Top 25 men's college basketball teams of all time

[RuffRuff]

I know I am risking enraging this Board, and you, by saying this, but the Big East has been a pretty good basketball conference for a long time. That could be the reason for some of those losses by Georgetown.

Anyway, this particular debate is some believe that an 8 point win over a team with two of the 20 best centers in basketball history and a Hall of Fame coach is a bad win. I disagree.

No one is calling it a bad win, simply throttling back on their run a bit, and keeping it in perspective. We were comparing that team to 2024 UConn. LJ was the heart of that UNLV team, and scored almost all of his points in the paint. Similar to Terrance Shannon - and we saw how that went. Next to the Gtown teams of the 80s, that UNLV team had iconic aura. Fun team.

National perception below. When CBS is calling you a non power conference, you've kinda hit rock bottom. Perception = reality.

 

[Lafayette]

No one is calling it a bad win, simply throttling back on their run a bit, and keeping it in perspective. We were comparing that team to 2024 UConn. LJ was the heart of that UNLV team, and scored almost all of his points in the paint. Similar to Terrance Shannon - and we saw how that went. Next to the Gtown teams of the 80s, that UNLV team had iconic aura. Fun team.

National perception below. When CBS is calling you a non power conference, you've kinda hit rock bottom. Perception = reality.

In fairness show me a tough matchup Miami of Ohio had? Conversely, Villanova and Gonzaga play some tough teams and record is seed-correct. Then again "non Power conference" is relative year to year.

 

[TroyHall98]

It is disrespectful not to have our 2003-2004 team on that list.

 

[RuffRuff]

It is disrespectful not to have our 2003-2004 team on that list.

Perhaps relative to some of those teams, but I wouldn't consider that an all time team. We barely got out of the semis, and didn't necessarily have a dominant season. I realize Emeka was injured.

 

[TroyHall98]

Perhaps relative to some of those teams, but I wouldn't consider that an all time team. We barely got out of the semis, and didn't necessarily have a dominant season. I realize Emeka was injure

What? I don’t know how you define dominance. The run to the national title that year was the definition of dominance.

 

[Kolumbo]

Absolutely zero guard play at all. Having 2 bigs with zero guards is not a recipe for success. Two highest scoring guards were freshmen no names.

Obviously mourning and mutombo don't suck but them being in the HOF 20 yrs later doesn't retroactively make that year's Gtown TEAM not suck

I swear I remember Johnny Gwynn saying, "Mourning, Motumbo, I'll take 'em to the hole!" And those 2 bigs played 4 and 3 years of college ball. The good ol' days.

 

[RuffRuff]

What? I don’t know how you define dominance. The run to the national title that year was the definition of dominance.

Winning your league? Not having to flurry a comeback in the semis to win it all?

Great team, not all time great. But in that list, there are some teams questionable relative.

 

[gsmooth]

The one team from the 90s that comes up a lot is 96 UK. That was Pitinos NC team with Delk and Anderson. No traditional size but lots of 6’6” long armed types. They pressed. I honestly don’t know how we some beat that team up either as we has basically 3 big PGs.

I’ve heard the 2001 Duke team with Williams, Battier and Boozer. I don’t see that either.

The Nova teams could be interesting as they could space the floor and pull Clingan from the rim, but not sure how that holds up as they’d simply need their 5 to shoot lights out.

I have a hard time finding a team that would match up.

I agree with superjohn about Nova 2018. That team, just like UConn's 2023 team and especially the 2024, was dynamite. With the exception of their Elite 8 game against West Virginia, they crushed their opposition. It's a nightmare trying to defend against them. Clingan would get pulled away from the basket, but he was capable of defending opposing 5s shooting 3s and helping out inside as he covers so much ground with each step. When I was at all 3 games in Boston for Sweet 16 and Elite 8, Illinois worried me because they had the ability to spread out opposing defenses and Terence Shannon was on a heater for 10 games. Thank the Basketball Gods for Clingan and Castle, the latter which shut down Shannon.

 

[TroyHall98]

Winning your league? Not having to flurry a comeback in the semis to win it all?

Great team, not all time great. But in that list, there are some teams questionable relative.

The fact that you keep mentioning the final four game is a testament to not understanding dominance. Did you not see the last 5-7 minutes of that game? It was a defensive clinic.

 

[gsmooth]

Camby will always be the one who got away, if UConn had him they would've probably had 2 national championships before '99.

That one will always hurt. And I hung out with his friends a lot too and played ball against them in the parks in Hartford. No matter how much I coaxed them about Camby choosing UMass over UConn, they always defended Camby's decision. I don't fault them-they were loyal.

 

[RuffRuff]

The fact that you keep mentioning the final four game is a testament to not understanding dominance. Did you not see the last 5-7 minutes of that game? It was a defensive clinic.

I did - but the body of work isn’t going down in lore. Great team, third best in UConn history. Dominant in spots. Third best in UConn history alone, would even argue the 23 team could give them a run for their money.

 

[RuffRuff]

I agree with superjohn about Nova 2018. That team, just like UConn's 2023 team and especially the 2024, was dynamite. With the exception of their Elite 8 game against West Virginia, they crushed their opposition. It's a nightmare trying to defend against them. Clingan would get pulled away from the basket, but he was capable of defending opposing 5s shooting 3s and helping out inside as he covers so much ground with each step. When I was at all 3 games in Boston for Sweet 16 and Elite 8, Illinois worried me because they had the ability to spread out opposing defenses and Terence Shannon was on a heater for 10 games. Thank the Basketball Gods for Clingan and Castle, the latter which shut down Shannon.

Wasn’t Spellman their center? Not much of a threat. We could let that guy shoot jumpers all day and sag off him. I realize they had Brunson, Bridges and Divencenzo, still think 2024 handles them. They would be a tough matchup.

 

[TroyHall98]

I did - but the body of work isn’t going down in lore. Great team, third best in UConn history. Dominant in spots. Third best in UConn history alone, would even argue the 23 team could give them a run for their money.

Respect your opinion but totally disagree on the body of work comment and whether the 23 team could give 04 a run for their money.

 

[superjohn]

Wasn’t Spellman their center? Not much of a threat. We could let that guy shoot jumpers all day and sag off him. I realize they had Brunson, Bridges and Divencenzo, still think 2024 handles them. They would be a tough matchup.

'24 UConn is the best team of the 64 team era but 2018 Nova is one of the best teams of the 64 team era.

That Nova team could shoot the cover off the ball and was loaded with great guards. Brunson national player of the year over 40% from three, Divincenzo Final Four Most Outstanding Player over 40% for three, Mikal Bridges third team All-American over 40% from three, Eric Paschall First team all Big East the following year 36% from three, Phil Booth First team All-Big East the following year, Big East tournament MVP 37% from three. Collin Gillespie freshman .394 from three Future two time Big East POY.

6 guys who played in the NBA- An NBA superstar, 3 other guys who have really made their mark in the NBA, an All-NBA rookie selection player, and a first round draft pick who played two season in the NBA.

 

[DRBackup]

I've always thought Sonny Vaccaro was really the man responsible for Georgetown's success. He funneled players to Georgetown for Converse, and they were the sneaker kings at the time as a result.

To show you Vaccaro's power, he took Iverson away for a weekend after he committed to Virginia and upon his return he flipped to Georgetown. Not very common in those days.

When Georgetown won their only championship it was on the back of "the enforcer", Michael Graham.

Graham was the one year player brought in to take the pressure off Patrick Ewing by creating mayhem. He drew blood in two fights in his one year there, once with Pearl Washington and once with Walter Berry (in the Big East tournament as I recall). Graham was the player that caused the NCAA to implement the fighting rule.

He was gone after that year to a one year stint at an NAIA school and was never heard from again.

Graham didn't do much of anything before the NCAA tournament that year.

 

[DRBackup]

You think Mourning and Mutombo suck, I do not. The Hall of Fame agrees with me.

Your team is what your record says it is, not the HOF. Clearly, you need more than 2 players to make a good team.

 

[temery]

Camby will always be the one who got away, if UConn had him they would've probably had 2 national championships before '99.

Camby would have set the program back in years.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Camby would have set the program back in years.

I don't think our NIL budget was big enough back then.

 

[superjohn]

Camby would have set the program back in years.

If we paid him and let the hangers on pay him like Calipari did. If we didn't and convinced him to come to UConn we would probably have two more national championships.