Sporting News Ranks 2014-15 Team Second Best To Not Win A Title

[Chuckinden]

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/bask...econd-best-team-in-history-to-not-win-it-all/

If you listened to this morning’s show, you heard Matt mention an article from The Sporting News that ranks last year’s Kentucky team as the second best team ever to not win the National Championship. Turns out three Kentucky teams made the list: last year’s team at #2, the 2009-2010 team at #18, and the 2002-2003 team at #27.

Here’s what Bill Bender had to say about last year’s squad:

The Wildcats embraced the 40-0 talk under John Calipari and nearly achieved perfection after an unbeaten regular season. Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein were almost an unstoppable force down low, and Andrew and Aaron Harrison kept the back-court humming. Kentucky advanced to the Final Four before losing in shocking fashion to Wisconsin 71-64.

Yep, it still sucks.

 

[Kybluedude]

Ouch. I still keep thinking it's a bad dream. Watching the nba draft and highlights this season makes it worse. Cal has to be sick.

 

[Jkwo]

I was saying that forever. People didn't want to hear it, because it's easier to say "they were overrated/got exposed that night" etc after a loss.

No they weren't. They hammered basically everyone they played - win margin over ranked teams in the high teens. It was just sick.

The Wisconsin game just happened to be one of the 2 or 3 out of 10 they would've won, and the odds were only that good because UW had the best offense in the history of Kenpom ratings.

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

Think they will reach #1 status when KAT + WCS + Booker sign max deals.

 

[GnarlsBarkley]

Wish they were in the running to be the worst team to ever win a title instead

 

[3rex]

The offense, or lack thereof, that we ran in the last few minutes of the game still boggles the mind. You have the best team on the floor, with the lead, and you basically try to dribble the clock out with 4 minutes still to play in the game.
Would say it ranks with 3-33 vs Georgetown in 84 but at least in that game we were actually trying to put the ball in the basket.

 

[Uk1111]

Think they will reach #1 status when KAT + WCS + Booker sign max deals.

No friggin way. I'm sure that UNLV team, that was Prolly the best team EVER regardless of weather the team won it all or not. The team that lost to Duke in the finals was better than the year before that won it all, but lost 6-7 games the the regular series.

I really think that some of the UNLV players were trying to win, but not cover, they were too good to lose.

 

[fatguy87]

That 98-99 Duke team may have been Coach K's best team ever. They were like 10 point favorites in the championship game against another 1 seed.

 

[fuzz77]

Think they will reach #1 status when KAT + WCS + Booker sign max deals.

What does what KAT + WCS + Booker become have to do with what they were that season?

 

[UK82]

The '84 team should have been on that list IMO.

 

[jrpross]

That 98-99 Duke team may have been Coach K's best team ever. They were like 10 point favorites in the championship game against another 1 seed.

Avery, Langdon, Maggette, Battier, & Brand with Burgess & Carawell off the bench were probably the 2nd most stacked team of the decade after '96 UK.