Great Teams from other schools you enjoyed watching that didn't win the title.

[the nail at the foul line]

Most of these were more than 30 years ago.


All of these were the best teams that year but lost in the FF.

1983 Phi Slamma Jamma
Probably the most fun non-UK team I remember.

1989 Flying Illini
A machine. Had to beat Michigan for third time and didn't.

1991 UNLV probably the best of all these teams but I would take Phi Slamma Jamma talent.


Close to best but not the best:
Some people liked the Fab 5 but we were better. Dale Brown injury.

1979 Indiana State was a lot of fun in down year for us. Mich St had more talent

 

[CastleRubric]

Alabama had some 80s players and teams I really liked

Derek McKey
Antonio McDyess
Sprewell
Robert Horry

^

Always enjoy seeing VCU and smaller teams like that do well also (unless beating us)

Arkansas 90s teams were fun

 

[CastleRubric]

Liked a couple of Crums old UL teams too

 

[UK90]

I’m normally no Illinois fan, but they’ve had two of my all time favorite non-UK teams: both the 89 and 05 Illini teams were incredibly fun to watch.

Conversely, the “Fab Five” has been grossly overrated by history. Not a single player in that group ever won even a Big 10 conference title.

 

[CincinnatiWildcat]

I’m normally no Illinois fan, but they’ve had two of my all time favorite non-UK teams: both the 89 and 05 Illini teams were incredibly fun to watch.

Conversely, the “Fab Five” has been grossly overrated by history. Not a single player in that group ever won even a Big 10 conference title.

I was going to mention that 05 Illinois team. I remember Dee Brown specifically being electric in college although he never amounted to much after that I don't believe.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

2024 Purdue and 2021 Gonzaga were both maybe going to win title.

2008 Memphis was also best team.

1999 Duke and 2000 Cincinnati. I hated both but especially Duke. Injury gave Mich St title

 

[Smashcat]

Butler 2010. They might not have been great but they were fun to watch. If only they could have upset Duke.😐

 

[CastleRubric]

I’m normally no Illinois fan, but they’ve had two of my all time favorite non-UK teams: both the 89 and 05 Illini teams were incredibly fun to watch.

Conversely, the “Fab Five” has been grossly overrated by history. Not a single player in that group ever won even a Big 10 conference title.

Was it Murray State with Popeye Jones?
Sweet 16 team?

 

[rick64]

Phi Slamma Jamma

 

[the nail at the foul line]

2003 Arizona was a great team. A lot of NBA talent. They lost to KU.

The Gonzaga game in the tournament was one of the greatest games ever.

 

[Deli owl]

This

Alabama had some 80s players and teams I really liked

Derek McKey
Antonio McDyess
Sprewell
Robert Horry

^

Always enjoy seeing VCU and smaller teams like that do well also (unless beating us)

Arkansas 90s teams were fun

This plus the LSU team with Shaq, Stanley Roberts, and Chris Jackson

 

[Boyd94]

86-87 Depaul Blue Demons with Dallas Comegys and Rod Strickland. My dad finally got cable and we had WGN. I watched tons of their games on TV. Very fun team.

 

[Larry Skaggs]

This

This plus the LSU team with Shaq, Stanley Roberts, and Chris Jackson

You could bring in someone from an Amazon tribe that has been cut off from the world and he would have won the title with that LSU team

 

[Myth Buster51]

Denny Crum had a lot of squads that were something to watch, the Clyde-led Houston Cougars were must-see TV, and who didn’t like the Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Mark Jackson and Bill Weningtong squads at St John’s. But some of the memorable one-offs for me were:

• Fennis Dembo and Eric Leckner’s 1987 Wyoming Cowboys. Fun to watch.
• Roosevelt Chapman’s 1984 Dayton squad. Velvet was tough as nails.
• David Robinson’s 1985-86 season with Navy. Vernon Butler and Kyle Whitaker being on the floor forced opponents to give Robinson room to do his thing.
• Southern Mississippi during the Randolph Keys/John White era. They gave UofL fits.
• 1982-83 Tulane squad with Paul Thompson and Hot Rod Williams. Thompson was a competitive SOB, and you could see Williams was special.
• 1980-81 DePaul squad. Loaded roster and Terry Cummings was so smooth.

 

[cats#1again]

Alabama had some 80s players and teams I really liked

Derek McKey
Antonio McDyess
Sprewell
Robert Horry

^

Always enjoy seeing VCU and smaller teams like that do well also (unless beating us)

Arkansas 90s teams were fun

Those were 90's Alabama teams. Hollywood Robinson was my favorite on that team of loaded players

 

[DraftCat]

01/02 Maryland Terrapins - Juan Dixon and Steve Blake

The Steph Curry - Davidson Wildcats was a fun show.

 

[cats#1again]

I was always a huge fan of Shawn Respert from Michigan st. Kerry kittles nova, and Glen Robinson Perdue. Glen was one of the 5 most dominant players of the past 50 years in college. He was so smooth

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

I enjoyed the Matt Freji Vanderbilt teams. Definitely not a title contender, but one of the most unique offensive players of his time that most people do not really remember.

I also loved the 2006 Gonzaga team led by Adam Morrison.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I hope I get to call this Houston team one of the ones I enjoyed watching win the title lol.

 

[darkshadesofblue]

That 2005 Illinois team with Dee Brown was one of the most dominant teams I watched. They very nearly went unbeaten, it took a last second 3 and some last minute heroics in the title game to take them down. That double digit comeback with 3 minutes left against AZ was insane

 

[312CAT]

Dayton the year COVID shut everything down. Not just because I'm a UD alumni, but that team was genuinely exciting with Obi Toppin. Would have been a 1 seed...

 

[blubo]

Dayton the year COVID shut everything down. Not just because I'm a UD alumni, but that team was genuinely exciting with Obi Toppin. Would have been a 1 seed...

might have won it all…damn covid
also 2000 uc team with kenyon martin. uc had lost only two games going into usa conference tourny when he broke his leg

 

[blubo]

Denny Crum had a lot of squads that were something to watch, the Clyde-led Houston Cougars were must-see TV, and who didn’t like the Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Mark Jackson and Bill Weningtong squads at St John’s. But some of the memorable one-offs for me were:

• Fennis Dembo and Eric Leckner’s 1987 Wyoming Cowboys. Fun to watch.
• Roosevelt Chapman’s 1984 Dayton squad. Velvet was tough as nails.
• David Robinson’s 1985-86 season with Navy. Vernon Butler and Kyle Whitaker being on the floor forced opponents to give Robinson room to do his thing.
• Southern Mississippi during the Randolph Keys/John White era. They gave UofL fits.
• 1982-83 Tulane squad with Paul Thompson and Hot Rod Williams. Thompson was a competitive SOB, and you could see Williams was special.
• 1980-81 DePaul squad. Loaded roster and Terry Cummings was so smooth.

fennis dembo’s twin sister is fenise. true

 

[sportspm]

1990 & 1991 UNLV teams. Tark the shark biting the towel, fun style of play. Also the Loyola Marymount team when Paul Westhead was coaching and the Hank Gathers incident

 

[the nail at the foul line]

1990 & 1991 UNLV teams. Tark the shark biting the towel, fun style of play. Also the Loyola Marymount team when Paul Westhead was coaching and the Hank Gathers incident

1990 was champ.

1987 and 1977 UNLV.

 

[darkshadesofblue]

I would also count 2008 Memphis if they hadn’t cheated

 

[Coach Marrow]

Cincy before Kenyon Martin got injured as someone mentioned above

George Mason Final Four team in 2006

The Wichita St team that we beat in 2014 even though I can’t stand Gregg Marshall

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

2016 Oklahoma was one of mine. Buddy hield that whole season was absurd

 

[sportspm]

1990 was champ.

1987 and 1977 UNLV.

Yea they were going for the repeat in 1991 and lost to Duke but I was rooting for them

 

[Coach Marrow]

I also enjoyed watching Jameer Nelson for St Joes who made the Elite 8 in 2004

 

[TheAnonymous13]

I enjoyed the Matt Freji Vanderbilt teams. Definitely not a title contender, but one of the most unique offensive players of his time that most people do not really remember.

I also loved the 2006 Gonzaga team led by Adam Morrison.

Same program, different player….. I loved watching Billy McCaffrey play.

 

[Dead Cat Bounce]

I don't really enjoy watching other college basketball teams. For a long time, I thought I was a college basketball fan. It turns out, I'm a Kentucky basketball fan and a college football fan. The only enjoyment I get out of watching other college basketball teams is when its a close game in the final minutes.

 

[Cuello Azul]

90, 91 UNLV Running Rebels were the Mike Tyson of college basketball.

 

[HeismaNole]

96 Georgetown
03 Kansas
94/95 Wake Forest
92/93 Fab Five
00 Cincinnati
05 Illinois

 

[jeffky]

Most of these were more than 30 years ago.


All of these were the best teams that year but lost in the FF.

1983 Phi Slamma Jamma
Probably the most fun non-UK team I remember.

1989 Flying Illini
A machine. Had to beat Michigan for third time and didn't.

1991 UNLV probably the best of all these teams but I would take Phi Slamma Jamma talent.


Close to best but not the best:
Some people liked the Fab 5 but we were better. Dale Brown injury.

1979 Indiana State was a lot of fun in down year for us. Mich St had more talent

1980 81 louisville cardinals and the doctors of dunk . I really was envy of louisville having one of the greatest player ever to play college basketball "DOCTOR DUNKENSTEIN" Darrell griffith man what a player from louisville . Also the style of ball and those big HUGE boom boxes they would pack in before suiting up was cool too . Very cool compared to the style Joe b hall was playing at that time