If we never had any early entries, what's the best UConn team?

[RichZ]

While he would have played major minutes, I don't think a freshman Rudy would have started over Boone. The team would still have been ridiculous though.

the 03/04 and 04/05 teams would have been sick. The 11/12 team, uhhh. Interesting. Might have had the same disjointed results of trying to bring Andre into the mix. Then again, if this logic is carried forward and Andre played 4 years, how good would the 2013/14 team have been with a Junior Andre instead of a Freshman Brimah in the post? And with JLamb pushing everyone down a notch at the 2 and 3 spots. But we probably wouldn't have had Kromah then.

 

[Matrim55]

Should we add Bynum to 2006-2009 teams?

Yes!

 

[the Q]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd give that UNLV team a shot. And, UNC would have blown them out.

No UNC team in recent memory would've had a shot.

UNC's lucky that UConn laid a huge egg in 09 against MSU.

 

[the Q]

No but it's shocking a team with Wall, Cousins, and Bledsoe was defeated. Maybe even more shocking a team with Towns, Cauley-Stein, Lyles, Dakari Johnson, Poythress, Harrison twins, Booker, and Ulis was defeated.

The Harrison twins thoguht they were the best players on this list and not well towards the bottom, if not that bottom.

Straight hero ball, and it cost them dearly.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Lamb still would have been on that team too

I'm shocked nobody mentioned this.

2014
Bazz
Boat
Lamb
Daniels
Drummond

Bench: Giffey, Brimah, Nolan, Kromah, Samuel, Calhoun

And those guys would have had 3 years to gel.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd give that UNLV team a shot. And, UNC would have blown them out.

No Carolina team was "blowing out" a team with Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins and John Wall. C'mon. There isn't a single Carolina player in the league right now who's as good as any one of those guys.

 

[NielsisGood]

No UNC team in recent memory would've had a shot.

UNC's lucky that UConn laid a huge egg in 09 against MSU.

I love the 09 UConn team but they weren't beating that UNC squad.

 

[Mooch82]

If we could have added Caron to the 2004 team, they would have had to have called out the National Guard to stop us.

Agreed. I've always maintained that if Caron came back for his junior year, we would have won the 'ship in 2003. The 2004 team would have been absolutely absurd.

 

[NielsisGood]

No Carolina team was "blowing out" a team with Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins and John Wall. C'mon. There isn't a single Carolina player in the league right now who's as good as any one of those guys.

I agree that the UK team is better but don't agree with using NBA success as the end all reason. Was there another player in the country you'd have rather had in 2014 besides Shabazz?

 

[Matrim55]

No Carolina team was "blowing out" a team with Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins and John Wall. C'mon. There isn't a single Carolina player in the league right now who's as good as any one of those guys.

True story: The most recent UNC player to enter the league and become an all-star is Vince Carter. They've put in a lot of solid players since then, but nothing approaching UConn, Duke, Texas, UCLA, Florida or – obviously – UK.

The best UNC product of the 21st century is probably Harrison Barnes.

I love the 09 UConn team but they weren't beating that UNC squad.

If Dyson had stayed healthy I think that's a coinflip game. Same for Ricky staying health in '96 and us going against UK for the title that year.

 

[superjohn]

No Carolina team was "blowing out" a team with Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins and John Wall. C'mon. There isn't a single Carolina player in the league right now who's as good as any one of those guys.

UNC with Jordan, Worthy, Perkins and Daugherty looks pretty damn good to me.

UNC with Ed Cota, Shammond Williams, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rasheed Wallace looks quite good as well.

 

[NielsisGood]

If Dyson had stayed healthy I think that's a coinflip game. Same for Ricky staying health in '96 and us going against UK for the title that year.

The post I replied to was just supposing we didn't lose to MSU so still would have been without Dyson. I still wouldn't have loved our chances even with a healthy Dyson but the fully healthy 09 UConn team was at worst the 2nd best team that year.

 

[Scottzer]

I meant the MJ, Worthy, Perkins team.

No Carolina team was "blowing out" a team with Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins and John Wall. C'mon. There isn't a single Carolina player in the league right now who's as good as any one of those guys.

 

[RichZ]

I meant the MJ, Worthy, Perkins team.

You mean the team that Georgetown would have beaten in the championship game if Brown didn't pass the ball directly to Worthy with 6 second left?

 

[Scoe]

95-wins a title for sure, with Donyell coming back motivated from the Florida loss

97- Ray coming back for Sr year, the loss of Sheffer and Knight would loom large though.

2000- Rip coming back would have been right there for the title but can't discount the loss of Ricky Moore a title isn't a sure thing.

2001-Khalid coming back, NCAA tourney team for sure not so sure how far that team goes

2003- Caron coming back wins a title for sure, seeing we beat Cuse twice that season

2004- Absolute murder

2005- Ben and Mek coming back playing with Rudy a title for sure

2006- Charlie V coming back, Bynum as a Freshmen, team should have won it all as it was, now your talking about a Uconn team going for its 4th title in a row

2007- Charlie V sr , Rudy Jr, Bynum So, Marcus Sr. Wiggins and Kelly probably arent here.

2008-Rudy Sr not sure exactly how that team would gel

2010- Thabeet Sr, a tourney team for sure how good who knows the field wasn't very strong

2012-Kemba coming back playing with AD, Kemba gets AD to play like an all american late in the year, Calhoun goes out a winner and beats Squid in the big game

2013- AD and Lamb coming backs, I say that team loses in sweet 16 the loss of Kemba and Calhoun looms large in a big game

2014- AD and Lamb playing with a motivated Shabazz game over

2015-DD coming back gets Uconn into the tourney

2017- Dham returns, I would like to believe were a 20 win team

 

[superjohn]

You mean the team that Georgetown would have beaten in the championship game if Brown didn't pass the ball directly to Worthy with 6 second left?

Yes that one, you can add Brad Daugherty. College teams were so much better back then. UNC with Stack, Carter, Jamison, and Rasheed too. You can also add the Houston team with Drexler, Michael Young, Bennie Anders, Larry Micheaux, and Akeem who never won it.

 

[champs99and04]

I've long pondered this question. Caron, Ben, and Emeka on the same team as upperclassmen would have been nuts. Those are three of the best eight or nine players in the history of the program. Don't sleep on '95 though and I'm surprised @Scoe was the first to mention 2000.

This is one of those questions I'd love to ask Calhoun.

 

[Mr. French]

Caron as a SENIOR with one of our most talented teams would be scary.