Ranking the 10 best basketball schools that don’t play football
By John Scimeca
10. Vermont
The Catamounts have been the kings of the America East Conference, reaching the NCAA Tournament nine times in the past 20 years and even pulling off two first-round upsets in that span as a big underdog and double-digit seed.
Though it’s not a power conference squad, Vermont has won at least 20 games in each year (aside from the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season) since 2009. In that stretch, the Catamounts have defeated power conference teams like Colorado, Rutgers, and St. John’s.
Vermont had a football team for 88 years as members of the Yankee Conference and finally disbanded its program in 1974.
9. Bradley
Bradley actually has two national title game appearances in school history, ending both Final Four trips in 1950 and 1954 as the national runner-up.
Today’s Braves have seen less success on the national stage, although the 2022-23 squad finished with 25 wins and the Missouri Valley regular season title. Three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last three decades have netted one group that advanced — the 2006 squad.
The Braves had a football team until 1970 and had six conference titles to its name.
8. Loyola University Chicago
Recency bias gives the Ramblers a spot on this list, as Loyola-Chicago reached the 2018 Final Four before an additional Sweet 16 appearance in 2021 as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The 1964 squad spent time as the No. 1-ranked team in the country before losing in the Sweet 16 of that year’s NCAA Tournament.
The program has moved to the Atlantic 10 as of last year and will hope to build on its lackluster 10-21 season in its new league.
Loyola last had a football team for the 1930 season.