Great NCAA Tournament Teams

A big reason is that a lot of the great high school players are only going to college for a year or two, or even going directly to the NBA. That means that lesser known teams such as George Washington and Gonzaga have a much better chance to field championship squads.

The one downside is that we do not currently see the dominant teams that have existed over the last 25 years. With a little nostalgia in mind, here is a list of the top five great NCAA tournament teams since 1980.

1) 1984 Georgetown Hoyas

The Hoyas made the NCAA championship game three times between 1982-1985, but this was the only title that they won. Led by its intimidating center, Patrick Ewing, Georgetown went 34-3, and played a suffocating pressure defense that shut down their opponents. They surrendered just 43 points per game in the tournament before beating Houston, 84-75 in the finals.

Bolstered by the return of their top five scorers, Georgetown was the prohibitive favorite to win the championship again in 1985. The Hoyas tore through the regular season and found themselves facing 8th seed, Villanova in the finals. There, the Hoyas were shocked by the Wildcats in a monumental upset, 66-64.

2) 1982 North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina (32-2) is best remembered for Michael Jordan’s game winning shot in their victory over Georgetown for the championship. What most people forget is that Jordan was only a freshman on that team, and their third best player. Junior, James Worthy and sophomore, Sam Perkins were the more heralded players at that point.

Jordan and Perkins would go on to play two more years together, but they never advanced past the Elite 8. One by-product of the 1982 team was that Coach Dean Smith was finally able to shed the label of not being able to win the big one. Smith’s Tar Heel teams had been to six previous final fours, with no championships.

3) 1992 Duke Blue Devils

Duke (34-2) was the defending national champions, after stunning heavily favored UNLV in the semi-finals the year before. This team however, was a more seasoned and better team than in 1991. The team leader was center, Christian Laettner. Laettner has had a mediocre professional career, but he was one of the best, and most clutch, college players off all-time.

Point guard, Bobby Hurley is another player whose talents didn’t translate in the NBA, but he played like Bob Cousy at Duke. Throw in a talented sophomore by the name of Grant Hill, and you can see why this team stacks up among the very best. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has had great teams since, winning another championship, but this was his best team ever.

4) 1996 Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky went 34-2 on the year, and was the pinnacle of Rick Pitino’s coaching career. Pitino’s teams were built around pressing the ball and fast breaking for 40 minutes. His teams were also not afraid to shoot a three pointer at any time. This style had gotten Pitino to two “Final Fours” before, but they always lost to more talented squads.

Fortunately for Pitino, this Wildcats team was loaded. Antoine Walker was the team’s best player as a sophomore, but he was joined by savvy veterans Mark Pope, Tony Delk and Walter McCarty. Kentucky won their first four games of the tourney by an average of 28 points. They did have trouble with UMASS in the final four, but handled Syracuse, 76-67 in the final.

5) 1990 UNLV Rebels

Coach Jerry Tarkanian’s Running Rebels were the first team to use the Junior College route to win a championship. Forward, Larry Johnson was the most sought after player in the country after spending two years at Odessa Junior College. Center, David Butler was also plucked from San Jacinto Junior College.

These two joined returning players, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony and Anderson Hunt to form a fearsome five. The result was a 35-5 year that ended with a 103-73 blowout of Duke for UNLV’s only title. UNLV returned all five starters the next season, and were undefeated before losing a Final Four rematch with Duke.

Honorable Mention

The 1983 Houston Cougars never won a title, but the “Phi Slamma Jamma” team featured Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Larry Micheaux, and Michael Young. They went 31-3 that year, but were upset, 54-52 in the finals to Jim Valvano and NC State. Houston returned to the finals in 1984 with Olajuwon and Young, but lost to Patrick Ewing and Georgetown.