Memorial Weekend Contest: Rank UK's 15 Most Accomplished Teams Using ESPN's System

Published on 05-26-2014 11:49 AM

2 Comments

In 2012 ESPN used a very objective system to rank college basketball's 50 best programs of the last 50 years. The system
rewarded teams for regular season success (roughly 26-28% of a year), NCAA Tournament/post season season success (52%)
and talent/All Americans/NBA draft picks on each respective team (20-22%).

Their ranking points were as follows:

Conference regular season title 5 points
Conference tourney title 3 points
Regular Season W/L% >80% 4 points
Regular Season W/L% 60%-79% 2 points
#1 Seed 2 points
NCAA Tournament appearance 1 point
Rd 32 loss 2 points
Sweet 16 loss 4 points
Elite 8 loss 10 points
Final 4 loss 15 points
Title Game loss 20 points
NCAA Title 25 points
NIT Title 1 point
Consensus 1st Team AA 3 points
Consensus 2nd Team AA 2 points
NBA Top 10 Draft pick (that season) 3 points

**ESPN gave 8 points if the Regular season conference champion did not have a conference tourney (assuming that team would
have won the tourney). ESPN also awarded 2 points to #1 Seed "level" teams before seeding started (a Final 4 AP Finish). This
ensured teams were not "cheated" in earlier eras.**

So....when picking your UK teams please remember the top 15 teams with the most points has to be terrific all season, do well
in the NCAA tourney (no team without at least an Elite 8 finish was in the rankings), have All Americans, AND Top draft picks.

When making your choices, pick #1, #2, #3, #4, etc...up to #15.

Darryl

28 Comments

Darrell KSR - 05-25-2014, 03:51 PM
- Reply
Darryl, for some of us, that might be too daunting of a task to do in our heads. Call us (me included), "the B List."

Maybe modify the contest for the B-listers and have us rate teams by 5-year or even decade-long components. Like rate the top 5 teams in this decade, per that formula. Or the top 3, or whatever.

I won't go back and look, as that would take the fun out of it, but it would be fun to guess on a small scale.

Darryl - 05-25-2014, 04:23 PM
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Darrell, some hints:

1. By Coaches:

A. Coach Rupp had 5 teams on the list

B. Coach Hall had 3 teams on the list

C. Eddie Sutton Had 1

D. Pitino had 3 teams on the list

E. Tubby had 1

F. Cal's had 2

There really are no surprises when one thinks about it.

Darryl

Darrell KSR - 05-25-2014, 04:26 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Darryl

Darrell, some hints:

1. By Coaches:

A. Coach Rupp had 5 teams on the list

B. Coach Hall had 3 teams on the list

C. Eddie Sutton Had 1

D. Pitino had 3 teams on the list

E. Tubby had 1

F. Cal's had 2

There really are no surprises when one thinks about it.

Darryl

That will help. I'lll take a stab at it later, but promise I won't look. I hope I don't embarrass myself too much (and I may).

Darrell KSR - 05-25-2014, 04:28 PM
- Reply
My work-in-progress (don't look below, folks--do your own work).

DON'T LOOK, PEOPLE.

I'm serious.

I will edit this later, just quickly...

Originally Posted by Darryl

Darrell, some hints:

1. By Coaches:

A. Coach Rupp had 5 teams on the list

B. Coach Hall had 3 teams on the list

* 1978 and 1975 have to be two of them.

C. Eddie Sutton Had 1

*Obviously 1988

D. Pitino had 3 teams on the list

*1996, *1997 and *1994? Let me think on that.

E. Tubby had 1

*1998

F. Cal's had 2

*2012, 2010

There really are no surprises when one thinks about it.

Darryl

Darryl - 05-25-2014, 09:48 PM
- Reply
2 Teams Tied For #14:

14. 1986 UK with 31 points: won SEC Reg Season, Won SECT, 88.9% W/L pct at 32-4, was a #1 Seed, lost in the Elite 8, one consensus
1st team All American (Kenny Walker), and had one Top 10 Draft Pick (Walker went #5 in the draft)

14. 1993 UK with 31 points: won SEC Tournament, 88.2% W/L pct at 30-4, was a #1 Seed, lost in the Final 4, had one consensus 1st team
All American (Mashburn), and had one Top 10 Draft Pick (Mash went #4 in draft)

Think of how great those teams were and we have had THIRTEEN teams with better seasons.

Darryl

Darryl - 05-25-2014, 09:58 PM
- Reply
2 teams tied for #12

12. 1997 UK with 36 points: won SECT, 87.5% at 35-5, was a #1 Seed, lost in the Title Game, had one consensus 1st team AA in Ron
Mercer, and had one top 10 draft pick (Mercer went #6)

12. 2010 UK with 36 points: won SEC Reg Season, won SECT, 92.1% at 35-3, was a #1 Seed, lost in the Elite 8, had one consensus 1st team
AA (Wall) AND one consensus 2nd team AA (Cousins) and had Two Top 10 draft picks (Wall at #1, Cousins at #5)

**One thing about 2010. When Syracuse and Kansas both lost in the NCAAT that year, most (including me), thought a title was imminent. HAD
that team won it all, it would have been one of the 3 most accomplished teams in NCAA history.

Darryl

Darryl - 05-25-2014, 10:04 PM
- Reply
2 teams tied for #10

10. 1966 UK with 37 points: won SEC Reg Season, was a #1 Seed (level) finishing #1 AP/UPI, 27-2 for 93.1%, lost in the title game and had
one consensus 2nd team AA in Dampier

10. 1975 UK with 37 points: won SEC Reg Season (tied), was a #1 Seed level, 26-5 for 83.9%, lost in the title game, and had one consensus 2nd team AA
in Kevin Grevey

Darryl

Darryl - 05-25-2014, 10:10 PM
- Reply
#9 was 1984 UK with 38 points: won SEC Reg Season, Won SECT, 29-5 for 85.3%, was a #1 Seed, lost in the Final 4, had one 2nd team consensus
AA in Turpin, and had 2 top draft picks in #2 Bowie and #6 Turpin

#8 was 1958 UK with 39 points: won SEC Reg Season, 23-6 for 79.3%, won NCAA Title, had one top 10 draft pick (Hatton was #9 in 2nd Round which
was still one of the first 10 players picked)

**When I was ranking the UK teams, both of these surprised me at how high they finished**

Darryl

Darryl - 05-25-2014, 10:16 PM
- Reply
2 teams tied for #6 All Time at UK

1951 UK with 40 points: won SEC Reg Season, 32-2 for 94.1%, was #1 Seed level at #1 in AP/UPI final polls, won NCAA title, had one consensus
1st team AA in Bill Spivey

1998 UK with 40 points: won SEC Reg Season, won SECT, 35-4 for 89.7%, won NCAA Title with no AA nor top 10 draft picks

Darryl

Darryl - 05-25-2014, 10:17 PM
- Reply
5 teams are left and all are among the greatest college teams ever. Guess the order....

Darryl

Krank - 05-26-2014, 04:42 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Darryl

5 teams are left and all are among the greatest college teams ever. Guess the order....

Darryl

Totally guessing (and honestly have read very little thread detail, including examining the formula)....

5. 1978
4. 1948
3. 1954
2. 2012
1. 1996

Darryl - 05-26-2014, 05:35 PM
- Reply
#5 1996 UK with 43 points: won SEC Regular Season, was #1 Seed, 34-2 for 94.4%, won NCAA title, had one consensus
1st team AA in Delk, and one top 10 draft pick (Antoine Walker)

**Remember, this is ESPN's system...by my system 1996 is not only the best UK team ever, it is the best college team ever!!

Darryl

Darryl - 05-26-2014, 05:37 PM
- Reply
#3 1978 UK with 47 points: won SEC regular season, was #1 Seed level (Final #1 in both AP/UPI), 30-2 for 93.8%, won NCAA title,
had two consensus 2nd team AA (Robey, Givens) and one top 10 draft pick in Robey

Darryl

CitizenBBN - 05-26-2014, 05:47 PM
- Reply
I thought 96 would slide a bit due to the draft/AA stuff, but not to #5.

OK, here's a shot:

#4 1978
#3 1948
#2 2012
#1 1949: won the title, the sec regular season, sec tourney, Groza was POY, Beard and Wah Wah were also consensus AA.

PS - shame 1954 isn't on this list, they deserve it

CitizenBBN - 05-26-2014, 05:48 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Darryl

#4 1978 UK with 47 points: won SEC regular season, was #1 Seed level (Final #1 in both AP/UPI), 30-2 for 93.8%, won NCAA title,
had two consensus 2nd team AA (Robey, Givens) and one top 10 draft pick in Robey

Darryl

Hey, I was typing before you posted! lol.

It's the AA/draft stuff that really separates the top teams in that ranking system.

Darryl - 05-26-2014, 05:53 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by CitizenBBN

I thought 96 would slide a bit due to the draft/AA stuff, but not to #5.

OK, here's a shot:

#4 1978
#3 1948
#2 2012
#1 1949: won the title, the sec regular season, sec tourney, Groza was POY, Beard and Wah Wah were also consensus AA.

PS - shame 1954 isn't on this list, they deserve it

Stay tuned on your selections.....

1954 had everything but got ZERO points for the NCAA snub (cost them 26 points). Finished with 22 points.

Darryl

Darryl - 05-26-2014, 05:58 PM
- Reply
My bad.....#3 was 1978 with 47 points

#4 was 1948 UK with 45 points: won SEC Regular season, won SECT, 36-3 for 92.3%, was #1 Seed level, won NCAA title, had one
consensus 1st team AA in Beard, and one consensus 2nd team AA in Groza. Was actually penalized because most of
stars were underclassmen and had zero 1st round picks

Darryl

TheFabFueder - 05-26-2014, 06:00 PM
- Reply
Where would Tubby's 2003 team have been?

CitizenBBN - 05-26-2014, 06:03 PM
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What I don't know about 49 is how the draft part works out. That could put 2012 at the top.

Darryl - 05-26-2014, 06:04 PM
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#2 was 2012 UK with 48 points: won SEC Regular Season, was #1 Seed, was 38-2 for 95%, won NCAA tournament, had
one consensus 1st team AA in Davis, had one consensus 2nd team AA in MKG, had two Top 10 draft picks (Davis, MKG).

**In this ranking system (actually ANY system that tries to separate the very best teams ever) losing the conference tourney
title will cause some damage to that final "awe" factor positioning. Great, great teams win EVERYTHING. They don't take time
off versus anyone.

Darryl

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