Simply because we define awesome here at Sportsnaut, we are going to be providing you guys with a series of articles focusing on 32 of the best college basketball teams ever to play. We call it the All-Time NCAA Tournament.
Broken down by region, much like the tournament currently taking place, we bracketed and seeded the best of the best, pitting one team against another in an attempt to crown an all-time champion. The first article in this series focuses on the West Region.
Here is the criteria we utilized.
* Teams that didn’t win the national title may be included in this tournament, but they are lower seeds for the most part.
* We don’t necessarily take into account the era a team played. If a team was dominating in 1955, we are going to assume that it would be dominating in 2005. That’s the only fair way to go about this.
Upcoming Piece: South Region, Round of 32 (Friday).
West Region
#1- UCLA (1966-1967) vs #8- Memphis (2007-2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anIPKtsDlMo
Key UCLA Players: Lew Alcindor, Lucius Allen and Mike Warren
Key Memphis Players: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Derrick Rose and Joey Dorsey
The Bruins went 30-0 that season. Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, averaged 29 points and 15.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. For the Bruins, it was one of three undefeated seasons in a seven year span. UCLA defeated its four tourney opponents by an average of 23.8 points per game, including a 15-point win over Dayton in the final.
A little more recently, Memphis’ last Final Four team fell short of its ultimate goal, losing to Kansas in the final. That unit included future NBA MVP Derrick Rose, who averaged just under 15 points and 4.7 assists per outing. The Tigers started the season 26-0 before falling to Tennessee in February. Their average margin of victory prior to falling to Kansas was a robust 19.5 points during the season.
Douglas-Roberts and Dorsey made up a fine supporting cast to Rose, but they wouldn’t have stood a chance against one of the best teams to ever take to the hardwood. In addition to Alcindor, the likes of Allen and Warren were among the best in the nation that season. They combined to average 28 points and 10 boards per outing. This game wouldn’t even be that close, hence the No. 1 vs No. 8 matchup.
#4- Texas Western (1965-1966) vs #5- Loyola (1989-1990)
Key Texas Western Players: Bobby Joe Hill, Orsten Artis, David Lattin and Nevil Shed
Key Loyola Marymount Players: Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers
Two historic teams. One set at a time in America where segregation in schools was real. The other representing a dynamic new offensive mentality and culminating in one of the most tragic seasons in college basketball history.
Where to start.
The Texas Western team of 1965-1966 became the first college basketball team to win the national title with an all African American starting five. They did so against other schools that had an archaic ideology of race relations in the United States. They did so in the backdrop of a racist 60’s era south. If you have a chance, check out the movie Glory Road, which depicts this team on the big screen.
Bobby Joe Hill led the then Texas Western Minors, now UTEP, to a 28-1 record and a win over Adolph Rupp and the No. 1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats in the final. It’s still considered one of the most historic college basketball games ever played. All said, the Minors average margin of victory in the tourney was just six points. Their inclusion in this tournament is based more on the history that the team made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qymg5uAWMFQ
Speaking of history, led by Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble, Loyola set what is still a NCAA record for scoring at 122.4 points per game. Kimble put up over 33 points per outing, while Gathers himself added another 28 points per outing.
On March 4, 1990 Gathers fell to the court in a WCC Tournament Game against Portland. After attempting to get up, he fell back down on to the court. The then 23-year-old superstar died at a nearby hospital minutes later. Gathers had a history of heart issues and fell ill earlier that season against Cal State Santa Barbara, per ESPN.
It was a tragic moment for one of the best teams to ever set foot on the court. Loyola, led by Paul Westhead, made it a point to continue on the season in Gathers’ memory. They made it all the way to the regional finals before falling to the eventual NCAA champion UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.
In the end, it’s hard to come to a final conclusion here because there were so many different factors in play. The difference in play between these two teams in these two different eras. Gathers’ untimely death as well. In the end, Loyola wins this game due to its up-tempo offense, something that Texas Western couldn’t have possibly seen coming.
#3- North Carolina (1981-1982) vs #6- Houston (1967-1968)
Key North Carolina Players: James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Michael Jordan and Matt Doherty
Key Houston Players: Elvin Hayes, Ken Spain and Don Chaney
Some of the best collegiate and professional players to ever suit up are part of this matchup. The Tar Heels were led by a big man in Worthy who put up 15.6 points per game as part of a balanced scoring effort. Fellow future NBA star Sam Perkins kicked in double digits and one of the greatest players to ever put on a uniform in Michael Jordan was third on the team in scoring.
North Carolina didn’t necessarily blow teams out on its way to a national title. Its average margin of victory in the tournament was less than five points, including a one-point victory over Georgetown on one of the greatest championship games ever played.
For their part, the Cougars were a much more dominating overall unit. Hayes had one of the best seasons in the history of college basketball. He tallied 36.8 points and 18.9 rebounds per game. Houston’s average margin of victory in the first four games of the tournament was 25 points per outing. Unfortunately, it ran into an underdog Ohio State squad in the final, eventually succumbing by the score of 89-85.
While Hayes was a dominating force, Worthy wasn’t too shabby himself. The idea of Perkins and Jordan being secondary scoring option leads me to believe North Carolina would take this one in a close outing.
#2- Indiana (1975-1976) vs #7- Arizona (1996-1997)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7jA1dCV5Hc
Key Indiana Players: Sean May, Kent Benson and Tom Abernethy
Key Arizona Players: Michael Dickerson, Mike Bibby, Miles Simon and Jason Terry
Three All-Americans, including National Player of the Year Scott May led the Hoosiers to a perfect 32-0 record. Bob Knight, in his fifth season in Bloomington, also took home National Coach of the Year honors. For Indiana, it represented the program’s first national title since the great Branch McCracken led the team to a championship in 1953.
Despite a scare against Alabama in the mid east regional, Indiana was able to nab a title away from its conference rival Michigan Wolverines by the score of 86-68. It wasn’t a dominating tournament performance, but the Hoosiers took care of business.
Arizona’s ’96 squad was something special. Flush with three first-round picks in Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson and Jason Terry, this unit didn’t perform up to expectations during the regular year. It finished fifth in the PAC-10, losing seven conference games. It wasn’t until the tournament until the Wildcats talent took hold.
They defeated two No. 1 seeds in Kansas and North Carolina in route to a championship game matchup with the heavily favored Kentucky Wildcats. In the end, Arizona prevailed 84-79 to win what remains its only national championship in school history. Interestingly enough, all six of Arizona’s wins in the tournament came by single digits.
Despite the talent that Arizona possessed, Indiana was downright dominating in nearly every aspect of the game. It would take this game going away, leaving Lute Olsen and Co. in the dust.
Sweet 16, West Region (Next Thursday)
#1- UCLA (1966-1967) vs #5- Loyola Marymount (1989-1990)
#2- Indiana (1975-1976) vs #3- North Carolina (1981-1982)
Photo: USA Today, Stock