Over more than 80 years of the NCAA tournament era of men’s college basketball, there have been some incredible squads. With legendary coaches and future NBA Hall of Famers, these are the best college hoops teams ever.
10. 1974-76 Indiana Hoosiers: (98.4 winning percentage)
Indiana boasts a 63-1 record, one national championship, and two Elite Eights. Some argue that 1990-93 Indiana was better than 1974-76 Indiana. But the latter had a better winning percentage. Bob Knight’s 1974-75 Hoosiers went 31–1 (18–0 Big Ten), and 1975-1976 went 32–0 (18–0 Big Ten). Two-season arcs don’t get much better than this one.
9. 1989-92 UNLV Rebels: (92.2 winning percentage)
UNLV boasts a 95-8 record, one national championship, and two Final Fours. The Runnin’ Rebels were a No. 5 seed or better in nine consecutive NCAA tournaments. Their 1986-87 campaign ended in the Final Four with a 37-2 record. In 1990, they demolished Duke 103-73 in the title game. They spent 1991 ranked No. 1 but lost to Duke.
8. 2014-18 Villanova Wildcats: (89.5 winning percentage)
Villanova boasts a 136-16 record, with two national championships over three seasons. They had a four-season stretch with an average of 34 wins. They set the record for most wins in a four-year span. During the 2017-18 season, the Wildcats were nearly unstoppable on offense. They won each of their NCAA tournament games by a double-digit margin.
7. 1991-99 Kentucky Wildcats: (85.1 winning percentage)
Kentucky boasts a 246-43 record, two national championships, four Final Fours, and seven Elite Eights. Rick Pitino built a dynasty in the 1990s and handed it off to Tubby Smith. The Wildcats ranked No. 11 or better in the AP poll for 127 consecutive weeks over eight seasons. During those years, Kentucky had a platoon of future NBA players.
6. 1957-63 Cincinnati Bearcats: (91.0 winning percentage)
Cincinnati boasts a 161-16 record, two national championships, and five consecutive Final Fours. Only two other teams made four consecutive trips to the Final Four, UCLA (1967-76) and Duke (1988-92). For six seasons, Cincinnati dominated, led by Oscar Robertson. After his graduation, the Bearcats became more unbeatable, winning it all in 1961 and 1962, and nearly pulled off a three-peat.
5. 2001-18 Kansas Jayhawks: (82.5 winning percentage)
Kansas boasts a 510-108 record, one national championship, five Final Fours, and 14 consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles. For 17 seasons, the Jayhawks were truly a dynasty. In all 17 years, they finished in the Top 17 of the AP poll. Kansas earned a No. 4 seed or better in the NCAA tournament, including nine No. 1 seeds.
4. 1980-98 North Carolina Tar Heels: (80.4 winning percentage)
North Carolina boasts a 506-123 record, two national championships, and seven Final Fours. The Tar Heels finished in the Top Eight of the AP poll 15 times, at the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in 14 of those NCAA tournaments. For many years, coach Dean Smith had at least four future NBA players on his roster in any season.
3. 1943-59 Kentucky Wildcats: (89.0 winning percentage)
Kentucky boasts a 395-49 record, with four national championships. The Wildcats had strong seasons from 1945-46 through 1953-54, going 241-20 (92.3 winning percentage), including seven undefeated seasons in conference play. This includes a combined record of 92-2 against SEC teams. Kentucky had an average victory margin of 27 points per game in both 1951-52 and 1953-54.
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2. 1985-Present Duke Blue Devils: (80.5 winning percentage)
Duke boasts a 1,001-243 record, five national championships, and 12 Final Fours. Duke was ranked No. 1 in the nation for at least one week in 20 of the last 35 years, with eight seasons at No. 1. They won national championships in 1991 and 1992. During the 1998-99, Duke had the best single season in men’s college basketball history.
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1. 1963-75 UCLA Bruins: (93.8 winning percentage)
UCLA boasts a 335-22 record, ten national championships, and four undefeated seasons. Coach John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins won 10 titles and had an 88-game winning streak. But the Bruins also went 205-5 during that seven-year stretch. A big factor was also Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). From his sophomore year on, UCLA won the national championship for seven straight years.Â
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