I was watching the film "Hoop Dreams" a few weeks ago and one of the coaches they talked to, briefly, was Joey Meyer.   A few days later I read that he had passed.  That got me to remembering how REALLY good DePaul was back in the 70s to the mid 1980s.  Players like Terry Cummins, Mark Aguirre and Dallas Comegys had the a perennial threat in the NCAA tourney with Ray Meyer at the helm.   Joey took over after his retirement and the last I can remember of them being any sort of threat was the Rod Strickland days, then they fell off the map.

What other teams were perennial NCAA teams that now are just afterthoughts in the world of college basketball?

Georgetown.  Easily one of the best programs in the 80's and into the 90's.  Nothing since.

St. Johns is in the same category.  The rise of UConn seems to have brought the demise of the Johnnies.  

UNLV. I know they were cheating the entire time Tarkanian was there, but there should still be an appeal to playing in Las Vegas. However, seemingly every coach since Tark has been insanely boring and content to score 60 points per game and hope to win.

13 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

I was watching the film "Hoop Dreams" a few weeks ago and one of the coaches they talked to, briefly, was Joey Meyer.   A few days later I read that he had passed.  That got me to remembering how REALLY good DePaul was back in the 70s to the mid 1980s.  Players like Terry Cummins, Mark Aguirre and Dallas Comegys had the a perennial threat in the NCAA tourney with Ray Meyer at the helm.   Joey took over after his retirement and the last I can remember of them being any sort of threat was the Rod Strickland days, then they fell off the map.

What other teams were perennial NCAA teams that now are just afterthoughts in the world of college basketball?

DePaul one of the last great "independents" in college basketball.  I loved those teams.  What people don't realize is Joey Meyer had some success as well, not as much as his dad, but he had a 231-158 record with 7 NCAA tournament appearances and 2 Sweet 16's.

5 hours ago, Hatz said:

Georgetown.  Easily one of the best programs in the 80's and into the 90's.  Nothing since.

St. Johns is in the same category.  The rise of UConn seems to have brought the demise of the Johnnies.  

They did make the Final Four when John Thompson III was there (I want to say 2007?)  But that was an outlier.

I believe you could put Georgia Tech in this conversation. They used to be outstanding in the 80s.

On 2/5/2024 at 3:33 PM, GBR said:

I believe you could put Georgia Tech in this conversation. They used to be outstanding in the 80s.

Always had a sweet guard out of NYC it seemed, ol' Bobby Cremins had it rolling in Atlanta. 

Loyola Marrimount(?)

Maybe an unpopular pick here would be Indiana.  

On 2/5/2024 at 9:54 AM, Hatz said:

Georgetown.  Easily one of the best programs in the 80's and into the 90's.  Nothing since.

St. Johns is in the same category.  The rise of UConn seems to have brought the demise of the Johnnies.  

I think Georgetown is the answer, at least for my lifetime.  Them, Louisville, & Indiana were the elite programs of the 80's.  

27 minutes ago, okie1 said:

Maybe an unpopular pick here would be Indiana.  

I wanted to put them on the list as well but they were a #1 seed within the last decade so I held off. Definitely trending down, though.

13 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

I wanted to put them on the list as well but they were a #1 seed within the last decade so I held off. Definitely trending down, though.

Same.

On 2/5/2024 at 9:54 AM, Hatz said:

Georgetown.  Easily one of the best programs in the 80's and into the 90's.  Nothing since.

St. Johns is in the same category.  The rise of UConn seems to have brought the demise of the Johnnies.  

Over Christmas Break, I found a stack of old Sports Illustrated from the '90's. One of those "most random finds ever" type deals, and it was an issue of when Felipe Lopez had signed with St. John's.

But, I agree with all of you....just a spot on list.  Georgetown would definitely top mine, then Georgia Tech, Indiana, UNLV, DePaul, etc.

Georgetown was like the "O.G" Oregon, but for basketball. The original "Jordan Brand" program. Nobody else in college basketball had the patent leather J's, but they sure did (I don't even think UNC had the hook ups that G'town did? Or so it didn't seem like that. I never could figure that out)

Needless to say, I think it would be a great thing for college basketball to see those programs make a run back at some kind of prominence. It's great to see newer programs like the Gonzaga's of the world, once considered just to be a cinderella, not become an imposing figure in March.

I wouldn't mind seeing a March Madness, again, though with the Hoyas, Runnin' Rebels, Hoosiers (ehh, maybe not on second thought), Blue Demons and the Red Storm, though. I'd welcome it. Make it feel like 1991, again. A little "Back to the Future": College Basketball Edition. 

14 hours ago, Randy Parker said:

I think Georgetown is the answer, at least for my lifetime.  Them, Louisville, & Indiana were the elite programs of the 80's.  

On the Sunday before they played Villanova in the finals I was bored looking out of my dorm window in Keene Hall. There was a Limo and Coach bus parked in front of Alumni (EKU) Coliseum. I went over and found an open door by the intramural courts. For about 5 minutes I stood and watched Georgetown practicing on the EKU floor. Then someone noticed me and I was quickly booted out... ? 

After a while a small crowd gathered around the bus. The bus had been used by Memphis State that weekend, so the bus driver had a stack of MSU Final Four hats that he threw out to the those of us hanging around. 

When the team came out they were all giving high-fives and a few signed autographs. Ewing and Coach Thompson got in the limo and left while everyone else took the bus. The bus actually stopped at McDonald's and I was told team managers went in and got lunch for everyone. I'm sure Ewing and Thompson ate a little better.

They of course went on to lose in the biggest finals upset ever the next night.

On 2/7/2024 at 10:41 AM, okie1 said:

Loyola Marrimount(?)

Maybe an unpopular pick here would be Indiana.  

I never really considered them a "perennial power".  They had one good group roll through that turned heads, but they were never much before or after that team.

Same with Indiana State and Jacksonville.   Larry Bird (ISU) and Artis Gilmore (Jacksonville) carried teams to the tourney for a few seasons, but those schools were never big before or after.

How many of us looked forward to Big (East) Monday on ESPN back in the day?