Which Final Four team was the best?

[uconnblueinky]

How many Connecticut NCAA tournament losses were to the eventual champion?

 

[freescooter]

The 2006 team was loaded

Not sure if the 94 team is worth mentioning, but Donyell, Ollie, Ray Allen, Brian Fair, Darron Sheffer, T Knight. That was a capable squad.

Until 2004 Calhoun said the team that lost to UCLA was his best team. I would say 2004, 2024, 1999, 2023, 2011, 2014. But I can see why people rank the first 3 differently.

 

[controlfade]

I still stick with 99 - that team finished with 2 loses and if I am correct finished 3rd in the poll before the Tournament behind Duke and Michigan State (who they beat up as well).
Also, no team has a win nearly as good as the 99 Championship team.
99, 24, 04, 23, 11, 14

 

[freescooter]

The game is different now which makes it tougher to compare teams too. Eurostep was traveling until 2009 and was called that way in college though less so in the NBA. A major reason for the 2009 rule Change was to bring consistency to the way NBA refs called traveling. The 3 was a secondary weapon, not the primary one.

 

[freescooter]

I still stick with 99 - that team finished with 2 loses and if I am correct finished 3rd in the poll before the Tournament behind Duke and Michigan State (who they beat up as well).
Also, no team has a win nearly as good as the 99 Championship team.
99, 24, 04, 23, 11, 14.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Sigh. Oak was the national DPOY and beat the guy who won the same award the next two years and his team that had 6 NBA players on it. I'm pretty sure he's going to match up with the guy who gave up 37 and spent 10 minutes on the bench against the only real center he played.

Is the implication that Okafor would have locked down Edey?

 

[Lafayette]

If this is truly Final 4 voting, 2024 has it in spades.

Clingan became a blocking machine, Castle could shut down anyone, And Newton/Spencer/Castle had height on opposing guards. Ok and AK as the 4th / 5th option was deadly.

 

[Lafayette]

Raining threes? You mean like Ben Gordan & Rashad Anderson

Not over Newton, Castle and Spencer.

 

[Lafayette]

24 isn't offering anything other than opinion.

04 had three NBA all-rookie first team players, including the rookie of the year as well as a bunch of 1st rounders.

Bet most people forgot that.

24 offered ROY, 1st team Defensive and a 2nd team defensive and 4 drafted. That's a far cry from "isn't offering anything other than opinion". They also ran teams ragged on offensive sets to tire them out. As did '23. But this is about Final 4 teams - was it '04 or '24 that had the biggest margin of victory in the dance?

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

How did the 2014 team recieve any votes?

I would go in order..

2024
2004
1999
2023
2011
2014
2009 (would be higher but didn't win)

 

[Jaydumo20]

I chose '11. Not because of dominance but the team that got me the most excited and embodied what makes the final four great. The 2024 team was almost a shoe in. That '11 run was just a pure dream.

Just like the Jefferson Airplane wasn't the best band of the Woodstock era but they define it the best.

 

[gsmooth]

I chose '11. Not because of dominance but the team that got me the most excited and embodied what makes the final four great. The 2024 team was almost a shoe in. That '11 run was just a pure dream.

Just like the Jefferson Airplane wasn't the best band of the Woodstock era but they define it the best.

2011's branding was ...
1) Kemba Walker (even though Jeremy Lamb, Oriakhi and company were good that year and get overshadowed)
2) 5 wins in 5 nights (only NC State in 2024 replicated that in ACC tournament)
3) a run for the ages as they were undefeated in tournament games (14-0) which started off in Maui but ended with a 11 game win streak (5 in BET, 6 in NCAAT).

There is a big picture of Kemba up on the wall behind one of the baskets in Maui along with Coach K, Obi Toppin and others and Kemba has another big photo along the stairs within the Lahaina Civic Center-his 2011 year will was legacy defining stuff that will be remembered for a long time basketball circles of fans, analysts, and commentators. Look at Walter Claytion Jr. did. Who was he being compared to? Kemba. Look at our newly recruited Malachi Smith. He grew up idolizing Kemba as he grew up in the Bronx. I would love to know Malachi's thoughts as he saw Kemba's photo on wall behind the basket in Maui (Dayton was in Maui Invitational).

 

[bwheels231]

Only competition for ‘24 is ‘04.

The bench in 2004 was also insane. Anderson, Villanueva, Armstrong...

 

[Waquoit]

How did the 2014 team recieve any votes?

That team beat #1 overall seed as well as the team everybody was picking to win the whole thing. Nobody accused that team of a lucky draw. Actually, a lot of ignorant knobs did just that at the time

 

[JohnFSilver]

23-24 was the best college team of this generation. It is gonna upset many SEC fans, but that team was untouchable.

As far as top shelf talent, not sure you can do better than the 04 title team. Okafor, Gordon, Charlie V, Marcus Williams, Boone, Armstrong…it was an nba expansion team.

 

[JohnFSilver]

That team beat #1 overall seed as well as the team everybody was picking to win the whole thing. Nobody accused that team of a lucky draw. Actually, a lot of ignorant knobs did just that at the time

They didnt have lucky draw. But they got hot and had two winners in Napier and Boatright that were unguardable outside the big east refs.

 

[Brochacho]

1. 2024
2. 2004
3. 1999
4. 2009
5. 2023
6. 2011
7. 2014

I think 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2023 are basically the same. 2024 clear cut above, 2011 and 2014 clearly not in that class.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

1. 2024
2. 2004
3. 1999
4. 2009
5. 2023
6. 2011
7. 2014

I think 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2023 are basically the same. 2024 clear cut above, 2011 and 2014 clearly not in that class.

I think ‘04 and ‘23 would be a good game but ‘04 just has too much fire power. ‘04 was a lot like ‘24 where a handfull of guys could beat you, ‘23 was MOSTLY Adama and Hawkins with a bunch of insanely good complimentary pieces.