NCAA basketball: 25 best college basketball teams of all time

9. 1965-66 Texas Western Miners

One team that tends to slip through the cracks of history is the 1965-66 Texas Western Miners. Now known as UTEP, the Miners won their only championship in 1966, in the middle of the UCLA dynasty.

This team was very important to the history of college basketball, however, thanks in no small part to the fact the Miners used an all-black starting lineup. That is no small feat in the heart of Texas in the mid-60s, but head coach Don Haskins deserves credit for playing his best players regardless of race.

The Miners persevered throughout the season despite dealing with a tremendous amount of racism, but they were also strong on the court. Texas Western lost only once in the regular season, dropping their finale by a bucket to Seattle.

The NCAA Tournament was a thrill ride for the Miners, who needed a pair of overtime victories to get to the Final Four. Surviving Kansas in a double-overtime game earned Texas Western their ticket to the Final Four, where they defeated Utah to earn a date with Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats.

Rupp played an all-white lineup, but it wasn’t enough to top the Miners, who won 72-65 to win the national championship. Texas Western’s historical significance made them a shoo-in for the list, but the fact they were a really good team made it a no-brainer top-10 entry.