Internal Tension: Ville Hoops May Fail to Win More Than Football Team Again
By any rudimentary measure, a college basketball season is not good when a team fails to win more games than the school's football counterpart. Louisville's embarrassment last campaign included only half as many triumphs (four) as the school's gridiron squad. The good news for Louisville was that it won more hoop contests than California (three). As the 2023 football season commences, "The Ville" hoopers might not be all that supportive of their gridiron brethren. They could be "down under" again with another ill season after prize prospect Trentyn Flowers chose to go pro in "The Land Down Under" (Australia) rather than play for the Cardinals. Among power-league members, Washington State was tainted by such back-to-back sorry seasons in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
Since hoop team schedules allow competing in about three times as many games, it's rare for it to fail to post more victories in a given calendar year. However, Georgia's perennial football powerhouse more than doubled the number of basketball triumphs for the Bulldogs in 2021-22. But the biggest football-to-basketball contrast was Brigham Young in 1996-97 when the Cougars went 14-1 and 1-25, respectively.
Incredibly, Cal wasn't the only power-league member with dismal school year thus far this century when football team, despite registering a losing record, achieved more victories than basketball counterpart. Baylor incurred such a blemish in 2005-06. Cal and Baylor are among 30 current power-conference members with FBS football program to endure a basketball campaign in the 21st Century when it failed to notch more victories than their gridiron colleagues. All five power leagues with two-sport emphasis (ACC/Big Ten/Big 12/Pac 12/SEC) have at least five members with this dubious distinction.
Duke's basketball and football teams tied with four victories apiece in 1924-25 and UCLA's two programs tied three times in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Need more evidence which sport takes precedence at certain schools? Check out the last year a football team achieved more victories than basketball counterpart at Kansas (1904-05), Purdue (1905-06), Indiana (1913-14), North Carolina (1914-15), Kentucky (1922-23), West Virginia (1924-25) and Illinois (1927-28).
Believe it or not, basketball coach George Buchheit suffered the indignity of failing to win more games than football squad with both Kentucky and Duke in a three-year span. More recently, coaches for two different schools in this category included Bill Frieder (Michigan in 1981-82 and Arizona State in 1996-97), Lon Kruger (Florida in 1995-96 and Oklahoma in 2016-17), Ernie Kent (Oregon in 2008-09 and Washington State in 2015-16 and 2018-19) plus Jim Christian (Texas Christian in 2010-11 and Boston College in COVID-impacted 2020-21).
Prominent football coaches boasting backgrounds possibly making them more empathetic with hoops mentors because they previously were college hoopers themselves included Arkansas' Frank Broyles (played for Georgia Tech), Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd (Tennessee), Arkansas' Houston Nutt (Arkansas/Oklahoma State), Penn State's Joe Paterno (Brown) and Illinois' Bob Zuppke (Wisconsin). Excluding defending national champion UConn, which didn't elevate its football program to highest level until the start of this century, what was the last season for Division I FBS level members from power conferences posting as many or more football wins in a single school year than basketball victories?
| Power-League Member | School Year | Football Record (Coach) | Basketball Record (Coach) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1968-69 | 8-3 (Paul "Bear" Bryant) | 4-20 (Charles "C.M." Newton) |
| Arizona | 1982-83 | 6-4-1 (Larry Smith) | 4-24 (Ben Lindsey) |
| Arizona State | 1996-97 | 11-1 (Bruce Snyder) | 10-20 (Bill Frieder) |
| Arkansas | 2002-03 | 9-5 (Houston Nutt) | 9-19 (Stan Heath) |
| Arkansas | 1971-72 | 8-3-1 (Frank Broyles) | 8-18 (Lanny Van Eman) |
| Arkansas | 1970-71 | 9-2 (Frank Broyles) | 5-21 (Lanny Van Eman) |
| Auburn | 2010-11 | 14-0 (Gene Chizik) | 11-20 (Tony Barbee) |
| Baylor | 2005-06 | 5-6 (Guy Morriss) | 4-13 (Scott Drew) |
| Boston College* | 2020-21 | 6-5 (Jeff Hafley) | 4-16 (Jim Christian) |
| Brigham Young | 1996-97 | 14-1 (LaVell Edwards) | 1-25 (Roger Reid/Tony Ingle) |
| California | 2022-23 | 4-8 (Justin Wilcox) | 3-29 (Mark Fox) |
| Cincinnati | 1983-84 | 4-6-1 (Watson Brown) | 3-25 (Tony Yates) |
| Clemson | 1967-68 | 6-4 (Frank Howard) | 4-20 (Bobby Roberts) |
| Colorado | 1995-96 | 10-2 (Rick Neuheisel) | 9-18 (Joe Harrington/Ricardo Patton) |
| Duke | 1924-25 | 4-5 (Howard Jones) | 4-9 (George Buchheit) |
| Florida | 1995-96 | 12-1 (Steve Spurrier) | 12-16 (Lon Kruger) |
| Florida | 1981-82 | 7-5 (Charley Pell) | 5-22 (Norm Sloan) |
| Florida State | 2022-23 | 10-3 (Mike Norvell) | 9-23 (Leonard Hamilton) |
| Georgia | 2021-22 | 14-1 (Kirby Smart) | 6-26 (Tom Crean) |
| Georgia Tech | 1973-74 | 5-6 (Bill Fulcher) | 5-21 (Dwayne Morrison) |
| Georgia Tech | 1972-73 | 7-4-1 (Bill Fulcher) | 7-18 (Dwayne Morrison) |
| Georgia Tech | 1971-72 | 6-6 (Leon "Bud" Carson) | 6-20 (John "Whack" Hyder) |
| Georgia Tech | 1953-54 | 9-2-1 (Bobby Dodd) | 2-22 (John "Whack" Hyder) |
| Illinois | 1973-74 | 5-6 (Bob Blackman) | 5-18 (Harv Schmidt) |
| Illinois | 1927-28 | 7-0-1 (Bob Zuppke) | 5-12 (Craig Ruby) |
| Indiana | 1913-14 | 3-4 (James Sheldon) | 2-12 (Arthur Berndt) |
| Iowa | 2009-10 | 11-2 (Kirk Ferentz) | 10-22 (Todd Lickliter) |
| Iowa State* | 2020-21 | 9-3 (Matt Campbell) | 2-22 (Steve Prohm) |
| Kansas | 1961-62 | 7-3-1 (Jack Mitchell) | 7-18 (Dick Harp) |
| Kansas | 1915-16 | 6-2 (Herman Olcott) | 6-12 (William "W.O." Hamilton) |
| Kansas | 1906-07 | 7-2-2 (Albert "Doc" Kennedy) | 7-8 (James "Doc" Naismith) |
| Kansas | 1904-05 | 8-1-1 (Albert "Doc" Kennedy) | 5-6 (James "Doc" Naismith) |
| Kansas State | 1999-00 | 11-1 (Bill Snyder) | 9-19 (Tom Asbury) |
| Kentucky | 1922-23 | 6-3 (William Juneau) | 3-10 (George Buchheit) |
| Louisiana State | 2010-11 | 11-2 (Les Miles) | 11-21 (Trent Johnson) |
| Louisiana State | 1997-98 | 9-3 (Gerry DiNardo) | 9-18 (John Brady) |
| Louisiana State | 1996-97 | 10-2 (Gerry DiNardo) | 10-20 (Dale Brown) |
| Louisiana State | 1966-67 | 5-4-1 (Charles McClendon) | 3-23 (Press Maravich) |
| Louisville | 2022-23 | 8-5 (Scott Satterfield) | 4-28 (Kenny Payne) |
| Maryland | 1949-50 | 9-1 (Jim Tatum) | 7-18 (A.L. "Flucie" Stewart) |
| Memphis | 1969-70 | 8-2 (Billy Murphy) | 6-20 (Henry "Moe" Iba) |
| Miami (Fla.) | 2002-03 | 12-1 (Larry Coker) | 11-17 (Perry Clark) |
| Michigan | 1981-82 | 9-3 (Glenn "Bo" Schembechler) | 7-20 (Bill Frieder) |
| Michigan State | 1962-63 | 5-4 (Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty) | 4-16 (Forddy Anderson) |
| Minnesota | 2022-23 | 9-4 (Philip "P.J." Fleck) | 9-22 (Ben Johnson) |
| Minnesota | 1967-68 | 8-2 (Murray Warmath) | 7-17 (John Kundla) |
| Mississippi | 1990-91 | 9-3 (Billy Brewer) | 9-19 (Ed Murphy) |
| Mississippi | 1975-76 | 6-5 (Ken Cooper) | 6-21 (Robert "Cob" Jarvis) |
| Mississippi | 1965-66 | 7-4 (John Vaught) | 5-18 (Eddie Crawford) |
| Mississippi State | 1981-82 | 8-4 (Emory Bellard) | 8-19 (Bob Boyd) |
| Mississippi State | 1980-81 | 9-3 (Emory Bellard) | 8-19 (Jim Hatfield) |
| Missouri | 2014-15 | 11-3 (Gary Pinkel) | 9-23 (Kim Anderson) |
| Nebraska | 1999-00 | 12-1 (Frank Solich) | 11-19 (Danny Nee) |
| North Carolina | 1914-15 | 10-1 (T.C. Trenchard) | 6-10 (Charles "Chick" Doak) |
| North Carolina State | 1992-93 | 9-3-1 (Dick Sheridan) | 8-19 (Les Robinson) |
| Northwestern | 1996-97 | 9-3 (Gary Barnett) | 7-22 (Ricky Byrdsong) |
| Notre Dame | 1995-96 | 9-3 (Lou Holtz) | 9-18 (John MacLeod) |
| Notre Dame | 1992-93 | 10-1-1 (Lou Holtz) | 9-18 (John MacLeod) |
| Ohio State | 1997-98 | 10-3 (John Cooper) | 8-22 (Jim O'Brien) |
| Oklahoma | 2016-17 | 11-2 (Bob Stoops) | 11-20 (Lon Kruger) |
| Oklahoma | 1980-81 | 10-2 (Barry Switzer) | 9-18 (Billy Tubbs) |
| Oklahoma State | 1971-72 | 4-6-1 (Floyd Gass) | 4-22 (Sam Aubrey) |
| Oklahoma State | 1933-34 | 6-2-1 (Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf) | 4-14 (Harold "Puny" James) |
| Oregon | 2008-09 | 10-3 (Mike Bellotti) | 8-23 (Ernie Kent) |
| Oregon State | 2021-22 | 7-6 (Jonathan Smith) | 3-28 (Wayne Tinkle) |
| Penn State | 2009-10 | 11-2 (Joe Paterno) | 11-20 (Ed DeChellis) |
| Penn State | 2002-03 | 9-4 (Joe Paterno) | 7-21 (Jerry Dunn) |
| Pittsburgh | 2021-22 | 11-3 (Pat Narduzzi) | 11-21 (Jeff Capel III) |
| Pittsburgh | 1976-77 | 12-0 (Johnny Majors) | 6-21 (Tim Grgurich) |
| Purdue | 2004-05 | 7-5 (Joe Tiller) | 7-21 (Gene Keady) |
| Purdue | 1952-53 | 4-3-2 (Stuart Holcomb) | 4-18 (Ray Eddy) |
| Purdue | 1914-15 | 5-2 (Andy Smith) | 5-8 (R.E. Vaughn) |
| Purdue | 1905-06 | 6-1-1 (A.E. Hernstein) | 4-7 (Clarence Jamison) |
| Rutgers | 2006-07 | 11-2 (Greg Schiano) | 10-19 (Fred Hill) |
| South Carolina | 2011-12 | 11-2 (Steve Spurrier) | 10-21 (Darrin Horn) |
| Stanford | 1992-93 | 10-3 (Bill Walsh) | 7-23 (Mike Montgomery) |
| Syracuse | 1961-62 | 8-3 (Ben Schwartzwalder) | 2-22 (Marc Guley) |
| Tennessee | 1993-94 | 9-2-1 (Phillip Fulmer) | 5-22 (Wade Houston) |
| Texas | 1983-84 | 11-1 (Fred Akers) | 7-21 (Bob Weltlich) |
| Texas A&M* | 2020-21 | 9-1 (John "Jimbo" Fisher) | 8-10 (Brent "Buzz" Williams) |
| Texas A&M | 1999-00 | 8-4 (Richard "R.C." Slocum) | 8-20 (Melvin Watkins) |
| Texas A&M | 1997-98 | 9-4 (Richard "R.C." Slocum) | 7-20 (Tony Barone) |
| Texas Christian | 2010-11 | 13-0 (Gary Patterson) | 11-22 (Jim Christian) |
| Texas Tech | 1989-90 | 9-3 (William "Spike" Dykes) | 5-22 (Gerald Myers) |
| UCLA | 1941-42 | 5-5-1 (Edwin "Babe" Horrell) | 5-18 (Wilbur Johns) |
| UCLA | 1938-39 | 7-4-1 (William Spaulding) | 7-20 (Pierce "Caddy" Works) |
| UCLA | 1936-37 | 6-3-1 (William Spaulding) | 6-13 (Pierce "Caddy" Works) |
| Utah | 2011-12 | 8-5 (Kyle Whittingham) | 6-25 (Larry Krystkowiak) |
| Vanderbilt | 1945-46 | 3-6 (McNeil "Doby" Bartling) | 3-10 (Gus Morrow) |
| Vanderbilt | 1941-42 | 8-2 (Henry "Red" Sanders) | 7-9 (Norm Cooper) |
| Virginia | 1962-63 | 5-5 (William Elias) | 5-20 (Billy McCann) |
| Virginia | 1950-51 | 8-2 (Arthur Guepe) | 8-14 (Gus Tebell) |
| Virginia | 1941-42 | 8-1 (Frank Murray) | 7-10 (Gus Tebell) |
| Virginia Tech | 2000-01 | 11-1 (Frank Beamer) | 8-19 (Ricky Stokes) |
| Wake Forest | 1944-45 | 8-1 (D.C. "Peahead" Walker) | 3-14 (Murray Greason) |
| Washington | 2016-17 | 12-2 (Chris Petersen) | 9-22 (Lorenzo Romar) |
| Washington State | 2018-19 | 11-2 (Mike Leach) | 11-21 (Ernie Kent) |
| Washington State | 2015-16 | 9-4 (Mike Leach) | 9-22 (Ernie Kent) |
| Washington State | 2002-03 | 10-3 (Mike Price) | 7-20 (Paul Graham) |
| West Virginia | 1924-25 | 8-1 (Clarence Spears) | 6-11 (Francis Stadsvold) |
| Wisconsin | 1981-82 | 7-5 (Dave McClain) | 6-21 (Bill Cofield) |
*COVID-19 impacted basketball campaign.