March 21, 201313 yr For me the best 3 I have always argued for was: 1. 1975 Indiana 2. 1991 UNLV 3. 1985 Georgetown Those three were just loaded with talent, impressive regular season domination and then it took perfect circumstances to bring them down. '75 Indiana is before my time, but I've heard & read the same thing over the years. Had a guy that got hurt, right?
March 21, 201313 yr Author '75 Indiana is before my time, but I've heard & read the same thing over the years. Had a guy that got hurt, right? Sean May broke his arm with about 3 games to go in the season. He would be National Player of the Year the next season. He played vs. Kentucky in a cast but was ineffective and actually gave the sense of desperation by the Hoosiers to start him. If you've got the time, I finally found the game on Youtube. It's chopped up some and poor quality but Cawood is on the mic in the background. First time I'd seen it since '75 and it was even more physical than I recalled as a teenager. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geM2y5l4PTk
March 21, 201313 yr I read one time how close those UC teams of the late 50's and early 60's came to being the dominant force in college basketball before UCLA took over. They had a great chance at winning 5 in a row and the thought is had they done that their momentum would have prevented UCLA from becoming the force they did.
March 21, 201313 yr Best teams that failed to win NCAA title Interesting thoughts on their selections. Did not expect the '66 Rupps Runts to be listed but hey. Anyone think some team was left out or some should not be on the list? :idunno: You know exactly why they were listed. I obviously did not see them play but if you feel that was not one of the better teams not to win a title I will defer to your opinion on the matter. Of the teams that I really have paid attention to, UNLV in '91, Kansas in '97, and '99 Duke.
March 21, 201313 yr Author You know exactly why they were listed. I obviously did not see them play but if you feel that was not one of the better teams not to win a title I will defer to your opinion on the matter. Of the teams that I really have paid attention to, UNLV in '91, Kansas in '97, and '99 Duke. I think they listed them because of the "star power" names of Louie Dampier and Pat Riley. (And the other reason) Still the film I have seen on the Runts was very good. Quick team that shot well. They also had to beat in the NCAA a strong Dayton team with Don May (who would finish NCAA runners up the next season) and a strong Michigan team led by Cazzie Russell. They then defeated the #2 ranked team Duke in the Final Four so the more I talk, the more I see their point.
March 21, 201313 yr Author Wiki that '99 Duke team.....they were monsters. I agree. That team gets overlooked a lot. Lost two games I believe by 1 and 2 points. A lot like the Hoyas of Georgetown in '85 in my book.
March 21, 201313 yr The 1953-54 (25-0) Kentucky Wildcats need to be on that list. Did they actually play against that Tom Gola LaSalle team or did they not go to the NCAA tournament that year?
March 21, 201313 yr Author I read one time how close those UC teams of the late 50's and early 60's came to being the dominant force in college basketball before UCLA took over. They had a great chance at winning 5 in a row and the thought is had they done that their momentum would have prevented UCLA from becoming the force they did. Oscar was the reason for their dominance in '58 - '60 but always missed out until '61. Paul Hogue once said (Center for the Bearcats): "I have no problem saying that Ohio State had the better athletes. We had the better TEAM."
March 21, 201313 yr Author Did they actually play against that Tom Gola LaSalle team or did they not go to the NCAA tournament that year? They played LaSalle in the UKIT and won by 13 or 15 points. The only team to "test" them was LSU with Bob Pettit. The reason they declined a bid was because of a rule "then" that doesn't exist now. The rule "then" was that if you had graduated and were a grad student, you could not play in the NCAA tourney. That meant that Cliff Hagan, Frank Ramsey and Lou Tsoropoulis would be ineligible. We there are your top 3 scorers. There is little doubt they were the best team in the country and that "great" group "Helms Foundation" awarded them the National Title. I remember Sporting News had an "All Time top 25" book published in the early 90's. They listed the '54 Cats in the top ten I believe and the highest ranking UK team on their list. I think the reason they aren't on the list was because they weren't in the tourney.
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