I see Arizona and Gonzaga as being similar; both highly regarded schools who get their share of good recruits, send kids to the NBA and have done well in the tournament for many years. They’re the line just below the Blue Bloods, along with MSU and a couple of others I’m sure a case could be made for.
Illinois will never be Blue, but a sustained decade or so could put us on that second line...we have the history, and one could argue we’ve been on that line periodically.
Never say never.
Kansas and Kentucky are a little different but all the other "Blue Bloods" are there just because of 1 or 2 amazing coaches.
Bobby Knight - Indiana (they've struggled to keep it going in recent history proving that 'blue blood' status can come and go with your head coach)
John Wooden - UCLA (they've struggled to keep it going in recent history proving that 'blue blood' status can come and go with your head coach)
Mike Krzyzewski - Duke (he's about to retire, do they go the way of Kentucky/Kansas or the way of UCLA/Indiana?)
Dean Smith - UNC
Roy Williams - Poached from Kansas to continue Dean Smith's legacy at UNC (he's retiring soon, who's to say they stay on top without him?)
Someone mentioned Arizona, Without Lute Olson's 24 years at the helm of their program Arizona wouldn't be the program they are today. Tom Izzo has done a similar thing for MSU, if MSU can replace him when the time comes with another top tier coach MSU will probably be granted full 'blue blood' status.
With Coach K, Roy Williams, and Tom Izzo all retiring in the near future; which programs are going to join Calipari and Self at the top of the pack? Memphis is making a push but who's to say Brad Underwood can't do it? Brad Underwood is 56 years old. That realistically gives him about 16 more years with our program under the best of circumstances. What if he gives us 6 Elite 8s, 3 Final 4s, and 2 Championships in his potentially 19 years with us? That certainly would put Illinois in a strong position to usher in the next era of elite college basketball.