NCAA basketball: 25 best college basketball teams of all time

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 02: (L-R) Darius Miller #1, Anthony Davis #23, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist #14, Terrence Jones #3 and Marquis Teague #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats walk on the court in the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the National Championship Game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 2, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

12. 1963-1964 UCLA Bruins

Don’t be shocked to see another UCLA team on our list. The 1971 team was a good start, but we’ll continue our countdown with John Wooden’s first championship squad.

Wooden was in his 16th season at the helm at UCLA, but the Bruins made a breakthrough thanks to a talented roster and a tactical change. Assistant coach Jerry Normal realized that UCLA’s roster was well-equipped to run a zone press defense, a move Wooden instituted to great success.

Opponents struggled mightily to counter the press and the wins started piling up in bunches for the Bruins. UCLA went undefeated during the regular season, racing to a 26-0 record entering the NCAA Tournament.

The early rounds of the dance were a tightrope act for the Bruins, who squeaked by Seattle and San Francisco by a combined eight points to reach the Final Four. UCLA kicked it into high gear when they got to Kansas City, beating Kansas State and Duke to win the program’s first national championship.

Gail Goodrich led the way for the Bruins, scoring 27 points in the title game as UCLA went undefeated. This team was the birth of the UCLA dynasty, setting the stage for an unprecedented run of dominance over the next decade of college basketball.