With the National Semifinals set for Saturday, who are some of the greatest Final Four teams in NCAA Tournament history?
Following a thrilling second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the 2017 Final Four is set for this weekend in Phoenix.
Saturday’s first National Semifinal features a pair of newcomers to the biggest stage in college basketball. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defended their 29-1 regular season and No. 1 seed with a run to their first Final Four, where they will meet this year’s Cinderella team in the South Carolina Gamecocks, who upset Duke and Baylor en route to Phoenix.
Despite losing key piece Chris Boucher just before the tournament, the Oregon Ducks will make their first Final Four appearance in 78 years in the other semifinal. They will meet the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, the only traditional college basketball power to reach the final stage of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
One of those teams will forever earn a place in college basketball lore by cutting down the nets on Monday night. While none of the four teams in 2017 will likely go down as one of the best in the sport’s history, the players and moments leading up to a title will never be forgotten.
Some of the most talented rosters ever such as the 2015 Kentucky Wildcats and 1991 UNLV Rebels reached the Final Four only to fall short of a championship. Others were able to find more success in the semifinals by completing undefeated seasons or capping off Cinderella runs.
From Lew Alcindor’s UCLA Bruins to the Anthony Davis Kentucky Wildcats, here are the 10 greatest Final Four teams of all-time.
10. 1957 North Carolina Tar Heels
While the 1957 Tar Heels became the second undefeated national champion in college basketball history, their victory over Kansas in the title game still feels like an upset of sorts.
After entering the postseason at a perfect 26-0, the Tar Heels comfortably won their first three NCAA Tournament games to advance to the second Final Four in school history. North Carolina had its closest call of the season in the National Semifinal, as it had to overcome a terrible shooting performance from superstar Lennie Rosenbluth for a triple-overtime win against Michigan State.
The very next night, the Tar Heels had to go up against No. 2 Kansas, which entered the title game at 24-2 behind Wilt Chamberlain, who turned in one of the most dominant seasons in college basketball history. Kansas destroyed defending champion San Francisco in the semifinal, and entered the game as the favorite after North Carolina had to battle so hard in the previous game.
Once again, the game went to triple-overtime, with the two teams combining for four points in the first two extra periods. Despite Rosenbluth fouling out with 1:45 to go in regulation, the Tar Heels emerged with a 54-53 win on a steal and two made free throws by Joe Quigg in the final seconds.
Chamberlain was held to just 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting, a modest performance given his ridiculous numbers for the season. No champion would go undefeated again until the John Wooden-era Bruins, and North Carolina’s ability to handle Chamberlain still stands out as one of the more impressive championship game performances ever.
9. 1956 San Francisco Dons
One year prior to North Carolina’s run, the Dons made history as the first undefeated champion in college basketball history at the 1956 Final Four.
San Francisco entered the season on a 25-game win streak as the defending national champion, with its lone loss in 1955 coming in the early season at UCLA. The Dons were perfect in the subsequent regular season, with none of their 23 victories coming by fewer than seven points.
Bill Russell was unstoppable in his final year in college with an average of 20.6 points and 21 rebounds per contest. Guard K.C. Jones also earned All-American honors, and the Dons allowed just 52.9 points per game to lead the nation in scoring defense for the second straight year.
Following two easy tournament victories, including their second win of the season against UCLA, the Dons destroyed No. 7 SMU in the National Semifinal. San Francisco followed that up with a 12-point win over No. 4 Iowa to cap off the undefeated campaign and highlight a win streak that would eventually reach 55 games.
Mike Farmer, the team’s fifth-leading scorer, stepped up with 26 points and 10 rebounds against SMU in support of Russell. The future NBA Hall of Famer then had his best game of the tournament with 26 points and 27 rebounds in the championship win over the Hawkeyes.
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.
7. 1974 NC State Wolfpack
The Wolfpack ended UCLA’s seven-year championship streak with an impressive showing in the 1974 Final Four to earn a spot as one of the best teams in college basketball history.
Despite losing by 18 points to the Bruins in the regular season, NC State entered the NCAA Tournament as the top-ranked team in the nation with a record of 26-1. Naismith winner David Thompson averaged 26 points per game as the most explosive athlete in college basketball, with Tom Burleson, Monte Towe and Morris Rivers also contributing to an offense that averaged over 90 points per game.
Following two blowout wins to open the tournament, the Wolfpack got a chance at revenge in the National Semifinal against the Bruins. The game was close throughout until UCLA built a seven-point lead in double-overtime, but the Wolfpack ended the game on a 13-3 run to win 80-77.
NC State advanced to play Marquette, which was ranked third in the nation with a record of 26-4. The Wolfpack went up nine points by the half and eventually earned the first title in school history with a 76-64 win.
Thompson scored a combined 49 points over the two games to cap his legendary season, while the Wolfpack impressively overcame a 29-point, 18-rebound performance from Bill Walton to win the semifinal matchup.
6. 1982 North Carolina Tar Heels
With two future Hall of Famers on the roster, the Tar Heels were finally able to break through under Dean Smith in 1982 with two memorable wins in the Final Four.
Following a loss in the championship game the year before, the Tar Heels entered the 1982 NCAA Tournament with a record of 27-2. James Worthy and Sam Perkins each turned in All-American campaigns, while a young Michael Jordan emerged as a promising freshman with 13.5 points per game.
The Tar Heels survived a scare from James Madison in the opening round before advancing to the Final Four, their seventh appearance under Smith. North Carolina began its Final Four campaign with a five-point triumph over upstart Houston, which featured Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.
That earned the Tar Heels a date with Sleepy Floyd, Patrick Ewing and No.6 Georgetown for another chance at a title. With 15 seconds left, Jordan hit a midrange jump shot to give North Carolina a 63-62 lead, and Georgetown’s Freddie Brown inexplicably threw the ball straight to Worthy on the next possession.
North Carolina has won three titles since with a chance at another in 2017, but the 1982 squad still stands out as the best Final Four team in school history.
5. 1992 Duke Blue Devils
One year after pulling off one of the greatest Final Four upsets ever, the Blue Devils dominated the 1992 NCAA Tournament to establish a legendary college basketball dynasty.
Duke stunned the aforementioned 1991 Rebels in the national championship before spending the entire regular season as the No. 1 team in the land with a record of 28-2. The journey to the Final Four wasn’t easy, but Duke reached its fifth straight National Semifinal on Christian Laettner’s infamous turnaround buzzer beater in the Elite Eight against Kentucky.
The Blue Devils also had a battle in the semifinals after falling behind Indiana 42-37 at the break. Bobby Hurley helped Duke storm back for a three-point win with 26 points, setting up a meeting in the final with Michigan’s Fab Five squad.
After again falling behind at the break, the Blue Devils dominated the second half of a 71-51 victory. While Hurley struggled, Laettner and Grant Hill combined for 37 points to capture Duke’s second title.
The 1992 Blue Devils remain Mike Krzyzewski’s best team ever, and the 2006-07 Florida Gators are the only repeat national champion since.
4. 1973 UCLA Bruins
UCLA capped off an undefeated season for the second straight year in the 1973 Final Four, with Bill Walton turning in the most prolific championship game performance ever.
The Bruins entered the 1973 NCAA Tournament with a run of eight championships in nine years, and hadn’t lost a game since January of 1971. Walton averaged 20.4 points and 16.9 rebounds per contest to lead UCLA to another perfect regular season, while Jamaal Wilkes also earned All-American honors.
Few teams have dominated in the Big Dance quite like the 1973 Bruins, who won their first two games by a combined 32 points. No. 6 Indiana provided the biggest challenge in the National Semifinal with second-half comeback, but eventually fell 70-59.
UCLA went on to destroy Memphis 87-66 in the championship game for Wooden’s ninth title. Walton scored 44 points on an efficient 21-of-22 shooting performance from the field while pulling down 13 rebounds.
Although the streak would be stopped by NC State in the 1974 Final Four, Wooden won his 10th and final championship the next season.
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.
2. 1976 Indiana Hoosiers
The last undefeated national champion completed a remarkable run with a pair of easy victories in the 1976 Final Four.
Indiana was coming off an undefeated 1974-75 regular season, but lost a heartbreaker to Kentucky in the Regional Final. In search of the first title of the Knight era, the Hoosiers opened the next season ranked No. 1 in the nation and held on to that spot with a perfect 27-0 campaign.
After a tough challenge from No. 6 Alabama in the Second Round, the Hoosiers cruised through the 1976 Final Four to earn their place as one of the greatest college basketball teams to take the court. Indiana dominated UCLA in the National Semifinal, ending the Bruins’ dynasty in the first year after Wooden.
The Hoosiers followed that up with a comfortable 18-point victory against Michigan in the title game for the third national title in school history. Star Scott May scored 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the title game, with fellow All-American Kent Benson chipping in 25.
Indiana won two more titles under Knight, but the 1976 Hoosiers are going to be tough to top in college basketball history moving forward.
1. 1968 UCLA Bruins
Picking the best team from the Alcindor era at UCLA is a tough task, but the 1968 Bruins showed an unparalleled level of dominance at the Final Four stage.
The Bruins entered the year on a streak of three championships in four seasons, including a perfect 1967 campaign behind Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Alcindor averaged 26.2 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in 1968 en route to his second straight AP Player of the Year Award, with guard Lucius Allen also earning an All-American nod.
UCLA lost just one game during the regular season, a two-point loss at Elvin Hayes’ Houston team with Alcindor hobbled by injuries. After two wins to open the 1968 NCAA Tournament, the Bruins took advantage of a chance for revenge on the No. 1 Cougars in a 101-69 destruction in the National Semifinal.
That set up a championship game tilt against No. 4 North Carolina, which UCLA again won easily by 23 points. Alcindor went off for 34 points in the title game and helped limit the dominant Hayes to just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting the night before.
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Wooden would go on to dominate college basketball for the better part of the next decade, but his 1968 team still stands out as the best Final Four squad UCLA has ever had.