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10 best Final Four teams of all time

By Nathaniel Reeves

Mar 4, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former UCLA Bruins player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waves to the crowd at half time between the Washington State Cougars and the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former UCLA Bruins player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waves to the crowd at half time between the Washington State Cougars and the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Anthony Davis (23) of Kentucky celebrates a 69-61 win over Louisville in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, March 31, 2012. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images)
Anthony Davis (23) of Kentucky celebrates a 69-61 win over Louisville in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, March 31, 2012. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images) /

8. 2012 Kentucky Wildcats

While John Calipari has had better regular season teams, his lone Final Four triumph came behind a stacked roster in 2012.

Calipari had become the master of the one-and-done rule in the five years since its implementation and was able to find success with largely underclassmen rosters. The 2012 Wildcats were paced by National Player of the Year Anthony Davis, and got key contributions from fellow freshmen Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague.

Kentucky entered the NCAA Tournament at a dominant 32-2, although it suffered a shocking defeat to 11-loss Vanderbilt in the SEC Championship Game. That didn’t deter the Wildcats, who easily won their first three tournament games to reach the Final Four for the second straight year.

The Wildcats’ semifinal opponent was archrival Louisville, who battled Kentucky hard in a 69-61 loss, nearly an identical score to the Dec. 4 regular season matchup between the two teams. Kentucky then raced out to a 14-point halftime lead over Kansas in the title game and eventually held on for a 67-59 championship win.

Davis dominated the interior with a combined 30 rebounds and 11 blocks in the two Final Four games, and sophomore Doron Lamb piled up 22 points against the Jayhawks. Six Wildcats were selected in the 2012 NBA Draft, including Davis and Kidd-Glichrist with the first two picks.

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