King of the Blue Bloods? How UConn can pass Duke this weekend

Who is and isn't a blue blood incollege basketballis often a heated debate. By definition a blue blood is a program with elite lineage.

UConn's blood line of elite success didn't get going until the 1990s. The Huskies reached six Sweet 16s in the decade before breaking through in 1999 with the program's first national title.

The Huskies arrive atthis week's Final Fourlooking to win aseventhnational title (and third in four years). It's a run unmatched in modern history and winning at a level we haven't seen since the Wizard of Westwood.

In-depth:2017 FBI probe sent coaches to prison, got others fired. This March Madness was a reunion

Final Four predictions:Who will advance to national championship game?

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nebraska's Berke Buyuktuncel celebrates with fans following a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on March 21, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Arkansas Razorbacks cheerleaders in the second half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Ore.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

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See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournamentat Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

If UConn wins the 2026 national championship, they would move into sole possession of third place on the NCAA's all-time title list, trailing only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8).

Is UConn a blue blood or a new blood? How about both.

Members of the USA TODAY Sports staff debated for an hour. "It's an inexact science," they said. Challenge accepted. Using that 1999 season as the marker, we looked at which programs have been the most successful by devising a super scientific formula:

• 20 points for national title

• 10 points for Final Four

• 6 points for regular-season conference title

• 5 points for Sweet 16

• -5 points for losing season

Here's how the math shook out:

10. Arizona (156 points)

• 10 Pac-12 regular season championships, 1 Big 12 title

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 2 Final Fours

• 0 national titles

• 0 losing seasons

• 709-250 (.739)

This might just be Arizona's first Final Four trip since 2001, but the Wildcats have been a model of consistency as one of the West's powerhouses.

See the best photos of Arizona basketball's run to 2026 Final Four

9. Villanova (158 points)

• 8 Big East regular season championships

• 8 Sweet 16s

• 4 Final Fours

• 2 national titles

• 2 losing seasons

• 659-291 (.694)

Life without Jay Wright hasn't been great, but his run of two titles in three years (2016, 2018) and two more Final Fours land the Wildcats on this list.

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8. Kentucky (185 points)

• 10 SEC regular season championships

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 4 Final Fours

• 1 national title

• 1 losing season

• 724-255 (.740)

A blue blood that still cracks this list. Kentucky fans will tell you they belong higher up on this list, but the numbers don't lie. Kentucky's eight national titles in program history are second-most in NCAA history, but the Wildcats have just one since 1999. In fact, UK hasn't been to a Final Four since 2015.

7. Florida (192 points)

• 7 SEC regular season championships

• 10 Sweet 16s

• 5 Final Fours

• 3 national titles

• 2 losing seasons

• 686-284 (.707)

Surprised to see Florida this low on the list, but sandwiched in between Billy Donovan and Todd Golden, the Mike White years were truly forgettable.

6. Gonzaga (234 points)

• 24 WCC regular season championships

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 2 Final Fours

• 0 losing seasons

• 801-163 (.831)

OK, so the 24 West Coast Conference titles are doing some heavy lifting here. But don't scoff at the 14 Sweet 16s. That's a remarkable run of steadiness, first as a Cinderella, then as a favorite. They played for the national title twice, losing to North Carolina in 2017 and Baylor in 2021. No one was won more (801) than the Zags.

5. Kansas (236 points)

• 11 Big 12 regular season championships

• 14 Sweet 16s

• 6 Final Fours

• 2 national titles

• 0 losing seasons

• 788-206 (.793)

No Sweet 16 appearances since winning the 2022 national title kept the Jayhawks from appearing higher on this list, that was actually the only Sweet 16 in the past seven tournaments for KU.

4. Michigan State (245 poins)

• 10 Big Ten regular season championships

• 17 Sweet 16s

• 8 Final Fours

• 1 national title

• 0 losing seasons

• 709-269 (.725)

The last Big Ten team to win a national title, Tom Izzo's staggering 17 Sweet 16s and eight Final Fours are a model of consistent excellence.

3. North Carolina (251 points)

• 11 ACC regular season championships

• 13 Sweet 16s

• 7 Final Fours

• 3 national titles

• 2 losing seasons

• 709-284 (.714)

Hubert Davisgot the Tar Heels to a national championship game in Year 1, and then a Sweet 16 in 2024, but back-to-back first round lossesdidn't cut itat a school with much higher aspirations, as their spot on this list illustrates.

2. UConn (270 points)

• 5 Big East regular season championships

• 11 Sweet 16s

• 8 Final Fours

• 6 national titles

• 3 losing seasons

• 682-279 (.710)

Not even its six national titles could push UConn to the top of this list. Those three straight losing seasons (2017-19) were the anchor weighing the Huskies down. But also, a lack of conference titles cost them the top spot. If UConn wins this year's title, they'll take the crown.

1.Duke(284 points)

• 9 ACC regular season championships

• 20 Sweet 16s

• 7 Final Fours

• 3 national titles

• 0 losing seasons

• 792-181 (.814)

Hate them all you want, Duke has earned its place atop college basketball.TwentySweet 16s! Now, the Blue Devils haven't won a national title since 2015, but they've been ranked No. 1 in seven of the past 10 seasons. Perhaps there should have been more March success, but the sheer volume of wins (nearly 800) is second only to Gonzaga.

Is Indiana still a blue blood?

Nah, the Hoosiers have bled out. Indiana has five national titles and eight Final Fours. But the last title was in 1987 and the last Final Four was in 2002. The program has had more coaches (four) than NCAA Tournament appearances (three) over the past 10 years. But hey, at least the football team is good now.

New blood or blue blood: Ranking college basketball's best teams

Based on our formula, calculating team success since 1999 (explained above).

1. Duke – 284

2. UConn – 270

3. North Carolina – 251

4. Michigan State – 245

5. Kansas – 236

6. Gonzaga – 234

7. Florida – 192

8. Kentucky – 185

9. Villanova – 158

10. Arizona – 156

11. UCLA – 110

12. Wisconsin – 105

13. Syracuse – 89

14. Ohio State – 80

15. Xavier – 78

16. Louisville – 77

17. Maryland – 73

18. Purdue – 70

19. Michigan – 69

20. Butler – 69

21. Virginia – 67

22. Illinois – 65

23. Tennessee – 59

24. Houston – 56

25. Texas – 53

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Blue bloods or new bloods? Ranking college basketball's top programs

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03:06

King of the Blue Bloods? How UConn can pass Duke this weekend

Who is and isn't a blue blood incollege basketballis often a heated debate. By definition a blue blood is a program w...

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Severe Thunderstorms, Including Tornadoes, Are Likely In The Plains, Midwest, East Through Saturday

Severe thunderstorms are once again forecast in parts of the Plains, Midwest and East through Saturday, capping off an active March and kicking off the typically dangerous month of April.

Happening Now

The map below shows where rain and thunderstorms are right now, along with any active watches or warnings.

Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible from the Southern Great Lakes into the Central and Southern Plains with hail and strong wind gusts through the overnight hours.

Forecast

This could be a more active day of severe weather during this week's stretch.

-Main area of concern: Parts of the central, southern Plains from north Texas to western Missouri

- Main threats: Tornadoes (some strong), large hail possibly larger than golf balls, destructive wind gusts possibly up to 75 mph

- When: Late afternoon through the night

Semi-discrete thunderstorms are expected to blossom by late afternoon before growing into a line of thunderstorms through the evening and overnight hours. Early thunderstorms could have significant hailstones before the threat turns to tornadoes and damaging wind gusts. Storms will reach the Interstate-35 corridor during the late evening and overnight hours.

More isolated severe storms are possible in parts of the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic, with hail or strong wind gusts.

-Main area of concern: Parts of the Midwest from Illinois to Michigan and northwest Ohio

- Main threats: Damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes

- When: Afternoon and evening

-Main area of concern: The southern and central Plains, possibly as far north as the Great Lakes and as far east as the mid-Mississippi Valley

- Main threats: Damaging wind gusts, tornadoes, large hail

- When: Afternoon through the night

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The map below shows the area where this is most possible several days away.

But, Friday could be a more widespread threat of numerous severe thunderstorms, both as discretesupercellsand also aslines of storms.

A threat of at least a few severe thunderstorms could extend into theEaster holiday weekendahead of the cold front from the Midwest, Northeast and Tennessee Valley Saturday to parts of the East Coast on Easter Sunday.

(MAPS:7-Day US Rain/Snow Forecast)

Flash Flood Threat, Too

While swaths of the Plains and Midwest are currently indrought, these repeated rounds of thunderstorms could also trigger areas of flash flooding, particularly in areas that have been soaked repeatedly this month.

That includes parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Plains.

Be Prepared

There are steps you can take to stay safe in severe weather:

1. Know where to seek safe shelter when severe weather strikesbeforethe storm. If you live in a manufactured home, the safest place is probably either a designated community shelter or the closest building such as a church, industrial building or any building with reinforced concrete.

2. Have multiple ways of receiving official National Weather Service watches and warnings, including from yourphoneandNOAA weather radio. Make sure your devices are full charged in case you lose power and alerts are turned on to wake you up at night.

3. Seek safe shelterimmediatelywhen you receive a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning for your area.

4.Never drive into flood waters. You could be carried away and the road underneath could have been washed away.

(MORE:14 Severe Weather Tips That Can Save Your Life)

Storm Fatigue

It has been yet another active March for severe weather in the U.S., including parts of the Midwest.

On March 6, four tornadoes struck southern Michigan, including an EF3 in Branch County killing three, an EF2 in Three Rivers and an EF1 tornado that claimed a life in Cass County.

Four days later, a lone supercell spawned 12 tornadoes across northeast Illinois into northwest Indiana, including the EF3 Kankakee, Illinois, tornado, which killed three.

Then on March 15, another 17 tornadoes were confirmed across central and southern Illinois.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has received 196 reports of and confirmed tornadoes in March, almost double the 20-year average of March twisters (104).

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him onBluesky,X (formerly Twitter)andFacebook.

byAdministrator

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02:34

Severe Thunderstorms, Including Tornadoes, Are Likely In The Plains, Midwest, East Through Saturday

Severe thunderstorms are once again forecast in parts of the Plains, Midwest and East through Saturday, capping off an...

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Chinese chipmakers claim nearly half of of local market as Nvidia's lead shrinks, IDC says

By Che Pan and Laurie Chen

BEIJING, April 1 (Rtrs) - Chinese GPU and AI chip makers captured nearly 41% of China's AI accelerator server ‌market last year, erodingNvidia's once-dominant position in one of its ‌most important overseas markets, according to data from an IDC report reviewed by Reuters.

The gains ​come as Beijing grows increasingly cautious about dependence on foreign chips, pushing government agencies and companies to adopt domestic alternatives after successive waves of U.S. export controls cut China off from Nvidia's most advanced products.

Total shipments of AI accelerator cards ‌by Nvidia, AMD, and ⁠Chinese chipmakers reached approximately 4 million units in China in 2025, the data showed.

Nvidia remained the market leader, shipping around ⁠2.2 million cards and holding a 55% share. But that figure marks a significant retreat for the U.S. chipmaker, which held a dominant market share in China's ​AI chip ​market. AMD carved out a modest ​presence, shipping roughly 160,000 cards for ‌a 4% share, the IDC data showed.

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Chinese vendors collectively shipped 1.65 million cards, accounting for 41% of the total market — a milestone that underscores how aggressively domestic players have moved to fill the void left by tightening U.S. export controls.

Huawei Technologies emerged as the runaway leader among Chinese vendors, shipping ‌around 812,000 AI chips, roughly half of all ​domestically branded shipments. Alibaba's chip design unit ​T-Head claimed second place, shipping ​approximately 265,000 cards.

Baidu's Kunlunxin and Cambricon each shipped around 116,000 ‌cards, ranking them jointly third among ​Chinese vendors.

Hygon, GPU startups ​MetaX and Iluvatar CoreX accounted for 5%, 4% and 3% of total Chinese vendor shipments, respectively.

In 2025, the central government launched a new ​wave of AI infrastructure ‌spending, with local governments accelerating intelligent computing centers across provinces, many ​of which carried implicit directives to "buy Chinese."

(Reporting by Che Pan and ​Laurie Chen, Editing by Louise Heavens)

byAdministrator

in

02:34

Chinese chipmakers claim nearly half of of local market as Nvidia's lead shrinks, IDC says

By Che Pan and Laurie Chen BEIJING, April 1 (Rtrs) - Chinese GPU and AI chip makers captured nearly 41% of Chi...

Read More