Greatest college basketball team that didn't win the championship?

[taterguy]

Poll question: Greatest college basketball team that didn't win the championship?

[joeybee12]

1. Tough choice between 1 and 2...

I haven't voted yet.

[Condem]

2. Georgetown.

The only chance Villanova had was to play the perfect game. And they did. Plus the fact that they met, what, three times before. They knew each other very well. Still the biggest upset in the finals.

[bluedigger]

3. I just want the record to show I voted before I read your post.

This shouldn't even be under discussion. Georgetown was an established power team, at the top of it's game. Villanova was ... nothing. It was unbelievable.

[Condem]

4. I had just moved to DC fron NJ three weeks prior, blue.

The Big East was a better conference then, believe it or not, than it is now. Fuck, there was some solid teams. Anyhoo, DC was in total shock that G'town lost that. Still are to this day.

[abqmufc]

7. Some differences between '83 and '85

1983, Houston a #1 seed.
Tourney was only 52 teams
Houston had to get past Louisville (the Doctors of Dunk) in the Final Four, and most thought that was the Championship game.
NC State was a #6 seed had to get past a tough Virginia team (#1 overall in the tournament) on the way to the Final Four.

NC State won on a last second shot that defied all logic (to me this is the tie-breaker).

1985, Georgetown a #1 seed.
Tourney expanded to 64 teams that year.
Villanova was a #8 seed. (lowest seed to win the title) got past a #1 Michigan, a Maryland team w/ Len Bias, and spanked a #2seed UNC to get to the Final Four.

I wonder what would NC State's rank have been in a 64 team tournament (higher or lower). Close call either way to me.

[taterguy]

9. I think NC State gets the nod for most improbable champion

They had a mediocre regular season and had to win the ACC Tourney just to get a bid. They just barely did that. They squeaked by Wake Forest in the first round. It's also worth noting the ACC had a three-point line that year but the NCAA Tourney didn't, so State had to adjust to two completely different rules and styles of play.

The only caveat is that they did beat a UNC team with Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins, so it shouldn't have come as a complete surprise that they could play with anybody.

[wilt the stilt]

10. I completely disagree with your analysis

Look at the scores of the previous games. Georgetown beat Villanova by 3 points and in overtime in the previous games. Those were really close games. I remember all the talk leading up to that game and one of the analysts(can't remember who) said that St. John's could never beat Georgetown but Villanove could. Villanova controlled the tempo in all 3 games plus Thompson was a terrible coach and a bad game coach. It was not an upset. NC State was a bigger upset. The big east had 3 of the four finalists that year and missed the 4th by 2 points. (BC vs Memphis)

[fishwax]

5. 1988 Oklahoma

Averaged over 100 points per game and had three players (Stacey King, Harvey Grant, and Mookie Blaylock) taken in the first dozen picks of the draft in the next couple of years. Swept Kansas during the regular season, but couldn't beat them the third time in the title game. Alas.

[abqmufc]

6. Houston

not only b/c of how good they were, but also b/c who beat them and how.

[Dr. Strange]

19. I wish I could find a documentary about their season.

It would be a great way to convince players of the importance of making free throws.

[backwoodsbob]

8. i vote other

the fab 5 was so good

[abqmufc]

11. Good one

Yeah the Fab five losing b/c of calling a timeout when you had none.....they did it to themselves....that is worse. But damn if I didn't dance for months b/c of that (as UNC won).

[Kingofalldems]

12. South Carolina circa 1970

NC State beat them in the ACC finals.

[NoGOPZone]

13. Illinois 2005 is my pick. Also, when I saw you had a 1974 team there

my first thought was Maryland. They were a Top 5 team and lost the ACC tournament final in overtime to NC State, the eventual national champ. Maryland stayed home because only one team per conference was allowed in the NCAA tournament back then. Six players from the team were drafted by the NBA.


Another good team was 1975 Indiana. Undefeated in the regular season as they would be the following year when they won the tournament, this team lost in the regional finals to Kentucky.

[Renew Deal]

14. Where's Fab Five Michigan?

[KamaAina]

15. Duke 1999

one loss coming into the tournament, which some referred to as the "Duke Invitational".

UConn beat 'em in the final for the first of their THREE men's championships!

[Awsi Dooger]

16. UNLV 1991

Ridiculous average margin of victory all year, more than 29 points in the regular season, just below the record set by UCLA in the early '70s. Nobody had gone unbeaten during the regular season for 12 years, since Bird's Indiana State team in 1979.

And UNLV managed those margins with a young erratic bench that often went on holiday, to use an Evonne Goolagong term.

UNLV was -8.5 in the semi vs. Duke. They played tight all game but very likely would have won a second straight title if point guard Greg Anthony hadn't fouled out with 4 minutes remaining.

Besides, UNLV was a consensus #1 team in preseason and all year. I'm always skeptical of teams that sprout suddenly during the season. Even Duke 1999 wasn't everyone's choice prior to the year. Vitale had Connecticut ahead of Duke in preseason then switched later to Duke based on regular season irrelevancy. He was kicking himself after the final result for changing his order. Likewise, many preseason books like Sporting News had Connecticut #1 and Duke #2 in preseason. I remember that delicious outcome very well since it fit my higher rated preseason underdog system. Great money line on Connecticut, which was a 9 point underdogs. Somehow that game is seldom referenced even though the spread was higher than some famous upsets like Villanova (+8.5) over Georgetown or NC State (+7.5) over Houston.

[Awsi Dooger]

18. Walkabout, not holiday, was the term applied to Goolagong

Sigh. I never used to misremember like that.

[era veteran]

17. Here is how the expert voted/ Kentucky 1975

UK upsets undefeated Indiana in the Mideast Regional semifinals to earn a trip to the Final Four. Before the title game with UCLA, legendary coach John Wooden announces his retirement. The Bruins go on to defeat UK, 92-85, on March 31.

This was my class before the Army got me. Some of those guys I knew in High School. I watched UCLA win the Pauley invitational, after Wooden announced his retirement, in the middle of the night in West Germany. Little black and white TV on AFN. The big win was Indiana, formerly undefeated and ranked # 1 Indiana. Best ever win over the complete bastard Bobby 'Fuctard' Knight.
Actually that Indiana team should be mentioned here too.