Which teams stand out to you as the best and most loaded teams of all time?
Depends in what context.
Greatest team of active college players or
Greatest team of great NBA players.
Greatest team recently of NBA players would likely be 2009 UNC. 5 first round and 1 2nd round drafted player. Or 2015 Kentucky. And 2012 Kentucky both with 4 drafted Players in the first
But in terms of College performance. Lets just say last 30 years for “modern history” either This years Michigan team or 2024 Uconn or 2012 Kentucky.
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No Duke with Hurley, Grant Hill, Laettner, Cherokee Parks, Antonio Lang, Thomas Hill, and Greg Davis?
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Or Fab 5 with Webber goung #1, Juwan goung 5th, and Jalen 13th in the NBA draft?
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88-89 Flyin Illini….super fun team that was about 20 years ahead of it’s time with the all 5 switchability of Kemdall Gill, Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle, Stevrn Bardo, Marcus Liberty.
Not best ever but one of the very best to not win.
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UNLV Rebels has to be up there, think it was 90 or 91.
That Illini team was really fun to watch.
UNC with Worthy, Perkins and Jordan
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Again modern history.
I appreciate those teams of the past.
However vast major of sports fans and all of the students wernt alive.
I went back ~30 years.
But yes those teams were dominant. But there was a BUNCH of teams between 85-98 that were dominant and loaded with NBA talent. Hard to filter through all those.
@Snags is the OP…. and you are trying to dictate what he is posting???
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The title of the thread has “all-time” in it….
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I refuse to believe that any team that I remember seeing play is not “modern”, regardless of whether it’s true or not.
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Was that the Augmon - Larry Johnson team? That was insane. One of the best I ever saw.
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yep… and Greg Anthony, who played 11 years in the NBA.
Anderson Hunt was a very good college player (from Detroit) as well, though he didn’t have an NBA career. He played some pro ball in Europe.
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Forgot about Anthony. Yeah that team was ridiculous.
Houston with the 5 Slamma Jamma. Hakeem the dream Alajuwon and Clyde the glide Drexler. If not the best they were certainly one of the most entertaining.
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I mean it has to be one of Wooden’s 1970s teams, I would say. I know that isn’t the modern answer, but that team went undefeated and really didn’t have a close call other than a six or seven point win in the championship. I wasn’t around for that. My problem is that I sort of stopped watching college basketball when it became hard to follow the players because they leave to early or transfer. The ones I do remember, or consider modern (which I say is like post Bird/Magic but I’m getting old), is the North Carolina team of the 80s that had James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Brad Daughtery, Kenny Smith, and Michael Jordan. They won on a buzzer beater, but that Houston team was no slouch either with Drexler and Olajuwon. The other team is the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils. Buzzer beater to go to the Final Four vs Kentucky but man were they tough.
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Good list of teams.
They did honor the Indiana team last night at halftime that went undefeated. Not sure how many NBA players were on that team but that hasn’t happened since.
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It seems like the head coach in college basketball has far more influence on his team than any other sport and I don’t think it is even close. Bobby Knight always had good Indiana teams.
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All time is so hard because how much sports change. Unless you have a Gretzky then its easy.
But its so hard to argue about which team is better when they are 30-40+ years apart.
So i always look at whose the best of each era.
For the most part every sport can be divided into 4 main eras.
1- Pre WW2
2 - 1945-1970
3 - 1970-(1990-2000 depending on the sport)
4 - (1990-200) - today
Pre WW2 for obvious reasons. Sports was just a hobby people did on the weekends even professionally
45-70 the sports were dramatically different than today. rule changes, expansion, revenue spike etc
70- ~90 is the early modern era. When sports really started to become well regulated, played by high end athletes full time etc
Then post 1990-2000 (depending on the sport) is true modern era.
Analytics, salary cap, virtually all the rules have been the same, minimumal expansion,
Slow gradual revenue increases vs previous eras, no major steroids ,
I think most people can agree on whose the best of what ever sport for each Era after that, which era is the best is very subjective and usually goes to whatever era you grew up with
I’m actually a believer in premium coaching making a huge difference in any sport. I mean look at baseball even. Managers seem criminally underrated. I think its easiest to see in a sport like college BBall for sure. Especially college because they are so mold-able.
I will use the start of the NCAA 64 tournament as my beginning point
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With the DH in place I think MLB managers have little effect on a season. They basically fill out a lineup card and hope the players perform. The GM on the other hand has a greater effect on wins and losses.