IYO, what was the best college basketball team ever?

[saturdaysarebetter]

In your opinion, what was the best college basketball team ever?

One of Alcindor's UCLA teams? One of the Walton Gang's UCLA's teams? Undefeated Indiana? Duke with Laettner, Hurley and Hill? Others?

 

[LionJim]

1970-71 Pennsylvania, 28-1.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Interestingly enough, the highest rated team of the KenPom era (96-97 to current) didn't win the National Title...the 1998-1999 Duke team that lost to UConn in the Championship game. They were loaded.

 

[CFLion]

UCLA with Walton, Henry Bibby and Jamal Wilkes.

 

[MrTailgate]

UNLV was a squad. When Ucla was great, people would say the only team that could beat certain great teams were the freshman teams. I think Alcindor’s freshman team beat their varsity team.

 

[1995PSUGrad]

The 1990 UNLV team that won the championship game by 30 was pretty good. So was that Duke team that lost by 30 but went on to win the next two titles.

 

[MtNittany]

Any team w/ Dickie Mumma on it.

 

[Blair10]

Any one of those early 1970s UCLA teams led by Bill Walton.

They were a dominant, well oiled machine that went 2 deep with nothing but high school all America recruits.

 

[Nothing Special]

Because I'm old. No particular order

1968-69 UCLA (Alcindor, Wicks, Rowe, Shackleford, Vallely)
1972-73 UCLA (Walton, Wilkes, Meyers, Farmer, Curtis. Lee, Holyfield)
1973-74 NC State (Thompson, Burleson, Towe, Rivers, Spence, Stoddard)
1975-76 Indiana (May, Buckner, Benson, Abernathy, Wilkerson)
1980-81 North Carolina (Jordan, Worthy, Perkins, Doherty, Black)
1990-91 UNLV (Johnson, Augman, Hunt, Anthony, Spencer, Gray)
1991-92 Duke (Laettner, G. Hill, Hurley, T. Hill, Davis, Lang, Parks)
2007-08 North Carolina (Hansborough, Lawson, Ellington, Green, Thompson, Ginyard)

 

[LionJim]

UNLV was a squad. When Ucla was great, people would say the only team that could be certain great teams were the freshman teams. I think Alcindor’s freshman team beat their varsity team.

Thought of them, UNLV. I’ll have to say the Alcindor UCLA teams were the best but their path to the championship was loads easier back then than it is for anyone now.

 

[Nothing Special]

Fun thread. Memory & a more than a little Google took me down a fun rabbit hole. 1973-74, Maryland beat UCLA by one to start the season. Lefty Driesell had promised to make Maryland the "UCLA of the East." Maryland lost to NC State twice during the regular season by 6 each time. Then, in the ACC tournament, NS State won 103-100 in overtime. Maryland could not compete in the NCAA tournament because only the conference champion qualified. NC State beat UCLA, 80-77, in 2OT in the national semifinal. Maryland had Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, Jon Lucas, Mo Howard, Tom Roy and Owen Brown. NC State beat Marquette to win the title. Al McGuire had Maurice Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Lloyd Walton & Marcus Washington.
UCLA had 9 players who would later play in the NBA and 2 terrific guards who didn't.

 

[LionJim]

Fun thread. Memory & a more than a little Google took me down a fun rabbit hole. 1973-74, Maryland beat UCLA by one to start the season. Lefty Driesell promised to make Maryland the "UCLA of the East." Maryland lost to NC State twice during the regular season by 6 each time. Then, in the ACC tournament, NS State won 103-100 in overtime. Maryland could not compete in the NCAA tournament because only the conference champion qualified. NC State beat UCLA, 80-77, in 2OT in the national semifinal. Maryland had Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, Jon Lucas, Mo Howard, Tom Roy and Owen Brown. NC State beat Marquette to win the title. Al McGuire had Maurice Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Lloyd Walton & Marcus Washington

Yeah, that 1974 NCS-Maryland game was the greatest I’ve ever seen. Boys and girls, David Thompson was something special.

 

[LionJim]

Penn State 2024-5.

(Anything for a laugh.)

 

[LionsAndBears]

81-82 UNC or 82-83 Houston come to mind but of the two I would have to give the edge to UNC, plus they won it all, as opposed to Houston who lost in the famous NC State game.

 

[IBeBlockin]

Not the greatest team ever, but provided the greatest and most exciting championship run and championship game performance in history as far as I’m concerned - 1985 Villanova Wildcats.

 

[LB99]

Basketball? Meh. 2024 Penn State Wrestling team was the best ever. Beat out the second place team by 100 points.

 

[flash86]

Because I'm old. No particular order

1968-69 UCLA (Alcindor, Wicks, Rowe, Shackleford, Vallely)
1972-73 UCLA (Walton, Wilkes, Meyers, Farmer, Curtis. Lee, Holyfield)
1973-74 NC State (Thompson, Burleson, Towe, Rivers, Spence, Stoddard)
1975-76 Indiana (May, Buckner, Benson, Abernathy, Wilkerson)
1980-81 North Carolina (Jordan, Worthy, Perkins, Doherty, Black)
1990-91 UNLV (Johnson, Augman, Hunt, Anthony, Spencer, Gray)
1991-92 Duke (Laettner, G. Hill, Hurley, T. Hill, Davis, Lang, Parks)
2007-08 North Carolina (Hansborough, Lawson, Ellington, Green, Thompson, Ginyard)

BIG FAN of 73-74 NC State! If they had 3 point shots, Monty Towe would have been out of this world!

 

[DaytonRickster]

Fun thread. Memory & a more than a little Google took me down a fun rabbit hole. 1973-74, Maryland beat UCLA by one to start the season. Lefty Driesell had promised to make Maryland the "UCLA of the East." Maryland lost to NC State twice during the regular season by 6 each time. Then, in the ACC tournament, NS State won 103-100 in overtime. Maryland could not compete in the NCAA tournament because only the conference champion qualified. NC State beat UCLA, 80-77, in 2OT in the national semifinal. Maryland had Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, Jon Lucas, Mo Howard, Tom Roy and Owen Brown. NC State beat Marquette to win the title. Al McGuire had Maurice Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Lloyd Walton & Marcus Washington.
Not related to titles, but it got me thinking about Len Bias (Maryland) who was a fabulous college baller. Drafted in first round by the Celtics and sadly succumbed to a drug overdose before playing a season in the NBA. Such a sad story.

 

[DaytonRickster]

Yeah, that 1974 NCS-Maryland game was the greatest I’ve ever seen. Boys and girls, David Thompson was something special.

Yes he was. He was not just a leaper, he as a great all-around player. How high could he jump? They could place a dollar bill on top of the backboard, David could jump up and grab it.
Another great ACC player was UNC's Charlie Scott (6'6") who had an oustanding all-around game.

 

[DaytonRickster]

Not the greatest team ever, but provided the greatest and most exciting championship run and championship game performance in history as far as I’m concerned - 1985 Villanova Wildcats.

Yes, that massive upset of Georgetown (Ewing's team) and shooting an incredible percentage from the field in the title game. Haven't looked back at the actual stats but I recall it being somewhere around 70%. Rollie Massimono was the head coach.

 

[ApexLion]

Kentucky with Jack Goose Givens, Kyle Macy, Ricky Robey in 1978 finished 30-2 (both conferences losses) and won it all after being ranked no. 1 going into the tournament. That's hard to do. They were basically no. 1 the entire season.

Indiana 1976
32-0. Imagine doing that at that level. Quinn Buckner, Scott May, Kent Benson.

Uconn 2023 has to be up there as well.

 

[LionJim]

Not the greatest team ever, but provided the greatest and most exciting championship run and championship game performance in history as far as I’m concerned - 1985 Villanova Wildcats.

Yes, A great run. A well deserved championship, a huge disappointment for me.

 

[Psu-cpa]

Fun thread. Memory & a more than a little Google took me down a fun rabbit hole. 1973-74, Maryland beat UCLA by one to start the season. Lefty Driesell had promised to make Maryland the "UCLA of the East." Maryland lost to NC State twice during the regular season by 6 each time. Then, in the ACC tournament, NS State won 103-100 in overtime. Maryland could not compete in the NCAA tournament because only the conference champion qualified. NC State beat UCLA, 80-77, in 2OT in the national semifinal. Maryland had Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, Jon Lucas, Mo Howard, Tom Roy and Owen Brown. NC State beat Marquette to win the title. Al McGuire had Maurice Lucas, Bo Ellis, Earl Tatum, Lloyd Walton & Marcus Washington.
UCLA had 9 players who would later play in the NBA and 2 terrific guards who didn't.

Lots of fun hoops then, but pretty sure Maryland lost by one to UCLA. UCLA had the 88 game win streak until Notre Dame came from 11 down to beat them by 1. UCLA also lost to I recall Oregon and Oregon St that year as well as in the Final 4 you noted versus NC State.

 

[MrTailgate]

Alcindor and Walton were 1 and 1A with the edge to Alcindor because he won 3 titles. Walton would have won 3 but Wooden punished Greg Lee when Lee admitted to Wooden that he smoked weed. If not for that, UCLA wins that title and yes I fully understand the brilliance of David Thompson.

The circus otherwise known as the Fab Five of Michigan were a real handful. Even though they transcendEd hoops into cultural importance, they were a legendary group.

 

[Nothing Special]

Lots of fun hoops then, but pretty sure Maryland lost by one to UCLA. UCLA had the 88 game win streak until Notre Dame came from 11 down to beat them by 1. UCLA also lost to I recall Oregon and Oregon St that year as well as in the Final 4 you noted versus NC State.

You are correct! My apologies. UCLA won 65-64 in Pauley Pavillion

 

[OUIrPSU]

Interestingly enough, the highest rated team of the KenPom era (96-97 to current) didn't win the National Title...the 1998-1999 Duke team that lost to UConn in the Championship game. They were loaded.

I know I’m biased, but they should have won that year!

 

[WestSideLion]

That 1990 UNLV team stands out. The Dook team right after too.