Best single season college sports teams of all time (in terms of roster only).

[metsfan2323]

UConn 1999, 2004, 2023, 2024. I don't want to get started on 2006.

Phi Slamma Jamma 1981-1983
I always think of that team but I suppose in hindsight it wasn't that great. 3 final 4's in a row is great, but no rings

The ridiculous rules of college basketball back then allowed teams like NC State and 85 Nova to be competitive against far superior competition.

 

[Kolumbo]

The ridiculous rules of college basketball back then allowed teams like NC State and 85 Nova to be competitive against far superior competition.

Or lack of rules as it were. I'm not looking to disagree because I get it. At the same time, those teams played the game within the rules and won. Far superior competition shouldn't play so poorly.

Nova shot 78.6%. Georgetown shot 54.7%. Heck Ewing only shot 54%. I wouldn't call that far superior.

NC State only shot 39%. Houston shot 38%. Olajuwon only shot 47%. Drexler 20% on 5 shots! I may have to change my mind about that Houston team.

 

[hussybulldog]

Yep, 2001 Miami is the most talented roster I've ever seen. Hell, 2000 Miami is the other most talented roster I've ever seen.

One through the left eye while the other through the right eye?

 

[NCHuskie919]

I think in 10 years we will look back at the 23-24 UConn mens Natty team and be pretty impressed with the collection that was on it. I think Castle will have an exceptional NBA career. Clingan, Solo, Stewart will probably have good careers. Newton and Spencer should hang around for awhile.

 

[IndyLives]

2019 LSU Tigers would be my choice - recency bias! Joe Burrow, J'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson - you can make a case they are the top QB and WRs in the NFL today. Derek Stingley is the highest paid corner in the NFL. Grant Delpit was a stud on that team and is starter on defense. And there are other players that are/have started in the NFL. Loaded team!!

 

[businesslawyer]

75-76 Hoosiers

That was a great team but makes the opposite point — being a great basketball team in college doesn’t require guys who are going to be NBA all stars. May was a very good, not great, NBA player, Buckner not quite that good, Benson had no impact on the NBA during his career there and Wilkinson and Abernathy weren’t that level players.

That takes nothing away from how great a team they were.

 

[B1GEast]

1990 UNLV Rebels basketball team

 

[Scoe]

2001-02 Huskies started three Hall of Famers including both the GOAT and the GOAT PG. They also had another future WNBA all-star in the starting five, two other long-time WNBA starters, and another WNBA contributor coming off the bench.

It's the most stacked 8-man roster in the history of basketball, men's or women's. Jordan's best UNC team doesn't touch it, Kareem's best UCLA side doesn't touch it, none of the football teams mentioned touch it. The only one that comes close is the 2015-16 group.

Only other thing I can think of are some of the great UNC women's soccer teams from the early '90s with Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Tisha Venturini et al.

2002 team was unreal, roster wise I gotta throw in the 2014 and 2016 women’s teams.

2014 team had 8 wnba players, and they beat undefeated ND by 21 in championship game. Had senior all Americans in Dolson and Hartley as well as sophomore all Americans in Stewie and Jefferson not to mention KML.

2016 team with senior led Stewie would be equivalent to 2007 LeBron playing a senior year in college. Along 2 other senior all Americans. Then you had Freshman in Collier and Samuelson, as well as Gabby Williams and Kia Nurse. Geno had to worry more about running up the score than losing. That was like a NBA team playing in college especially playing in the AAC.

 

[Rich]

2001 Miami Hurricanes football - Nevermind the starters which included Ed Reed and Andre Johnson, they had backups like Vince Wilfork, Sean Taylor, Frank Gore, Kellen Winslow and Willis McGahee.

I cannot rec this hard enough.

 

[Devland]

The ridiculous rules of college basketball back then allowed teams like NC State and 85 Nova to be competitive against far superior competition.

I think it helped 85 Villanova that they had lost to Georgetown a couple times already that season. I saw an interview where Ewing admitted that they were complacent and assumed they would win. He said they didn't have the same defensive intensity they had the rest of the season.

 

[ucp990411]

The ridiculous rules of college basketball back then allowed teams like NC State and 85 Nova to be competitive against far superior competition.

Why would it be a bad thing that teams with inferior talent could beat teams with more talent because of better coaching and game planning?