Image via Complex Original
While individual players get all the shine in March Madness highlight reels, great teams win championships. Every team that takes the court during the NCAA tournament is a brotherhood comprised of leaders working toward a common goal: to be the ones cutting down the nets when it’s all over. Getting there is a journey that measures each team’s integrity, endurance and unselfishness, among many other traits that are put to the test. While we don’t see every step of the journey, which begins well before the season starts, and continues through practices, film sessions and nights on the road, we do see the thrilling moments that define many of these extraordinary quests. College basketball teams have changed the course of history on and off the court, achieved perfection, and redefined the concept of a “Cinderella.” The following 10 squads stand out from the pack when it comes to winning together, raising the bar and leading by example.
Texas Western’s Run in 1966
You want to talk about monumental team victories? The 1966 Texas Western upset of Kentucky wasn’t just a victory for Texas Western; this was a victory for African-Americans everywhere, and in turn for the game of basketball. Texas Western became the first NCAA team to start five African-American players in a major American sports championship game. The Don Haskins-led Texas Western squad defeated the likes of Oklahoma City, Cincinnati and Kansas on the way to the Final Four where they had to knock off Utah before their date with destiny against the Adolph Rupp-coached Kentucky Wildcats—a team that featured Pat Riley on its all-white roster. The Texas Western 72-65 victory forever changed history, improved the game, and 40 years later inspired the 2006 film, “Glory Road.”
Indiana’s Undefeated Season in 1976
One season, one team, a perfect record—and a national championship. Can we choose just one moment to highlight? Nearly impossible—which would be one way to describe what the 32-0 Hoosiers accomplished. Indiana, coached by the great Bobby Knight, sported three All-Americans in Scott May, Quinn Buckner and Kent Benson, and a tough-as-nails team mentality as they played in the very competitive Big Ten Conference (where they went 18-0). The Hoosiers would frequently get big-game performances from two of their three star players but would always have contributions from their role players—an Indiana staple.
Their journey through the tournament included knocking off St. John’s, Alabama, Marquette (they’d capture the title in 1977) and UCLA before facing Big Ten rival Michigan for the national championship. This marked the third matchup between rivals Indiana and Michigan that season, and the Wolverines led 35-29 at halftime. With 20 minutes standing between the Hoosiers and history, Indiana would not be denied as May, Buckner and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Kent Benson, led them to a convincing 86-68 victory. To this day, they are the last team to go undefeated and capture the national championship.
NC State’s Epic Win Over Houston in 1983
The journey the 1983 Wolfpack of North Carolina State took to get to the NCAA Tournament deserves its own section, as they had to win the ACC Tournament just to qualify for the Big Dance. That included defeating North Carolina, led by Michael Jordan, and Ralph Sampson’s Virginia squad. What they then achieved on their way to the national championship game against heavily favored Houston is borderline incomprehensible. The “Cardiac Pack” took down the likes of higher-ranked UNLV and Sampson-led Virginia for the second time in a month to get a seat at the Final Four table. After handling Georgia 67-60, NC State entered the national title game against Houston as an enormous underdog.
“Phi Slama Jama” featured Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, two of the best talents college basketball has ever seen. Their up-tempo style was supposed to run the Wolfpack out of the gym. NC State took every punch and then slowed the game down to their pace. Sidney Lowe, Thurl Bailey and Derrick Whittenburg led them into the final moments of one of the great nail-biters of all time. We have all seen the culminating moment of the Lorenzo Charles put back off of the Derrick Whittenburg desperate 3-point try in the final seconds—and Coach Valvano searching for someone to hug—but what many forget over the years is what it took to get to that moment, as every single guy on that team played a role in helping NC State do the unthinkable.
March Madness Buzzer Beater - 1983 NC State vs Houston
Just when you thought you had seen the greatest upset in 1983, Villanova faces Georgetown in the 1985 final. They took the court as two Big East opponents, but the outcome was anything but routine. Despite finishing fourth in the very competitive Big East, the Rollie Massimino-led Wildcats featured the likes of Ed Pinckney, Dwayne and Gary McClain and Harold Jensen. A perfect example of a team standing as one, Villanova was undaunted facing the John Thompson-led Hoyas, featuring Patrick Ewing in his final college game.
Ewing had already lost two national finals (1982, 1984) and was determined to end his college career on top with David Wingate and Reggie Williams by his side. In one of the most efficient and disciplined displays in the history of college basketball, Villanova shoots 78 percent from the field for the entire game, including a scorching second half where they only missed one shot. Yes, one shot. Pinckney took home MOP honors as his all-around game and leadership trumped the great Ewing in one of the best sporting events of the past 30 years.
Duke’s Revenge on UNLV in 1991
In the 1990 national championship game, UNLV ran Duke back to North Carolina, literally. UNLV was one of the best teams in recent memory, and Duke was completely embarrassed. But that game only pushed them to return a year older and wiser in 1991. With UNLV’s Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt, Stacey Augmon and a 34-0 record waiting for them, the Blue Devils—despite an outstanding season—were still decisive underdogs entering the national semifinal. With Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Brian Davis and freshman Grant Hill, the Blue Devils and Runnin’ Rebels gave college basketball fans a great game.
Laettner led the way with 28 points and seven rebounds, while Hurley redeemed himself after a nightmare game a year earlier, leading the Duke offense against the dangerous defensive combo of Anthony and Hunt. But this was a lot more than just Laettner and Hurley, as Hill, Davis and Bill McCafrey played like their lives were on the line. The win was monumental for Duke, who two days later captured the 1991 national championship against Kansas. Coach K is famous for many slogans and philosophies, including comparing the effect of total team play to a strong closed fist. It is safe to say it may have been born that night when Duke took down UNLV.
“The Shot” During Duke-Kentucky in 1992
You can’t set a better non-Final Four scene. East Regional Final. The Spectrum in Philly. Duke. Kentucky. Go. The defending national champions knew they were in for a battle in order to advance to the Final Four, and if you were lucky enough to watch and remember this game, it was, well, epic. Duke returned Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley, Brian Davis and Thomas Hill; they were on a mission to capture another title. Kentucky, coached by Rick Pitino, represented the talented upstarts led by the great NYC native Jamal Mashburn.
In a thrilling back-and-forth game, Laettner was a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor and 10-for-10 at the free-throw line, while Hurley added 22 points and eight assists for Duke who had five players in double figures. Mashburn led the Wildcats with 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Sean Woods, who battled Hurley all night long, tallying 21 points and nine assists, put Kentucky ahead 104-103 with a running bank shot and 2.1 left to play in overtime.
If you were watching live you’ll always remember where you were and who you were with when Hill took the ball from the official to inbound the length of the court. When it comes to teamwork, execution and sheer will, Duke displayed them all in that final 2.1 seconds. The video above and these words don’t do the pass, the pivot and the shot justice, as the Hill-to-Laettner pass and shot is one of the greatest plays in the history of sports—anywhere, anytime. Without Duke being a rock-solid fist, they never would have been able to make that happen. A week later, the Blue Devils defeated a very good Indiana team and then Michigan to capture their second consecutive national championship. None of that would have been possible without “The Shot.”
Richmond Upsets Syracuse in 1991
We all love the underdog, the low seed, the Cinderella story. Syracuse had been a national power for some time and entered the NCAA Tournament with a 26-5 record, coming off of a regular season Big East championship led by the high-scoring duo of Billy Owens and Dave Johnson. As the 2-seed in the East, the Orange was the heavy favorite over 15-seed Richmond. The Spiders entered the tournament with a 21-9 record, after winning the Colonial Athletic Association Conference Tournament. Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to a 64-team format, no 15-seed had ever defeated a 2-seed. That is, until Richmond found a way to get ahead of the Orange and squeak out a 73-69 win.
Describing the Spiders’ starters as efficient would be a dramatic understatement, as they shot an impressive 55 percent from the floor and handed out 17 assists, moving the ball without much of an issue against the famous Syracuse 2-3 zone. While we have had many low seeds take down high seeds in the 23 years since, this was the first of its kind and took a total team effort to stun the Orange.
George Mason’s Final Four Run in 2006
George Mason entered the 2006 NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid after falling to Hofstra in the CAA Conference Tournament. That loss dropped them to an 11-seed in the eyes of the selection committee. Not a problem for the Patriots. They started the tournament by knocking off 6-seed Michigan State, then North Carolina and Wichita State before a date with UConn and the Final Four on the line.
The Huskies were the No. 2 ranked team in the country, and had a very talented roster led by Rudy Gay, Jeff Adrien, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong. Jai Lewis and Tony Skin led a balanced offense for George Mason, who had five players average in double digits for the season. They moved the ball, they scored inside and out, and they had that rare ability to find an opportunity when it appeared none was there. That is exactly what they needed after falling behind UConn by 12 points in the first half. The Patriots never budged. A barrage of 3-pointers and a supremely efficient OT period (5-for-6 from the floor) carried them to an 86-84 victory, and a trip to the 2006 Final Four. Though George Mason would later fall to Florida, their team play and spirit was infectious, and their improbable run was inspiration for fans and young players across the country.
Butler Advances to the National Title Game in 2010
Where should we begin with the Butler Bulldogs during their incredible 2010 journey, led by Coach Brad Stevens and a roster of crafty and driven competitors? Butler went 18-0 in the Horizon League and drew a 5-seed in the West. With talents such as Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, Butler was never taken for granted by their opponents, but they were never expected to win the “next game” after advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. Well, they kept winning, and all the way to the Final Four they went, matching up with the favored Michigan State Spartans back home in Indianapolis.
With the entire basketball world watching, and in front of a monster crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Bulldogs matched the Spartans from the tip and never let them pull ahead. This game was a classic battle of wills as both teams dug in defensively, refusing to give an inch for most of the second half. Clutch free throws, team defense and some Coach Stevens strategy carried Butler to a 52-50 victory. Two nights later they faced Duke for the national championship and were one Hayward half-court heave away from capturing the title. But for Butler, beating Michigan State to get to the title game will forever live in the hearts and minds of fans everywhere, a true team victory on one heck of a stage for a mid-major program.
VCU’s Improbable Final Four Run in 2011
So the NCAA adds this play-in game. Some like the extra action, others don’t even watch—what are the odds that a team that has to play early advances past the first weekend in the tournament? Enter VCU. Just five years earlier George Mason, an at-large team from the same CAA Conference, went all the way to the Final Four. Now it was time for VCU to shock everyone.
Following their play-in game victory over USC, the Rams continued to roll as they defeated Georgetown and Purdue to advance to the Sweet Sixteen against Florida State. VCU refused to ease up as they battled FSU to a thrilling 72-71 OT victory, which set up their game with Kansas. The Jayhawks were the No. 2 team in the country, led by the Morris twins and Tyshawn Taylor. VCU convinced everyone from the get go that seeds and the school traditions were going to have no impact on this game, as they built an early 18-point lead. But with 13 minutes left in the second half, Kansas had come back to within just two points.
Most teams would have tightened up, but VCU, exhibiting the confidence of Coach Shaka Smart, buckled down and pulled away. Jamie Skeen led the way for the Rams as he dumped in 28 points, and Brandon Rozell hit four huge 3-pointers, helping VCU withstand the Kansas second-half comeback attempt. This team played with a certain chip on its shoulder, as they refused to listen to doubters along their journey to the Final Four. Although VCU fell two wins short of a championship, they thrilled fans along the way with their passion and never-say-die persona.