7: 30 AM ET
Myron Medcalf ESPN Personnel Author
- Covers college basketball
- Signed Up With ESPN.com in2011
- Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato
Well, this will not be questionable.
A couple of weeks back, we had a concept.
What if there was a method to take the best groups of perpetuity for each school in the Sugary food 16, and put them all in the very same health club to play a competition? Which team would emerge with the champion?
It wasn’t simple.
See, NCAA competition success is an excellent sign of a group’s expertise oftentimes, however not all. Keep in mind, Florida Atlantic will take part in the Sugary food 16 next weekend. That’s something Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Durant never ever attained.
So it can’t simply have to do with postseason outcomes. Skill and experience need to play a considerable function, too. Designs and prospective matches. One group may have a gamer who would control no matter who you put in front of him. That matters, too. They’re all consider how we reached these conclusions.
And after that we took it to another level and ranked each group. You’re welcome.
Here is our list of the very best group– because winner-take-all format– for each program that stays in the Sugary food 16, and where they ‘d rank amongst their peers on this list:
1. UCLA Bruins(2-seed)
Finest Group: 1971-72
Leading 3 gamers: Costs Walton (211 PPG, 15.5 RPG), Henry Bibby (157 PPG), Jamaal Wilkes (135 PPG, 8.2 RPG)
Greatest accomplishment: NCAA title
Finest Video Game: 81-76 win over Florida State in the championship game
Next finest group: 1968-69
Probably the best college basketball group of perpetuity, John Wooden’s team ended up 30 -0 with a championship game and continued a winning streak that started in 1971 and ended in 1974 with 88 successive wins. Led by Walton, among the best college gamers of perpetuity, this group had 5 future pros and beat its challengers by approximately 30.3 points per video game.
2. Michigan State Spartans(7-seed)
Finest Group: 1978-79
Leading 3 gamers: Magic Johnson (171 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.4 APG), Greg Kelser (188 PPG, 8.7 RPG), Jay Vincent (127 PPG)
Greatest accomplishment: Championship game
Finest Video Game: 75-64 over No. 1 Indiana State in the nationwide title video game
Next finest group: 1999-2000
Michigan State had a plethora of competitors, however we’ll take the group led by the 6-8 point player who turned into one of the best NBA gamers of perpetuity. Those Spartans might fly up and down the court, however they likewise held their challengers to simply 62.6 PPG, a top-15 mark in the nation.
3. Houston Cougars(1-seed)
Finest Group: 1982-83
Leading 3 gamers: Hakeem Olajuwon (139 PPG, 11.4 RPG), Clyde Drexler (159 PPG, 8.8 RPG), Michael Young (173 PPG, 5.7 RPG)
Greatest accomplishment: National runner-up
Finest Video Game: 94-81 vs. No. 1 Louisville in the Last 4
Next finest group: 1967-68
This group was so great (824 PPG) it included 2 future Basketball Hall of Famers (Olajuwon and Drexler) who weren’t even the leading scorers. This team reached the championship game video game a year prior to it would go back to the title video game once again. 4 future NBA gamers anchored the “Phi Slama Jama” age of Houston basketball, which was unequaled.
4. Arkansas Razorbacks(8-seed)
Finest Group: 1993-94
Leading 3 gamers: Corliss Williamson (204 PPG, 7.7 RPG), Scotty Thurman (159 PPG, 4.5 RPG), Corey Beck (8.8 PPG, 5.0 APG)
Greatest accomplishment: NCAA title
Finest Video Game: 76-72 win over No. 2 Duke in the championship game
Next finest group: 1989-90
Nolan Richardson’s “40 minutes of Hell” turned this team into the only nationwide champ in school history with a win over a strong Duke group, a year prior to the Razorbacks went back to the nationwide title video game and lost to UCLA. From Jan. 19, 1994, to April 4, 1994 (the championship game), Williamson and Co. lost simply as soon as (90-78 versus No. 10 Kentucky in the SEC competition).
5. UConn Huskies(4-seed)
Finest Group: 2003-04
Leading 3 gamers: Ben Gordon (185 PPG), Emeka Okafor (176 PPG, 11.5 RPG), Rashad Anderson (112 PPG)
Greatest accomplishment: Championship game
Finest Video Game: 82-73 vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech in the championship game
Next finest group: 1998-99
Okafor and Gordon were the 2nd and 3rd choices, respectively, in the 2004 NBA draft after leading the program to its 2nd championship game in 5 years. While that ’98-99 group is famous for ending Duke’s 32- video game winning streak and winning a championship game, this group had 6 future NBA gamers and outscored its challengers by approximately 15 points.
6. Gonzaga Bulldogs(3-seed)
Finest Group: 2020-21
Leading 3 gamers: Drew Timme(190 PPG, 7.0 RPG), Corey Kispert (186 PPG), Jalen Suggs (145 PPG, 4.5 APG)
Greatest accomplishment: National runner-up
Finest Video Game: 93-90 vs. UCLA in overtime in the Last 4
Next finest group: 2018-19
This group was basically this season’s slick Gonzaga group, however with 3 future pros (Suggs, Kispert and Andrew Nembhard), which is why it’s Mark Couple of’s finest. They’re how the 2020-21 group handled to win 31 video games in a row prior to losing to Baylor in the championship game video game.
Timme (15 pts) & Suggs (13 pts) were BALLING in the first half @ZagMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/IDpZXQ504 Z
— NCAA March Insanity (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2021
7. Alabama Crimson Tide(1-seed)
Finest Group: 1991-92
Leading 3 gamers: Latrell Sprewell (178 PPG), Robert Horry (158 PPG, 8.5 RPG), James Robinson (194 PPG)
Greatest accomplishment: No. 13 in season’s last AP survey
Finest Video Game: 90-89 vs. No. 6 Arkansas in the SEC competition quarterfinals
Next finest group: 2013-14
This stacked SEC team included 3 extraordinary gamers who would all ultimately leave Alabama and take pleasure in prolonged professions in the NBA. The rotation for this group, which inconceivably stopped working to reach the 2nd weekend of the NCAA competition that season, was so deep and tough to split that Jason Caffey, who won 2 NBA champions with the Chicago Bulls, played simply 11.0 MPG.
8. Texas Longhorns(2-seed)
Finest Group: 2005-06
Leading 3 gamers: P.J. Tucker (161 PPG, 9.5 RPG), LaMarcus Aldridge (150 PPG, 9.2 RPG), Daniel Gibson (134 PPG)
Greatest accomplishment: Elite 8
Finest Video Game: 74-71 vs. No. 22 West Virginia in the Sugary Food 16
Next finest group: 2002-03
Aldridge was among 3 future NBA gamers on a lineup that won 30 video games– a school record at the time– and ended up top 15 in protective and offending performance on KenPom. The only thing that stopped this group from advancing to the Last 4 was an overtime loss to LSU in the Elite 8.
9. Kansas State Wildcats(3-seed)
Finest Group: 1987-88
Leading 3 gamers: Mitch Richmond (226 PPG, 6.3 RPG), William Scott (122 PPG), Steve Henson (9.1 PPG, 5.5 APG)
Greatest accomplishment: Elite 8
Finest Video Game: 73-70 vs. No. 1 Purdue
Next finest group: 2007-08
Richmond, a future Basketball Hall of Famer, led this group that balanced 75.4 PPG to the 2nd weekend. This team would still be an issue today with its 48.4%clip from 3-point variety.
10 Tennessee Volunteers(4-seed)
Finest Group: 1976-77
Leading 3 gamers: Bernard King (258 PPG, 14.3 RPG), Ernie Grunfeld (228 PPG), Mike Jackson (154 PPG)
Greatest accomplishment: SEC champion
Finest Video Game: 92-89 at No. 4 Alabama
Next finest group: 2018-19
” The Ernie and Bernie Program” created an exceptional run, anchoring Tennessee’s greatest lineup. This group stopped working to win an NCAA competition video game in the 1976-77 project and would end up behind several Tennessee groups based off postseason success, its skill, large offending supremacy and NBA potential customers offer these Vols the edge in the discussion about the program’s biggest group of all time.
11 Princeton Tigers(15- seed)
Finest Group: 1964-65
Leading 3 gamers: Costs Bradley (305 PPG, 11.8 RPG), Bob Haarlow (9.6 PPG), Ed Hummer (8.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG)
Greatest accomplishment: Last 4
Finest Video Game: 118-82 vs. Wichita State in the third-place video game after losing to Michigan in the Last 4
Next finest group: 2022-23
This season’s Tigers have actually impressed, however in 1964-65 they had Bradley, the future Basketball Hall of Famer who led the group to a win over No. 4 Providence in the Elite 8. That group won the Ivy League and balanced almost 80 points per video game.
12 Xavier Musketeers(6-seed)
Finest Group: 2002-03
Leading 3 gamers: David West(201 PPG, 11.8 RPG), Romain Sato (181 PPG, 7.1 RPG), Lionel Chalmers (120 PPG)
Greatest accomplishment: 2nd round of the NCAA competition
Finest Video Game: 75-73 vs. No. 15 Creighton
Next finest group: 2007-08
This group, ranked top 10 in the preseason AP survey, had West, Xavier’s biggest gamer of perpetuity and the AP nationwide gamer of the year. These Musketeers fell short in the postseason, however they managed a 16- video game winning streak from Jan. 11 to March 14, ending with a loss to Temple in the Atlantic 10 competition.
13 San Diego State Aztecs(5-seed)
Finest Group: 2010-11
Leading 3 gamers: Kawhi Leonard (155 PPG, 10.6 RPG); D.J. Gay (111 PPG, 3.1 APG); Malcolm Thomas (114 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.0 BPG)
Greatest accomplishment: Sugary Food 16
Finest Video Game: 72-54 win over No. 8 BYU in the Mountain West Conference competition title video game
Next finest group: 2013-14
Prior to Leonard led the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors to NBA titles, he was an all-Mountain West first-teamer who assisted SDSU beat Jimmer Fredette and BYU in the conference competition champion. Leonard and Co. assisted SDSU reach the Sugary food 16 for the very first time in school history.
14 Creighton Bluejays(6-seed)
Finest Group: 2002-03
Leading 3 gamers: Kyle Korver (178 PPG, 6.4 RPG), Larry Home (111 PPG), Mike Grimes (8.4 PPG)
Greatest accomplishment: Preliminary of the NCAA competition
Finest Video Game: 80-56 vs. Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference competition title video game
Next finest group: 2013-14
Korver won his 2nd successive Missouri Valley Conference Gamer of the Year award that year. This group’s strength was its depth: 5 gamers balanced at least 7.8 PPG that season, even though they ended without a win in the NCAA competition.
15 Miami Hurricanes(5-seed)
Finest Group: 1998-99
Leading 3 gamers: Tim James (186 PPG, 8.2 RPG), Johnny Hemsley (178 PPG), Mario Bland (112 PPG, 6.0 RPG)
Greatest accomplishment: 10 th in the last Associated Press survey
Finest Video Game: 73-71 at No. 2 UConn
Next finest group: 2012-13
James, who was called co-Big East Gamer of the Year with previous UConn star Rip Hamilton that season, led Miami to 27 wins that year. This group lost in the 2nd round of the NCAA competition however likewise attained a second-place surface in the Big East that season.
0: 27
Florida Atlantic ices video game with remarkable late series
Bryan Greenlee strikes a 3 to beat the shot clock, then Johnell Davis takes and knocks for Florida Atlantic to top a win vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.
16 Florida Atlantic Owls(9-seed)
Finest Group: 2022-23
Leading 3 gamers: Johnell Davis(139 PPG, 5.4 RPG), Alijah Martin(131 PPG, 5.3 RPG), Vladislav Goldin(104 PPG, 6.4 RPG)
Greatest accomplishment: Sugary Food 16
Finest Video Game: 78-70 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2nd round
Next finest group: 2001-02
Prior to this season, FAU had actually never ever won an NCAA competition video game, and now Davis and Co. have actually led the Owls to wins over Memphis and Fairleigh Dickinson to reach the 2nd weekend for the very first time in school history. With or without another win next weekend, this group is currently famous in Boca Raton.