North Carolina is tops in NBA Draft production since 1987

Ever wondered which college basketball programs have been the most successful in terms of producing NBA Draft selections since the advent of the three-point line in 1986-87? Of course you have. It’s natural. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. That kid down the street is only mean because his dad is always working.

To ensure that both quality and quantity were taken into account appropriately for these rankings, I developed the simplest possible scoring system: three points for a lottery pick (the lottery included 14, 13, 11 and nine teams at various points over the past 26 years); two points for a non-lottery first-round pick; and one point for a second-round pick. In instances of ties, the tiebreaker is the overall number of players selected. It’s flawless.

Before unveiling the full list, let’s take a look at some notable figures.

-- A total of 203 Division-I programs have had at least one player selected in the NBA Draft between 1987-2012.

-- Duke and North Carolina are tied for the lead in number of lottery picks with 17.

-- Despite checking in at No. 5 overall, Arizona is tied with Duke for having the most overall players selected (34).

-- Of UCLA’s 32 drafted players, 18 of them have been selected in the second round.

-- Kentucky has produced more non-lottery first round picks than any other program with 11. That’s two more than anyone else.

-- Georgia Tech (8) is the highest-ranked program on the list that hasn’t won a national championship in the past 26 years. Texas (10), Georgetown (12) and Memphis (13) also rank in the top 15 but haven’t cut down the nets since ‘86.

And now, the top Division-I college basketball programs in terms of NBA Draft production over the past 26 years (score listed first, total number of picks in parentheses):

1. North Carolina - 77 (33)
2. Duke - 75 (34)
3. Kentucky - 66 (32)
4. Kansas - 63 (29)
5. Arizona - 59 (34)
6. Connecticut - 57 (26)
7. UCLA - 51 (32)
8. Georgia Tech - 45 (22)
9. Syracuse - 42 (21)
10. Texas - 41 (22)
11. Michigan - 35 (18)
12. Georgetown - 33 (15)
13. Memphis - 32 (18)
14. Maryland - 31 (18)
15. Florida - 31 (17)
16. Michigan State - 29 (18)
17. LSU - 29 (16)
18. Louisville - 29 (13)
19. Alabama - 28 (15)
20. Ohio State - 28 (14)
21. Indiana - 27 (16)
22. Illinois - 27 (15)
23. Stanford - 27 (14)
24. UNLV - 26 (10)
25. Florida State - 25 (15)
26. Cincinnati - 24 (14)
27. Wake Forest - 24 (11)
T-28. Missouri - 23 (13)
T-28. Washington - 23 (13)
30. California - 22 (12)
31. USC - 21 (12)
32. Minnesota - 20 (10)
33. Providence - 19 (13)
34. St. John’s - 19 (12)
T-35. Arkansas - 19 (10)
T-35. Temple - 19 (10)
37. Oklahoma - 18 (12)
T-38. North Carolina State - 18 (11)
T-38. Iowa State - 20 (11)
T-40. Villanova - 18 (10)
T-40. Oklahoma State - 18 (10)
42. Iowa - 17 (13)
43. Georgia - 17 (12)
T-44. Xavier - 17 (10)
T-44. Fresno State - 17 (10)
T-46. Notre Dame - 16 (9)
T-46. Oregon - 16 (9)
48. Utah - 16 (8)
49. Marquette - 15 (11)
50. Pittsburgh - 15 (10)
51. DePaul - 15 (9)
52. Purdue - 14 (11)
T-53. Boston College - 14 (8)
T-53. Clemson - 14 (8)
55. Wisconsin - 14 (7)
56. Arizona State - 13 (8)
T-57. BYU - 13 (6)
T-57. Seton Hall - 13 (6)
T-57. Oregon State - 13 (6)
60. Vanderbilt - 12 (9)
61. Mississippi State - 12 (8)
62. Tennessee - 12 (7)
T-63. Colorado - 12 (6)
T-63. New Mexico - 12 (6)
65. Miami - 11 (9)
T-65. Gonzaga - 11 (7)
T-65. Virginia - 11 (7)
T-65. Baylor - 11 (7)
68. Nevada - 9 (6)
69. Auburn - 9 (6)
70. Houston - 8 (7)
71. Texas A&M - 8 (6)
72. Kansas State - 8 (4)
73. Bradley - 8 (3)
74. UTEP - 7 (6)
T-75. Texas Tech - 7 (5)
T-75. Western Kentucky - 7 (5)
T-75. Washington State - 7 (5)
T-78. La Salle - 7 (4)
T-78. Nebraska - 7 (4)
T-80. West Virginia - 6 (4)
T-80. Massachusetts - 6(4)
T-80. Rhode Island - 6 (4)
T-80. Louisiana Tech - 6 (4)
T-80. Charlotte - 6 (4)
T-80. TCU - 6 (4)
T-86. St. Louis - 6 (3)
T-86. Ohio - 6 (3)
88. Long Beach State - 5 (5)
T-89. Ole Miss - 5 (4)
T-89. New Orleans - 5 (4)
T-91. VCU - 5 (3)
T-91. St. Joseph’s - 5 (3)
T-91. Pepperdine - 5 (3)
T-91. Wyoming - 5 (3)
T-91. Jacksonville - 5 (3)
T-96. Central Michigan - 5 (2)
T-96. San Jose State - 5 (2)
T-96. Southern Mississippi - 5 (2)
T-99. Morehead State - 4 (3)
T-99. Rutgers - 4 (3)
T-99. Colorado State - 4 (3)
T-99. South Carolina - 4 (3)
T-103. Jackson State - 4 (2)
T-103. Old Dominion - 4 (2)
T-103. Marist - 4 (2)
T-103. Butler - 4 (2)
T-107. Oral Roberts - 3 (3)
T-107. Murray State - 3 (3)
T-107. Mississippi Valley State - 3 (3)
T-107. Eastern Michigan - 3 (3)
T-107. Creighton - 3 (3)
T-107. Virginia Tech - 3 (3)
T-107. Tulsa - 3 (3)
T-107. UAB - 3 (3)
T-107. Tennessee Tech - 3 (3)
T-116. Richmond - 3 (2)
T-116. San Diego State - 3 (2)
T-116. Hofstra - 3 (2)
T-116. South Florida - 3 (2)
T-116. George Washington - 3 (2)
T-116. UCSB - 3 (2)
T-116. Louisiana-Lafayette - 3 (2)
T-116. Western Carolina - 3 (2)
T-124. Loyola Marymount - 3 (1)
T-124. Navy - 3 (1)
T-124. Hartford - 3 (1)
T-124. Tennessee State - 3 (1)
T-124. Wright State - 3 (1)
T-124. Pacific - 3 (1)
T-124. Ball State - 3 (1)
T-124. Bowling Green - 3 (1)
T-124. Colgate - 3 (1)
T-124. Davidson - 3 (1)
T-124. Miami (OH) - 3 (1)
T-124. Rider - 3 (1)
T-124. Weber State - 3 (1)
T-137. Tulane - 2 (2)
T-137.Santa Clara - 2 (2)
T-137. Arkansas-Little Rock - 2 (2)
T-137. Wisconsin-Green Bay - 2 (2)
T-137. Southern - 2 (2)
T-137. Cal State Fullerton - 2 (2)
T-137. Austin Peay - 2 (2)
T-137. Charleston - 2 (2)
T-137. Marshall - 2 (2)
T-147. Cleveland State - 2 (1)
T-147. Saint Bonaventure - 2 (1)
T-147. IUPUI - 2 (1)
T-147. Eastern Washington - 2 (1)
T-147. Rice - 2 (1)
T-147. SMU - 2 (1)
T-147. Texas State - 2 (1)
T-147. Valparaiso - 2 (1)
T-147. Chattanooga - 2 (1)
T-147. Illinois-Chicago - 2 (1)
T-147. UMKC - 2 (1)
T-147. Georgia Southern - 2 (1)
T-147. East Carolina - 2 (1)
T-147. Northeastern - 2 (1)
T-163. Norfolk State - 1 (1)
T-163. Yale - 1 (1)
T-163. Missouri State - 1 (1)
T-163. South Alabama - 1 (1)
T-163. Loyola (Md.) - 1 (1)
T-163. Evansville - 1 (1)
T-163. Hawaii - 1 (1)
T-163. McNeese State - 1 (1)
T-163. Dartmouth - 1 (1)
T-163. Dayton - 1 (1)
T-163. Milwaukee - 1 (1)
T-163. Iona - 1 (1)
T-163. Saint Francis (Pa.) - 1 (1)
T-163. New Mexico State - 1 (1)
T-163. UNC-Wilmington - 1 (1)
T-163. Alabama State - 1 (1)
T-163. Cal State Bakersfield - 1 (1)
T-163. Drexel - 1 (1)
T-163. Pennsylvania - 1 (1)
T-163. Southern Illinois - 1 (1)
T-163. Duquesne - 1 (1)
T-163. Delaware - 1 (1)
T-163. Louisiana-Monroe - 1 (1)
T-163. Idaho - 1 (1)
T-163. Northern Arizona - 1 (1)
T-163. Illinois State - 1 (1)
T-163. Northwestern - 1 (1)
T-163. Penn State - 1 (1)
T-163. Florida A&M - 1 (1)
T-163. Toledo - 1 (1)
T-163. Boise State - 1 (1)
T-163. North Carolina Central - 1 (1)
T-163. Manhattan - 1 (1)
T-163. North Dakota - 1 (1)
T-163. Detroit - 1 (1)
T-163. Arkansas State - 1 (1)
T-163. Central Connecticut State - 1 (1)
T-163. Eastern Illinois - 1 (1)
T-163. Tennessee-Martin - 1 (1)
T-163. Central Florida - 1 (1)
T-163. Saint Mary’s - 1 (1)
T-163. Oakland - 1 (1)

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