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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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LEXINGTON, KY- CIRCA 1990’s: Tony Delk #00 of the University of Kentucky Wildcats at the Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky, circa 1990’s. (Photo by Kentucky/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY- CIRCA 1990’s: Tony Delk #00 of the University of Kentucky Wildcats at the Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky, circa 1990’s. (Photo by Kentucky/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /

3. 1996 Kentucky Wildcats 

Nicknamed “The Untouchables” for a reason, the 1996 Wildcats stand out as the best team in Kentucky’s storied history after winning their six tournament contests by an average of 21.2 points per game.

The Wildcats had advanced to one Final Four in the first six years of the Rick Pitino era, but entered the 1995-96 season as the No. 1 team in the nation behind a loaded roster that included nine future NBA players. Kentucky defended that ranking with a 28-2 regular season, with Tony Delk and Antoine Walker leading the way.

No opponent before the National Semifinal came close to challenging Kentucky, which averaged 94.5 points per game up until the Final Four. The Wildcats went on to end the 35-1 run of No. 1 UMass, then coached by Calipari, with a 81-74 semifinal victory.

Kentucky jumped out to a nine-point halftime lead on Syracuse in the championship game and held on for a 76-67 win for the program’s first title since 1978. Delk scored a combined 44 points over the two Final Four games, while Ron Mercer went off for 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting against the Orange.

In today’s age of parity, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a team dominate the NCAA Tournament to the degree of the 1996 Wildcats.

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