mountain West, #33 (tie) Overall), 171 Pts
The Utes have continued to be a presence in the national scene with six NCAA berths, including a Sweet 16 run in 2004-05, where they also produced National POY Andrew Bogut, who would be the First pick in the NBA Draft later that summer.
9. Southern Illinois Salukis (222-106, Missouri Valley, #33 (tie) Overall), 171 Pts
I think Southern Illinois should have been higher than Creighton this decade, because the Salukis had six consecutive NCAA tourney berths which culminated in two Sweet 16 appearances. However, what killed their points were two seasons where they didn’t make at least the NIT (2000-01 and 2008-09), the latter being a 13-18 year.
10. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (223-94, Sun Belt, #36 Overall), 169 Pts
This Sun Belt perennial power made five NCAA tourney berths and two NIT berths in the decade. They actually were better than the Kentucky Wildcats each of the last two years as they made the Sweet 16 in 2007-08 and a 2nd round appearance in 2008-09.
FINAL NOTESAs can be expected, teams with championships generally make the top 25 teams for the decade, and so do teams who make at least the Final Four, or at least they end up relatively close, right? Not necessarily. While every team who won a championship got in the Top 20, not every team which got to the Final Four or Championship game and lost was so lucky. From the best to worst, they are the Marquette Golden Eagles tied at #29 with Creighton who made the 2002-03 Final Four; the Georgetown Hoyas at #32 who made the 2006-07 Final Four; the Louisiana State Tigers at #40 who made the 2005-06 Final Four; the Indiana Hoosiers at #42 who made the 2001-02 National Championship game; the George Mason Patriots at #48 who made the 2005-06 Final Four; and last, but not least, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at #60 who made the 2003-04 National Championship Game. Generally speaking, these teams had a combination of some or more of the following: ; they didn’t have any (or at best few) Consensus All Americans, they did not produce many NBA Draft picks, they had at least some mediocre or losing seasons, and they never advanced often in the NCAA Tournament if they made the Dance numerous times. In fact for all of these schools, the latter was the case. They only made one considerable run in the NCAA tournament and the Final Four run made also was the only Sweet 16 run for them too. If these teams didn't advance as far in the dance that one year that they did, they would be much lower, Mason and Georgia Tech in particular.
Which schools do I think are primed for the most ships in the 2010’s? One is UNC-Chapel Hill which has been a team that builds and reloads talent while keeping its players for the long haul. Another is Kansas which has done the same. Kentucky takes my third pick as John Calipari is a recruiting monster and provided that he isn’t caught giving his players money indirectly or something, they are definitely primed for something special in a good way. Duke, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee are not too far behind as schools that may be able to get a ship in the decade. Of course any school can prove me wrong, but those are my two cents.
So thanks for reading all of my blurbs. Congrats if you actually did read them all.. *WHEW*
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For the Recap of the Men's Top 25, please click here.For the Recap of the Women's Top 25, please click here. 
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