NFL
By: Jeffrey Newholm
This year there is intrigue and drama over who will win the title in NCAA men’s basketball. However, we do know one thing for sure: that team will not be one of the greatest of all time. Even the top two seeds this year figure to have at least five losses, and each round will be perilous. I find myself wishing I was around in the olden days when a team could go on a huge run and get a massive winning streak or win multiple titles in a row. Just so all fans can have an appreciation for how good teams used to be in the pre-one-and-done era, I’ve gone back and compiled a list of the top ten teams in the history of college hoops. There are two caveats with this list: 1) to prevent UCLA from hogging all the top spots, each school is limited to one team. To compensate, I reward a team that had several good years in a row as opposed to a, as Packers GM Ron Wolf put it, a “fart in the wind” year. For such a team I picked the year that team reached its peak. The second caveat is this is top ten champions, not necessarily top ten teams. In my view you’re not the greatest of all time if your team didn’t finish off a great season by cutting down the nets in the Final Four. I do want to give an honorable mention though: the 1990 Loyola Marymount team suffered a tragedy when star Hank Gathers died of a heart condition in the conference tournament, but the team somehow gathered themselves well enough to make a run to the elite eight. One could list any number of teams in addition to the Lions, but here I’ll just list the top ten champs.
10. 1974 NC State
Normally starting out as the #2 team in the country is exciting. Being #2 behind a sevenpeat champion, however, is rather patronizing. When the Wolfpack were blown out by UCLA by 18 the third game of the season, it seemed #2 was as high as anyone else could get. But when there was a rematch in the Final Four, the Wolfpack shocked the Bruins in double overtime, then knocked off the Marquette Warriors in the final. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say UCLA will be on this list somewhere. Their sevenpeat was such a momentous feat that the team that ended it deserves a spot on this list.
9. 2008 Kansas
To this day I think Memphis had the better team in 2008, but one way or the other they couldn’t be on here. The 37-3 Jayhawks are still a good team by their own regards, but Memphis had them beat were it not for a slew of missed free throws and “Mario’s Miracle”: Mario Chalmer’s three at the end of regulation to force overtime, which the Jayhawks dominated. And it’s good Kansas won because Memphis ended up having to forfeit the final four due to allegations of academic fraud by Derrick Rose. Considering all four one seeds made the Final Four that year, I think any of those teams could have ended up on this list, but Kansas get the nod for blowing out the mighty Tar Heels in the semis and their flurry of a finish in the title game.
8. 1984 Georgetown
The Hoyas could be higher on this list but the ’85 team suffered an infamous upset at the hands of eighth seeded Villanova. But the ’84 team was so good they still have a spot in the top ten. Behind star center Patrick Ewing, the Hoyas achieved a 34-3 mark with those three losses by a combined eight points. In classic Hoya fashion however, the team had a huge scare in the first round of the NCAA tournament, only beating SMU by one. The next four games went just as planned however, and Georgetown was able to celebrate its first-and to this day only-NCAA basketball title.
7. 2012 Kentucky
A Wildcat team had to be on here at some point, and while the ’96 and 2015 teams deserve honorable mention, in the end I picked the 2012 team as the greatest Kentucky team, and seventh best overall. Boasting a fabulous recruiting class including current NBA rising star Anthony Davis, coach Cal’s team bludgeoned the NCAA field, finishing 38-2 with the only losses a one point heart-breaker at Indiana and a SEC tournament final the team may have been disinterested in giving the #1 overall seed was already a lock. After a cakewalk to the Final Four, Davis’s team won hard fought battles against archrival Louisville and a Kansas team that hadn’t managed to get upset yet. The departure of all the star players to the NBA after the ’12 run and the team’s failure to make the ’13 tournament at all prevents this team from climbing too high, but it was such a good team it deserves to be on here somewhere.
6. 2007 Florida
The #3 seed 2006 Gators were a good team, but not one of the greatest of all time. When all the starters decided to come back for one more shot at March glory, the 2007 team became a prohibitive favorite. The team had a few bumps along the way, but after winning the SEC tournament was still a #1 seed. Unheralded Jackson State gave the Gators a scare for a half, but that just made Joakim Noah and company mad: they ultimately won by 43. There wasn’t too much drama the rest of the way as clearly a defending champ bringing back the whole team is tough to beat. I think the 2007 Florida team in and of themselves isn’t the sixth best, but I have to give credit for a group of players who, in the one-and-done era, didn’t bolt after one title (or no titles in the case of several of coach Cal’s teams).
5. 1992 Duke
The #2 seed, 32-7 ’91 Duke title team team was good. The 34-2 ’92 team was great. All people seem to remember is Christian Laettner’s buzzer beater against Kentucky in the Elite Eight. However, considering the team’s two losses were by a combined six points, clearly there were other good plays other than that. Indiana was another stern test in the semis, but the team finished like a true champion, blowing out Michigan’s fab five by 20. With coach K now experiencing the ups and downs of one-and-done recruiting, I doubt he’ll have a run as good as the early 90s team again.
4. 1957 North Carolina
These last four teams are oldies but goodies (I am talking about the top ten teams of all time, and I do mean all time). Yes the 2009 team was good, but no Tar Heel team can top the ’57 team’s 32-0 mark or come close to its finish. What could possibly top a triple overtime win against Michigan State in the semifinals where the Heels barely avoided a loss twice? How about another triple overtime game in the final against Wilt Chamberlain’s Kansas team? Other teams may have had better seasons but good luck finding a more thrilling way to clinch a title than the 1957 Final Four.
3. 1976 Indiana
It seemed a forgone conclusion the ’75 Hoosiers would win the title. seeing as they entered the tournament undefeated. but they suffered a shocking loss to Kentucky in the Elite Eight. Undaunted, Bobby Knight’s team entered the tournament undefeated again the next year and this time finished it off with a title-to this day men’s basketball’s last undefeated year. The Hoosiers left no doubt, winning their Final Four games by a combined 32 points. The more time passes, the more this team passes into lore like the ’72 Dolphins. Perhaps someday we’ll see another undefeated team, but after Kentucky blew their chance last year it might not happen anytime soon.
2. 1956 San Francisco
You may not have heard of the Dons, but certainly you’ve heard of their best player, future NBA all-time great Bill Russell. The ’55 Dons’ champion team were already great at 28-1, but the ’56 team was even better at 29-0, the first perfect season in NCAA history. All four tourney wins were by double digits and Russell dazzled in the title game against Iowa with 26 points and 27 rebounds. These days the Dons aren’t even a contender to make the big dance, but they can always talk about their old glory in the Russell years.
1.1973 UCLA
Seeing as I rigged this list to the detriment of the Bruins, it’s only fair I put their best team at the top. And really I don’t think anybody ever could, or ever will, top this team. They were wire-to-wire #1. They were undefeated. They only had three single digit games all season. All four tourney wins were by double digits. And how’s this for an unbeatable record: it was the Bruins’ seventh straight title! And as for the title-clinching performance: Bill Walton went 21 of 22 for 44 points against Memphis. Pretty easy choice for Final Four MOP if you ask me! The Bruins were the greatest dynasty in the history of the game, and the sport will never be the same now that their run is history.
You can follow me on Twitter @JeffreyNewholm and our blog @NutsAndBoltsSP.
