Iconic Tournament Teams

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Mar 22, 2013

Iconic Tournament Teams

Kansas Jayhawks

Towering center Clyde Lovellette (right of head coach F.C. "Phog" Allen) made Kansas' first national championship one to remember. Lovellette became the only player to lead the nation in scoring while also playing on a title-winning team.

San Francisco Dons

Led by Bill Russell, the Dons rolled to a then-record 60 straight wins, racking up two national titles and an undefeated season along the way. In the process they changed the game, breaking ground by starting three black players and emphasizing oppressive defense.

Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes' only national title came in dominating fashion. Throughout March they annihilated opponents by an average margin of more than 19 points per game before jumping out to an 18-point lead against Cal in the championship game. Needless to say, the Golden Bears didn't mount a comeback.

UCLA Bruins

They may have lost to underdog Houston in the Game of the Century, but the Bruins wouldn't be down for long. When the two met again in 1968's Final Four, Lew Alcindor-led UCLA wasted little time in asserting its dominance and handed the Cougars a 32-point loss. The Bruins would go on to top North Carolina, as well, and claim the national title.

NC State Wolfpack

It was always going to take a special team to stop UCLA. But this Wolfpack wasn't intimidated by the Bruins' seven straight titles and 38-game unbeaten streak in the tournament. Led by David Thompson, who averaged 26 points and 7.9 rebounds, N.C. State fought the defending champs to an epic double overtime victory in the Final Four before taking the crown for itself.

Indiana Hoosiers

Bobby Knight's Hoosiers remain the last national champion with a perfect season. But an unblemished record wasn't enough for Knight, who still bore the scars of his team's tournament exit the previous year at the hands of Kentucky. As he left the court after the championship game, he said, "Should have been two."

Michigan State Spartans

On a team with future NBA players like Greg Kelser and Terry Donnelly, no one could touch Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who drove his team to the title game against Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores. Their rivalry spawned a new era for basketball on the college and professional levels.

Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals narrowly held on in the early rounds of the tournament, winning only their first and second round games in overtime. Perhaps that hardened them for the rest of the Big Dance as they thrashed LSU by 20 in the next game and went on to best UCLA for the championship.

North Carolina Tar Heels

A team that featured James Worthy, Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan was always going to prove memorable. But Jordan's dramatic late jumper to push North Carolina ahead of Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown immortalized these Tar Heels with the school's second national title.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels

The Runnin' Rebels took exception to the media's portrayal of them as thugs and took on an "us against the world" mentality. That fire drove them to manhandle opponents throughout the tournament, putting up three 30-point victories, including the only championship game to hit the century mark in a 103-73 embarrassment of Duke.

Duke Blue Devils

Under the guidance of Coach K, Duke became the first team in nearly 20 years to repeat as national champs. No longer the darlings of the tournament, the Blue Devils relied on the versatility of Grant Hill and the bite of Christian Laettner to carry them through.

Michigan Wolverines

Despite back-to-back championship appearances by the Fab Five as freshmen and sophomores, the 1993 Wolverines would be defined by one infamous error. Trailing North Carolina by two with 11 seconds left in the final, Chris Webber called for a timeout his team didn't have, bringing an ignominious end to one of the greatest recruiting classes in college basketball.

Kentucky Wildcats

Nicknamed "The Untouchables," Kentucky entered the '96 tournament as the first team to sweep SEC play in 40 years. The momentum didn't stop there, as the Wildcats claimed the school's sixth national title and the record as the winningest program in NCAA history. After the season ended, nine of its players were drafted into the NBA.

Arizona Wildcats

It's hard to imagine a tougher road to the title than the one No. 4 seed Arizona faced. The only champions to down three top-seeded teams, Arizona hurdled Kansas in the second round, faced North Carolina in the Final Four, and topped defending champion Kentucky in the title game.

Florida Gators

The dominating starters of Florida's '06 championship team returned for more in '07 and wouldn't be denied. Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford , Lee Humphrey and Joakim Noah became the first starting five to repeat as national champions and the first back-to-back champions in over 15 years.