GW Hoops / The Best Team Of All Time?

**Posted by The Dude** 2/15/2023 1:09 am

2018 Villanova??? If Not 2018 Villanova who would you pick?

2018 Villanova #1 seed, won their Final 4 games by 16 (Kansas) and 17 points (Michigan) their 2nd Title in 3 years with the same core.

The team was just loaded with NBA Talent:

Mikal Bridges (1st round pick, 9th overall, NBA DPOY runner-up)
Jalen Brunson (2018 National player of The Year, averaging 24 points a game for The Knicks)
Josh Hart (1st round pick) (Sidwell Friends Product, leads all NBA Guards in rebounding)
Omari Spellman (1st round pick)
Donte DiVencenzo (1st round pick, 17th overall, started every game on 2021 NBA champion Bucks)
Collin Gillespie Denver Nuggets
Eric Paschall (A10 Rookie of The Year) (2020 NBA All Rookie 1st Team)

Last edited by The Dude (2/15/2023 1:29 am)

**Posted by Ralphie** 2/15/2023 2:28 am

Without doing loads of research to back it up with any really meaningful stats, I'd think one or more of the Alcindor/Walton era UCLA squads might qualify; '82-'84 era Ewing G'Town; Tark's UNLV squads those few years in the 90's; Michigan's Fab Five; Undefeated Bob Knight Indiana '76; MJ's mid 80's UNC squads with Worthy,Jones,etc.; Bill Russell's USF mid-50's champs with KC Jones, etc; Lucas-Havlicek OSU from circa 1960; Oscar's UC powerhouses from circa 1960. Best GW team of all time ? Joe Holup's 1956 juggernaut (check those stats); The Pops/ Mike Hall squad that got as high as #6 nationally in 2005-06ish; the 1992-3 Elite 8 squad that barely lost to the Fab Five

**Posted by DC Native** 2/15/2023 10:23 am

In my opinion, the best team in my basketball watching life was the 1990 UNLV team, which was upset in the Final Four by Duke. Before that game, they were undefeated, with an average margin of victory of +25 points. They had five NBA players on their roster, including Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthony. And they were really fun to watch. The previous year's team is still the last team from a non-major conference to win in all.

**Posted by The Dude** 2/15/2023 1:28 pm

Those are all good candidates.

One thing that always did stand out about those UNLV teams how good the NBA talent was on them but look at how much more is on Villanova!!

**Posted by porter71** 2/15/2023 2:06 pm

1996 Kentucky is probably at the top of the list by almost any criteria. They only have two losses on the season, won every game in the NCAA tournament pretty handily and had 9 players play in the NBA, including multiple first round picks.

**Posted by DC Native** 2/15/2023 3:41 pm

SB Nation has a list of the 50 best teams, the top 10 of which are:

1. UCLA 1972
2. Indiana 1976
3. Duke 1992
4. UNC 1982
5. NC State 1974
6. UCLA 1967
7. Kentucky 2012
8. UNLV 1991
9. San Francisco 1956
10. That school down the road 1985

I can't speak to the teams before the late 1980s, but to me the UNLV team was better than the more recent Duke and Kentucky teams, but I understand the UNLV team gets points off for not winning the championship. I still think some of the players on that team got paid to throw that game...

https://www.sbnation.com/c/college-basketball/22282391/mens-college-basketball-top-50-teams-all-time-ncaa

Of note is that GW is one of only two teams to beat No. 49 on the list, the 1996 UMass team.

Last edited by DC Native (2/15/2023 4:00 pm)

**Posted by The Dude** 2/15/2023 4:17 pm

Lot of good candidates

The 1996 Kentucky team is IMO the closest to the Villanova 2018 team

What separates Villanova in my view is that by 2018 most NBA bound players were leaving as Freshman, Villanova had an NBA team full of upperclassmen.

#2 the margin of victory, won every NCAA game by double digits won both Final 4 Games by at least 16 points vs Kansas and Michigan.

**Posted by The Dude** 2/15/2023 11:16 pm

45 points for Mikal Bridges tonight in a Brooklyn win

Brunson leads the Knicks to a win with 28 points - Having these 2 young stars as the face of the 2 NYC teams for years to come should further elevate the status of the 2018 Villanova 2 time championship team

**Posted by Skittles** 2/15/2023 11:25 pm

That Anthony Davis lead Kentucky team was filthy too. Lots of NBA talent on that freshmen squad

**Posted by Skittles** 2/16/2023 7:19 am

Skittles wrote:
That Anthony Davis lead Kentucky team was filthy too. Lots of NBA talent on that freshmen squad

Whoops, upon looking at that roster maybe Anthony Davis was just that good lol cause only like 3 other players made the nba and stayed in the nba for more than 2 years. Still a fun team

**Posted by The Dude** 2/16/2023 7:45 pm

That Kentucky team, yeah in the long run at the next level, mostly AD.

In terms of NBA success, hard to surprass MJ Worthy and Perkins from 1982 UNC

But in terms of a team full of NBA players, can anyone truly match 1996 Kentucky or 2018 Villanova???