10 Greatest College Basketball Teams of All Time

Hello, this is Josh Turner and I am counting down the 10 greatest college basketball teams of all time. In this slide-show you will see great teams with great players, like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Bill Russell, and more. Before I reveal the list I will show you the honorable Mentions.

1991 UNLV Runnin Rebels
1983 Houston Cougars
1975 Indiana Hoosiers
1960 Ohio State Buckeyes
1954 Kentucky Wildcats
Several UCLA Bruin Teams

No. 10. 1957 North Carolina Tar Heels

In 1957, the Tar Heels became just the second team to finish undefeated. The Tar Heels beat Yale, Cansinus, and Syracuse to reach the Final Four, where they beat Michigan State 74-70 in Triple Overtime in the Semifinals and then beat Kansas 54-53 in Triple Overtime in the National Championship Game.

They were lead by Player of the Year Lennie Rosenbluth, who averaged 27.9 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game.

No. 9. 1974 NC State Wolfpack

The North Carolina State Wolfpack finished 30-1 in 1974, their only loss coming to UCLA during the regular season, but they avenged their loss by beating UCLA in the final four 80-77, ending UCLA's run of championship wins at seven.

The Wolfpack were lead by David Thompson, who was named the Player of the Year that season. Center Tom Burleson averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Moe Rivers and Monte Towe averaged 12 points per game.

These players led NC State to a 76-64 victory over Marquette in the Championship Game.

No. 8. 1985 Georgetown Hoyas

The 1985 Georgetown team is the only team on my list that didn't win the national championship. This team finished 35-2 and were lead by 1985 Player of the Year Patrick Ewing.

The Hoyas stormed through the first five games of the NCAA Tournament, until they ran into Villanova, the tournament's Cinderella team. The Hoyas were heavy favorites going into the championship game against Villanova, but Villanova stunned Georgetown 66-64.

If Georgetown won that game, they would be in the Top Five.

No. 7. 1956 San Francisco Dons

The 1956 San Francisco Dons were the first team to go undefeated for an entire season, finishing 29-0. The Dons had two of the greatest defensive players of all time. Their names were KC Jones and Bill Russell.

Russell averaged 20 points and 21 boards in his final season for the Dons and was named an All-American for the second straight season.

The Dons won every game in the NCAA Tournament by more than 11 points and Russell grabbed a total of 50 rebounds in the semi-finals and the national championship, where they beat Iowa 83-71.

No. 6. 1982 North Carolina Tar Heels

The 1982 North Carolina Tar Heels had Sam Perkins, James Worthy, and Michael Jordan. Worthy was in his final year at North Carolina, while Jordan was in his first. Worhy averaged 15 points and six boards, while Jordan averaged 13 points per game.

Perkins also contributed a lot, averaging 14 points and 7 boards a game. The Tar Heels finished 32-2 and won the national championship, but why are they only No. 6.

The Tar Heels didn't dominate in the NCAA Tournament. They beat James Madison by one, Alabama by five, Villanova by 10, Houston by five, and Georgetown by one. Michael Jordan hit the game winning shot against Georgetown in the National Championship.

No. 5. 1992 Duke Blue Devils

The 1992 Duke Blue Devils were ranked number one for the entire season and they had Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, and Bob Hurley. Laettner averaged 21 points and 7 rebounds, while Hill averaged 14 points per game and Bob Hurley averaged 12 points per game.

The most memorable moment for the Duke Blue Devils game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight. With 2.1 seconds left, Christian Laettner received a long pass from Grant Hill, dribbled the ball once, did an up-fake, turned around and hit the game winning shot.

The Blue Devils took that momentum all the way to a 71-51 victory over Michigan in the Championship Game.

No. 4. 1976 Indiana Hoosiers

The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers were the last team to finish the season undefeated. This team had Kent Benson, Quinn Buckner, and 1976 Player of the Year Scott May.

The Hoosiers average margin of victory was 17.3 points per game. The previous year the Hoosiers were undefeated in their first 29 games and Bob Knight still says that the 1975 team was better than the 1976 team.

The 1975 team must have been really good, because the 1976 team was unbelievable. The Hoosiers dominated in the Final Four, beating UCLA by 14 and Michigan by 18.

No. 3. 1968 UCLA Bruins

On Jan. 20, 1968, the Houston Cougars beat the UCLA Bruins 71-69 in the Astrodome. This loss ended UCLA's 47 game winning streak, but UCLA would later get their revenge.

In 1968, the Bruins finished 29-1 and Lew Alcindor was dominant, averaging 26 points and 16 rebounds per game. Lucius Allen, Mike Warren, Lynn Shackleford, and Mike Flynn all averaged 10 points or more in 1968. UCLA was dominant in the NCAA Tournament.

They beat Santa Clara by 21 in the Elite Eight. UCLA avenged their loss to Houston by beating them 101-69 in the semi-finals. The Bruins then beat North Carolina in the Championship Game 78-55.

No. 2. 1996 Kentucky Wildcats

The 1996 Kentucky Wildcats were the deepest team in the history of college basketball. Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Derek Anderson, and Ron Mercer were all first round-draft picks and they had a second round draft pick in Mark Pope.

The Wildcats average margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament was 21 points, capped of by a 76-67 victory over Syracuse in the Finals. This 1996 Kentucky team compares to the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

Kentucky produced many pro basketball players in 1996, while Miami produced many pro football players in 2001. Both teams were dominant and both teams won the national title.

No. 1. 1972 UCLA Bruins

The 1972 UCLA Bruins were the greatest team of all time. They finished undefeated and they had a player that went by the name Bill Walton. The Bruins average margin of victory was 32 points.

Bill Walton was the Player of the Year and the Bruins continued their dominance in the NCAA Tournament. When they beat Florida State 81-76 in the Championship Game Bill Walton was actually upset, saying that he could have played better and that they should have beaten that team with ease.

This just proves how good UCLA was because if you are mad that you won by five points, that just shows that nobody was ever close to you.