AP Poll College Basketball Rankings Final Top 25: 1949 to 1959
Where did all the top college basketball teams rank in the final 1949 to 1959 top 25 AP polls? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?
According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 1950s? The AP college basketball poll started at the end of the 1948-1949 season, so we’re lumping it in this decade, too.
Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP final regular season No. 1 gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.
Kentucky won four NCAA Tournaments, proving to be even better than the final rankings in the AP polls. Even so, it was the best program of the 1950s by a relative mile.
One key note: The AP final rankings came out at the end of the regular seasons, not after the NCAA Tournaments.
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NCAA Basketball National Champions
1949 Kentucky, 1950 CCNY, 1951 Kentucky, 1952 Kentucky, 1953 Indiana, 1954 La Salle, 1955 San Francisco, 1956 San Francisco, 1957 North Carolina, 1958 Kentucky, 1959 Cal
AP Poll: 1949 to 1959 Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1 Kentucky 228
2 NC State 132
3 Bradley 124
4 Kansas State 119
5 Illinois 113
6 San Francisco 104
7 Oklahoma State (A&M) 102
8 Duquesne 100
8 Kansas 100
10 Saint Louis 96
11 West Virginia 90
12 Indiana 86
13 Dayton 83
13 Holy Cross 83
13 La Salle 83
16 UCLA 80
17 Iowa 75
18 Seattle 71
19 St. John’s 69
20 North Carolina 68
21 Western Kentucky 66
22 Notre Dame 63
23 Cincinnati 54
24 Washington 53
25 Duke 50
Others Receiving Votes (Points): Louisville 49, Utah 49, Mississippi State 45, Michigan State 43, Oklahoma City 41, SMU 41, Vanderbilt 41, Seton Hall 36, Alabama 35, Minnesota 35, LSU 33, Villanova 33, Temple 32, Ohio State 30, Wake Forest 29, Auburn 28, Cal 28, George Washington 26, Maryland 26, Arizona 25, Marquette 24, Columbia 23, USC 22, Wyoming 19, St. Bonaventure 18, Penn State 17, Tulane 17, Bowling Green 16, Oregon State 16, BYU 15, Yale 15, Memphis State 14, Long Island 13, St. Joseph’s 12, Toledo 12, Colorado 11, Saint Mary’s 11, Idaho State 10, Loyola-Chicago 10, Murray State 10, Niagara 10, Santa Clara 10, TCU 10, Tulsa 10, Wisconsin 10, San Jose State 9, Butler 8, Siena 8, Washington State 8, DePaul 7, Hamline 7, Canisius 6, SW Missouri State 6, Texas State 6
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1959 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1959 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: Cal
1 Kansas State
2 Kentucky
3 Mississippi State
4 Bradley
5 Cincinnati
6 NC State
7 Michigan State
8 Auburn
9 North Carolina
10 West Virginia
11 Cal
12 Saint Louis
13 Seattle
14 St. Joseph’s
15 Saint Mary’s
16 TCU
17 Oklahoma City
18 Utah
19 St. Bonaventure
20 Marquette
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1958 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1958 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: Kentucky
1 West Virginia
2 Cincinnati
3 Kansas State
4 San Francisco
5 Temple
6 Maryland
7 Kansas
8 Notre Dame
9 Kentucky
10 Duke
11 Dayton
12 Indiana
13 North Carolina
14 Bradley
15 Mississippi State
16 Auburn
17 Michigan State
18 Seattle
19 Oklahoma State
20 NC State
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1957 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1957 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: North Carolina
1 North Carolina
2 Kansas
3 Kentucky
4 SMU
5 Seattle
6 Louisville
7 West Virginia
8 Vanderbilt
9 Oklahoma City
10 Saint Louis
11 Michigan State
12 Memphis State
13 Cal
14 UCLA
15 Mississippi State
16 Idaho State
17 Notre Dame
18 Wake Forest
19 Bradley
T20 Canisius
T20 Oklahoma State (A&M)
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1956 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1956 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: San Francisco
1 San Francisco
2 NC State
3 Dayton
4 Iowa
5 Alabama
6 Louisville
7 SMU
8 UCLA
9 Kentucky
10 Illinois
11 Oklahoma City
12 Vanderbilt
13 North Carolina
14 Holy Cross
15 Temple
16 Wake Forest
17 Duke
18 Utah
19 Oklahoma State (A&M)
20 West Virginia
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1955 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1955 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: San Francisco
1 San Francisco
2 Kentucky
3 La Salle
4 NC State
5 Iowa
6 Duquesne
7 Utah
8 Marquette
9 Dayton
10 Oregon State
11 Minnesota
12 Alabama
13 UCLA
14 George Washington
15 Colorado
16 Tulsa
17 Vanderbilt
18 Illinois
19 West Virginia
20 Saint Louis
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1954 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1954 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: La Salle
1 Kentucky
2 La Salle
3 Holy Cross
4 Indiana
5 Duquesne
6 Notre Dame
7 Bradley
8 Western Kentucky
9 Penn State
10 Oklahoma State (A&M)
11 USC
12 George Washington
13 Iowa
14 LSU
15 Duke
16 Niagara
17 Seattle
18 Kansas
19 Illinois
20 Maryland
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1953 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1953 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: Indiana
1 Indiana
2 Seton Hall
3 Kansas
4 Washington
5 LSU
6 La Salle
7 St. John’s
8 Oklahoma State (A&M
9 Duquesne
10 Notre Dame
11 Illinois
12 Kansas State
13 Holy Cross
14 Seattle
15 Wake Forest
16 Santa Clara
17 Western Kentucky
18 NC State
19 DePaul
20 SW Missouri State
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1952 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1952 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: Kentucky
1 Kentucky
2 Illinois
3 Kansas State
4 Duquesne
5 Saint Louis
6 Washington
7 Iowa
8 Kansas
9 West Virginia
10 St. John’s
11 Dayton
12 Duke
13 Holy Cross
14 Seton Hall
15 St. Bonaventure
16 Wyoming
17 Louisville
18 Seattle
19 UCLA
20 Texas State
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1951 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1951 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: Kentucky
1 Kentucky
2 Oklahoma State (A&M
3 Columbia
4 Kansas State
5 Illinois
6 Bradley
7 Indiana
8 NC State
9 St. John’s
10 Saint Louis
11 BYU
12 Arizona
13 Dayton
14 Toledo
15 Washington
16 Murray State
17 Cincinnati
18 Siena
19 USC
20 Villanova
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1950 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1950 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: CCNY
1 Bradley
2 Ohio State
3 Kentucky
4 Holy Cross
5 NC State
6 Duquesne
7 UCLA
8 Western Kentucky
9 St. John’s
10 La Salle
11 Villanova
12 San Francisco
13 Long Island
14 Kansas State
15 Arizona
16 Wisconsin
17 San Jose State
18 Washington State
18 Kansas
20 Indiana
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1949 Final Top 20
AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 1949 Final Top 20
NCAA Basketball National Champion: Kentucky
1 Kentucky
2 Oklahoma State (A&M)
3 Saint Louis
4 Illinois
5 Western Kentucky
6 Minnesota
7 Bradley
8 San Francisco
9 Tulane
10 Bowling Green
11 Yale
12 Utah
13 NC State
14 Villanova
15 UCLA
16 Loyola-Chicago
17 Wyoming
18 Butler
19 Hamline
20 Ohio State
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings | 1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time