Top 5 Teams That Didn’t Win The NCAA Tournament

Since it’s March Madness time, I decided to do a little research and came up with a list of the top teams that never won the NCAA tournament. I’ll say this, my list won’t be one that most agree upon , but I think it will be tough to dispute. This list comes from 1980 to present day.

5. 1991 Arkansas Razorbacks– The Razorbacks were deep, talented, and athletic as any team in the nation which includes the dominant UNLV team that failed to win that year.  They just didn’t have UNLV’s mental toughness. Led by Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, big man Oliver Miller, and coached by Mr. 40 minutes of hell, Nolan Richardson.

For all the talent they had, for some reason they couldn’t put it together come tournament time. Arizona State gave them all they could handle in the second round and people started questioning whether Arkansas had what it takes to make it to the Final Four. They seemed to answer that question when they dismantled Alabama, a team that gave them fits in the SEC. Then they ran into a hot Kansas team and it looked like the Razorbacks tried to out-talent the Jayhawks instead of outplaying them.

Everyone figured it would be UNLV vs. Arkansas for all the marbles but both teams came up short. The Hogs finished 34-4.

5a. 1991 LSU Tigers– Any team with Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Jackson (Abdul Mahmoud Rauf), and Stanley Roberts belong on my list. The Tigers underperformed most of the year finishing with a 23-9 record. The supporting cast wasn’t that bad either outside of LSU’s big three. The problem was that Dale Brown couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag. I know he did more with less previously, but when he had serious talent he couldn’t win.

The Tigers bowed out in the second round of the 1990 NCAA tournament to Georgia Tech and Lethal Weapon 3 (Dennis Scott, Brian Oliver, and Kenny Anderson) in a 94-91 thriller. What I remember from that game was Shaq and Stanley blocking every shot Georgia Tech’s centers put up and Jackson missing an off balance three that ended the season of a team that started ranked number two in the country.

A serious waste of talent as Jackson went pro and Muslim, Roberts flunked out and went overseas and Shaq saw zone defenses for two more years.

4.  1993 Michigan Wolverines- The Fab Five was at full strength for two years and ran roughshod over the college basketball world. Although they looked undisciplined at times these kids could flat out play.

After falling short against Duke in the 1991 finals as freshman, it was predetermined that the championship was theirs for the taking as long as they were in Ann Arbor.

When the Wolverines won the Maui Invitational, beating eventual national champion North Carolina and Final Four participant Kansas, many figured the Wolverines would run to a top seed and Big Ten title. They got a top seed but not a Big Ten crown, being edged out by Indiana twice by one point.

In the tournament they got a second round scare, having to go to overtime against UCLA and close games against George Washington and Temple. Somewhere John Chaney is still seething. After beating Kentucky in the semifinals, I figured that Michigan had the title in the bag. The game against Kentucky was one of those games where everyone says “the winner of this game will win the championship”. Well, we all know what happened in the championship, close game, the timeout that wasn’t, ballgame thanks for coming. Michigan lost to North Carolina 77-71 to finish 30-4.

Chris Webber left for the NBA and the fabs were no more.

3. 1991 UNLV Runnin Rebels- It was a close call to put this team at number three. They were one of the most dominant teams to ever hit the hardwood. Others will point out that they played in the Big West, but when they went out of conference they blew them out as well, Check out the scores over NCAA tourney teams Louisville, Michigan State, Princeton, Rutgers, Florida State, and Arkansas. The Arkansas game was a 1 vs. 2 matchup on the road and the even though the score ended up 112-105 the second half wasn’t that close.

It was only a matter of time before the college basketball world crowned Jerry Tarkanian and the Runnin Rebels for a second straight year. They won in dominant fashion, but they didn’t blow everyone out like they did in the regular season. The Tarkanian’s worse fear happened. They played Duke in the semis, a team they steamrolled by 30 in the championship game the year before.

Duke knocked off the Rebels 79-77 in one of college basketball’s biggest upsets. I think it’s one of college basketball’s biggest shams. I don’t know which players were responsible, but someone shaved some points or outright threw the game. And I’ll die believing that until I’m convinced Duke won straight up.

The Rebels finished 34-1 and haven’t tasted the success they had since Tark the Shark was ran off campus.

2. 1985 Georgetown Hoyas- It pains me to put the Hoyas at number two, since they also were the most dominant of that year. Led by Patrick Ewing, the Hoyas smothered teams on defense and were efficient on offense. They had a two game slide when they were knocked off by St. John’s and Syracuse in back to back games, but later avenged both losses.

The Hoyas had really had no top notch competition as they ran through all comers until the Georgia Tech game in the Elite Eight. Then they had the misfortune of trying to beat a Villanova team for a third time. Georgetown escaped the Wildcats twice in the regular season but couldn’t complete the sweep as they fell to Villanova 66-64 in the finals.

Georgetown finished 31-3.

1. 1983 Houston Cougars– Yes youngsters, the Houston Cougars made Final Fours and actually have a proud history, they’ve yet to restore. I place Houston at number one for one reason. They made three straight Final Fours and came up short each time. Houston’s failures were based on bad timing, defections, and a cinderella miracle finish.

In 1982 they played North Carolina in the semis, led by James Worthy, Michael Jordan, and Sam Perkins. They lost shooting guard Rob Williams to the NBA after that season. And in 1984 they went up against a Patrick Ewing led Georgetown team and lost Clyde Drexler to the league after the ’83 season. Which means I have to explain 1983.

This team had serious talent, even with the loss of Williams. Drexler, Larry Michaeux, Michael Young, and a young Hakeem Olajuwon, when he was still Akeem. Take this into account, Olajuwon barely played in ’82. Coach Guy Lewis championed the dunk calling it a high percentage shot and Houston dunked so much they started a fraternity called Phi Slamma Jamma.

The Cougars went 31-3 that year, but they were the most entertaining, high octane team in college. They played in an epic semifinal game against Louisville’s Doctors of Dunk and won 94-81. Another game in which the “winner of this game should win it all”. There was a fly in the ointment called North Carolina State.
The Wolfpack slowed the game down and controlled tempo. Drexler was hit by early foul trouble and Houston couldn’t get it going. When they did get it going, they went up by five until Guy Lewis went all Thomas Hearns on me and slowed it back down ( check the first Hearns vs. Leonard fight, when Hearns started boxing and let Leonard back in the fight), going four corners and playing right into N.C. State’s hands.

The came the coup degrace, when the Wolfpack’s Dereck Whittenburg threw up a long airball only to have Lorenzo Charles dunk in the miss. What a way to lose. By your favorite weapon. No matter what I’ll always love Phi Slamma Jamma.

Honorable Mention- 1981-1983 Virginia Cavaliers, 1980-1981 DePaul Blue Demons, 1992 Indiana Hoosiers, 1999 Duke Blue Devils

      

The Best Final Fours From A Talent Standpoint

In the past there have been some memorable Final Fours in college basketball history. I hate to date myself, but think back to 1982 and all the talent on the four teams that played. There were some, like last year, that were so-so. There were some that you really didn’t want to watch because it was almost a foregone conclusion of who would win (2009 North Carolina). But they’ve all provided some fine memories.

I’ve provided a list, of my own opinion of course of the best Final Fours from a talent standpoint. That would be good college players, future pros, and McDonald’s All Americans. Not all will agree, but I think it would be hard to argue. This only goes back to 1980, so because anything before that I wasn’t born or vaguely remember, that would include the epic 1979 Bird vs. Magic showdown.

1982 Final Four– Houston, Louisville, Georgetown, North Carolina. When you look at the rosters of the teams involved you could’ve started a team from the four participants. And for those not in the know, Houston has a fine basketball tradition, it’s just been kicked around for the better part of the last 20 years. This might be the best collection of talent in Final Four history.

The Tar Heels boasted Sam Perkins, Michael Jordan, and James Worthy. They also had fine complementary players in point guard Jimmy Black and Matt Doherty. This is how Worthy got the moniker “Big Game James” as he was named most outstanding player.

Georgetown had a young beast in Patrick Ewing and shooting guard Eric Floyd who both enjoyed solid NBA careers. Fred Brown was a steady point guard, never mind the bad pass to Worthy. Eric Smith also enjoyed a good college career.

Houston had Phi Slama Jamma. The best college fraternity ever. They were probably the best team never to win a NCAA title, as they went to three straight Final Fours and made two appearances in the finals. Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Young, Larry Micheaux, and Rob Williams all played in the NBA. Thing is, Olajuwon barely played on the 1982 team.

Louisville was always solid in the 1980’s. Jerry Eaves, Charles Jones, Rodney McCray, Scooter McCray, Lancaster Gordon, Poncho Wright, and Milt Wagner. All enjoyed some time in the NBA and gave Georgetown all they can handle in the semifinals.

1990 Final Four– UNLV, Duke, Georgia Tech, Arkansas- As the season went on you knew UNLV was way more talented than any other team in the country. Reserves on that team could’ve been stars elsewhere. Man for man Arkansas was the only team that really could match their depth and athleticism. Duke was Duke and Georgia Tech had Lethal Weapon 3.

UNLV- Everyone knows about Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony, and Stacey Augmon. But they also had lights out shooting guard Anderson Hunt and tough guys George Ackles, Moses Scurry, and David Butler and plenty of reserves that could’ve been major players elsewhere. They didn’t have too many tough games. Not that they had a soft schedule, they just made it look easy when they had it going. Just check out how bad they made Duke look in the title game.

Duke- This team had Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, and Alaa Abdelnaby go pro. Thomas Hill had a cup of tea in the NBA as well. Greg Koubek and Billy McCaffrey were pretty good players too. They weren’t able to got toe to toe with UNLV, but you gotta give the Devils their due.

Arkansas- Todd Day, Oliver Miller, and Lee Mayberry all went to the NBA. They also were the headliners for Nolan Richardson’s 40 minutes of hell style of basketball and could’ve won almost any three on three tourney. Early that season they lost a tough road game to UNLV on the road, 101-93. This team was deep and athletic and though they couldn’t beat the champs they could match up with UNLV man for man if you looked at their roster and know basketball. Lenzie Howell, Mario Credit, Ron Huery, and Darrell Hawkins were also key members of this team.

Georgia Tech- The arrival of Kenny Anderson took the Yellow Jackets to another level. Dennis Scott went from a first round gunner to a lottery pick and Brian Oliver took his game up a notch to wind up being a first round pick in the NBA draft. Big man Malcolm Mackey eventually progressed into a first round talent after he left Atlanta.

1992 Final Four- Duke, Michigan, Indiana, Cincinnati. There were some loaded teams in the 1992 edition. Bob Knight was still bringing in big time players at Indiana. Duke was the defending champion. Michigan had the Fab 5. And Cincinnati had JUCO’s and transfers that played with a chip on their shoulder.

Cincinnati- Coach Bob Huggins took this band of so-called misfits and brought them to the Final Four. The Bearcats were led by point guard Nick Van Exel and backcourt mate Anthony Buford. This team also had swingman Herb Jones and center Corie Blount. Blount had a run in the NBA and Van Exel had a very good career after college.

Duke- As with Kenny Anderson in 1990, Grant Hill took the Blue Devils to another level. Duke was already good with Laettner, Hurley, Thomas Hill, and Brian Davis. Add Antonio Lang and Cherokee Parks to the mix and you can see why they had a repeat champion. Hill, Laettner, Hurley, Lang and Parks all ended up in the NBA. Hill is still playing in  Phoenix right now.

Michigan- Fab Five. That pretty much sums up this team. Even though they’ve been taken out of the record books and the banners have been taken down, all of it still exists primarily because I watched it on TV and saw their feats take place with my own eyes. Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, and Jimmy King all had time in the NBA. Big man Eric Riley also hung in the league for a few years. They also had former Michigan Mr. Basketball Michael Talley coming off the bench. It was about the Fabs, but they were had a few pieces outside of them.

Indiana- This team was loaded with McDonald’s All Americans and a few pros. This was a team Bob Knight should’ve won with. Calbert Cheaney, Greg Graham, and Alan Henderson all went to the NBA. Eric Anderson had a productive college career. Damon Bailey was an Indiana schoolboy legend. Pat Graham was a good college player. Chris Reynolds was a bulldog at point guard. Just about that whole roster contributed and were highly recruited high school players. Just think what might have been had Lawrence Funderburke actually followed through to his committment to Indiana.

2001 Final Four- Arizona, Michigan State, Maryland, Duke- I guess this wouldn’t be a conversation if Duke weren’t in it. The Blue Devils had Carlos Boozer, Shane Battier, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones, and Jason Williams. Arizona boasted one of the, if not the best backcourt in the Gilbert Arenas and Jason Gardner. Michigan State came back for their third straight Final Four and Maryland had a very good run that year.

Arizona- At the time the Wildcats were known as Guard U. since they turned out so many top notch backcourt players. They had Gilbert Arenas and Jason Gardner. Richard Jefferson was one of the most lethal players in college. Eugene Edgerson did all the dirty work. And don’t forget Luke Walton, Loren Woods, and Michael Wright. They came up short to Duke in the final game. But a majority of this roster ended up in the NBA or were Mickey D’s All Americans. If it wasn’t for Duke they would’ve won the title or maybe Maryland.

Michigan State- Even though they lost they’re emotional leader in Mateen Cleaves this team was very good. The Spartans had some decorated high school players on this team and future pros. Zach Randolph was a one and done player. Jason Richardson was two and out. Charlie Bell was a good player at State and is still playing in the league as well. They also had Marcus Taylor, who left too early and Duke transfer Mike Chappell.

Maryland- The Terps had a very strong team and although they seemed to have some epic gags against Duke you couldn’t sell them short. They weren’t the most decorated players but gave max effort and some of them eventually ended up in the pros. Lonny Baxter, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Terrence Morris, and Juan Dixon all played in the NBA. The Terps did come back and win it all the next year after falling to Duke in the semifinals the year before.

Duke- With a team that had Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Jason Williams, and Dahntay Jones, it’s a wonder that they actually lost any games at all. Casey Sanders wasn’t chopped liver coming out of high school and he barely played. It wasn’t a cakewalk for the Blue Devils as they had to mount as massive comeback against Maryland in the semifinals. As you can see they had a lot of pros currently playing right now.

2007 Final Four– Florida, Georgetown, UCLA, Ohio State. This is a year that nearly rivals 1982 in the number of pro players from the Final Four teams. Whether it turns out as many great players remains to be seen. But there was a lot of talent that hit the floor in 2007.

Florida- The Gators were on the back end of their two year run after years of underacheiving. Talent was never a problem as Billy Donovan procured some of the best talent there is. Whether it was all ethical is a different story. Corey Brewer, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah were all first round picks. Reserve Mareese Speights played another year for the Gators and was a first round pick for the Philadelphia 76ers. Taurean Green was a second round pick and Chris Richard has been in and out of the league. Walter Hodge and Lee Humphrey were solid backups and Hodge is playing overseas.

Georgetown- The Hoyas made a return to the Final Four led by NBA draftees Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green. DeJuan Summers also is playing in the NBA and Vernon Macklin was a huge recruit coming out of high school. Patrick Ewing Jr. played here and has been in and out of the NBA. This team put Georgetown back on the college basketball map.

UCLA- The Bruins made the second of three straight trips to the Final Four. They had talent to win it, they just happened to run into better teams in the Final Four. Russell Westbrook is All-Star material in the NBA. Arron Afflalo has been a good NBA player and was a first round pick. Darren Collison is an up and coming point guard for the Indiana Pacers. Josh Shipp was a good player but injuries got in the way. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is currently with the Milwaukee Bucks and was a second round pick. Only if they had a big man that could score.

Ohio State- The Thad Five. Coach Thad Matta has been reeling in top talent to Columbus since he took over. This was the class that started it all. Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, and Greg Oden were all first round picks. David Lighty looks like he could wind up being a serviceable NBA player. The bench with Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, Ivan Harris, and Othello Hunter provided quality depth.

In sheer numbers this could be 1982 all over again, but they’ll need a lot of help to get to the level the 1982 teams were. That was the greatest Final Four since 1980. There have been some great ones and some great talent, but you can’t beat the fact that there were some big time Hall of Famers, champions, and great players in that group.   

Sexting At Syracuse

I figure if your a coach in any sport, college or pro, men or women, you’re married and have a family. I suppose you also have morals and wouldn’t do anything to short change your family. Unless your Syracuse women’s basketball coach Quentin Hillsman, alledgedly.

Former Orange player Lynnae Lampkins has filed a sexual harassment complaint against Hillsman. Hillsman was accused with inappropiate touching and texting which made her feel uncomfortable. I guess that would make a young woman feel uncomfortable. I don’t know if this was the only player or to what extent this went to, but I feel that is something that could’ve been handled internally.

Lampkins told the USA Today that Hillsman would “slap butts and chest bump” and that “made her feel uncomfortable”. She also says that Hillsman sent her a text message over the summer that read “I love you, I miss you, I can’t wait to see you.”

Syracuse conducted an investigation and says they find no substance to the allegations so no action will be taken against Hillsman. It looks like Q-Hill will be sticking around for a while.

Hillsman released a statement from the school. “This allegation is untrue and hurtful to me and my family. I have coached hundreds of student-athletes and never faced an accusation such as this. Specifically, the student has expressed concerns regarding a text message and conduct by me that occurred on the court. I utilize text messaging to communicate with our players and staff and the text in question was sent to multiple players and reflects my sentiments about the team, not a specific player.”

If Hillsman wants to keep this from happening he shouldn’t put himself in any kind of position that may be questioned.

Snow Job

Usually when there’s a major snowstorm, such as the one pounding the east coast, things get cancelled. School activities, meetings, postal service, basketball games. Except in the case of the Towson/George Mason game.

The Towson basketball team was caught in traffic for 10 hours and missed the scheduled 7 p.m. tipoff against George Mason. Officials delayed the game for a 9 p.m. start and Towson’s team bus moved a mere 10 yards in that time frame.  The Tigers arrived in Manassas, Va. around 1 a.m. There goes a good night’s sleep. So they played the game today. Towson fell to George Mason 84-58 in a game that should’ve been rescheduled.

Director of athletic communications Pete Schlehr believed that leaving at 3 p.m. for the 70 mile drive was sufficient enough time to beat the forces of nature. He was wrong about that and having federal workers released two hours early didn’t help their cause.

The Colonial Athletic Association didn’t think it was enough time either. The league figured the school should’ve taken a more proactive stance with their travel plans. The Tigers were reprimanded for missing tipoff.

“While everyone understands travel complications with winter storms, there is no evidence that any consideration was made by Towson to adjust their normal travel plans to account for the anticipated problems,” CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said in a statement.

What Mr. Yeager forgets are that these kids are student athletes. I know they really aren’t, but that’s what they’ll tell us. They have to get everyone on the same page for travel and 3 p.m. seemed sufficient. So you reprimand them because they were snowed in by the forces of nature. That just doesn’t add up to me. Weather forecasts are wrong all the the time and the snow probably hit sooner than expected. But you’re the commish which makes you right.

Coach Pat Kennedy provided the comic relief. He thought it would be smart to lay under a bus tire thinking it would help gain traction to a highway ramp. That was a bad idea as the bus remained stuck and Kennedy’s coat was torn to pieces. At least the players took everyhting in stride.

College basketball’s biggest busts

It’s getting closer to tourney time,and there are quite a few teams that have grossly underacheived this season.Among the biggest busts this year:

North Carolina-They belong at the top of this list.There was going to be a dip in the win column this season,but no one saw this avalanche coming.Coming off a championship season,no one expected them to win it again.There were a few holdovers from last year’s squad and Roy Williams brought in a monster recruiting class as usual.But something wasn’t right with the brew.For some reason,everything didn’t mesh.Even good ol’ Roy didn’t have the answer. Also,with Larry Drew becoming a turnover machine at point gurd didn’t help.They’ll be back next year,so this was the year to pick them off.

Oklahoma-The prognosticators had the Sooners finishing in the top half of the Big 12.With player of the year candidate Willie Warren back,along with freshman Tommy Mason-Griffin and Keith ‘Tiny’ Gallon trying to replace the inside void left by Blake Griffin.Just like North Carolina,coach Jeff Capel jsut couldn’t put a finger on what was wrong with his team.From the outside looking in,Warren never developed as a leader and it seemed that he had an eye on the NBA.There was a late season arrest of two players to make matters worse.Capel is promising to lay down the law for next season and there might be some unhappy campers in Soonerland.

UCLA-Everyone knew UCLA wouldn’t be the team that has ruled the Pac-10 the last few seasons.The folks around Westwood didn’t expect losses to the likes of Long Beach State,Portland,or Cal-State Fullerton.True they didn’t have the talent they had in previous years,but they fell off the map.The freshman this year will use this as a learning experience and they should be back to playing the kind of ball that UCLA fans are used to seeing.You know Ben Howland is seething.

Michigan-Where do i begin? For one,they were overrated.I thought they were a top 30 team at worse.I just didn’t think they’d put up a stinker of a season.They rely too much on three pointers,no one except Manny Harris can get there own shot or take it to the basket and they’re not athletic enough.Also,they don’t have enough size inside to battle with some of the rugged teams in the Big Ten.John Beilein is a good coach,but he green lights far too many three’s.Later in the season it seemed that teams backed off and dared them to make one,since they were so abysmal from the outside.Some of their posessions reminded me of the Tommy Amaker era.Running down the shot clock and taking a rushed shot.There were 11 games in which they didn’t break 60 points.4 games they didn’t break 50 points.That is unacceptable.The Wolverines fell well short of the NCAA tournament and barring a run in the Big Ten tournament,won’t make the NIT.Not even the ghost of Kevin Pittsnogle could’ve saved this team

Cincinnati-Mick Cronin had an experienced team that fell short of the NCAA’s last year and were primed to make a run at the tournament with the addition of super recruit Lance Stephenson.Unless they win the Big East tournament they’ll also be NIT bound.Just like the Bob Huggins led teams from years past,they have no snipers on the team.Translation,no one that can hit a consistent jump shot.Stephenson needs to stay in school and they need to get a bonafide shooter on this team to get them to the next level.  

Preseason rankings don’t mean jack

Last night the Kansas Jayhawks survived an upset bid by the Memphis Tigers,57-55.The Jayhawks are ranked number 1. Also the second ranked Michigan State Spartans had to come from behind to defeat the Gonzaga Bulldogs,75-71.Last week the 18th ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs weren’t so lucky and were picked off by the Rider Broncs on their homecourt.And everyone has heard about Kentucky holding off Miami(OH).

  My point is,the preseason college rankings In basketball and football mean absolutely nothing.Its nice to see your name in the top 25 at the beginning of the year and gives the school and the students a sense of pride.It also means you get everyone’s best shot.It can also bring out immaturity in teams, having them believe they can coast through games against lesser opponents.I’ve seen this happen many times,where a team is highly regarded,living off high school press clippings and believing they can out talent teams.Instead they get outplayed and outhustled.It may not be the best solution,but don’t put out rankings until conference season.I know some may feel differently,but it would sort out the real contenders from the frauds of the world. 

24 hours of hoops takes on a new meaning

ESPN kicks off its college basketball coverage by with a “24 hours of college basketball” event. Two New Jersey schools, St. Peter’s and Monmouth are kicking it off with a 6 am tipoff. St.Peter’s head coach John Dunne says he campaigned for this game since Niagara was in the 8 am slot and thought it would be a good time slot.Monmouth coach Dave Calloway agreed with the idea.Although i agree with the notion of getting any kind of exposure you can get I think this is a bit much.That’s just the world of college athletics where the have-nots have to get any kind of attention they can get their hands on.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-dawngame&prov=ap&type=lgns