Choose any combination of categories (victories, national team records, winning streaks, final Top 20 or 25 polls, total of All-Americans, conference championships, etc.) and one basketball program has consistently stood above them all. It's the University of Kentucky, which is ranked #1 by CollegeHoopedia.com as the all-time premier basketball school! However, excellence and Kentucky didn't co-exist at the beginning.

Basketball at UK reportedly started in 1903 when W.W.H. Mustaine called together some students, took up a collection totaling $3 for a ball and told them to start playing. There was no official coach the first seven seasons when managers guided the squad to a 21-35 record (.375). Centre (KY), the state power in the early years, defeated Kentucky (87-17 in 1909-10) and Louisville (61-7 in 1919-20) by more than 50 points, handing each perennial power its most lopsided loss in history.

Believe it or not, the mighty Wildcats lost their first six games against Georgetown. And the 'Cats didn't have Hoya Paranoia. The nemesis was Georgetown College (KY), not Georgetown University (DC).

At the time, Lexington wasn't the place to be. Eleven of Kentucky's first 13 coaches through 1927 coached just one campaign. But in-state Georgetown was whipped by the Wildcats, 67-19, in legendary coach Adolph Rupp's college debut in 1930. Rupp's first two seasons as Kentucky's coach were the Wildcats' last two years as a member of the Southern Conference before they joined the SEC. His salary was $2,800 in 1930-31 and $3,000 in 1931-32. Current coach John Calipari probably earns that much per tweet.

Over the decades, UK's program evolved to the pressure point that, buttressed by so many loyal supporters, it seems as if it is managed by three million "coaches." Although Kentucky was late in embracing African-American players and boasts a booster culture of suspect off-the-court shenanigans, it is difficult for any program to measure up to the success enjoyed by the Wildcats' fans in Big Blue Heaven since an inauspicious start.

In the aftermath of Kentucky's eighth NCAA championship, it seems like an appropriate time for a history lesson acknowledging the following timeline capturing the Wildcats' illustrious history since the introduction of national postseason competition in the late 1930s:

1937-38: Joe Hagan's 48-foot shot with 12 seconds remaining enabled Kentucky to edge Marquette, 35-33. Showing the state's obsession with hoops success after the game, Gov. Happy Chandler pounded a nail into the floor to mark the spot of the decisive shot. Hagan went to Kentucky to play football, tried out for the basketball team uninvited by coach Adolph Rupp and was captain of the Wildcats' 1937 football squad.

1939-40: Kentucky began a streak of 19 consecutive victories over Vanderbilt that ended in 1951.

1941-42: Kentucky lost to Notre Dame for the seventh consecutive time, including the last four years by an average of three points. UK's first game in an NCAA Tournament resulted in a 46-44 verdict over Big Ten titlist Illinois. Wildcats forward Ermal Allen, who scored 10 points in two playoff games, went on to intercept four passes as a defensive back for Cleveland (AAFC) in 1947 before becoming a longtime assistant coach and front office staff member of the Dallas Cowboys. Allen competed in the pros under coach Paul Brown after playing football in college under Paul "Bear" Bryant. Forget about Butler's bumbling and stumbling last year because Kentucky's output in a 47-28 loss to Dartmouth in the national semifinals is an all-time Final Four-low.

1943-44: Kentucky freshman center Bob Brannum was an NCAA consensus first-team All-American. He was one of three UK freshmen named to the SEC's All-Tournament first team. Eventual champion Utah entered the NCAA Tournament through the back door after losing to Kentucky in the first round of the NIT.

1944-45: In a gigantic mismatch, Kentucky overwhelmed Arkansas State, 75-6, although Alex Groza, the Wildcats' standout freshman center, did not play in the game. Groza led Kentucky to an 11-0 start with an average of 16.5 points per game before he was inducted into the Army.

1945-46: Kentucky (28-2) captured the NIT in coach Adolph Rupp's 16th of 41 seasons with the Wildcats. Rhode Island's Ernie Calverley was named NIT Most Valuable Player although Kentucky freshman Ralph Beard outscored him, 13-8, when UK won the final, 46-45. Beard had played freshman football for the Wildcats, starting three games at fullback behind quarterback George Blanda.

1946-47: Utah won the NIT as 5-8 Wat Misaka restricted unanimous first-team All-American Ralph Beard to one point in a 49-45 triumph over Kentucky in the championship game. Kentucky standout center Alex Groza saw limited action in the SEC Tournament because of a back injury, but the Wildcats cruised to victories over Vanderbilt (98-29), Auburn (84-18), Georgia Tech (75-53) and Tulane (55-38). The all-tourney team (considered the All-SEC team that season) included five Wildcats on the first five - forwards Jack Tingle and Joe Holland, center Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones and guards Ken Rollins and Beard. Sophomores Beard and Groza are the only set of underclassmen teammates named NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans in the same year since the start of the NCAA Tournament. Tingle, a four-time All-SEC selection, died in 1958 at the age of 33 because of cancer. A reason UK may have failed to repeat as NIT champion was Converse All-American guard Jack Parkinson was serving in the U.S. Air Force.

1947-48: Kentucky's winningest team in school history (36-3 record despite a mid-season stretch featuring 10 road contests in a 12-game span) had an excessive amount of maturity since Ken Rollins, Alex Groza, Dale Barnstable, Jim Line and Cliff Barker were World War II service veterans. Barker, a defensive specialist, was in a German prisoner-of-war camp for 16 months after the Army crewman's B-17 was shot down in Europe. He improved his ballhandling skills by filling idle time in prison camp bouncing and passing a volleyball, the only ball he could find. Kentucky's victory total set an NCAA record that stood for 39 years until 1987. Guard Jack Parkinson, a former All-American, didn't participate in the playoffs for the Wildcats because he was a fourth-year varsity player.

1948-49: Kentucky, unbeaten in SEC competition for the third consecutive season en route to becoming the first school to win more than 30 games overall in three consecutive campaigns, finished sixth nationally in both team offense and defense to successfuly defend its NCAA crown. Wildcats coach Adolph Rupp needed every single one of the victories to finish one win ahead of Harold Anderson (248 with Toledo and Bowling Green State) for most triumphs in the decade. The UK trio comprised of Ralph Beard, Alex Groza and Wah Wah Jones were All-Americans for the third straight year. Despite returning seven of his top eight scorers from an NCAA titlist, Rupp experimented with the Wildcats' lineup until he achieved the chemistry he sought. Cliff Barker was moved from forward to guard and forward Dale Barnstable also played some guard. After an early-season defeat to St. Louis on a last-second tip-in, Kentucky won all of its games until bowing in the NIT to eventual finalist Loyola of Chicago. A couple of years later, Groza, Beard and Barnstable admitted in sworn testimony that they accepted $1,500 in bribes to throw the NIT game against Loyola. There was also testimony that bribes from gamblers were accepted to shave points in other contests. Each received a suspended sentence in return for cooperating with federal officials and were banned by the NBA. Beard, who appeared on the cover of the very first issue of Sports Illustrated, and Groza are the only two of the 10 players who started the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 not to be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Beard admits to taking $700, but not even the gambler, a student who sat on Kentucky's bench, said Beard agreed to shave points. "It's like I told the grand jury," Beard said. "I said, `I would like to know what constitutes guilt. If taking money constitutes guilt, I'm guilty. But if influencing the point spread constitutes guilt, I'm as innocent as anybody ever was.' I was too selfish as a player, too proud of who I was, to ever play less than my best."

1949-50: Kentucky claimed its seventh consecutive SEC Tournament title. The Wildcats sustained just 15 defeats a five-year span. Georgia's 71-60 success over UK was the Bulldogs' lone victory in a 31-game stretch of their series from 1940 through 1966. The Wildcats (25-5) were embarrassed by CCNY, 89-50, in their NIT opener.

1950-51: The only regular-season defeat for NCAA champion-to-be Kentucky was against St. Louis (43-42) in the opening round of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The Wildcats also bowed to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament final (61-57) at Louisville although the championship trophy already had "Kentucky" engraved on it. A scandal surrounding college basketball had not yet focused intensely on Kentucky when the Wildcats captured their third NCAA title in four years. The Wildcats were the only NCAA champion to have six players finish the season with scoring averages higher than nine points per game until UCLA duplicated the feat in 1995.

1951-52: Kentucky boasted three of the five-man All-SEC AP first-team selections for the third time in four seasons. UK first-team All-American Cliff Hagan established SEC Tournament records for most points in a single game (42 against Tennessee) and in an entire tourney (110 in four games). Kentucky (29-3), the first school to lead the nation in scoring with an average of more than 80 points per game (82.3), claimed its ninth consecutive SEC regular-season title. The Wildcats' two regular-season defeats were in non-league play (61-57 at Minnesota and 61-60 vs. St. Louis in the Sugar Bowl final in New Orleans). It was the third time in four years for SLU to defeat a top-ranked Kentucky club. No other school beat the Wildcats more than twice in an eight-season stretch from 1946-47 through 1954-55. Kentucky humiliated St. John's by 41 points (81-40) early in the season when the Catholic institution became the first to have a black player on the floor at Lexington, Ky. Solly Walker played only a few minutes. St. John's, sparked by center Bob Zawoluk's 32 points, avenged the rout by eliminating the Wildcats (64-57) in the East Regional, ending their 23-game winning streak.

1952-53: Kentucky was barred from playing a competitive schedule as the result of an NCAA ruling regarding improper payments to players.

1953-54: Undefeated Kentucky finished among the top 10 in team offense and won at least 25 games for the eighth consecutive season that it participated in. Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey combined for 43.6 points per game and either one or both of them led the Wildcats in scoring in each of their 25 contests. "I am the leader of my team," Rupp said. "I know how to win. The players will do it my way, or they won't do it for me." After a one-year schedule boycott, Kentucky's undefeated squad declined a bid to the NCAA playoffs because its three fifth-year (postgraduate) stars - Cliff Hagan, Frank Ramsey and Lou Tsioropoulos - were ineligible. The Wildcats defeated national champion-to-be La Salle by 13 points in the UK Invitation Tournament final on their way to being ranked 1st by AP and 2nd by UPI. UK had just two games tighter than a 12-point decision (77-71 over Xavier and 63-56 over Louisiana State). Sandwiched between those two contests were 16 victories by an average margin of 33.7 points.

1954-55: David slew Goliath twice in a 23-day period. Kentucky's NCAA-record 129-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Georgia Tech, 59-58, on January 8. Tech guard Joe Helms scored a game-high 23 points, including a one-handed, 12-footer with 11 seconds remaining to end the Wildcats' 54-game regular-season winning streak and 16-year unbeaten streak at home in the SEC. The Jackets, 2-22 the previous season and 22-73 the previous four years, had lost to Sewanee (TN), 67-66, one game prior to venturing to Lexington, where they had lost 10 times during UK's streak by an average margin of 35 points. Later in January, Tech became the first team to twice defeat Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp in the same season, leading the Wildcats all the way in a 65-59 decision. Georgia Tech, coached by Whack Hyder, used only five players in both upsets after losing its previous 28 games to UK. Despite the pair of setbacks to a team that finished with a losing record (12-13 with homecourt defeats against SEC foes after both UK victories), Rupp improved his career mark to 520-86 (85.8 winning percentage) as the Wildcats went 23-3.

1955-56: Alabama's squad, dominated by Midwest recruits who didn't survive tryouts to receive scholarships from Notre Dame, became the first opponent to score 100 points against Kentucky. The 20-6 Wildcats, the SEC's representative to the NCAA Tournament, were whipped by 24 points (101-77 in the Massacre in Montgomery) as 'Bama went on a 27-2 second-half spurt en route to finishing the season with 16 consecutive victories. It was Alabama's lone victory over UK in a 23-game stretch of their series from 1943 through 1963. UK's Bob Burrow (34 in a loss to Temple) set a school single-game rebounding record.

1956-57: Mississippi State's Jim Ashmore (28.3) and Bailey Howell (25.9), the first set of teammates in NCAA history to average more than 25 points per game in a single season, combined for 61 points in MSU's first victory over Kentucky in 33 years (89-81) as the Wildcats missed their first 13 field-goal attempts. UK, ranked No. 3 entering the NCAA tourney, blew a 12-point halftime lead at home in an 80-68 setback to Michigan State in the Mideast Regional final. It was only the Wildcats' fifth defeat on their homecourt since 1943. They compiled a modest .500 record (4-4) in NCAA playoff competition between national titles in 1951 and 1958.

1957-58: Would Kentucky's storied "Fiddlin' Five," a team equaling the most defeats (six) of any Wildcats squad in the previous 15 seasons, snared the title if it didn't enjoy a home-state edge throughout the playoffs (Mideast Regional at Lexington and Final Four at Louisville)? A highly-partisan crowd give them an emotional lift in the national semifinals when they trailed Temple by four points and the Owls had the ball with less than a minute and half remaining. UK benefitted from a sub-par performance by Seattle's Elgin Baylor in the national final, where he went 9 for 32 from the floor. Baylor was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player although the award could have gone to UK's Johnny Cox, who collected 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 61-60 victory over Temple and 24 points and 16 rebounds in an 84-72 triumph over Seattle. Cox, a 6-4 forward, is the shortest player to lead an NCAA Tournament champion in rebounding (12.6 per game) since the NCAA began keeping rebounding statistics in the early 1950s. Kentucky center Ed Beck (5.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg) is the only championship team member averaging more than five points per game to also post a rebounds-per-game average at least twice as high as his scoring.

1958-59: Forward Johnny Cox was Kentucky's only All-SEC AP first-team selection in a four-year span from 1956-57 through 1959-60. Second-ranked UK (24-3) hit less than one-third of its field-goal attempts in blowing a 15-point lead and absorbing a 76-61 setback against Louisville (19-12) in the Mideast Regional semifinals. The Wildcats' other two defeats were by a minimum of eight points at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. Kentucky clobbered Marquette, 98-69, in the Mideast consolation game to become the first school to win at least one game in five consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

1959-60: Kentucky's streak of 20-win seasons ended at 14 when the Wildcats finished with an 18-7 record after losing two of their last four games by a total of three points. Excluding the 1952-53 campaign when the Wildcats were banned by the NCAA from competing, it was the first time they didn't finish among the top 10 in a final wire-service poll. It was also the first time they lost more than twice to SEC opponents (10-4) in regular-season competition since 1940.

1960-61: Louisiana State posted a losing record (11-14), but the Tigers managed their lone victory over Kentucky (73-59) in the first 36 games of their series from 1933 to 1972. UK (19-9) incurred four two-point defeats in a nine-game, mid-season span. Ohio State's Jerry Lucas outrebounded Kentucky by himself when he retrieved a tourney-high 30 missed shots in an 87-74 triumph over the Wildcats in the Mideast Regional final.

1961-62: Scotty Baesler, the former mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, represented Kentucky's Sixth District in the U.S. House of Representatives before running for governor in 1994. He scored a total of 13 points in four NCAA Tournament games for the Wildcats' Mideast Regional runners-up in 1961 and 1962.

1962-63: Kentucky's streak of consecutive season-opener victories ended at 34 when the Wildcats bowed to visiting Virginia Tech, 80-77. Dean Smith, in his second year as North Carolina's coach, won at Kentucky, 68-66. The 12th victory of his career came against UK legend Adolph Rupp, who was bypassed by Smith as the all-time winningest major-college coach 34 seasons later.

1963-64: Kentucky's five starters had an average height of a modest 6-3 1/2, but they each grabbed more than 10 rebounds when the Wildcats established an NCAA single-game record by retrieving 108 missed shots in a 102-59 mauling of Mississippi. All-American Cotton Nash tied his career high by hauling down 30 rebounds, the most ever by a UK player against a Southeastern Conference opponent. Kentucky, ranked No. 3 by UPI and No. 4 by AP entering the NCAA tourney, dropped its opener to Ohio University, 85-69, when the Wildcats fell behind by 16 points at intermission.

1964-65: Florida defeated Kentucky, 84-68, for the Gators' first victory over the Wildcats since 1934. Florida lost 18 games to Kentucky in that span. UK also was defeated by St. Louis for the fifth time in six seasons, 80-75, although the Billikens' average record in that span was just 16-11.

1965-66: Texas Western, featuring an all-black starting lineup with three players 6-1 or shorter in the NCAA final, stunned top-ranked and all-white Kentucky (72-65). Junior college transfer Bobby Joe Hill, one of the Miners' tiny trio, converted steals into layups on consecutive trips down the floor by flustered Kentucky guards to give them a lead they never relinquished. Six of Kentucky's top 11 scorers 12 years later in 1978 when the Wildcats captured the NCAA title were black athletes. Larry Conley, a starting forward for UK national coach of the year Adolph Rupp, didn't eventually achieve the name recognition of Dick Vitale. But Conley was the other hoops analyst with ESPN from the cable network's inception.

1966-67: Kentucky, despite returning its top three scorers from an NCAA finalist, suffered its only non-winning record in coach Adolph Rupp's 41 seasons at the helm when the Wildcats went 13-13. They were 8-10 in league competition for their only losing SEC mark in history until UK duplicated that record under Eddie Sutton in 1988-89. Kentucky's defeats included a 92-77 setback to visiting Cornell, the only Ivy League team to beat the Wildcats since 1942. Adding insult to injury for UK was that 37 of Cornell's points were scored by junior guard Gregg Morris, the first African-American to be honored with an All-Ivy first-team selection. The Cornell contest was one of a school-record seven homecourt defeats for Kentucky. Georgia's 49-40 success over UK was the Bulldogs' lone victory in a 29-game stretch of their series from 1950 through 1971. Bigotry was costly to the 'Cats as in-state African-Americans Butch Beard (Louisville), [Clem Haskins](coaches/clem-haskins) (Western Kentucky) and Wes Unseld (Louisville) were All-Americans who combined for 61.8 points and 38.2 rebounds per game.

1967-68: Kentucky boasted more All-Americans than any school in the 20th Century. But a player who never earned A-A status set the school record for most points in his first varsity game. He is guard Mike Casey, who debuted with 28 at Michigan. Unranked Ohio State won at fifth-ranked Kentucky, 82-81, in the Mideast Regional final on Dave Sorenson's short bank shot with three seconds remaining. The Wildcats hadn't loss at home all season.

1968-69: Kentucky became the first school to win 1,000 games.

1969-70: Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (64) and Kentucky's Dan Issel (51) each scored more than 50 points in the same game when the Wildcats won, 121-105. It was one of eight times in Issel's senior season that he scored at least 40 to help Kentucky become the most prolific scoring team in SEC history (96.8 points per game). Issel set a school single-season scoring record with 33.9 ppg. Teammate Mike Pratt, an All-SEC first-team forward, went on to coach UNC Charlotte for four seasons from 1978-79 through 1981-82. UK, after absorbing just one regular-season defeat (at Vanderbilt), was ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the tourney although starting guard Mike Casey missed the entire campaign because of injuries suffered in an auto accident. But UK lost to eventual NCAA Tournament runner-up Jacksonville, 106-100, in the Mideast Regional final. Casey was the Wildcats' leading scorer as a sophomore in 1967-68 with 20 points per game and their second-leading scorer as a junior the next year with a 19.1-point average.

1970-71: Senior forward Larry Steele, an All-SEC second-team selection, coached the University of Portland for seven seasons from 1987-88 through 1993-94. Tom Payne, who broke the color barrier at Kentucky, led the Wildcats in rebounding (10.1 rpg) and was their second-leading scorer (16.9 ppg) in his only varsity season before turning pro. The All-SEC first-team selection had a 39-point, 19-rebound performance vs. Louisiana State. Payne, the son of an Army sergeant, went from pioneer to pariah in the wake of incurring rape convictions in three states (Georgia, Kentucky and California). Some might contend that his view is a convenient crutch. But after growing up in the integrated atmosphere of Army bases, he says that the racism he experienced during his one tumultuous season with UK led him to detest white people and abuse women. Threatening phone calls, broken car windows and eggs smashed on his front door became routine. "That's the kind of abuse I went through," Payne said. "And people think that's not supposed to affect you? Before I went to college, nothing in my life said I was going to be a criminal. My whole life took a turn going to UK and getting damaged so much. My anger and hatred toward white society came up, and I lashed out."

1971-72: Adolph Rupp, called the "Baron of the Bluegrass," retired after a 41-year coaching career with a 875-190 record. Rupp won four NCAA Tournament championships but had a losing NCAA playoff record (10-12) after capturing his last national title in 1958. "Every boy who puts on a Kentucky uniform just plays a little better than he would in one of another color," Rupp said. Rupp's final game was a 73-54 defeat against Florida State in the Mideast Regional final. Reminiscent of the 1966 NCAA title contest against Texas Western, UK started an all-white lineup while FSU's starters all were black. In a subplot, FSU coach Hugh Durham and three of his players (Ron King, Otto Petty and Larry Gay) were Kentucky natives who had been largely ignored by "The Baron." Rupp sustained eight regional final losses from 1952 through 1972 by an average margin of 10 points. He also incurred a national quarterfinal reversal in 1945 when the first round of the eight-team event was identified as the regional semifinals. Six of Rupp's first seven "field of eight" defeats were against Big Ten Conference teams, including Ohio State four times.

1972-73: In Joe B. Hall's first season at the helm, Kentucky captured its sixth consecutive SEC regular-season championship. Mississippi lost 39 straight games to UK in their series until Ole Miss prevailed, 61-58.

1973-74: Ted Owens-coached Kansas (23-7), the nation's most-improved team, posted its only victory over Kentucky (71-63) in the first 17 meetings of their series from 1950-51 through 1984-85. UK (13-13) didn't participate in a national postseason tournament for the only time in a 21-year span from 1968 through 1988. Rick Pitino, who led Massachusetts in assists with 6.5 per game, would later coach the Wildcats to the 1996 NCAA title.

1974-75: Indiana, undefeated entering the tourney (29-0), lost the Mideast Regional final against Kentucky (92-90) despite Kent Benson's 33 points and tourney-high 23 rebounds. Kentucky prevailed despite 6-of-19 field-goal shooting by leading scorer Kevin Grevey. UK guards Jimmy Dan Conner and Mike Flynn combined to outscore Indiana counterparts Quinn Buckner and Bobby Wilkerson, 39-22. It was IU's only setback in a 68-game stretch from March 15, 1974, until December 1, 1976. Incredibly, Final Four Most Outstanding Players-to-be Jack Givens of Kentucky and Butch Lee of Marquette were blanked in the same game in their freshman season when Kentucky mauled Marquette, 76-54, in the Mideast Regional. UK finished national runner-up after entering the tourney with an 11-13 NCAA playoff record in its first 11 appearances after capturing the 1958 title. Kentucky had four regulars shoot better than 50% from the floor during the campaign - forward Kevin Grevey, guard Jimmy Dan Conner, and centers Rick Robey and Mike Phillips. If only they combined to hit 44.2% of their field-goal attempts instead of 36.5% (19 of 52) in the championship game, the Wildcats could have defeated UCLA rather than losing 92-85.

1975-76: Kentucky (20-10) won the NIT title after finishing in a tie for fourth place in the SEC. The Wildcats probably would have participated in the NCAA Tournament instead of the NIT if forward-center Rick Robey didn't miss more than half of the season because of a knee injury. Georgia defeated UK, 81-76, for the Bulldogs' lone victory in a 21-game stretch of their series from 1972 through 1982.

1976-77: Guard Truman Claytor, who averaged a modest 6.6 points per game, erupted for a game-high 29 points in Kentucky's 93-78 triumph over Virginia Military in the East Regional semifinals.

1977-78: Jack Givens sank 18 of 27 field-goal attempts against Duke's zone defense and scored Kentucky's last 16 points of the first half en route to a 41-point performance in a 94-88 triumph in the final. Givens and three different teammates comprised the four different players to lead Kentucky in scoring in the four previous tourney games. It marked the vaunted Wildcats' lone NCAA championship in a 37-year span from 1959 through 1995. The basketball gods might have preordained the title as a tribute to former UK coach Adolph Rupp, who passed away early in the season (December 11, 1977). Neither of Kentucky's top two point producers - Givens or Rick Robey - led the Wildcats in scoring in any of their first three playoff victories propelling them to the Final Four.

1978-79: Kentucky (19-12 record) incurred its first second-division finish in the SEC (6th place) since the league's inaugural season in 1932-33 before losing at home in the first round of the NIT to Clemson before an NIT single-game attendance record of 23,522 spectators. The Wildcats bowed three times to Tennessee by an average of 11.3 points.

1979-80: Kentucky All-American guard Kyle Macy, a three-time All-SEC first-team selection after transferring from Purdue, eventually coached Morehead State for nine seasons from 1997-98 through 2005-06.

1980-81: Kentucky defeated eventual NCAA champion Indiana but Louisiana State became the first SEC member other than UK in 28 years to reach the Final Four.

1981-82: Mississippi, managing its first winning SEC record in 22 years (11-7), posted the Rebels' lone victory over Kentucky in a 28-game stretch of their series from 1975 through 1986. Middle Tennessee State (seeded No. 11) overcame an early 8-0 deficit to defeat the Wildcats (#6), 50-44, in the first round of the Mideast Regional. Missing center Sam Bowie (leg injury), no UK player scored more than eight points.

1982-83: The first meeting between in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville in more than 24 years was memorable as the Cardinals outscored the Wildcats 18-6 in overtime in the Mideast Regional final to reach the Final Four. Kentucky (23-8) might have prevailed if center Sam Bowie didn't miss a second season because of a leg injury.

1983-84: In the first regular-season meeting in 61 years between in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville, the Wildcats whipped the Cardinals, 65-44. Later, Kentucky's Melvin Turpin tied a SEC Tournament record with 42 points against Georgia. UK finished among the Top 10 in a final wire-service poll for the seventh time in the last 10 years under coach Joe B. Hall. UK's Sam Bowie became the only player ever to return to All-American status after being a medical redshirt. Georgetown, leading the nation in field-goal percentage defense (39.5%), exhibited its tenacity in the national semifinals when they harassed Kentucky into shooting a dismal 9.1% in the second half (3 of 33) en route to a 53-40 victory. Georgetown's Michael Jackson, a 6-1 guard averaging 1.4 rebounds per game entering the Final Four, retrieved 10 missed shots against UK's formidable frontline to help the Hoyas overcome a seven-point halftime deficit. The Wildcats went 13 minutes in one stretch without a basket.

1985-86: Eddie Sutton, guiding Kentucky to more than 30 victories for the first time in 20 seasons, became the first individual to be named national coach of the year for two different schools since wire services began issuing such awards in the mid-1950s. He captured the honor in back-to-back seasons with Arkansas in the late 1970s. First-team All-American Kenny Walker hit all 11 of his field-goal attempts in a 71-64 victory over Western Kentucky in the second round of the Southeast Regional. Walker was the game-high scorer in all four of the Wildcats' playoff contests this year and supplied the team-high total in each of their seven tourney assignments over the last two seasons. He is the only player to be the game-high scorer in back-to-back NCAA contests between schools from the same conference (vs. Alabama and Louisiana State).

1986-87: Ohio State defeated Kentucky for the fifth time in as many NCAA playoff matchups.

1987-88: Kentucky became the fourth different SEC school in four years to have its NCAA Tournament participation vacated. The previous SEC offenders were Georgia '85, Alabama '87 and Florida '87.

1988-89: Kentucky's NCAA-record streak of consecutive non-losing seasons was stopped at 60 when the Wildcats compiled a 13-19 mark in Eddie Sutton's last year as their coach. They lost their home opener, 85-82, to a rag-tag squad from Northwestern (LA) State that finished the campaign with a 13-16 mark. The following indiscretions left UK's program in turmoil: (1) Chris Mills transferred to Arizona in the wake of a Los Angeles newspaper reporting that Emery Worldwide employees had discovered $1,000 in an accidentally opened package sent to Mills' father by Wildcats assistant Dwane Casey. Teammate LeRon Ellis, another product from California, transferred to Syracuse; (2) prize recruit Shawn Kemp, a Proposition 48 casualty, dropped out of school after an alleged theft, and (3) starter Eric Manuel's ACT score was questioned when it doubled from the second time he took the test to the third. Manuel eventually transferred.

1989-90: Kentucky had eight different players hit a three-point basket in a 104-73 victory over Furman on December 19, 1989. Four days later, Kentucky (53) and Southwestern Louisiana (31) combined for 84 three-point field-goal attempts when USL upset UK, 116-113. The Wildcats averaged an NCAA-record 28.9 three-point attempts per game during the season.

1990-91: UK was on NCAA probation.

1991-92: Duke's Christian Laettner hit a dramatic decisive last-second shot against Kentucky in overtime after receiving a long inbounds pass in the East Regional final. The game is acknowledged as one of the most suspenseful in NCAA history. UK coach Rick Pitino was criticized in some quarters for leaving Grant Hill unguarded for his approximate 80-foot pass to Laettner with 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime. Swingman John Pelphrey, averaging more than 12 points per game for the third straight season, went on to become coach at South Alabama and Arkansas. Teammate Sean Woods eventually coached Mississippi Valley State in the NCAA playoffs.

1992-93: Kentucky's longest All-American drought (four years) since World War II ended when Wildcats forward Jamal Mashburn was honored. Junior guard Travis Ford of the Final Four-bound Wildcats was their leader in assists (4.9 apg), steals (1.6 spg), field-goal percentage (52.7%) and free-throw percentage (88.1%). He went on to become coach at Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts and Oklahoma State.

1993-94: Kentucky tied an NCAA record by overcoming a 31-point, second-half deficit in a 99-95 victory at Louisiana State. The Wildcats trailed 68-37 with 15 1/2 minutes remaining before rallying. Neither Kentucky, North Carolina nor UCLA won at least two playoff games for the first time in 31 tournaments. Arkansas became the first SEC member other than Kentucky ever to win a Final Four game.

1994-95: A school-record 11 blocked shots by freshman center Samaki Walker helped Louisville nip Kentucky, 88-86, for the Cardinals' first victory over the Wildcats since 1989.

1995-96: Kentucky became the first SEC team in 40 years to go undefeated in league regular-season competition. The Wildcats won all but one of their regular-season SEC games by double digits but lost in the SEC Tournament final to Mississippi State. UK quickly regrouped, however, and the Big Blue showed clearly in the NCAA playoffs that it was the nation's premier team. Kentucky's dominance in the Midwest Regional led some observers to again believe the Wildcats were untouchable, but two rugged games at the Final Four revealed that the principal difference between the Wildcats and the remainder of the field was roster depth brimming with high school All-Americans. UK, entering the Final Four with an opportunity to become the first NCAA kingpin to win all of its playoff games by at least 20 points, won both Final Four games by a single-digit margin. Freshman Ron Mercer gave Kentucky a big boost with 20 points in the final after scoring just four points in the regional. The Wildcats won the final despite shooting 38% from the floor, the lowest for a winner in 33 years. Kentucky's Tony Delk tied a championship game record with seven three-pointers. "I want us to play mother-in-law defense: constant nagging and harassment," said UK coach Rick Pitino.

1996-97: Coach Pitino departed of his own volition after the season to return to the NBA. Pitino averaged 30 victories annually his last six years with the Wildcats. All-American Ron Mercer (18.1 ppg) had the lowest SEC-leading scoring average since Vanderbilt's Billy Joe Adcock posted a 17.2 mark in 1947-48. South Carolina's 68-66 success at Kentucky snapped the Wildcats' streak of winning on Senior Day at 32. UK might have been better able to combat Arizona's athleticism on the perimeter in the NCAA final if guard Jeff Sheppard didn't sit out the season as a redshirt.

1997-98: Old Miss posted its first victory at Kentucky in 71 years, 73-64, en route to the Rebels' only finish in a final wire-service Top 20 poll in the 20th Century. Kentucky and Utah reached the NCAA final although neither team had a player named a first-, second- or third-team All-American on the AP honor squad. No team ever had rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to win the NCAA championship game until Kentucky erased Utah's 41-31 edge at intermission. The Utes had built their halftime cushion by outrebounding UK, 24-6, but they ran out of gas and missed 11 consecutive field-goal attempts in the last five minutes. The Wildcats also benefited from an experienced roster that combined for 49 points and 21 rebounds in a title-game defeat to Arizona the previous year. Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard scored a career-high 27 points against Stanford in a national semifinal overtime victory. Teammate Nazr Mohammed, a center who shed more than 60 pounds since attending high school, scored 17 second-half points against Stanford to help erase his 0-for-6 free-throw shooting in the 1997 final vs. Arizona. Wayne Turner had a splendid assist-to-turnover ratio during the playoffs and helped the "Rally Cats" come back from a 17-point deficit with 9 1/2 minutes remaining to beat Duke, 86-84, in the South Regional final. Kentucky not only had a new coach in Tubby Smith, but its roster was without a couple of outstanding players (Ron Mercer and Antoine Walker) who could have been eligible if they hadn't left early for the NBA. UK was 33-0 when leading with two minutes remaining.

1998-99: Tennessee swept Kentucky in SEC competition for the first time in 20 years. The defending NCAA champion Wildcats lost to Michigan State in the Midwest Regional final.

1999-2000: Kentucky became the first school to win 1,500 games despite scoring fewer than 70 points in each of its first five contests of the season. Louisville hit just one of its first 22 second-half field-goal attempts in a 76-46 debacle at UK.

2000-01: Kentucky became the first school to crack the 100-win plateau in national postseason competition. UK cut a 21-point second-half deficit to one before faltering against USC in the East Regional when All-American Tayshaun Prince didn't produce a field goal in the second half.

2001-02: Prince rebounded with a 41-point outburst in a second-round victory over Tulsa. In SEC play, Georgia posted its first victory at Kentucky in 17 years.

2002-03: Kentucky became the first SEC team in 50 years to go undefeated in league competition before winning the conference tourney. Marquette's Dwyane Wade posted a triple double (29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) when the Golden Eagles ended Kentucky's 26-game winning streak, 83-69, in the Midwest Regional final.

2005-06: Vanderbilt won at Kentucky for the first time in 32 years, 57-52, en route to sweeping the Wildcats in SEC regular-season competition for the first time in the same time frame. The Wildcats failed to have an AP first- or second-team All-SEC selection for the first time other than 1952-53 when they didn't compete intercollegiately because of problems with the NCAA.

2006-07: Kentucky (22-12 record) might have fared better in the NCAA playoffs if guard Rajon Rondo had exercised his remaining eligibility instead of defecting to the NBA.

2007-08: Coach Billy Gillispie got off to a rugged start with Kentucky, losing at home to Gardner-Webb by 16 points. The season could have been a major disaster if the Wildcats didn't win eight games by fewer than seven points.

2008-09: Jody Meeks set a school single-game scoring record with 54 points at Tennessee.

2009-10: Guard John Wall was an NCAA consensus first-team All-American as Kentucky became the first school to have five players (all undergraduates) selected in the first round of the NBA draft. They helped the Wildcats become the first school to reach the 2,000-win plateau.

2010-11: UK, after losing five SEC road assignments in a 10-game span by a total of 11 points, reached the Final Four before losing to eventual NCAA champion Connecticut by one point.

2011-12: Kentucky's well-balanced attack, featuring six players averaging from 9.9 to 14.2 points per game, enabled the Wildcats to become the first NCAA Tournament kingpin to have five different players pace the team in scoring during the playoffs. Anthony Davis, who set an NCAA freshman record for most blocked shots, became unanimous national player of the year despite posting the lowest scoring average (14.2 ppg) for a POY since the award was introduced in 1955.

If this type of authoritative and comprehensive information from a national perspective is akin to "Big Blue Heaven" for you, then we encourage you to take a stroll down memory lane by assessing CollegeHoopedia.com's season-by-season highlights. You might also wnat to see where Rupp and Calipari rank among the all-time top 100 coaches.

Similar to the vast majority of player recruits, it's blatantly absurd to proclaim a new head coach ready for the NCAA Division I level because of his last name. There simply are no guarantees that Florida International will halt its streak of 12 losing seasons (none with more than 13 wins) because Richard Pitino, son of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, assumed control of the Golden Panthers' program with a six-year contract.

The only things we can reasonably be assured about is that Richard should register a higher winning percentage than his predecessor (Isiah Thomas/.286) and the Pitino clan could move into the all-time top 10 of father-son coaching combinations for most victories. Daddy Pitino boasts 629 victories, including two when he was an interim coach for Hawaii in 1975-76, en route to his sixth Final Four this year. If son Richard, a three-year assistant under his father, averages about 20 victories annually for 30 campaigns, they even have a shot at moving atop the father-son list.

But keep in mind that only two sons of former coaches with a minimum of 200 triumphs have posted more victories than their dads - Tim Floyd and Dan Monson. At the start of the 2012-13 season, the Pitinos will rank 15th on the following list of all-time winningest father-son head coaching combos in NCAA history (more than 600 victories):

1. Suttons (1,091-514 record through 2011-12, .680)
Father: Eddie Sutton (Creighton/Arkansas/Kentucky/Oklahoma State/San Francisco 1970-89, 1991-2006 and 2008, 802-323 in 37 years, .713)
Son: Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts 2000-12; 250-162 in first 13 years, .607)
Son: Sean Sutton (Oklahoma State 2007 & '08; 39-29 in two years, .574)

2. Meyers (1,023-565, .644)
Father: Ray Meyer (DePaul 1943-84; 724-354 record in 42 years, .672)
Son: Tom Meyer (Illinois-Chicago 1978-83; 77-86 in six years, .472)
Son: Joey Meyer (DePaul 1985-97; 222-125 in 12 years, .640)

3. Ibas (1,006-582, .634)
Father: Hank Iba (Northwest Missouri State/Colorado/Oklahoma State 1930-70; 767-338 in 41 years, .694)
Son: Moe Iba (Memphis State/Nebraska/Texas Christian 1967-70, 81-86, 88-94; 239-244 in 17 years, .495)

4. Knights (972-447 through 2011-12, .685)
Father: Bob Knight (Army/Indiana/Texas Tech 1966-2008; 899-374 in 42 years, .706)
Son: Pat Knight (Texas Tech/Lamar 2008-12; 73-73 in first five years, .500)

5. Bartows (929-549 through 2011-12, .629)
Father: Gene Bartow (Central Missouri State/Valparaiso/Memphis State/Illinois/UCLA/UAB 1962-77 and 1979-96; 647-353 in 34 years, .647)
Son: Murry Bartow (UAB/East Tennessee State 1997-2002 and 2004-12; 282-196 in first 15 years, .590)

6. Driesells (890-512 through 2011-12, .635)
Father: Lefty Driesell (Davidson/Maryland/James Madison/Georgia State 1961-86 and 1989-2003; 786-394 in 41 years, .666) Son: Chuck Driesell (Marymount/The Citadel 1998-2003, 2011 and 2012; 104-118 in first seven years, .468)

7. Thompsons (857-385 through 2011-12, .690)
Father: John Thompson Jr. (Georgetown 1973-99; 596-239 in 27 years, .714)
Son: John Thompson III (Princeton/Georgetown 2001-12; 252-124 in first 12 years, .670)
Son: Ronny Thompson (Ball State 2007; 9-22 in one year, .290)

8. Drews (838-575 through 2011-12, .593)
Father: Homer Drew (Bethel, IN/Ind.-South Bend/Valparaiso 1977-2002 and 2004-11; 639-428 in 34 years, .599)
Son: Bryce Drew (Valparaiso 2012; 22-12 in first year, .647)
Son: Scott Drew (Valparaiso/Baylor 2003-12; 177-135 in first 10 years, .567)

9. Diddles (815-382, .681)
Father: Ed Diddle Sr. (Western Kentucky 1923-64; 759-302 in 42 years, .715)
Son: Ed Diddle Jr. (Middle Tennessee State 1957-62; 56-80 in six years, .412)

10. Moirs (768-438 through 2011-12, .637)
Father: Charlie Moir (Roanoke/Tulane/Virginia Tech 1968-87; 392-196 in 20 years, .667)
Son: Page Moir (Roanoke 1990-2012; 376-242 in first 23 years, .608)

11. van Breda Kolffs (686-427, .616)
Father: Butch van Breda Kolff (Lafayette/Hofstra/Princeton/New Orleans 1952-67, 78-79, 85-94; 482-272 in 28 years, .639)
Son: Jan van Breda Kolff (Cornell/Vanderbilt/Pepperdine/St. Bonaventure 1992-2003; 204-155 in 12 years, .568)

12. Harshmans (679-524, .564)
Father: Marv Harshman (Pacific Lutheran/Washington State/Washington 1946-85; 653-450 in 40 years, .592)
Son: Dave Harshman (Pacific Lutheran 2003-06; 26-74 in four years, .260)

13. Davis (671-411, .620)
Father: Tom Davis (Lafayette/Boston College/Stanford/Iowa/Drake 1972-99 and 2004-07, 597-356 in 32 years, .626)
Son: Keno Davis (Drake/Providence 2008-11; 74-55 in four years prior to hiring by Central Michigan, .574)

14. Durhams (641-450, .588)
Father: Hugh Durham (Florida State/Georgia/Jacksonville 1967-95 and 1998-2005; 634-430 in 37 years, .596)
Son: Doug Durham (Georgia Southern 1995; 7-20 in one year, .259)

15. Floyds (614-354 through 2011-12, .634)
Father: Lee Floyd (Southern Mississippi 1950-54 and 1963-71; 246-147 in 14 years, .626)
Son: Tim Floyd (Idaho/New Orleans/Iowa State/Southern California/Texas-El Paso 1987-98 and 2006-12; 368-207 in first 18 years, .640)

16. Bennetts (611-381 through 2011-12, .616)
Father: Dick Bennett (UW-Stevens Point/Wisconsin-Milwaukee/Wisconsin/Washington State 1977-2001 and 2004-06; 489-307 in 28 years, .614)
Son: Tony Bennett (Washington State/Virginia 2007-12; 122-74 in first six years, .622)

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." - Desmond Tutu

At first glance, it seems somewhat ridiculous for a power conference school such as Indiana to offer a scholarship to an eighth-grader (Eron Gordon). But that is before examining his family tree. His father, Eric Sr., averaged 14.1 points per game with Liberty from 1981-82 through 1983-84, leading the Flames in scoring as a senior with 18.1 ppg before the school moved up to the NCAA Division I level later in the decade. Oldest brother Eric Jr. led the Big Ten Conference in scoring as a freshman All-American in his lone season with IU in 2007-08 before moving on to the NBA. Older brother Evan was named to the Big South Conference All-Freshman team with Liberty in 2009-10 before becoming an all-league second-team selection as a sophomore prior to transferring to Arizona State. If Eron lives up to billing, the Gordons could become one of the most influential families in college basketball history.

In the meantime, hoopdom's "Focus on the Family" will concentrate on the Plumlees and Grants. If youngest brother Marshall Plumlee, a redshirt this past season, improves as much as Duke siblings Mason and Miles, they could combine with their father, former Tennessee Tech frontcourter Perky, to comprise one of most dynamic family units. Mason is expected to become the Blue Devils' go-to plumb line to keep them on the straight and narrow next season after forgoing leaving school early for the NBA. The following legacy list is likely to change next year because of Grant's Army after former Oklahoma All-American Harvey Grant had a third son sign with a major school - Jerai (Clemson), Jerian (Notre Dame) and Jerami (Syracuse signee).

Who are 10 of the top nuclear-power families? The "HoopDaddys" comprised of college players who had at least three sons also go on to compete in a significant way at a similar level include:

BARRY BARRY GOOD
1. Barry - Father Rick Barry, a first-team All-American as a senior when he led the nation in scoring, averaged 29.8 ppg and 16.5 rpg for Miami (FL) from 1962-63 through 1964-65. Son Scooter averaged 3.3 ppg for Kansas' 1988 NCAA titlist before leading the Jayhawks with 5.7 apg the next season. Son Jon, a junior college transfer, averaged 14.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 4.5 apg for Pacific and Georgia Tech in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Son Brent averaged 12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 3.3 apg for Oregon State from 1991-92 through 1994-95. Son Drew, an All-ACC second-team selection as a senior, averaged 10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 6.2 apg for Georgia Tech from 1992-93 through 1995-96, leading the ACC in assists each of his last three seasons. Son Canyon, a redshirt freshman with the College of Charleston in 2012-13, shoots free throws underhanded like his famous father. Jon, an All-ACC third-team selection as a junior in 1991-92, and Brent, an All-Pacific-10 Conference choice as a senior, were late bloomers who went on to have productive NBA careers. Rick, Jon and Brent were NBA first-round draft choices while Drew was a second-round pick. Bruce Hale, Rick's father-in-law and a Santa Clara alumnus, coached him at Miami (FL) after playing five years in the NBA.

WALTON MOUNTAIN GANG
2. Walton - Father Bill Walton, a three-time national player of the year, averaged 20.3 ppg and 15.7 rpg for UCLA from 1971-72 through 1973-74. Son Adam lettered with LSU before incurring a rest-of-season suspension in Dale Brown's final year as coach in 1996-97 and subsequently transferring to a small college in California. Son Nate was an All-Ivy League first-team selection for Princeton as a senior in 2000-01, becoming the fourth player in school history with two seasons of at least 100 assists. Son Luke, a two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference choice, averaged 9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 4.5 apg for Arizona from 1999-2000 through 2002-03. Son Chris finished among the top 15 in the Mountain West Conference in assists and rebounding as a junior in 2003-04 for San Diego State, finishing his four-year career with averages of 5.1 ppg and 3.4 rpg.

PRICE IS RIGHT CONTROL
3. Price - Father Dennis Price, an All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection as a junior, averaged 10.9 ppg for Oklahoma from 1957-58 through 1959-60. Son Mark, a three-time All-ACC first-team selection and All-American, averaged 17.4 ppg and 4 apg for Georgia Tech from 1982-83 through 1985-86. Son Matt scored 23 points in 18 games as a freshman for Appalachian State in 1984-85. Son Brent, an All-Big Eight Conference first-team selection as a senior, averaged 18 ppg and 5.8 apg for Oklahoma in 1990-91 and 1991-92 after transferring from South Carolina, where he averaged 12.6 ppg and 3.5 apg in 1987-88 and 1988-89.

HIGH ON HAARLOW
4. Haarlow - Father Bill Haarlow Jr., a three-time All-Western Conference selection for the University of Chicago from 1933-34 through 1935-36, was the league's third-leading scorer as a sophomore (9.9 ppg), leading scorer as a junior (13) and second-leading scorer as a senior (12.6). He had three sons play for Princeton in the 1960s - A. William III averaged 10.8 ppg and 5 rpg in 1962-63, Bob averaged 8.5 ppg and 4.4 rpg from 1963-64 through 1965-66 (second-leading scorer for the Tigers' 1965 Final Four team as a teammate of All-American Bill Bradley) and John averaged 12.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg from 1965-66 through 1967-68 (All-Ivy League second-team selection as a junior). With Bill Jr. cited on CollegeHoopedia.com's comprehensive list of all-time All-Americans, the Haarlows might have been the initial most impactful family on the sport.

PATERNO INFLUENCE
5. Paterno - Father Bill Paterno averaged 3.4 ppg with St. Francis (N.Y.) in 1948-49 and 1949-50 after scoring 18 points in nine games in 1947-48. Son Billy averaged 9.8 ppg and 4.7 rpg for Notre Dame from 1973-74 through 1976-77 under coach Digger Phelps, finishing team runner-up in scoring to All-American Adrian Dantley as a sophomore with 13.3 ppg. Son Mike averaged 3.1 ppg for Monmouth in 1987-88. Son Joe averaged 14.6 ppg and 5.1 rpg with Fordham from 1985-86 through 1988-89, leading the Rams in scoring in three seasons and finishing his career as their all-time second-leading scorer. Son Steve averaged 10.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg with Marist from 1987-88 through 1990-91, leading the Red Foxes in scoring as a junior before finishing runner-up as a senior.

TOASTING THE RAIVIOS
6. Raivio - Father Rick Raivio, a three-time All-WCAC selection who led Portland in field-goal shooting all four seasons, finished as the Pilots' all-time leading rebounder (910/9.4 rpg) while averaging 17.2 ppg before becoming a fifth-round draft choice by the Los Angeles Lakers. Son Derek, the WCC co-player of the year as a senior (18 ppg and nation-leading 96.1 FT%), averaged 11.5 ppg and 2.8 apg while shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc from 2003-04 through 2006-07 with Gonzaga en route to becoming the #2 all-time free-throw shooter in DI history (92.7%). Son Nik, a J.C. recruit, was an All-WCC selection as a junior with Portland in 2008-09 when he averaged 16 ppg and 6.5 rpg before heading overseas to play professionally after finishing his Pilots' career with 14.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg. Son Matt was averaging 11.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg for Simon Fraser (Vancouver) in mid-season in 2011-12 after transferring from Santa Rosa (CA) JC.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
7. Pollard - Father Pearl Pollard (6-9), a second-team All-Skyline Conference choice as a senior, averaged 10.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg for Utah from 1956-57 through 1958-59 with three national postseason tournament teams, leading the Utes in scoring and rebounding as a senior. Son Carl, 7-2, played briefly for BYU as a freshman in 1983-84 before redshirting in 1984-85, going on a two-year Mormon mission and transferring with a brother to Southern California, where he didn't play prior to competing with Southern Utah in 1989-90 and averaging 1.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg. Son Alan, 6-9, averaged 5.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg while splitting four seasons between Brigham Young and USC from 1984-85 through 1988-89, leading BYU in rebounding as a freshman. Son Mark, 6-11, played briefly for San Diego State in 1990-91 before also leaving at the same time with a brother. Son Neal, 7-0, redshirted at San Diego State in 1988-89 before going on a Mormon mission to New England, playing three games with the Aztecs in 1991-92 and transferring to Utah State, where he didn't play. Son Scot, 6-11, averaged 9.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 1.7 bpg for four Kansas teams reaching NCAA playoff regional semifinals from 1993-94 through 1996-97 before becoming an NBA first-round draft choice.

CAN'T FOIL THE DOYLES
8. Doyle - Father Dan Doyle averaged 13.7 ppg and 12.2 rpg for Belmont Abbey (N.C.) in his four-year career. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in 5th round of 1961 NBA draft (44th pick overall) after pacing Al McGuire-coached teams in scoring average his final three seasons and rebounding as a junior and senior. Son Danny averaged 7.4 ppg and 2.1 rpg with Iona from 1989-90 through 1993-94, leading the Gaels in assists and steals as a senior. Son Joe led then-DII Sacred Heart in scoring, assists and steals as a senior in 1996-97. Son Tim played sparingly for St. John's in 2002-03 before transferring to Northwestern, where he averaged 8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.3 spg from 2004-05 through 2006-07, leading the Wildcats in assists his last two seasons and in steals as a senior.

HUGGY BEARS ALL
9. Huggins - Father Charlie Huggins was an All-WVIAC first-team selection for Alderson-Broaddus (W. Va.) in 1957-58 after transferring from West Virginia. Son Bob averaged 8.4 ppg and 2.8 rpg while shooting 45.9% from the floor and 79.4% from the free-throw line with West Virginia in the mid-1970s after transferring from Ohio University. Son Harry was a two-year letterman for Texas Lutheran in the late 1970s after transferring from Rice. Son Larry averaged 5.6 ppg, 2 rpg and 2.1 apg while shooting 46.3% from the floor and 79.3% from the free-throw line as a captain for Ohio State in the early 1980s.

WE AND PAPA McGEE
10. McGee - Father Anthony McGee led Long Beach State in scoring in 1975-76 with 14.8 ppg before contributing 4.5 ppg for the 49ers' NCAA playoff team the next season. Son Tony averaged 4 ppg for Eastern Washington in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Son Antoine averaged 1.4 ppg and 1.7 apg with Colorado from 2002-03 through 2005-06. Son Andre averaged 5.2 ppg and 1.8 apg while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc with Louisville from 2005-06 through 2008-09, leading the Cardinals in three-point field-goal shooting as a junior (39.4%).

HONORABLE MENTION: FIFE AND DRUM CORPS
Fife - Father Dan Fife, a 10th-round draft choice by the Milwaukee Bucks before pitching briefly for the Minnesota Twins, averaged 12.6 ppg and 4.9 rpg for Michigan from 1968-69 through 1970-71. Son Dugan averaged 4.6 ppg and 2 rpg for Michigan from 1992-93 through 1995-96. Son Jeremy led Grand Valley State (MI) in assists in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Son Dane averaged 5.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.4 spg while shooting 38.2% from three-point range for Indiana from 1998-99 through 2001-02.

Junior college players such as Marquette's Jae Crowder weren't looked at so condescendingly by many four-year universities because of an improved image after the advent of stiffer academic requirements for Division I freshman eligibility. But amid more rigid scholastic standards for both high school and J.C. prospects, the jucos might go back to being deemed the rogues of recruiting.

Mid-major schools figure to be hit hardest by any reduction in the flow of juco talent but power leagues have often filled in holes from the J.C. ranks. The misconceptions regarding junior college basketball aren't helped when network TV pulls a snafu such as in the early 1990s when it was mistakenly inferred that Kentucky guard Dale Brown was the first instance of the Wildcats recruiting a junior college player.

Actually, legendary coach Adolph Rupp, a Kansas native, regularly attended the NJCAA Tournament at Hutchinson, Kan., in the 1950s and recruited four tournament MVPs or leading scorers. Two of the four didn't play much for Kentucky or transferred, but the other two - Bob Burrow (Lon Morris) and Sid Cohen (Kilgore) - proved to be pivotal players for the Wildcats and were selected in the NBA draft. Burrow, an NCAA consensus second-team All-American in 1956, still holds the school record for rebound average in a career (16.1 rpg). Guard Adrian Smith, a key member of Kentucky's 1958 NCAA champion, was also a junior college recruit. Ditto Doug Pendygraft, who joined UK after setting an NJCAA record with 63 points in a national tournament game for Lindsey Wilson.

John Wooden's first center with UCLA was Carl Kraushaar, a transfer from Compton (CA) Community College who led the Bruins in scoring in 1948-49 and was an All-PCC selection the next season. Often overlooked amid UCLA's amazing run of nine NCAA Tournament titles in a 10-year span from 1964 through 1973 was the impact of junior college products. The Bruins had six J.C. recruits, including 1970 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Sidney Wicks, who were part of multiple NCAA championships.

The Big Ten Conference has never had an abundance of junior college players, but J.C. transfer Dick Garmaker (Hibbing) scored 37 points for Minnesota in his first league game in 1954 before becoming an NCAA consensus All-American the next year.

Burrow (1954) and Garmaker (1952) are two of five players - including Furman's Darrell Floyd (1951), Tulsa's Paul Pressey (1980) and St. John's Walter Berry (1984) - who were named NJCAA Tournament MVP before becoming NCAA All-Americans. Berry also participated in the NCAA Final Four.

Five of the top six scorers for Oklahoma's 2002 Final Four team were former junior college players. Former Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson is fond of the realistic view junior college recruits offer a roster.

"A lot of their egos are broken down already," Sampson said. "They've been through a lot on and off the court. High school kids sometimes have egos that you have to work through. Their bubble hasn't burst yet. A high school kid sometimes gets faced with, `I thought I was better than this.' Also, juco kids only have two years left. They're hungry."

Crowder was the "hungriest" juco jewel this season as he joined the following alphabetical list of J.C. recruits who became MVP in a power six league:

Darnell Dodson played in the NCAA Tournament this year with Southern Mississippi, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds in a loss against Kansas State. But the former junior college player missed out on some championship bling because he departed a couple of seasons ago from Kentucky.

Dodson joins the following alphabetical list of players who were successful after transferring, but missed out on receiving an NCAA championship ring because they left a school that subsequently captured a national crown:

*Played for a junior college between four-year schools

NOTES: McCaffrey and Palmer played for an NCAA champion with Duke in 1991 and Huertas did with Florida in 2006. . . . King played only one season for Villanova in 2009-10. . . . E. Williams left Memphis after 2009-10 campaign when he declared early for the NBA draft

Johnny Jones, a former player and assistant coach for Louisiana State, returned to his alma mater after leaving North Texas. Jones joined UNLV's Dave Rice as the only active coaches to have played for their alma mater in the Final Four.

A total of 12 NCAA Division I coaches in the previous three years were put in charge of their alma mater's basketball fortunes. Following is an alphabetical list of active head coaches and the first season they coached their alma mater:

*School's all-time winningest coach

Jones departs with six years remaining on his Mean Green contract. He joins the following striking number of coaches who virtually ignored contractural obligations of more than five years (including Xavier three times):

• Rick Barnes (6) - Clemson/Texas
• John Beilien (6) - Richmond/West Virginia
• Tony Bennett (6) - Washington State/Virginia
• Dave Bliss (6) - New Mexico/Baylor
• Mike Brey (7) - Delaware/Notre Dame
• John Calipari (10) - Massachusetts/New Jersey Nets
• Jeff Capel III (6) - Virginia Commonwealth/Oklahoma
• Tom Crean (9) - Marquette/Indiana
• Matt Doherty (6) - Florida Atlantic/southern Methodist
• Larry Eustachy (6) - Utah State/Iowa State
• Dennis Felton (6) - Western Kentucky/Georgia
• Tim Floyd (6) - New Orleans/Iowa State
• Tim Floyd (8) - Iowa State/Chicago Bulls
• Travis Ford (7) - Massachusetts/Oklahoma State
• Billy Gillispie (8) - Texas A&M/Kentucky
• Brian Gregory (7) - Dayton/Georgia Tech
• Leonard Hamilton (7) - Miami (fl)/Washington Wizards
• Ben Howland (6) - Pittsburgh/UCLA
• Johnny Jones (6) - North Texas/Louisiana State
• Jeff Lebo (8) - Chattanooga/Auburn
• Gregg Marshall (8) - Winthrop/Wichita State
• Thad Matta (9) - Xavier/Ohio State
• Fran McCaffery (7) - Siena/Iowa
• Sean Miller (9) - Xavier/Arizona
• Dan Monson (10) - Gonzaga/Minnesota
• Lute Olson (7) - Iowa/Arizona
• Buzz Peterson (9) - Appalachian State/Tulsa
• Skip Prosser (6) - Xavier/Wake Forest
• Oliver Purnell (6) - Clemson/DePaul
• Mike Rice Jr. (7) - Robert Morris/Rutgers
• Steve Robinson (7) - Tulsa/Florida State
• Kelvin Sampson (6) - Washington State/Oklahoma
• Tubby Smith (6) - Georgia/Kentucky
• Mark Turgeon (9) - Wichita State/Texas A&M

The University of New Orleans, still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, can't get Division I hoops out of its blood. UNO, after two seasons competing against small colleges, intends to return to the major-college level as an independent.

The Privateers long for the days when three different coaches guided them to the NCAA playoffs in a 10-year span from 1987 through 1996. UNO finished in a final Top 20 poll twice during that stretch. New Orleans led the nation in rebounding margin in 1990-91 under coach Tim Floyd before going unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference in 1992-93.

Individually, UNO's Bo McCalebb is the Sun Belt's all-time leading scorer (2,679 points from 2003-04 through 2007-08. Privateer products Wayne Cooper, Ledell Eackles and Ervin Johnson each played at least seven seasons in the NBA.

In the previous eight years, Houston Baptist, Northern Colorado and Seattle returned to the DI ranks after prolonged stints competing at the small-college level. Which school might be next to return after Abilene Christian (TX) decided to come back to the Southland Conference in 2012-13? Following is a trip down memory lane assessing historical tidbits on the impact of former major-college programs (listed alphabetically):

• Abilene Christian (TX) finished in a tie for second place with Lamar behind Arkansas State in the 1970-71 Southland Conference standings. Abilene Christian's Kent Martens led the nation in field-goal shooting in 1971-72 (66.7%) and Ronnie Hearne paced the Southland Conference in scoring in 1969-70 (22 ppg). In the small-college ranks, ACU defeated eventual NCAA championship coaches Hank Iba (1965-66 with Oklahoma State) and Jim Harrick (1984-85 with Pepperdine).

• In 1944-45, Baldwin-Wallace (OH) handed NIT runner-up Bowling Green State its only regular-season loss to a collegiate opponent. Bowling Green State, which compiled the seventh-best record in the nation during the decade of the 1940s, also lost against Baldwin-Wallace four years later in a season the Falcons finished third in the NIT (extras/nit-summary). Baldwin-Wallace had two players finish among the national statistical leaders in the early 1950s - John Popp was fourth in free-throw shooting (83.1%) in 1949-50 and Dick Retherford was seventh in scoring (21.8 ppg) in 1951-52.

• Baltimore's Terry Copeland led the ECAC Metro in free-throw percentage in 1982-83 (84.4%).

• The only non-winning season for Birmingham-Southern (AL) in its six years at the NCAA Division I level was 2001-02 when it went 13-14. BSC tied for the Big South Conference regular-season title in its first season in the league in 2003-04 when the Panthers led the nation in three-point field-goal shooting (43%).

• Brooklyn defeated Toledo to open the 1985-86 season the same year the Rockets beat Houston in coach Guy Lewis' 30th and final campaign with the Cougars. Brooklyn's Glen James finished sixth in the nation in assists with 7.5 apg in 1984-85 (higher than Wake Forest's Tyrone Bogues and North Carolina's Kenny Smith). The Kingsmen finished fourth in the country in field-goal shooting in 1990-91 (52%).

• Case Western Reserve (OH) featured two All-Americans in a four-year span in the mid-1930s - Eddie Finnigan in 1933 and William Fleishman in 1936. In its final season at the major-college level, Dick Howard finished 16th in the nation in scoring (24.3 ppg in 1954-55).

• Glenn Kolonics finished 15th in the nation in scoring with 23.5 ppg for Catholic (DC) in 1976-77 in its debut season at the major-college level. Catholic defeated NIT-bound Saint Joseph's in 1979-80, which was one season before St. Joe's upset top-ranked DePaul in the 1981 NCAA Tournament.

• Centenary (LA) compiled an 87-21 record during center Robert Parish's four-year career from 1972-73 through 1975-76 when he averaged 21.6 ppg and 16.9 rpg while shooting 56.4% from the floor. Parish led the nation in rebounding his last two seasons after finishing among the top five his first two campaigns. The Gentlemen, after winning the 1990 TAAC regular-season title, paced the country in steals in 1992-93 with 14.1 per game. Centenary's Willie Jackson is the Trans America Athletic Conference's all-time leading scorer (2,535 points from 1981-84) and Ronnie McCollum led the nation in scoring in 2000-01 with 29.1 ppg.

• The University of Chicago won four consecutive Western Conference (predecessor to Big Ten) championships from 1907 through 1910. The school had three all-league first-team selections in 1909.

• City College of New York had three Jewish All-Americans - Moe Goldman (1934), Red Holzman (1942) and Irwin Dambrot (1950). In 1950, the Beavers became the only school to win the NCAA playoffs and NIT in the same year. CCNY's Lionel Malamed finished sixth in the nation in free-throw shooting in 1947-48 (83.3%) and Ed Roman ranked 22nd in scoring in 1950-51 (18.6 ppg).

• Ron Warner of Gettysburg (PA) finished among the nation's top 15 scorers in back-to-back seasons (1960-61 and 1961-62). Gettysburg ranked third in the nation in team defense in 1963-64 (56.8 ppg) after finishing fifth in team offense in 1950-51 (73.8 ppg).

• Grinnell (IA) posted only one losing record in Missouri Valley Conference competition in its last six years in the league from 1933-34 through 1938-39.

• Six different Hamline (MN) products played in the NBA in the early 1950s when the league had far fewer franchises.

• Hardin-Simmons (TX) averaged 18.5 victories annually from 1963-64 through 1966-67, finished runner-up to Purdue in team offense in 1968-69 with 91.9 ppg and had four straight non-losing records in Trans America Athletic Conference competition from 1984-85 through 1987-88. Hardin-Simmons had eight different players rank among the nation's top 10 in a variety of statistical categories - Eric Adams (9th in FT% in 1986-87), Lee Dixon (6th in scoring in 1975-76), Tommy French (8th in FG% in 1989-90), Cliff Harris (9th in rebounding in 1970-71), Buddy Matthews (7th in FT% in 1950-51), Bill Preston (10th in FG% in 1951-52), Ronnie Ryan (6th in FT% in 1954-55) and Ray Williams (10th in FG% in 1970-71). Nate Madkins scored a school-record 52 points against West Texas State in 1963-64.

• Center George Dalton of John Carroll (OH) ranked among the nation's major-college scoring leaders four straight seasons in 1952 (20th), 1953 (8th), 1954 (14th) and 1955 (21st).

• Norm Hankins of Lawrence Tech (MI) led the nation in scoring with 22.5 ppg in 1947-48.

• In 1973-74, Los Angeles State finished in second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association standings behind Lute Olson-coached Long Beach State (24-2 record). The previous year, Los Angeles State's Raymond Lewis established the PCAA single-season standard for scoring average (32.9 ppg as a sophomore before leaving early for the NBA draft as a hardship case).

• Loyola (LA) participated in back-to-back NCAA playoffs in 1957 and 1958 when the tourney field was comprised of no more than 24 entrants. In 1970-71, the school finished fourth in the nation in field-goal shooting (50.9%) and fifth in scoring (92.1 ppg). In Loyola's final season at the major-college level, Charles Jones finished sixth in the nation in rebounding in 1971-72 with 15.8 rpg (ahead of UCLA's Bill Walton). Loyola's Charley Powell finished seventh in the country in free-throw shooting in 1968-69 (87.6%) after ranking 13th in scoring the previous year (26 ppg). Loyola had three of the nation's top 25 field-goal shooters in 1952-53

• Muhlenberg (PA), in the midst of 21 consecutive seasons with double digits in wins from 1939 through 1959, led major colleges in field-goal percentage in 1948-49 after finishing national runner-up the previous year. Muhlenberg had three different players rank among the nation's top three in field-goal shooting - Daniel Mackin (2nd in 1947-48), Denny Roth (3rd in 1956-57) and Mel Kessler (3rd in 1958-59). The Mules appeared in the NIT three consecutive years from 1944 through 1946.

• NYU participated in national postseason competition seven times in an eight-year span from 1959 through 1966. The Violets had three different All-Americans in an eight-year span in the 1960s - Tom "Satch" Sanders (1960), Barry Kramer (1963 and 1964) and Mal Graham (1967).

• Northeastern Illinois led the nation in steals per game with 12.8 in 1991-92 when one of its players (Victor Snipes) paced the country in that category with 3.4 spg.

• Oklahoma City ranked among the nation's top five in team defense four consecutive years from 1951 through 1954 and appeared in six straight NCAA Tournaments from 1952 through 1957. On the other end of the court, OCU led the nation in scoring in 1966-67 before ranking fourth the next year and third in 1980-81. OCU's Ernie Hill holds the Trans America Athletic Conference's single-season record for scoring average (26.6 points per game as a junior in 1978-79). OCU's Arnold Short led the nation in free-throw shooting in 1951-52 (86.1%). Short (1953 and 1954), Hub Reed (1957 and 1958), Bud Koper (1963 and 1964) and Rich Travis (1968 and 1969) are OCU players who ranked among the nation's top 20 scorers in back-to-back years. Hill (1979) was among the following OCU players who each ranked once among the country's top 13 scorers: Jerry Lee Wells (1966), Gary Gray (1967), Ozie Edwards (1973), Marvin Rich (1973) and Rubin Jackson (1981).

• Regis (CO) finished fifth in the nation in rebounding in 1962-63.

• Scranton (PA) hired Buck Freeman as coach just before the start of the 1937-38 campaign after he won more than 85% of his games with St. John's in nine seasons from 1927-28 through 1935-36.

• Sewanee (TN), also known as the University of the South, competed against Alabama (1933) and Louisiana State (1939) in the SEC Tournament after defeating defending champion North Carolina State in the first round of the 1930 Southern Conference Tournament.

• Felix Thruston of Trinity (TX) finished 18th in the nation in scoring in 1970-71 with a Southland Conference-leading 25 ppg.

• U.S. International (CA) led NCAA Division I in points per game in 1985-86 with 90.8. USIU's Kevin Bradshaw paced the nation in scoring in 1990-91 with 37.6 ppg.

• Utica's Keith Walker led the nation in field-goal shooting in 1984-85 (71.3%).

• Washburn (KS) finished ahead of eventual NIT champions Saint Louis and/or Tulsa in the Missouri Valley Conference standings five times in a seven-year span from 1935 through 1941.

• Washington (MO) won three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships from 1928 through 1930. The Bears finished fourth in the nation in team defense in 1949-50 (46.3 ppg).

• Washington & Lee (VA) captured back-to-back Southern Conference regular-season titles in 1936 and 1937 ahead of eventual ACC members Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Washington & Lee opposed North Carolina or Duke in four straight southern Conference Tournament finals. Washington & Lee's Jay Handlan led the nation in free-throw shooting in 1950-51 (86%) when he was runner-up in scoring (26.2 ppg). Handlan finished 11th in scoring the next year. Washington & Lee had at least one all-league selection all but one season (1952-53) in an eight-year span from 1950-51 through 1957-58.

• West Chester State's Joe Senser led the nation in field-goal shooting in 1976-77 and 1977-78, finishing his career at 66.2%.

• West Texas State finished among the top three in the Missouri Valley Conference standings three times in a five-year span from 1975-76 through 1979-80. West Texas State's Jim Scott led the nation in free-throw shooting in 1954-55 (89.5%) and Steve Davidson finished third in rebounding in 1971-72 (17.5 rpg ahead of Providence's Marvin Barnes and UCLA's Bill Walton). WTSU paced the country in free-throw shooting in 1966-67; ranked among the top three in field-goal shooting in 1963-64 and 1976-77; finished runner-up in rebounding average in back-to-back seasons (1970-71 and 1971-72), and placed runner-up in scoring in 1980-81 (85.5 ppg).

Bring in the clowns! His brain running on empty much like our vehicles these days because of high gas prices, Jalen Rose added fuel to a simmering fire when he expressed his displeasure about Michigan's school president adamantly reaffirming her opposition to retrieving the Wolverines' 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners from storage and rehanging them at Crisler Arena.

Rose must not have taken a logic class while in college. Resembling an egomaniac extorter, Rose distributed a classless tweet implying he might ask for a $250,000 donation back from his alma mater. But rather than smugly humiliating ESPN colleague Skip Bayless for embellishing his Oklahoma H.S. playing career with "water-Pistol whipping" drive-by ridicule, Cracklin' Rose (a genuine #1 hit at same time frame in early 1970s) should get on board by focusing more on restoring his own credibility after he was pulled from the air briefly by the Worldwide Leader following his failure to disclose a DUI arrest.

Rose could call an authentic "timeout" on his self-absorbed commentary similar to the documentary he helped produce last year blasting Duke's Dynasty for preferring to recruit "Uncle Tom" African-American student-athletes. While Rose continued to fail to comprehend there are consequences to actions disgracing a revered school, President Mary Sue Coleman was infinitely more concerned with integrity. She told the Michigan Daily: "It was a very difficult time and we were ashamed of what happened because the university has higher standards than that."

Why would grandstanding Rose want to celebrate the lower standards of losing two NCAA title games, anyway? Perhaps UM could appease him by hanging a Big Ten Conference championship banner. Oh, I forgot! The Wooferines never achieved that feat from 1991-92 through 1994-95.

Why doesn't Rose offer to purchase the meaningless banners for an amount equal to the $616,000-plus money launderer "Uncle Ed" lent to UM players and he can hang them wherever he wants? They could be placed by all of the banners Rose (13 seasons) and college teammates Chris Webber (15) and Juwan Howard (18th) garnered in a cumulative 45 years in the NBA. Oh, I forgot! None of the Fraud Five ever achieved that distinction, either.

Rose might bloom as a discriminating analyst if he had also accosted colleague Screamin' A. Stiff with his water pistol and dwelled on Stephen A. Smith's player prowess with Winston-Salem State. Much like overstating Skip Baseless, the "First Take" from this corner is that Hatin' Jailin' seems to be talking a better game (on and off the court) than he played, too.

Kentucky's well-balanced attack, featuring six players averaging from 9.9 to 14.2 points per game, enabled the Wildcats to become the first NCAA Tournament champion to have five different players lead the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to capturing the crown. Underclassmen Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb and Marquis Teague deserve at least one more plaudit before most or all of the quintesential quintent comprised of three freshmen and two sophomores declare early for the NBA draft.

Prior to UK's young guns, North Carolina '82 is the only one of the following nine NCAA Tournament champions spreading the wealth to have as many as three freshmen and sophomores among four different players leading the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to earning a title:

• UCLA '70 (Henry Bibby, Curtis Rowe, John Vallely, Sidney Wicks)
• UCLA '75 (Dave Meyers, Marques Johnson, Pete Trgovich, Richard Washington)
• Kentucky '78 (Truman Claytor, Jack Givens, Kyle Macy, Mike Phillips)
• North Carolina '82 (Matt Doherty, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, James Worthy)
• Louisville '86 (Herbert Crook, Pervis Ellison, Billy Thompson, Milt Wagner)
• Indiana '87 (Steve Alford, Ricky Calloway, Dean Garrett, Keith Smart)
• UCLA '95 (Toby Bailey, Tyus Edney, J.R. Henderson, Ed O'Bannon)
• Florida '07 (Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey)
• Kansas '08 (Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Sasha Kaun, Brandon Rush)

Louisville sophomore guard Russ Smith secured the satisfaction of posting the highest single-game output against NCAA champion-to-be Kentucky with 30 points on New Year's Eve. But on the other end of the spectrum, Smith managed only nine points, going 4 for 15 from the floor, in the Cardinals' ballyhooed national semifinal setback against UK.

Since UCLA's first NCAA championship in 1964, Smith has the lowest scoring average (11.5 ppg) for any player who had the single-game high against a titlist. Some of the names probably will be surprising, but following is a look in reverse order at the last 49 individuals who posted the season-high scoring total against the NCAA kingpin:

Austin Rivers is the 34th different individual to become an All-American for Duke (23 under coach Mike Krzyzewski). Incredibly, none of them can be counted as in-state recruits from any of North Carolina's 100 counties. It doesn't seem possible, but North Carolina laid a Blue Devils' goose egg while states such as Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma and Oregon have contributed to their list of All-Americans.

The official web site of the State of North Carolina says the state is "a better place." But it hasn't been for Duke in regard to securing premium players. Following are the hometowns of Duke's 34 All-Americans coming from 18 different states plus the District of Columbia: