NCAA basketball: 25 best college basketball teams of all time

15. 1977-1978 Kentucky Wildcats

It was only a matter of time before Kentucky found its way onto the list, and this is the first Wildcats’ entry of the all-time greatest college hoops teams. Most college basketball historians don’t reference the Joe B. Hall era of Kentucky basketball but he helped build one of the greatest teams ever to take the floor.

Those Wildcats were a complete squad that had pretty much everything you could want in a team. Hall’s team was senior-laden, featuring four seniors who averaged double-figures, including captain Jack Givens and Rick Robey.

Kentucky absolutely dominated the SEC, going 16-2 in conference play to easily secure the league’s championship. The selection committee made the Wildcats a No. 2 seed in the Mideast region, where Kentucky easily won its first two games before sneaking by a Michigan State team featuring freshman Magic Johnson by three in the regional final.

After getting past Arkansas at the Final Four, Kentucky faced off with Duke in one of the most memorable championship games of the time. The Wildcats prevailed in a 94-88 thriller in large part due to a brilliant individual performance out of Givens.

The team’s captain scored 41 points in the National Championship Game, easily earning the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honors. Basketball historians often cite Givens’ performance as one of the best efforts in title game history, helping explain why this Kentucky team made the cut.