GCMB Poll: Greatest college hoops team ever

[gator1946]

UCLA '68 probably. To hell with that. '07...Orange and blue glasses and all. Truth is if you matched those two up, it would have been a dog fight.

 

[L-boy]

Mention should be made of the 1965-66 Texas Western Miners team. This team went 21 - 0 before losing on the road to the University of Seattle 74 -72 in the final regular season game. They then won 5 straight NCAA tournament games beating Number 1 Kentucky in the final 72 - 65.

From Wikipedia:

"The 1965–66 Texas Western Miners basketball team represented Texas Western College, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and was coached by Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. The team made history by winning the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to win an NCAA basketball national championship, a feat that was not considered likely by many. The Miners defeated Kentucky (a team that was all white until 1969) 72-65 in the historic championship game, played at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland on March 19, 1966.

The team was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 [1] and inspired the book and film Glory Road."

Or how about the Houston team with Hakeem alajiwon Ralph Sampson and Clyde Drexler? They got upset in the final but that was quite a team. Or the undefeated UNLV team that was upset by Duke in the final

I have to say UF 06/07 ranks high up ther when you look at the balance the guys who became long term NBA producers and the way they dominated in the tourney

 

[LeeForThree]

You won't get many outside of Florida to recognize it, but the Florida 2007 team is the greatest ever....I'd take them against any other in history

 

[78]

You won't get many outside of Florida to recognize it, but the Florida 2007 team is the greatest ever....I'd take them against any other in history

I don't disagree but I wonder why the 2006 team isn't getting at least some love. Statistically it's almost dead even with the 2007 unit and with a healthier Noah. Of course, with one less year's experience, too.

 

[gardnerwebbgator]

1976 Indiana, followed closely by 1982 UNC. 1990 UNLV was stout, but also rulebreakers led by the ultimate crook Tarkanian.

 

[MidwestChomp]

Would love to see our 2007 team take on those other great teams.

 

[T REX]

I voted for UF of course but that UNLV team was downright nasty.

LJ, Augmon, Eackles, Hunt, Anthony...they absolutely crushed Duke.

Too bad Jerry the Fixer ruined march the following year.

 

[Bernardo de la Paz]

there are some smart- and objective-minded people here who can think for themselves

 

[Gatordiddy]

So I went against the grain somewhat...despite the fact that Knight is a dick, I chose the '76 Indiana team.

Wire to wire #1 while playing in the Big 10, three All Americans and along the way that season put a massive beatdown on the .
All five regular starters ended up earning NBA pensions.

 

[Gator Fever]

I think that 07 team could have beat any of the greats 50/50 on a given day. Some of those losses in the regular season they were taking the game off almost.

 

[Lake Gator]

Lake Gator, did you watch the Houston-UCLA Game of the Century in 1968? It was like an Ali fight. Hayes got the better of Alcindor.

The unpredictable March Madness of today makes for far better theater.

Yes, I watched that game. It was the first basketball game played in the cavernous Astrodome. The game was super-hyped, especially in Houston where radio stations premised each time announcement with "Your ruin the Bruins time is...."

Alcindor played his worst game hindered by a corneal abrasion on his left eye blurring his vision. The great Elvin Hayes played maybe the best game of his career for the talented Cougars. Despite all that, Houston barely won the game. When a healthy Alcindor and the Bruins met Houston again in the NCAA tournament semi-finals, UCLA left no doubt who was the better team...crushing Houston by a 44 point margin or so.

Any tournament where the eventual champion is not a foregone conclusion makes for better theater, 78. I always rooted against UCLA when Wooden started collecting championships like sea shells.

 

[Lake Gator]

Mention should be made of the 1965-66 Texas Western Miners team. This team went 21 - 0 before losing on the road to the University of Seattle 74 -72 in the final regular season game. They then won 5 straight NCAA tournament games beating Number 1 Kentucky in the final 72 - 65.

From Wikipedia:

"The 1965–66 Texas Western Miners basketball team represented Texas Western College, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and was coached by Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. The team made history by winning the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to win an NCAA basketball national championship, a feat that was not considered likely by many. The Miners defeated Kentucky (a team that was all white until 1969) 72-65 in the historic championship game, played at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland on March 19, 1966.

The team was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 [1] and inspired the book and film Glory Road."

Agree completely, Okee. This is my favorite non-Gator basketball team of all time since they were the only non-UCLA champion in a run of Bruin championships. A true David amidst Goliaths. My first thought when I saw the best-ever list was "Where's Texas Western?"

TWest took down a Kansas team led by the great Jo Jo White in a thriller. White scored what all thought was the winning jumpshot from the corner but an honest ref called Jo Jo out of bounds when his white sneaker sole barely grazed the dark colored boundary line.

I never forget heavy favorite Kentucky going down in the championship game. Kentucky's so-called All-American guard, Louis Dampier (?), got his pocket-picked two possessions in a row when bringing the ball up court against TW's cat-quick Bobby Joe Hill. A historic game in many ways.

 

[CGgater]

Can't vote using tapatalk, but I'll agree with Billy D that our back-to-back champions were the best TEAM in college history. Argue all you want about pure talent... we had the best TEAM. Period.

 

[Gatorbait25]

07 gators because Richards is better off than bench than Adrian moss.

 

[78]

I voted for UCLA 1968 because of how dominant they were, which makes it a relative vote. I'm quite sure either of our title teams could have beaten them given their athletic superiority. That's what makes comparing different decades difficult.