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  4. title => "The Ultimate Men's NCAA Tournament Bracket: Who is the best team of all-time? Play-in Round"
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  6. article_body => "<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/ncaa\/ultimate-mens-ncaa-tournament-bracket-who-best-team-all-time-first-round\">The Play-in Round has concluded, here is the latest bracket<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There's no March Madness this year. No brackets, no Cinderella stories and certainly no national champion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That doesn't mean, though, that we can't use this time to wisely pick&nbsp;the best Men's NCAA Tournament team&nbsp;of all-time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There have been several memorable teams throughout the course of the 80-plus year history of the NCAA Tournament. The UCLA teams of the 1960s and 1970s before, after and during Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Houston's Phi Slama Jama in the 1980s, UNLV in the early 1990s and many more; they all were phenomenal. Some won championships, some did not.<\/p>\n<p>But which iconic team is the best? No one will know for certain because they'll never lace up on the same court together. So the fairest and undoubtedly best way to determine a champion is to create a bracket. And to let the fans vote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>How it works:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Twenty teams were selected for the ultimate tournament bracket. Teams that had multi-year runs or championships were lumped together for simplicity's sake if the team's make-up was relatively similar. There also could not be more than two teams from the same year in consideration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Notable recent teams with dominant rosters and performances from the 2000s were included. Those teams were given a bump over some other all-time great champions from the past 20 years&nbsp;compare to historically good squads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Teams were ranked No. 1 through 20 based on their performances, players and coach. Teams moved up an additional ranking spot if they won a championship (or two).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Voting for the play-in will take place on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nbcswashington\">NBCSWashington's Twitter<\/a> on Monday, April 6 for 24 hours. The subsequent rounds will be on Wednesday, April 8; Friday, April 10; Monday, April 13 and the championship on Wednesday, April 15.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udfc0 Ultimate. Tournament. Bracket.<br><br>We broke down the best teams over the NCAA tournament&#39;s 80+ year history and put them into a bracket. Who advances? You decide.<br><br>READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MS59Q5mye7\">https:\/\/t.co\/MS59Q5mye7<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSWashington\/status\/1247265777046024192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n \n<p>Teams will advance to the next round based on seeding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>ULTIMATE NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>#1 UCLA Bruins (1967-69)<br>#16 Houston Cougars (1967-68) vs. #17 Kansas Jayhawks (2007-08)<\/p>\n<p>#8 Kentucky Wildcats (2012)&nbsp;<br>#9 UCLA Bruins (1964-65)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>#4 San Francisco Dons (1955-56)&nbsp;<br>#13 Virginia Cavaliers (2019) vs. #20 Maryland Terrapins (2001-02)<\/p>\n<p>#5 Villanova Wildcats (2018)<br>#12 Indiana Hoosiers (1975-76)<\/p>\n<p><br>&nbsp;<br>#3 UCLA Bruins (1972-73)<br>#14 Loyola Marymount (1990) vs. #19 Kentucky Wildcats (2010)<\/p>\n<p>#6 Duke Blue Devils (1991-92)&nbsp;<br>#11 Ohio State Buckeyes (1960-61)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>#7 Houston Cougars (1982-84)&nbsp;<br>#10 Kentucky Wildcats (2015)&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>#2 UNLV Running Rebels (1990-91)<br>#15 Georgetown Hoyas (1984-85) vs. #18 North Carolina Tar Heels (2016-17)<\/p>\n<h2><strong>PLAY-IN ROUND<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>#13 Virginia Cavaliers (2019) vs. #20 Maryland Terrapins (2001-02)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>2019 Virginia Cavaliers<\/strong> (35-3, 16-2 ACC) - National Championship, ACC Regular Season Champion<br><br><strong>Top Players:<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>DeAndre Hunter, Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>Tony Bennett<br><strong>Wrap:<\/strong> Fresh off the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history as the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/ncaa\/virginia-comes-back-historic-upset-against-umbc-win-ncaa-tournament\">Cavaliers got redemption<\/a> by winning the 2019 title. Their three NBA first-rounders returned and rolled through a loaded ACC and won a championship off their stifling defense.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>2001-02 Maryland Terrapins <\/strong>(57-15, 25-7 ACC Combined) - National Championship, ACC Regular Season Champion, 2 Final Fours<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top Players: <\/strong>Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, Steve Blake<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>Gary Williams<br><strong>Wrap:<\/strong> The 2001 and 2002 Terps were easily the best two seasons in Maryland's history. In back-to-back seasons they made the Final Four, with the second resulting in&nbsp;a national championship. As the game and tournament have grown, that is not easy to do. Williams did it in two seasons with another talent-filled ACC.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">PLAY-IN ROUND<br><br>#13 Virginia Cavaliers (2019)<br>vs<br>#20 Maryland Terrapins (2001-02)<\/p>&mdash; NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSWashington\/status\/1247265784293986305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<br \/>\n<h3><strong>#14 Loyola Marymount (1990) vs. #19 Kentucky Wildcats (2010)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>1990 Loyola Marymount <\/strong>(26-6, 13-1 WCC) - Elite Eight, WCC Regular Season Champion<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top Players:<\/strong> Bo Kimble, Jeff Fryer, Hank Gathers<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>Paul Westhead<br><strong>Wrap: <\/strong>Loyola Marymount is known for the best offenses&nbsp;ever in college basketball. The Lions, led by future NBA first-round pick Bo Kimble, averaged 122.4 points per game on the season and was a must-see fixture in the tournament. They dropped 149 points, an NCAA Tournament record, against Michigan, but would go on to lose to the eventual champion UNLV 131-101 in the Elite Eight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>2010 Kentucky Wildcats<\/strong> (35-3, 14-2 SEC) - Elite Eight, SEC Regular Season Champion, SEC Tournament Champion<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top Players:<\/strong> John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Peterson, Eric Bledsoe<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>John Calipari<br><strong>Wrap:&nbsp;<\/strong>In John Calipari's first season with the Wildcats, he quickly returned Kentucky to a national powerhouse. With John Wall as the face of the team, Kentucky started off 19-0 and was a freight train of young talent. Eventually, they were upended by West Virginia in the Elite Eight, but there is no denying the talent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">PLAY-IN ROUND<br><br>#14 Loyola Marymount (1990)<br>vs<br>#19 Kentucky Wildcats (2010)<\/p>&mdash; NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSWashington\/status\/1247265787469008900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<br \/>\n<h3><strong>#15 Georgetown Hoyas (1984-85) vs. #18 North Carolina Tar Heels (2016-17)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>1984-85 Georgetown Hoyas<\/strong> (69-6, 28-4 Big East Combined) - National Champion, 2 Final Fours, 2 Big East Tournament Championships, Big East Regular Season Champion<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top Players:<\/strong> Patrick Ewing, David Wingate, Michael Jackson, Reggie Williams<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>John Thompson II<br><strong>Wrap:&nbsp;<\/strong>Georgetown was only eight points away from a perfect season in 1984. Four NBA stars made them one of the roughest, toughest and baddest teams in all of the country and Patrick Ewing was at the forefront with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks a game. In the championship, they ended&nbsp;the Phi Slama Jama era of Houston basketball. The next season they made the championship game again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2016-17 North Carolina Tar Heels<\/strong>&nbsp;(66-14, 28-8&nbsp;ACC Combined) - National Champion, Runner up, ACC Tournament Champion, 2x ACC Regular Season Champion<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top Players:<\/strong> Justin Jackson, Joel Berry II, Kennedy Meeks<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>Roy Williams<br><strong>Wrap: <\/strong>Despite losing the championship on a buzzer-beater and Brice Johnson, going to the NBA after the 2016 season, UNC put it all together again in 2017. In an era of one-and-done, Williams put together a masterful core of four-year players that had them as the class of the sport.<\/p>\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">PLAY-IN ROUND<br><br>#15 Georgetown Hoyas (1984-85)<br>vs<br>#18 North Carolina Tar Heels (2016-17)<\/p>&mdash; NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSWashington\/status\/1247265790023393280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<br \/>\n<h3><strong>#16 Houston Cougars (1967-68) vs. #17 Kansas Jayhawks (2007-08)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>1967-68&nbsp;Houston Cougars<\/strong>&nbsp;(58-6, Independent Combined) - 2 Final Fours<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top Players:<\/strong> Elvin Hayes, Don Chaney, Ken Spain<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>Guy Lewis<br><strong>Wrap: <\/strong>There were few teams in the late 1960s and early 1970s to beat the UCLA Bruins and the Elvin Hayes-led Cougars were one of them. Houston toppled UCLA in \"The Game of the Century\" in 1968 as the first nationally televised regular-season game.&nbsp;&nbsp;But in the rematch during the tournament, they lost to the Bruins and also lost in the third-place game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2007-08 Kansas Jayhawks<\/strong>&nbsp;(70\u20138,&nbsp;27\u20135&nbsp;Big 12 Combined) - National Champion, 2 Elite Eights, 2 Big 12 Tournament Championships, 2 Big12 Regular Season Championships<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top Players:<\/strong> Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush<br><strong>Head Coach: <\/strong>Bill Self<br><strong>Wrap: <\/strong>Kansas made history in 2008 by becoming the first team to ever win 37 games in a season. In the tournament, they rolled through some fan-favorites, including Steph Curry's Davidson team, Tyler Hansbrough's North Carolina team and Derrick Rose's Memphis team.<\/p>\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">PLAY-IN ROUND<br><br>#16 Houston Cougars (1967-68)<br>vs <br>#17 Kansas Jayhawks (2007-08)<\/p>&mdash; NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSWashington\/status\/1247265791818510345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n \n"
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NCAA

NCAA

The Play-in Round has concluded, here is the latest bracket.

There's no March Madness this year. No brackets, no Cinderella stories and certainly no national champion. 

That doesn't mean, though, that we can't use this time to wisely pick the best Men's NCAA Tournament team of all-time. 

There have been several memorable teams throughout the course of the 80-plus year history of the NCAA Tournament. The UCLA teams of the 1960s and 1970s before, after and during Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Houston's Phi Slama Jama in the 1980s, UNLV in the early 1990s and many more; they all were phenomenal. Some won championships, some did not.

But which iconic team is the best? No one will know for certain because they'll never lace up on the same court together. So the fairest and undoubtedly best way to determine a champion is to create a bracket. And to let the fans vote. 

How it works:

Twenty teams were selected for the ultimate tournament bracket. Teams that had multi-year runs or championships were lumped together for simplicity's sake if the team's make-up was relatively similar. There also could not be more than two teams from the same year in consideration. 

Notable recent teams with dominant rosters and performances from the 2000s were included. Those teams were given a bump over some other all-time great champions from the past 20 years compare to historically good squads. 

 

Teams were ranked No. 1 through 20 based on their performances, players and coach. Teams moved up an additional ranking spot if they won a championship (or two). 

Voting for the play-in will take place on NBCSWashington's Twitter on Monday, April 6 for 24 hours. The subsequent rounds will be on Wednesday, April 8; Friday, April 10; Monday, April 13 and the championship on Wednesday, April 15.

Teams will advance to the next round based on seeding. 

ULTIMATE NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET

#1 UCLA Bruins (1967-69)
#16 Houston Cougars (1967-68) vs. #17 Kansas Jayhawks (2007-08)

#8 Kentucky Wildcats (2012) 
#9 UCLA Bruins (1964-65)

 

#4 San Francisco Dons (1955-56) 
#13 Virginia Cavaliers (2019) vs. #20 Maryland Terrapins (2001-02)

#5 Villanova Wildcats (2018)
#12 Indiana Hoosiers (1975-76)


 
#3 UCLA Bruins (1972-73)
#14 Loyola Marymount (1990) vs. #19 Kentucky Wildcats (2010)

#6 Duke Blue Devils (1991-92) 
#11 Ohio State Buckeyes (1960-61)

 

#7 Houston Cougars (1982-84) 
#10 Kentucky Wildcats (2015) 

#2 UNLV Running Rebels (1990-91)
#15 Georgetown Hoyas (1984-85) vs. #18 North Carolina Tar Heels (2016-17)

PLAY-IN ROUND

#13 Virginia Cavaliers (2019) vs. #20 Maryland Terrapins (2001-02)

2019 Virginia Cavaliers (35-3, 16-2 ACC) - National Championship, ACC Regular Season Champion

Top Players: DeAndre Hunter, Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome
Head Coach: Tony Bennett
Wrap: Fresh off the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history as the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, the Cavaliers got redemption by winning the 2019 title. Their three NBA first-rounders returned and rolled through a loaded ACC and won a championship off their stifling defense. 

2001-02 Maryland Terrapins (57-15, 25-7 ACC Combined) - National Championship, ACC Regular Season Champion, 2 Final Fours

Top Players: Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, Steve Blake
Head Coach: Gary Williams
Wrap: The 2001 and 2002 Terps were easily the best two seasons in Maryland's history. In back-to-back seasons they made the Final Four, with the second resulting in a national championship. As the game and tournament have grown, that is not easy to do. Williams did it in two seasons with another talent-filled ACC. 


#14 Loyola Marymount (1990) vs. #19 Kentucky Wildcats (2010)

1990 Loyola Marymount (26-6, 13-1 WCC) - Elite Eight, WCC Regular Season Champion

Top Players: Bo Kimble, Jeff Fryer, Hank Gathers
Head Coach: Paul Westhead
Wrap: Loyola Marymount is known for the best offenses ever in college basketball. The Lions, led by future NBA first-round pick Bo Kimble, averaged 122.4 points per game on the season and was a must-see fixture in the tournament. They dropped 149 points, an NCAA Tournament record, against Michigan, but would go on to lose to the eventual champion UNLV 131-101 in the Elite Eight. 

2010 Kentucky Wildcats (35-3, 14-2 SEC) - Elite Eight, SEC Regular Season Champion, SEC Tournament Champion

Top Players: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Peterson, Eric Bledsoe
Head Coach: John Calipari
Wrap: In John Calipari's first season with the Wildcats, he quickly returned Kentucky to a national powerhouse. With John Wall as the face of the team, Kentucky started off 19-0 and was a freight train of young talent. Eventually, they were upended by West Virginia in the Elite Eight, but there is no denying the talent. 

 


#15 Georgetown Hoyas (1984-85) vs. #18 North Carolina Tar Heels (2016-17)

1984-85 Georgetown Hoyas (69-6, 28-4 Big East Combined) - National Champion, 2 Final Fours, 2 Big East Tournament Championships, Big East Regular Season Champion

Top Players: Patrick Ewing, David Wingate, Michael Jackson, Reggie Williams
Head Coach: John Thompson II
Wrap: Georgetown was only eight points away from a perfect season in 1984. Four NBA stars made them one of the roughest, toughest and baddest teams in all of the country and Patrick Ewing was at the forefront with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks a game. In the championship, they ended the Phi Slama Jama era of Houston basketball. The next season they made the championship game again.

2016-17 North Carolina Tar Heels (66-14, 28-8 ACC Combined) - National Champion, Runner up, ACC Tournament Champion, 2x ACC Regular Season Champion

Top Players: Justin Jackson, Joel Berry II, Kennedy Meeks
Head Coach: Roy Williams
Wrap: Despite losing the championship on a buzzer-beater and Brice Johnson, going to the NBA after the 2016 season, UNC put it all together again in 2017. In an era of one-and-done, Williams put together a masterful core of four-year players that had them as the class of the sport.


#16 Houston Cougars (1967-68) vs. #17 Kansas Jayhawks (2007-08)

1967-68 Houston Cougars (58-6, Independent Combined) - 2 Final Fours

Top Players: Elvin Hayes, Don Chaney, Ken Spain
Head Coach: Guy Lewis
Wrap: There were few teams in the late 1960s and early 1970s to beat the UCLA Bruins and the Elvin Hayes-led Cougars were one of them. Houston toppled UCLA in "The Game of the Century" in 1968 as the first nationally televised regular-season game.  But in the rematch during the tournament, they lost to the Bruins and also lost in the third-place game.

2007-08 Kansas Jayhawks (70–8, 27–5 Big 12 Combined) - National Champion, 2 Elite Eights, 2 Big 12 Tournament Championships, 2 Big12 Regular Season Championships

Top Players: Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush
Head Coach: Bill Self
Wrap: Kansas made history in 2008 by becoming the first team to ever win 37 games in a season. In the tournament, they rolled through some fan-favorites, including Steph Curry's Davidson team, Tyler Hansbrough's North Carolina team and Derrick Rose's Memphis team.