Who would you nominate as the Best College Basketball Team Ever?

Journeyman · Feb 4, 2004

I can only go back to the early 70`s so I am limited in who I can choose from...

There have been many great teams in College Hoops , the UCLA double dynasty (Lew Al) (Walton) , The perfect season Indiana had under Bob Knight in `76 with Scott May and Kent Benson, the Kentucky team that beat Duke led by Goose Givens magical performance in`78, Marquette had some great teams in the mid 70`s...The `79 Spartans with Magic and Kelser and Indiana St was a memorable undefeated squad 33-0 going into that finale they lost...the Carolina team with Jordan, Worthy, and Perkins...the Indiana team with Isiah,Tolbert and Turner...Phi Slamma Jamma, Akeem (as he was called back then) and Clyde...there were the magical Cinderella squads , Villanova, NC State, and Kansas....UNLV had a couple tremendous teams with Larry Johnson and Co. Oklahoma Stacy King and Mookie Blalock, the many powerhouse Duke teams Alarie/Dawkins, Laettner/Hill/Hurley,then Williams/Dunleavy/Battier my goodness Duke has had 3 different powerhouse teams ,unreal....even my Terps have had several standout teams in the past 30 years, especially in the 70`s....

My Vote goes to 1974 North Carolina State Wolfpack coached by the late Norm Sloan and led by David Thompson...

WHO WOULD YOU VOTE AS THE GREATEST "ONE YEAR" COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM?

RPM · Feb 4, 2004

wouldnt say best, but my favorite was syracuse in the mid 80's.

pearl washington was the shit!~

Muddy · Feb 4, 2004

ucla won 90 in a row

HacheMan · Feb 4, 2004

Not a huge college fan J~Man, but I'd choose the squad of Laetner.....Hill.......Hurley....etc......

wilheim · Feb 4, 2004

Bill Walton led UCLA teams from early 70's. 88 straight wins.

The Sporting News College Player of the Year (1972-74)

Naismith Award winner (1972-74)

The Sporting News All-America first team (1972-74)

NCAA Division I Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1972-73)

Member of NCAA Division I championship teams (1972-73)

Holds NCAA tournament career record for highest field goal percentage (minimum of 60 made)¾68.6 percent, 109 of 159 (1972-74)

Holds NCAA tournament single-season record of highest field-goal percentage (minimum of 40 made)¾76.3 percent, 45-of-59 (1973)

Averaged 20.3 points and 15.7 rebounds per game

Member of UCLA team with record 88 straight wins

Was the foundation of the only teams to record back-to-back 30-0 seasons

Led UCLA to 86-4 record during his three years

Scored 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting in 1973 NCAA tournament win over Memphis State

Named All-State, All-American, All-Conference and Conference MVP three times (1967-70)

Ranks first in career rebounding with 1,370 (15.7 average)

Ranks second in field goal percentage (.651)

Ranks third in career scoring average (20.3 ppg) and 10th in career points (1,767)

Holds UCLA record for rebounds in a season (506 for a 16.9 average) and twice had 27, one shy of that record

Journeyman · Feb 4, 2004

Streak was snapped by Notre Dame, which had some great teams too, the more I think about it...they had Dantley and Shuemate then later Digger had Tripucka/Jackson and Woolridge....I also overlooked another very good Duke team 78 Duke with Gminski, Banks, and Spanarkel...Maryland with Albert King and Buck Williams....and even further back McMillon, Elmore and John Lucas....the Louisville Cardinals had two or three tremendous teams under Denny Crum....so many great teams...San Francisco had a really good team in the late 70`s then suffered the death penalty when Quinton Dailey raped that woman....Kentucky in the late 90`s was a great team too, they could really get up and down the floor...

Thrillseeker · Feb 4, 2004

Ky 1996 (in the more modern era, anyway

)

Delk, McCarty, Sheppard, Mercer, Anderson, Walker, Pope, Mohammed, and Turner all got at least a cup of coffee in the NBA...Padgett was academically ineligible that year...

They lost 2 games all season - to Umass and Miss St, whom both made the Final Four...

Journeyman · Feb 4, 2004

Wil- NC State actually beat that UCLA team...

22/23 from Walton in that Championship game that is some incredible legendary stuff right there!!! Bill Walton probably the greatest college player ever!

HacheMan · Feb 4, 2004

Sorry guys.....I will always be a firm believer that the competition was far less back in those days......

bucsfan67 · Feb 4, 2004

'76 hoosiers.....

Horseshoe · Feb 4, 2004

In my lifetime, I would sentimentally say Haskins' Texas Western team from my birth year of 1966(though a few late '60's UCLA teams would drub them), as much for their contribution to modern basketball(much like Sam Bam Cunningham's rolling of Bama), they both helped get my beloved SEC in gear towards desegregation.

The 1972 & 1973 UCLA teams that just rolled(&'74)..then again they won NCAA Crowns at the pace of the Braves knocking down Nat'l League East titles.

The '80s are a tough call between the '84 Hoyas and the '81 Cards(whom both would've lost out to the '89 Flyin Illini as most dominant should Ill have closed out Mich, then Seton Hall in the Final 4).

The '91 Rebels were the best of the '90s, & were hosed like 21-2 in FTA by refs out of a '92 repeat..The Computer bet EXTRA LARGE ON DUKE!(line was like +9.5?)...It's a two way tossup between the back-to-back Dukies vs.'96 Ky Cats for runner-up.

Journeyman · Feb 4, 2004

Michigan team with Rice , Robinson and Vaught was another one...What about the fab Five?

I think Rice`s team beats Webber`s timeouts and all,lol.

TheFunkMonkey · Feb 4, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Journeyman:
Michigan team with Rice , Robinson and Vaught was another one...What about the fab Five?

I think Rice`s team beats Webber`s timeouts and all,lol.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fab Five doesn't even deserve a nomination, they didn't win a title!

It is hard not to pick one of the UCLA teams, but I'm gonna take UNLV based on pure fear-factor. Larry Johnson, Plastic Man Augmon, Anderson Hunt, Greg Anthony, David Butler, Moses Scurry. Just like Mike Tyson during his prime, teams were flat-out scared to compete against UNLV. Check out their title run, 3 wins of 30 points, including the Regional Final and Championship Game.

UNLV 102 vs. Arkansas Little Rock 72
UNLV 76 vs. Ohio St 65
UNLV 69 vs. Ball St 67
UNLV 131 vs. Loyola-Marymount 101
UNLV 90 vs. Georgia Tech 81
UNLV 103 vs. Duke 73

sherman · Feb 4, 2004

Don't foget the Ewing Georgetown squads...

TheFunkMonkey · Feb 4, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sherman:
Don't foget the Ewing Georgetown squads...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just think about their legacy if it wasn't for Freddy Brown...and then if it wasn't for Villanova playing one of the best games in NCAA history.

When I was in high school, I played a summer-league game against a school that Freddy Brown was coaching. In the 1st half, he got upset with the refs, so he pulled his team off the court and he walked out of the gym with his players...game over. Keep in mind, this was a SUMMER LEAGUE game...how can you get that upset during a SUMMER LEAGUE game!?!?

Guess he was still pissed about that great pass to Worthy.

DENIRO · Feb 4, 2004

how about st johns
chris mullen
walter berry
bill wellington
mark jackson

big east baby

3 out of 4 in the final four

when will that ever happen again

Horseshoe · Feb 4, 2004

DeNiro, don't forget that BC lost by like 3 in the Southwest Regional in 1985..would've been 4 for 4!

RobFunk · Feb 4, 2004

the undefeated UNLV team that got upset by the refs, i mean duke. this is the best team. there is no debate, dont be dumb. if you think there is any team better, than the runnin rebs team that was champion and got tottaly jobbed, i mean outclassed by puke for the final 4 you need help. if you dont think that rebs team with augmon,jhonson, anderson hunt and greg anthony travis bice, love eckels etc.. isnt the best you are probably dilusional to the point you think the patriots are capable of staying within 10 of any of the past superbowl winners and think tom brady isnt a back up to dilfer on the dominant D ravens team. yeah that unlv team is easily the best. im sure this was just some reminder thread.

RobFunk · Feb 4, 2004

was anyone within 30 of that rebs team?!?!?

Journeyman · Feb 4, 2004

I`d have to agree , back in the mid 80`s the BIg East had emerged as the powerhouse conference....Mullen was such sharpshooter and who would have predicted that Walter Berry would make the least impact in the NBA of those 4 St. Johns players, even Wennington had a better NBA career by far...

Also, I think what takes some of the mystique from that UNLV team was losing to Duke, if they close out with back to backs they would have stood out more....they were so dominant though crushing everyone...

alot of good teams mentioned here...