Rutgers, loser in 32 consecutive contests against Big Ten Conference opponents until defeating Minnesota in last year's regular-season finale, might need to visit school archives and bring ulcer-causing Dick Vitale back as a recruiter despite finally winning a Big Ten road games in league competition (at Penn State). The Scarlet Knights, losing by a staggering 50 points at home a year ago against Purdue, couldn't do any worse upon falling on hard times as the nation's only NCAA Division I school failing to have an all-conference choice in the previous 10 seasons. Vitale helped lure departed coach Eddie Jordan to Piscataway before the Scarlet Knights reached the 1976 Final Four. Jordan was an All-Atlantic 10 Conference second-team choice as a senior in 1976-77 before leaving college without a diploma.

Rutgers, failing to secure an all-league choice since Quincy Douby in 2005-06, has been blanked in three different alliances during the dry spell. The Knights' arrival gave the Big Ten Conference additional Nebraska/Northwestern/Penn State mediocrity - a famine-relief trio combining for three NCAA playoff victories in the previous 61 years (all by Nittany Lions), making their hoop fans believe in the power of positive drinkin'.

Five struggling schools - Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt), Pepperdine (WCC), Sacramento State (Big Sky), Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley) and Texas Tech (Big 12) - left this dubious category in 2013-14. Rutgers and DePaul each had one league triumph entering the second half of league competition this campaign. Rutgers, eliminated by Louisville by 61 points in the AAC Tournament three seasons ago, is joined by DePaul and Samford on the following list of schools enduring honor droughts having no all-league picks at least the previous eight seasons:

School	Conference(s)	Last All-League Selection
DePaul	Big East	Sr. G Draelon Burns in 2007-08 (2nd team)
Rutgers	Big East/American Athletic/Big Ten	Jr. G Quincy Douby in 2005-06 (1st team)
Samford	Ohio Valley	Sr. C Travis Peterson in 2007-08 (2nd team)

In any credible assessment involving Kentucky's Malik Monk or fellow freshman flash, an observer shouldn't get too caught up in the moment. Actually, it's probably stretching credulity to proclaim Monk as the best UK freshman in SEC history, let alone the greatest yearling in NCAA annals. That's because the most fantastic frosh probably was Tennessee forward Bernard King, who averaged 26.4 ppg and 12.3 rpg while shooting 62.2% from the floor in 1974-75. King's initial season triggered one of the most overlooked significant achievements in NCAA history - five consecutive victories for him against UK, which has 25 seasons with fewer than five defeats since the start of the NCAA tourney in 1939.

A championship ring in 2011-12 certainly propelled Kentucky's Anthony Davis into the discussion for acknowledging the best freshman center of all-time along with Patrick Ewing, Keith Lee, Greg Oden, Robert Parish, Jeff Ruland, Ralph Sampson, Joe Smith and Wayman Tisdale. The NCAA title is a credential making it easier to possibly place Davis atop the list of premium frosh pivotmen although Ohio State's Oden reached the NCAA final with comparable statistics a mere eight years ago prior to flopping in the NBA.

A huge difference between Davis and Monk to King was the quality of the competition in the SEC. SEC players in the last three seasons ago don't come anywhere close to comparing to all-league choices King opposed such as Leon Douglas, Kevin Grevey, Eddie Johnson, Mike Mitchell and Rick Robey - all of whom played at least seven NBA seasons. Another SEC first-year sensation was Louisiana State guard Chris Jackson. Granted, Jackson didn't have the dynamic defensive presence of Davis but you simply can't ignore the fact Jackson averaged more points in 1988-89 than Monk will this season.

UK fans could build a case that John Wall's freshman campaign only six years ago was more significant. After all, the Wildcats improved their record from the previous season with Wall in coach John Calipari's debut by a stunning 12 games, which was 50% higher than what they improved with Davis manning the middle. Moreover, neither Davis nor Wall would have been a bench giggler in a defeat by more than 20 points on the road in league competition. It's also unconscionable as to why an individual with Monk's athleticism managed more than three rebounds only twice in a 22-game span before retrieving a career-high eight boards against Tennessee.

Frankly, it's disconcerting how much many pundits either have memory loss or possess little more than an amateurish knowledge of hoops history outside the region where they work. Two years ago, Jabari Parker (Duke) and Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) were proclaimed as God's gifts to basketball. But they aren't included among the following CollegeHoopedia.com's national perspective of the all-time freshman squads:

FIRST TEAM
Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse (2002-03: 22.2 ppg, 10 rpg)
Leading scorer and rebounder for 2003 NCAA Tournament champion was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Posted a remarkable 22 double-doubles in 35 games.

Kevin Durant, Texas (2006-07: 25.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 40.4 3FG%)
Forced by the NBA's new rule requiring draftees to attend college at least one year, he became national player of the year. Finished fourth in the nation in scoring and rebounding. Led the Big 12 Conference in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and double-doubles (20).

Chris Jackson, Louisiana State (1988-89: 30.2 ppg, 4.1 apg, 81.5 FT%)
Exploded for 53 points vs. Florida and 55 vs. Ole Miss en route to setting NCAA freshman scoring records with 965 points and 30.2 average. Consensus SEC player of the year was an AP and USBWA first-team All-American.

Bernard King, Tennessee (1974-75: 26.4 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 62.2 FG%)
No freshman has matched his overall statistical figures. The Volunteers improved their overall record by only one game from the previous season, however.

Robert Parish, Centenary (1972-73: 23 ppg, 18.7 rpg, 57.9 FG%)
Scored school-record 50 points at Lamar in a game he also grabbed 30 rebounds. Collected 31 points and 33 rebounds vs. Southern Mississippi and 38 points and 29 rebounds vs. Texas-Arlington. Contributed 14 contests with at least 20 rebounds as a frosh, averaging 21.3 rpg in a 14-game, mid-season stretch.

SECOND TEAM
Mark Aguirre, DePaul (1978-79: 24 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 52.0 FG%)
Top freshman scorer in the nation broke the Blue Demons' scoring record with 767 points. He had a 29-point, eight-rebound performance vs. UCLA in his college debut and finished the season by being named to the All-Final Four team.

Anthony Davis, Kentucky ( 2011-12: 14.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 4.7 bpg, 62.3 FG%)
Lowest-ever scoring average for a national POY, but he set an NCAA record for most blocked shots by a freshman en route to becoming Final Four Most Outstanding Player despite scoring only six points on 1-of-10 field-goal shooting in NCAA championship contest.

Magic Johnson, Michigan State (1977-78: 17 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 7.4 apg)
Led the Big Ten Conference in league play in assists (6.8 apg), tied for third in scoring (19.8 ppg) and finished sixth in rebounding (8.2 rpg) to help the Spartans go from a 10-17 record the previous year to 25-5 and capture the Big Ten title.

Keith Lee, Memphis State (1981-82: 18.3 ppg, 11 rpg, 3.5 bpg, 53.8 FG%)
Led the Tigers in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots as they improved their record from 13-14 the previous season to 24-5. Set Metro Conference record with 11.5 rebounds per game in league competition.

Wayman Tisdale, Oklahoma (1982-83: 24.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 58.0 FG%)
NCAA consensus first-team All-American. Big Eight Conference player of the year broke Wilt Chamberlain's league scoring record with 810 points, including 46 vs. Iowa State.

THIRD TEAM
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, California (1995-96: 21.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 51.8 FG%)
The first freshman ever to be named Pacific-10 Conference player of the year led the Bears in steals with 52. His best game overall was a 32-point, 18-rebound performance at Washington State.

Adrian Dantley, Notre Dame (1973-74: 18.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 55.8 FG%)
Led the Irish in free-throw shooting (82.6%) and was second on the team in scoring and rebounding. He had a 41-point outing vs. West Virginia. Notre Dame improved its record from 18-12 the previous season to 26-3.

Mark Macon, Temple (1987-88: 20.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.9 apg)
Scored in double figures in 33 of 34 games. Led the 32-2 Owls in scoring and was second in assists. He was the first freshman ever to be the leading scorer for a team ranking No. 1 in a final AP national poll.

Mark Price, Georgia Tech (1982-83: 20.3 ppg, 4.3 apg, 87.7 FT%)
First freshman ever to lead the vaunted Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. He also paced the ACC in free-throw percentage and three-point field goals.

Ralph Sampson, Virginia (1979-80: 14.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 4.6 bpg, 54.7 FG%)
Led the Cavaliers to the NIT championship. He was the headliner of perhaps the greatest single crop of freshman recruits in NCAA history.

FOURTH TEAM
Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech (1989-90: 20.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 8.1 apg)
Only freshman ever to score more than 20 points in four straight NCAA playoff games. He led the ACC in assists.

Michael Beasley, Kansas State (2007-08: 26.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 53.2 FG%)
He had a total of 13 30-point games en route to 28 double-doubles.

Greg Oden, Ohio State (2006-07: 15.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.3 bpg, 61.6 FG%)
Powered the Buckeyes to the NCAA playoff championship game where they lost to two-time champion Florida.

Quentin Richardson, DePaul (1998-99: 18.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg)
Conference USA player of the year when he led the league in rebounding and was second in scoring, seventh in field-goal percentage and ninth in free-throw percentage, making him the only player in the C-USA to rank in the top 10 in each of those categories. He led the Blue Demons in scoring 21 times and in rebounding on 23 occasions.

Joe Smith, Maryland (1993-94: 19.4 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3.1 bpg)
One of only two players in ACC history to be an all-league first-team selection in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

FIFTH TEAM
Kevin Love, UCLA (2007-08: 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 55.9 FG%)
Led the Bruins' Final Four squad in scoring and rebounding, contributing 23 double-doubles.

Jahlil Okafor, Duke (2014-15: 17.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 66.4 FG%)
Centerpiece for the Blue Devils' freshman-dominated NCAA Tournament championship club.

Derrick Rose, Memphis (2007-08: 14.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.7 apg)
Ringleader of team that should have won NCAA title but shoddy free-throw shooting enabled Kansas to frustrate the Tigers in overtime in the championship game.

Lionel Simmons, La Salle (1986-87: 20.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 52.6 FG%)
Set the stage for becoming three-time MAAC MVP and one of only four major-college players ever to score more than 600 points in each of four seasons. La Salle's Tom Gola is the only individual to finish his college career with a higher total of points and rebounds (4,663 from 1952-55).

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State (2010-11: 17.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 54.1 FG%)
Helped the Buckeyes spend the entire season ranked among the nation's top four teams.

John Wall, Kentucky (2009-10: 16.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.8 spg)
He was SEC MVP but how impactful was his season when teammate DeMarcus Cousins earned the SEC Freshman of the Year award?

TEN MOST OVERLOOKED FRESHMAN SEASONS

Freshman, School (Season: Statistical Achievements)
Jason Conley, Virginia Military (2001-02: 29.3 ppg, 8 rpg, 81.8 FT%)
Stephen Curry, Davidson (2006-07: 21.5 ppg, 85.5 FT%, 40.8 3FG%)
Jacky Dorsey, Georgia (1974-75: 25.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg)
Larry Hughes, Saint Louis (1997-98: 20.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.2 spg)
Harry Kelly, Texas Southern (1979-80: 29 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Karl Malone, Louisiana Tech (1982-83: 20.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 58.2 FG%)
CJ McCollum, Lehigh (2009-10: 19.1 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 42.1 3FG%)
Jeff Ruland, Iona ( 1977-78: 22.3 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 59.4 FG%)
Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington (2005-06: 24.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 2.2 spg)
Gary Trent, Ohio University (1992-93: 19 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 65.1 FG%)

College basketball fans shouldn't be assessed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty if the NFL isn't their favorite sport, but they should rush to hold on because following is more super stuff to digest while blitzed by enough notes, quotes and anecdotes to have one seeking a sedative when assessing Super Bowl 51 in Houston between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots.

A "Super" hoop-related nugget is Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett played for Texas A&M in 2006 NCAA Tournament against Glen "Big Baby" Davis-led LSU before the Tigers wound up at the Final Four. While Bennett is a versatile athlete who probably would have accepted Donald Trump's hefty check as free-agent signee with the old New Jersey Generals (USFL), he doesn't possess diversity of thought and indicated disinclination to visit White House after Patriots won Super Bowl despite Owner Robert Kraft's friendship with President stemming from Trump's extended solace after spouse died.

For what it's worth hoop-wise, did you know former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was a 6-5 forward who averaged 11.4 points and nine rebounds per game for Georgetown in three varsity seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62? He led the Hoyas in rebounding as a sophomore (8.9 rpg) and junior (8.2 rpg) and was their second-leading rebounder as a senior captain. Well-rounded trivia buffs should also know that Tagliabue's predecessor, Pete Rozelle, was the basketball publicist for 1949 NIT champion San Francisco before orchestrating events leading to the Super Bowl becoming a national phenomenon.

The Super Bowl's link to college basketball is much more extensive than these commissioners and has had more impact than unveiling of new commercials plus halftime entertainers. Actually, there are a striking number of ex-college hoopsters who participated in the Super Bowl as players. In fact, the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967 featured several former four-year college varsity basketball players for schools currently classified at the NCAA Division I level: Bobby Bell, Reg Carolan, Len Dawson, Otis Taylor and Fuzzy Thurston.

In deference to the 51st anniversary of the Super Bowl, following are 51 questions tackling versatile players such as Bell, Carolan, Dawson, Peppers, Taylor and Thurston in this distinctive two-way athlete category that should surprise you with some of the marquee names. If you get them all correct before peeking at answers at the end of this gridiron quiz, then you boast inflated brainpower sufficiently omnipotent to know in advance what Lady Gaga will do at halftime.

1. Name the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals who appeared in Super Bowl XVI following the 1981 season after finishing his career as the fifth-leading scorer in his college's history. The high school teammate of Kentucky All-American and All-Pro Dan Issel led Augustana (Ill.) in field-goal accuracy and free-throw shooting as a freshman and sophomore.

2. Name the linebacker who was one of only two first-year players on the Miami Dolphins' undefeated team in 1972 and was still with the franchise the next season when the Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champions for a 32-2 two-year mark, the best ever in the NFL. He played briefly for Louisville's varsity basketball squad before Cardinals football coach Lee Corso persuaded him to concentrate on the gridiron.

3. Name the nine-time All-Pro linebacker who was with the Kansas City Chiefs for their Super Bowl IV winner after becoming the first African American to play basketball for Minnesota when he appeared in three games in the 1960-61 season.

4. Name the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end who appeared in Super Bowl III with the Baltimore Colts vs. the New York Jets after becoming a first-team selection as a basketball center for South Dakota in the All-North Central Conference when he averaged 7.8 points per game in 1952-53 and 11 points in 1953-54.

5. Name the first black starting quarterback in the NFL who was later converted to wide receiver and caught two passes to help the undefeated Miami Dolphins beat Minnesota in Super Bowl VIII after averaging 9.5 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 14 basketball games for Nebraska-Omaha in 1964-65.

6. Name the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who caught five passes for 83 yards in Super Bowl XV for the Philadelphia Eagles after he was the top rebounder for two seasons with Southern (La.). He established an NFL record for most consecutive games with a pass reception (127).

7. Name the 1963 Pro Bowl selection who participated in Super Bowl I as a defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs after the 6-6, 235-pounder played three varsity seasons with Idaho's basketball team, averaging four points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

8. Name the 1994 first-round draft choice who was a defensive end on the Dallas Cowboys' last Super Bowl team after playing nine games during the 1992-93 season for Arizona State's hoop squad that was decimated with injuries.

9. Name the Pro Bowl selection who appeared in Super Bowl XXXI with the New England Patriots after the 6-5, 245-pounder played basketball one season for Livingstone (N.C.). He held the NFL single-season record for most receptions by a tight end with 96 in 1994.

10. Name the four-year starter who set school career records for total offense, passing yards and rushing yards by a quarterback plus rushing touchdowns by a QB. Most Outstanding Player in the 2002 Peach Bowl as a quarterback was activated for Super Bowl XXXVII as a rookie with the Oakland Raiders before succeeding all-time great Tim Brown as a starting wide receiver. He was North Carolina's leader in assists during 2000-01 when he directed the Tar Heels to a basketball No. 1 ranking and an 18-game winning streak.

11. Name the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs who was MVP in Super Bowl IV after playing in two basketball games as a 6-0, 180-pound guard for Purdue in the 1956-57 campaign.

12. Name the defensive left end on Miami's undefeated team in 1972 who played in four Super Bowls with the Dolphins after the 6-6, 220-pound basketball center finished his four-season career at Central College as the Pella, Iowa-based school's all-time leading scorer (15.5 ppg) and rebounder (12.4 rpg). He grabbed a school-record 29 rebounds in a game his senior season (1970-71).

13. Name the Hall of Fame tight end who played in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, catching a TD pass to cap the scoring in Super Bowl VI, before coaching the Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears following the 1985 season after the 6-2, 205-pound forward averaged 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers.

14. Name the defensive back for the Baltimore Colts' Super Bowl V champion who led the NFL in kickoff return average (35.4) in 1970 after playing basketball for Maryland-Eastern Shore.

15. Name the prominent ex-NFL coach who was a defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XIII champion after averaging 2.6 ppg in 16 basketball contests with the Minnesota Gophers in 1973-74 under coach Bill Musselman.

16. Name the starting middle linebacker for a team in two of three Super Bowls in one stretch who started two games at point guard for St. Francis (Pa.) as a freshman in 1993-94 when he averaged three points per game. After transferring back home to Cleveland, the 5-10 dynamo collected 109 points and 52 rebounds in 27 games for John Carroll before quitting basketball midway through the 1995-96 campaign to concentrate on football.

17. Name the Super Bowl X tight end for the Dallas Cowboys after leading Amherst (Mass.) in scoring and rebounding in 1970-71.

18. Name the five-time Pro Bowl defensive back with the Dallas Cowboys who played in two Super Bowls after finishing his three-year varsity career as Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. The 6-4 forward scored 46 points in a game against New Mexico en route to leading the Aggies in scoring with 21.2 points per game in 1959-60 (34th in the nation), 20.3 in 1960-61 (57th) and 25.6 in 1961-62 (13th).

19. Name the Hall of Fame quarterback who played in three Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after he was a 6-1, 185-pound sophomore guard in 1964-65 when scoring 22 points in 16 games in his only varsity basketball season for Purdue.

20. Name the 12-year veteran safety who played in Super Bowl IV with the Minnesota Vikings after averaging four points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 10 contests for Wisconsin's basketball team in 1958-59.

21. Name the wide receiver who caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach for the Dallas Cowboys' final touchdown in a 21-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X after he averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in three varsity seasons (1972-73 through 1974-75) for Austin Peay. It was the only pass reception in his NFL career. The 6-4, 215-pound forward averaged seven points and seven rebounds per game in four NCAA Tournament contests in 1973 and 1974 as a teammate of folk hero James "Fly" Williams.

22. Name the third-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 1998 who backed up MVP Ray Lewis as a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV after being a member of Cincinnati's basketball team for the first month of 1997-98 campaign.

23. Name the three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman who appeared in three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys after the 6-8, 230-pound backup post player averaged 1.7 points and 2.6 rebounds for Tennessee State in his freshman and sophomore seasons (1969-70 and 1970-71).

24. Name the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver who caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco and opened the second half with a 108-yard kickoff return for a TD in a 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII after the Southeastern Louisiana track transfer was a part-time hoop starter for Lane (Tenn.), averaging 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

25. Name the 16-year quarterback who started Super Bowl VII for the Washington Redskins after scoring eight points in six games for coach John Wooden's 1959-60 UCLA basketball team.

26. Name the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback who participated in Super Bowl XVII with the Washington Redskins after the 6-4, 190-pound forward averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for San Diego State in 1969-70 and 1970-71. He was the Aztecs' second-leading scorer (15.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 rpg) as a junior.

27. Name the 10-time Pro Bowl defensive back who competed in four Super Bowls after collecting nine assists, four points and three rebounds in six games for Southern California's basketball squad as a junior in 1979-80.

28. Name the 11-year defensive lineman who played in Super Bowl XIII for the Minnesota Vikings after averaging 12.3 ppg with Michigan Tech in 1962-63.

29. Name the Minnesota Vikings defensive back who let former Prairie View basketball player Otis Taylor (Kansas City Chiefs) elude him for a long touchdown in Super Bowl IV after being a basketball teammate of Utah State legend Wayne Estes in 1964-65.

30. Name the NFL Hall of Fame tight end who caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V after collecting 28 points and 28 rebounds in six basketball games with Syracuse in 1960-61.

31. Name the defensive end who scored six touchdowns in his 14-year NFL career and tackled John Elway of the Denver Broncos for a safety in the New York Giants' Super Bowl XXI victory following the 1986 season after the 6-5, 225-pound forward-center averaged just over 10 points and 10 rebounds per game for Oregon's freshman squad in 1971-72. He played briefly for the Ducks' varsity basketball team the next season.

32. Name the tight end who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills after he was the starting center for Jacksonville State's 1985 NCAA Division II championship team. He led the Gulf South Conference in rebounding each of his first three seasons and finished runner-up in that category as a senior.

33. Name the defensive lineman in Super Bowl XI for the Oakland Raiders who played basketball in the 1975 NAIA Tournament for Morningside (Iowa).

34. Name the quarterback who set an NFL record with 24 consecutive completions over a two-game span in 2004 before guiding the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX the next year. He collected a career-high 10 points and six rebounds and made two clinching free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining in a 77-74 victory over Georgetown in 1997 before Syracuse appeared in the NIT. He scored two points in two 1996 NCAA Tournament games for the Orangemen's national runner-up.

35. Name the tight end who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills, catching a TD pass in Super Bowl XXVI, after the 6-8, 235-pound center for the basketball squad at Wabash (Ind.) averaged 19.2 ppg and 11.4 rpg in four varsity seasons. He set NCAA Division III field-goal shooting records for a single season (75.3% in 1981-82 as a senior) and career (72.4). He collected 45 points and 13 rebounds in the 1982 championship game, scoring a Division III Tournament record 129 points in five games and earning tourney outstanding player honors.

36. Name the Pro Bowl offensive tackle who appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after leading Lamar in rebounding as a senior with 12.6 per game in 1968-69.

37. Name the valuable addition to Super Bowl XXXIX-bound Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 who had nine pass receptions for 122 yards against the New England Patriots after setting an NFL single-game record with 20 receptions for the San Francisco 49ers against the Chicago Bears in 2000. He collected 57 points and 49 rebounds in 38 games (four starts) for UT-Chattanooga's basketball squad in three seasons from 1993-94 through 1995-96.

38. Name the 14-year running back who played in five Super Bowls, catching more passes (five) than anyone in Super Bowls X and XII, after the guard-forward averaged 8.7 points and 6 rebounds per game as a senior in 1966-67 to finish his three-year Illinois varsity career with 5.2 ppg and 3.6 rpg.

39. Name the 2002 NFL defensive rookie of the year for the Carolina Panthers who appeared in Super Bowl XXXVIII the next season after being a member of North Carolina's 2000 Final Four squad. He started both NCAA Tournament games for the Tar Heels in 2001, including his first double-double (10 rebounds and career-high 21 points against Penn State).

40. Name the wide receiver who made a two-point conversion on a run for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV and threw a flea flicker touchdown pass in Super Bowl XX after collecting 16 points and 11 assists in 11 games for Indiana's 1999 NCAA Tournament team, including two points in each of the Hoosiers' playoff contests (against George Washington and St. John's).

41. Name the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who scored the first touchdown at Super Bowl XXXI for the Green Bay Packers after he was a 6-1, 185-pound backup guard in basketball for Michigan State in two seasons (1985-86 and 1987-88).

42. Name the Hall of Fame offensive tackle who participated in two Super Bowls (XI and XV) with the Oakland Raiders after he was a two-year basketball letterman as a 6-5, 265-pound center for Maryland State College (now called Maryland-Eastern Shore).

43. Name an offensive tackle for the Super Bowl XVII champion Washington Redskins after the strike-shortened 1982 campaign who averaged 2.9 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 50.5% from the floor with Columbia in 1968-69 and 1969-70.

44. Name the Hall of Fame quarterback who guided the Dallas Cowboys to four Super Bowls after averaging 9.3 points per game for the 1961-62 Navy plebe (freshman) basketball team. The 6-2, 190-pound forward scored five points in four games for the Midshipmen varsity squad the next season. He was MVP in Super Bowl VI.

45. Name the defensive back for the Baltimore Colts who appeared in two Super Bowls (III and V) after playing basketball for Maryland-Eastern Shore.

46. Name the wide receiver who played in two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, catching 10 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, after he was a backup small forward in the Prairie View A&M era following the school's glory years with pro basketball standout Zelmo Beaty.

47. Name the Denver Broncos tight end who caught four passes from Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII after being Portland State's second-leading rebounder in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

48. Name the offensive guard with the Green Bay Packers who participated in the first two Super Bowls after originally enrolling at Valparaiso on a basketball scholarship. He averaged 1.5 points per game in eight contests as a freshman with Valpo in 1951-52 before concentrating on football.

49. Name the Pro Bowl punter who appeared in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys after averaging 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds as a sophomore, 17.3 points and eight rebounds as a junior and 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds as a senior for Tennessee. The 6-4, 210-pound forward scored 50 points against LSU as a senior on his way to becoming SEC player of the year in 1967.

50. Name the defensive end for the Denver Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl champions (XXXII and XXXIII) who registered one steal while playing in one minute of one Big Eight Conference basketball game for Colorado in 1989-90.

51. Name the offensive tackle who was an NFL All-Pro six straight seasons in the 1970s and played in the Super Bowl five times that decade with the Dallas Cowboys after earning All-SIAC basketball recognition for Fort Valley State (Ga.).

ANSWERS TO 51 COLLEGE BASKETBALL-IMPACTING SUPER BOWL TRIVIA QUESTIONS
1. Ken Anderson; 2. Larry Ball; 3. Bobby Bell; 4. Ordell Braase; 5. Marlin Briscoe; 6. Harold Carmichael; 7. Reg Carolan; 8. Shante Carver; 9. Ben Coates; 10. Ronald Curry; 11. Len Dawson; 12. Vern Den Herder; 13. Mike Ditka; 14. Jim Duncan; 15. Tony Dungy; 16. London Fletcher; 17. Jean Fugett; 18. Cornell Green; 19. Bob Griese; 20. Dale Hackbart; 21. Percy Howard; 22. Brad Jackson; 23. Ed "Too Tall" Jones; 24. Jacoby Jones; 25. Billy Kilmer; 26. Joe Lavender; 27. Ronnie Lott; 28. Bob Lurtsema; 29. Earsell Mackbee; 30. John Mackey; 31. George Martin; 32. Keith McKeller; 33. Herb McMath; 34. Donovan McNabb; 35. Pete Metzelaars; 36. Wayne Moore; 37. Terrell Owens; 38. Preston Pearson; 39. Julius Peppers; 40. Antwaan Randle El; 41. Andre Rison; 42. Art Shell; 43. George Starke; 44. Roger Staubach; 45. Charlie Stukes; 46. Otis Taylor; 47. Julius Thomas; 48. Fuzzy Thurston; 49. Ron Widby; 50. Alfred Williams; 51. Rayfield Wright.

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." - Abraham Lincoln

It's not exactly a hate crime to also claim "White Players Matter." But Black History Month has arrived and accompanying it are an assortment of facts and opinions celebrating positive contributions blacks have made to the American landscape. Taking more than 100 years after emancipator Abraham Lincoln to make a nationwide transition, nowhere is that emphasis more evident than in an athletic world bereft of quotas and unconnected to alleged Oscar-snubbing. There is certainly more evidence of honor in basketball arenas than in the political arena, where a tax cheat such as Al "Not So" Sharpton is given a freeloader forum by Mess-LSD and brotherly backdoor free-pass entrance to previous POTUS' Oval Office (perhaps for H&R Block seminars to set him free at last).

Letting authentic freedom ring, every sports fan acknowledges the cultural significance of Jackie Robinson. A movie ("42") debuted a couple of springs ago regarding Robinson beginning his major league baseball career, but it is easy to forget there was a time when the now 75% black National Basketball Association was 100% white. It's also easy to forget how Robinson was instrumental in college basketball's "civil rights" movement.

Before Robinson arrived on the scene in the National League, however, there was Columbia's George Gregory, who became the first African-American to gain college All-American honors in 1930-31. In an era of low scoring, he was the team's second-leading scorer with a 9.2-point average. But he was proudest of his defense, and a statistic that is no longer kept: "goals against." In 10 games, Gregory held rival centers to only eight baskets. "That's less than one goal a game," he told the New York Times. "I think they should have kept that statistical category. Nowadays, one guy scores 40 points but his man scores 45. So what good is it?

"It's funny, but even though I was the only black playing for Columbia, and there was only one other black playing in the Ivy League - Baskerville of Harvard - I really didn't encounter too much trouble from opponents. Oh, I got into a couple of fights. And one time a guy called me 'Nigger,' and a white teammate said, 'Next time, you hit him high and I'll hit him low.' And we did, and my teammate, a Polish guy named Remy Tys, said to that other player, 'That's how we take care of nigger callers.'"

But Gregory said the worst racial incident he encountered was at his own school. "After our last game in my junior year, the team voted me captain for the next season. Well, there was a hell of a battle when this came out. Columbia didn't want a black captain, or a Jewish captain, either, I learned. The dean was against it, and the athletic director was against it, and even the coach was against it.

"The coach told me, 'Get yourself together, Gregory, or I'll take your scholarship away.' They were worried that if we played a school in the South and met the other captain before the game, the guy would refuse to come out and it would embarrass the school. But the campus was split 50-50 on whether to have a black captain for its basketball team.

"The fight went on for three or four weeks. The school insisted that the team vote again. We did, and I won again. One of my teammates said, 'You forced the school to enter the 20th Century.'"

Harrison "Honey" Fitch, Connecticut's first black player, was center stage during a racial incident delaying a game at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for several hours in late January 1934. Coast Guard officials entered a protest against Fitch, arguing that because half of the Academy's student body was from southern states, they had a tradition "that no Negro players be permitted to engage in contests at the Academy." Eventually, UConn's coach kept Fitch on the bench the entire contest and never explained why.

The first black to appear in the NBA didn't occur until a couple of decades after Gregory graduated and Fitch transferred to American International. UCLA's first basketball All-American Don Barksdale, one of the first seven African-Americans to play in the NBA, was the first black U.S. Olympic basketball player (1948) as well as the first black to play in an NBA All-Star Game (as a rookie in 1952).

Inspired by the black labor movement in the 1930s, Barksdale said, "I made up my mind that if I wanted to do something, I was going to try to do it all the way, no matter the obstacles."

As a 28-year-old rookie with the Baltimore Bullets, he was paid $20,850 (one of the NBA's top salaries) to play and host a postgame radio show, but that notoriety also put extra pressure on him. Forced to play excessive minutes during the preseason, he sustained ankle injuries that plagued him the remainder of his four-year NBA career (11 ppg and 8 rpg).

Why play so many minutes? "It's Baltimore, which is considered the South," said Barksdale, who wound up back in the Bay Area as a well-known jazz disc jockey. "So the South finally signed a black man, and he's going to play whether he could walk or crawl."

Chuck Cooper, who attended Duquesne on the GI Bill, was the first black player drafted by an NBA franchise. "I don't give a damn if he's striped or plaid or polka-dot," were the history-making words of Boston Celtics Owner Walter Brown when he selected Cooper, who averaged 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in six pro seasons. In Cooper's freshman campaign, Duquesne was awarded a forfeit after refusing to yield to Tennessee's refusal to compete against the Dukes if Cooper participated in a game just before Christmas.

In the 1955-56 season, the Hazleton (Pa.) Hawks of the Eastern League became the first professional league franchise to boast an all-black starting lineup - Jesse Arnelle, Tom Hemans, Fletcher Johnson, Floyd Lane and Sherman White. Arnelle (Penn State) and White (Long Island) were former major-college All-Americans.

As for the multi-talented Robinson, UCLA's initial all-conference basketball player in the 1940s was a forward who compiled the highest scoring average in the Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with the Bruins (12.3 points per league game in 1939-40 and 11.1 ppg in 1940-41) after transferring from Pasadena (Calif.) City College. Continuing his scoring exploits, the six-time National League All-Star who spurred #42 uniforms throughout MLB was the leading scorer for the Los Angeles Red Devils' barnstorming team in 1946-47.

Seven-time All-Star outfielder Larry Doby, the first black in the American League, was also a college basketball player who helped pave the way for minorities. He competed on the hardwood for Virginia Union during World War II after originally committing to LIU. The four-month lead Robinson had in integrating the majors casts a huge shadow over Doby, who was the first black to lead his league in homers (32 in 1952), first to hit a World Series homer and first to win a World Series title.

With less than 10% of current MLB rosters comprised of African-Americans, Robinson clearly had much more of a longstanding impact on basketball than baseball. All of the trailblazers didn't capitalize on a Methodist faith like Robinson, but they did boast a temperament unlike Oklahoma State's fan-pushing All-American guard Marcus Smart. In deference to "firsts" and the number 42, following is a ranking of the 42 best players to break the color barrier at the varsity level of a major university (*indicates junior college recruit):

Rank	First Black Player	School	First Varsity Season	Summary of College Career
1.	Elvin Hayes	Houston	1965-66	Three-time All-American averaged 31 ppg and 17.2 rpg in three seasons. The Hall of Famer led the Cougars in scoring and rebounding each year before becoming first pick overall in 1968 NBA draft.
2.	Hal Greer	Marshall	1955-56	The first African-American to play intercollegiate athletics in the state of West Virginia averaged 19.4 ppg and 10.8 rpg in three seasons. Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer led the Thundering Herd in rebounding as a junior (13.8 rpg) and senior (11.7 rpg) before becoming a 10-time NBA All-Star.
3.	Charlie Scott	North Carolina	1967-68	Averaged 22.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg in three seasons. He was a consensus second-team All-American choice his last two years.
4.	Clem Haskins	Western Kentucky	1964-65	Three-time OVC Player of the Year was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior. Averaged 22.1 ppg and 10.6 rpg in three varsity seasons. First-round NBA draft pick (3rd overall) in 1967.
5.	K.C. Jones	San Francisco	1951-52	Shut-down defender Jones, a member of the 1955 NCAA champion featuring Bill Russell and 1956 Olympic champion, averaged 8.8 ppg in five seasons (played only one game in 1953-54 before undergoing an appendectomy).
6.	Walter Dukes	Seton Hall	1950-51	Averaged 19.9 ppg and 18.9 rpg in three seasons. Consensus first-team All-American as a senior when he averaged 26.1 ppg and 22.2 rpg to lead the Dukes to a 31-2 record and NIT title. Played two full seasons with the Harlem Globetrotters before signing with the New York Knicks, who picked him in 1953 NBA draft.
7.	Don Chaney	Houston	1965-66	Defensive whiz Chaney, an All-American as a senior, averaged 12.6 ppg in three seasons and was a member of Final Four teams in 1967 and 1968.
8.	John Austin	Boston College	1963-64	Two-time All-American averaged 27 ppg in his Eagles' career. Ranked among the nation's leading scorers in 1964 (8th), 1965 (7th) and 1966 (22nd). Scored 40 points in a 1965 NIT contest. He was a fourth-round choice by the Boston Celtics in 1966 NBA draft.
9.	Mike Maloy	Davidson	1967-68	Three-time All-American averaged 19.3 ppg and 12.4 rpg in his career. Southern Conference Player of the Year as a junior and senior. He was the leading scorer (24.6 ppg) and rebounder (14.3 rpg) for the winningest team in school history (27-3 in 1968-69). Selected by the Pittsburgh Condors in the first five rounds of 1970 ABA draft.
10.	Cleo Littleton	Wichita	1951-52	Averaged 19 ppg and 7.7 rpg in four seasons, leading the Shockers in scoring each year. School's career scoring leader (2,164 points) is the only four-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference choice. He was selected by the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955 NBA draft.
11.	Wendell Hudson	Alabama	1970-71	Averaged 19.2 ppg and 12 rpg in his career, finishing as Bama's fourth-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder. The two-time All-SEC first-team selection was a Helms All-American choice as a senior in 1972-73 before being selected in the second round of NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.
12.	Bob Gibson	Creighton	1954-55	Future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher was the school's first player to average at least 20 ppg in his career (20.2). Led the Bluejays in scoring (22 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg) as a junior. Gibson, who said he couldn't eat or stay with the rest of the Bluejays' team on his first trip to Tulsa, went on to play with the Harlem Globetrotters.
13.	Bill Garrett	Indiana	1948-49	First impact African-American player in Big Ten Conference averaged 12 ppg while leading the Hoosiers in scoring each of his three varsity seasons. Paced them in rebounding as a senior (8.5 rpg) when he was an all-league first-team selection. Selected by the Boston Celtics in second round of 1951 NBA draft. Grandson Billy Garrett Jr. became Big East Conference Rookie of the Year with DePaul in 2013-14.
14.	Earl Robinson	California	1955-56	Three-time All-PCC second-team selection averaged at least 10 ppg each of three varsity seasons as 6-1 guard under HOF coach Pete Newell. Robinson averaged 15.5 points in four NCAA Tournament games his last two years, leading the Bears in scoring in two of the playoff contests.
15.	Tom Payne	Kentucky	1970-71	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 against Louisiana State before leaving school early and becoming an NBA first-round draft choice by the Atlanta Hawks.
16.	Ron "Fritz" Williams	West Virginia	1965-66	Southern Conference player of the year as a senior led Mountaineers in scoring and assists all three varsity seasons on his way to finishing with averages of 20.1 ppg and 6 apg. Williams, a two-time all-league first-team selection, was a first-round pick in 1968 NBA draft (9th overall).
17.	James Cash	Texas Christian	1966-67	SWC's initial African-American player averaged 13.9 ppg and 11.6 rpg in three seasons. Two-time all-league second-team selection led the Horned Frogs in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (11.6 rpg) as a senior. Cash had six games with at least 20 rebounds.
18.	John Savage	North Texas	1961-62	Detroit product averaged 19.2 ppg in leading the Eagles in scoring all three of his varsity seasons with them. Three-time All-MVC selection was fifth-round choice by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1964 NBA draft.
19.	Willie Allen	Miami (Fla.)	1968-69	Averaged 17.2 ppg and 12.2 rpg in three seasons. Led Hurricanes in scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (17.2 rpg) as senior. Fourth-round choice of the Baltimore Bullets in 1971 NBA draft played briefly for ABA's The Floridans during 1971-72 season.
20.	Jerry Jenkins	Mississippi State	1972-73	All-SEC selection as a junior and senior when he was the Bulldogs' leading scorer each year, averaging 19.3 ppg and 7 rpg in three seasons.
21.	Stew Johnson	Murray State	1963-64	Averaged 16.8 ppg and 12.9 rpg in three seasons en route to finishing his career as the school's all-time fourth-leading scorer (1,275 points) and second-leading rebounder (981). He was a third-round choice of New York Knicks in 1966 NBA draft before becoming a three-time ABA All-Star.
22.	Gene Knolle*	Texas Tech	1969-70	Two-time All-SWC first-team selection averaged 21.5 ppg and 8.4 rpg in two seasons before becoming a seventh-round choice by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1971 NBA draft.
23.	Joe Bertrand	Notre Dame	1951-52	Averaged 14.6 ppg in three seasons, including 16.5 as senior when Irish finished year ranked sixth in final AP poll. He was 10th-round choice in 1954 NBA draft by Milwaukee Hawks. Served as Chicago's city treasurer as first black elected to citywide office. His grandson with same name played hoops for Illinois.
24.	Hadie Redd	Arizona	1953-54	Led the Wildcats in scoring (13.2 ppg and 13.6) and rebounding (7 rpg and 9.4) in both of his varsity seasons.
25.	Almer Lee*	Arkansas	1969-70	He was the Hogs' leading scorer in 1969-70 (17 ppg) and 1970-71 (19.2 ppg as All-SWC second-team selection).
26.	John "Jackie" Moore	La Salle	1951-52	Averaged 10.3 ppg and 12.1 rpg in two seasons. Second-leading rebounder both years for the Explorers behind All-American Tom Gola. Played three seasons in the NBA as first black player for Philadelphia Warriors.
27.	Greg Lowery*	Texas Tech	1969-70	Averaged 19.7 ppg in his three-year career. First-team All-SWC as a sophomore and senior and second-team choice as junior en route to finishing as school's career scoring leader (1,476 points).
28.	Henry Harris	Auburn	1969-70	Averaged 11.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 2.5 apg in three-year varsity career. Standout defensive player was captain as a senior. He was an eighth-round choice by the Houston Rockets in 1972 NBA draft.
29.	Tommy Bowman	Baylor	1967-68	Two-time All-SWC first-team selection led the Bears in scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg) in his first varsity season.
30.	Ronnie Hogue	Georgia	1970-71	Finished three-year varsity career as the second-leading scorer in school history (17.8 ppg). Hogue was an All-SEC second-team choice with 20.5 ppg as a junior, when he set the school single-game scoring record with 46 points against LSU. He was a seventh-round choice of the Capital Bullets in 1973 NBA draft.
31.	Coolidge Ball	Mississippi	1971-72	Two-time All-SEC second-team selection (sophomore and junior years) averaged 14.1 ppg and 9.9 rpg in three seasons. He led the Rebels in scoring (16.8 ppg) and was second in rebounding (10.3 rpg) as a sophomore.
32.	Carl Head*	West Virginia	1965-66	Averaged 17.1 ppg and 7.9 rpg in two seasons. Paced the team in field-goal shooting as a junior (53.5%) and in scoring as a senior (20.5 ppg).
33.	Perry Wallace	Vanderbilt	1967-68	Averaged 12.9 ppg and 11.5 rpg in three varsity seasons. He was the Commodores' leading rebounder as a junior (10.2 rpg) and leading scorer as a senior (13.4 ppg). Fifth-round choice by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1970 NBA draft.
34.	Don Eaddy	Michigan	1951-52	The Wolverines' top scorer in Big Ten Conference competition as a sophomore (13.8 ppg) averaged 11.4 ppg in four seasons. Eaddy was an infielder who played briefly with the Chicago Cubs in 1959.
35.	Garfield Smith	Eastern Kentucky	1965-66	Averaged 14.5 ppg and 13.2 rpg in three seasons. He was an All-Ohio Valley Conference choice as a senior when he finished second in the nation in rebounding (19.7 rpg). Third-round choice by the Boston Celtics in 1968 NBA draft.
36.	Tommy Woods	East Tennessee State	1964-65	Two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference choice averaged 15.3 ppg and 16.2 rpg in three seasons. He grabbed 38 rebounds in a game against Middle Tennessee en route to finishing third in the nation in rebounding as a sophomore (19.6 rpg).
37.	Willie Brown	Middle Tennessee State	1966-67	All-Ohio Valley Conference choice as junior and senior averaged 20.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg in three seasons en route to finishing his career as the school's all-time scoring leader (1,524 points). He was a 10th-round choice by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969 NBA draft.
38.	Julius Pegues	Pittsburgh	1955-56	Spent one year at a Detroit technical school before enrolling at Pitt. Averaged 13.6 ppg in three seasons, finishing as the school's second-leading scorer (17.6 ppg) as a senior behind All-American Don Hennon. Pegues, who scored a game-high 31 points in an 82-77 loss to Miami of Ohio as a senior in 1958 NCAA Tournament, was a fifth-round choice by the St. Louis Hawks in NBA draft.
39.	Sebron "Ed" Tucker*	Stanford	1950-51	Averaged 15.8 ppg in two seasons, leading the team in scoring both years. Paced the PCC in scoring as a junior (16.5 ppg) before becoming an all-league South Division first-team pick as a senior.
40.	Collis Temple	Louisiana State	1971-72	Averaged 10.1 ppg and 8.1 rpg in three seasons. Ranked second in the SEC in rebounding (11.1 rpg) and seventh in field-goal shooting (54.9%) as a senior. He was a sixth-round choice by the Phoenix Suns in 1974 NBA draft.
41.	Charlie White*	Oregon State	1964-65	Led the Beavers in rebounding (7 rpg) and was their second-leading scorer (9.6 ppg) as a junior. The next year as a first five pick on the All-Pacific-8 team, he was OSU's captain and second-leading scorer (11.7 ppg) and rebounder (6.6 rpg), pacing the team in field-goal shooting (49.4%) and free-throw shooting (81.4%).
42.	Ruben Triplett*	Southern Methodist	1971-72	Averaged 14.9 ppg and 9 rpg in two seasons. Named All-SWC as a junior when he led the Mustangs in scoring (18.2 ppg) and rebounding (10.8 rpg). Scored a career-high 33 points at Oklahoma City.

42 MOST OVERLOOKED PIONEERS

First Black Player	School	First Varsity Season	Summary of College Career
Al Abram	Missouri	1956-57	Averaged 11 ppg over four seasons. He led the Tigers in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounding (8.9 rpg) and field-goal shooting (45%) in 1958-59.
Bunk Adams	Ohio University	1958-59	Averaged 16.4 ppg and 11.8 rpg in three seasons, including a team-high 12.8 rpg as a senior. He led the team in scoring as a sophomore (14.4 ppg) and junior (16.4) and was second as a senior (18.2) en route to finishing as OU's career leader in points (1,196). All-MAC first-team selection as a junior and senior after earning second-team status as a sophomore. Adams was the school's first NBA draft choice (16th round by Baltimore in 1965).
Don Barnette	Miami (Ohio)	1953-54	All-MAC first-team selection as a senior averaged 11.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg during three-year career. Played for the Harlem Globetrotters in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Charlie Brown*	Texas-El Paso	1956-57	Air Force veteran, a three-time All-Border Conference choice, led the league in scoring as a sophomore (23.4 ppg). He averaged 17.5 ppg in three varsity seasons, leading the Miners in scoring each year.
Earl Brown	Lafayette	1971-72	Grabbed 21 rebounds in a game against Lehigh as a sophomore before averaging 11 ppg and 10.6 rpg as a junior and 13.7 ppg and 12.1 rpg as a senior. Ninth-round NBA draft choice by the New York Knicks in 1974.
Mario Brown*	Texas A&M	1971-72	Averaged 13 ppg and 4.3 apg in two seasons, leading the team in assists both years.
Harvey Carter	Bucknell	1970-71	Led the Bison in scoring and rebounding all three varsity seasons (14.1 ppg and 11.5 rpg as a sophomore, 14.8 ppg and 12.4 rpg as a junior and 14.2 ppg and 9.8 rpg as a senior).
Larry Chanay	Montana State	1956-57	Four-year Air Force veteran finished his four-year college career as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,034 points). He led the Bobcats in scoring all four seasons. Chanay was a 14th-round choice by the Cincinnati Royals in 1960 NBA draft.
John Codwell	Michigan	1951-52	The Wolverines' second-leading scorer as a junior (10.5 ppg) averaged 6.4 ppg in three seasons.
Vince Colbert*	East Carolina	1966-67	Averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg in two seasons. He led ECU in rebounding as a junior (7.1 rpg).
Robert Cox	Loyola Marymount	1953-54	Averaged 16.9 ppg and 11.1 rpg in two seasons while leading the Lions in both categories each year.
John Crawford	Iowa State	1955-56	Averaged 13.4 ppg and 9.7 rpg in three seasons. He led the Cyclones in rebounding all three years and paced them in scoring as a senior (14.1 ppg).
L.M. Ellis	Austin Peay State	1963-64	The first OVC black player averaged 9.3 ppg and 10.5 rpg as a junior and 6.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg as a senior after transferring from Drake to his hometown school.
Ed Fleming	Niagara	1951-52	Averaged 15 ppg and 8.7 rpg in four seasons to finish No. 1 on the school's all-time scoring list (1,682). All-time top rebounder (975) was selected by the Rochester Royals in 1955 NBA draft.
Larry Fry	Mississippi State	1972-73	Averaged 13.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg in three seasons.
Julian Hammond*	Tulsa	1964-65	Averaged 12.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg in two seasons. Led the Golden Hurricane in scoring (16.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg) as a senior when he was an All-MVC first-team selection and paced the nation in field-goal shooting (65.9%). He was a ninth-round choice by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1966 NBA draft.
Charlie Hoxie	Niagara	1951-52	Averaged 11.7 ppg and 8.4 rpg in four seasons to finish his career as the school's third-leading scorer (1,274). Second-leading rebounder (916) was selected by the Milwaukee Hawks in 1955 NBA draft before playing with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Eddie Jackson	Oklahoma City	1962-63	Center averaged 12.3 ppg and 10 rpg in three-year OCU career after transferring from Oklahoma. He led the Chiefs in rebounding as a sophomore and junior. Selected in the sixth round by the San Francisco Warriors in 1965 NBA draft.
Leroy Jackson	Santa Clara	1960-61	Averaged 10.1 ppg and 8.3 rpg in three seasons, leading the team in rebounding all three years. Named to second five on All-WCAC team as a senior when he averaged 11.9 ppg and 10.9 rpg.
Curt Jimerson*	Wyoming	1960-61	Forward averaged 14.6 ppg in two seasons, including a team-high 17.5 ppg as a senior when he was an All-Mountain States Conference first-team selection.
Junius Kellogg	Manhattan	1950-51	Averaged 12.1 ppg in three-year career, leading the Jaspers in scoring as a sophomore and junior. Former Army sergeant refused bribe and exposed a major point-shaving scandal.
Charlie Lipscomb	Virginia Tech	1969-70	Averaged 11.4 ppg and 9.4 rpg in three varsity seasons. He led the team in rebounding (10.4 rpg) and was its second-leading scorer (12.1 ppg) as a sophomore.
Jesse Marshall*	Centenary	1968-69	Led the Gents in scoring (16 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg) as a senior after being their second-leading scorer (15.9 ppg) and leading rebounder (10.2 rpg) as a junior.
Shellie McMillon	Bradley	1955-56	Member of 1957 NIT champion averaged 14.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg in three varsity seasons, including a team-high 16.4 ppg in 1957-58. McMillon, who scored 42 points against Detroit, was an All-Missouri Valley Conference second-team choice as a senior before becoming a sixth-round NBA draft choice by the Detroit Pistons.
Eugene Oliver*	South Alabama	1972-73	Averaged 17.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg in two seasons, leading the team in scoring both years and setting a school single-game record with 46 points against Southern Mississippi.
Charley Parnell	Delaware	1966-67	First-team All-East Coast Conference choice led the Blue Hens in scoring with 18.5 ppg.
Garland Pinkston	George Washington	1967-68	Second-leading scorer (12.5 ppg) and rebounder (7.3 rpg) in his only varsity season for GWU.
Art Polk	Middle Tennessee State	1966-67	MTSU's second-leading rebounder as a junior and senior averaged 12.3 ppg and 9.2 rpg in three seasons.
Charley Powell	Loyola (New Orleans)	1966-67	Averaged 21.5 ppg in three-year career, finishing 13th in the nation with 26 ppg as a junior.
Larry Robinson*	Tennessee	1971-72	Averaged 10.9 ppg and 8.8 rpg in two seasons. Led the Volunteers in rebounding and field-goal shooting both years. He was a 16th-round choice by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973 NBA draft.
Ron Satterthwaite	William & Mary	1973-74	Averaged 13.2 ppg in four seasons. He led the Tribe in scoring as a sophomore and junior, averaging 17 ppg during that span. Guard was an All-Southern Conference first-team selection as a sophomore and second-team choice as a junior.
Oscar Scott*	The Citadel	1971-72	Three-year Army veteran averaged 11.8 ppg and 7 rpg in two seasons. He led the Bulldogs in rebounding as a senior.
Dwight Smith	Western Kentucky	1964-65	Three-time All-OVC guard averaged 14.6 ppg and 10.9 rpg in his college career. Led the Hilltoppers in rebounding as a sophomore (11.3 rpg) and as a senior (11.9 rpg). Smith was a third-round choice of the Los Angeles Lakers (23rd overall).
Sam Smith	Louisville	1963-64	Third-round choice of the Cincinnati Royals in 1967 NBA draft averaged 9.2 ppg and team-high 11 rpg in his only varsity season with the Cardinals before transferring to Kentucky Wesleyan.
Sam Stith	St. Bonaventure	1957-58	Averaged 14.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg in three-year career. After All-American brother Tom Stith arrived the next season, they combined to average 52 ppg in 1959-60, an NCAA single-season record for brothers on the same team.
Harold Sylvester	Tulane	1968-69	Averaged 12.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg in three varsity seasons. He led the Green Wave in rebounding as a sophomore and was its second-leading rebounder and scorer as a junior and senior.
John Thomas	Pacific	1954-55	Averaged 15.1 ppg and 11.3 rpg in three years while leading the team in scoring and rebounding each campaign. Finished his career as the school's all-time scoring leader (1,178 points). He set UOP single-season records for points (480) and rebounds (326) in 1955-56.
Liscio Thomas*	Furman	1969-70	Averaged 17 ppg and 9.9 rpg in two seasons. He led the Paladins in scoring as a junior (17.7 ppg) and was the second-leading scorer and rebounder for 1971 Southern Conference champion.
Solly Walker	St. John's	1951-52	First African-American ever to play in game at Kentucky averaged 7.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg in three seasons. Member of 1952 NCAA runner-up and 1953 NIT runner-up. Led the team in scoring (14 ppg) and rebounding (12.2 rpg) as a senior. Selected by the New York Knicks in 1954 NBA draft.
John Edgar Wideman	Penn	1960-61	Two-time All-Ivy League second-team swingman led the Quakers in scoring as a junior (13.2 ppg in 1961-62) and a senior (13.8 ppg in 1962-63). The Pittsburgh native also paced them in rebounding as a junior (7.6 rpg).
Willie Williams*	Florida State	1968-69	Averaged 12.5 ppg and 10.3 rpg in two seasons and led the nation in field-goal shooting as a senior (63.6%).
Ed "Skip" Young	Florida State	1968-69	Averaged 11.7 ppg in three seasons, including 15 ppg as a sophomore, before becoming a seventh-round choice by the Boston Celtics in 1971 NBA draft.

In 2015-16, Stony Brook's Jameel Warney joining an exclusive list of individuals earning league player of the year acclaim three times in an NCAA Division I conference. But Warney, who averaged 16.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while dominating the America East Conference the previous three seasons, replaced a legend for dubious distinction among this gifted group.

Virginia center Ralph Sampson had posted the lowest scoring average (17.6 ppg from 1980-81 through 1982-83) among the 29 players during spans in the previous 50-plus years when they captured three or four MVP awards in a DI conference. Sampson's average was 26.6 ppg lower than LSU guard Pete Maravich's NCAA-record mark (44.2 from 1967-68 through 1969-70).

No player from a power conference has achieved the feat since Kansas' Danny Manning in the Big Eight from 1985-86 through 1987-88. This season and next, Lehigh's Tim Kempton from the Patriot League and North Dakota State's Mike Daum from the Summit League could join the following chronological list of standouts who became player of the year in a DI league three or four seasons since the early 1960s:

Player	Pos.	School	Conference (MVP Seasons)	League MVP Summary
Jerry Lucas	C	Ohio State	Big Ten (1960 through 1962)	Averaged 24.3 ppg and 17.2 rpg while shooting 62.4% from the floor over three-year span.
Fred Hetzel	F-C	Davidson	Southern (1963 through 1965)	Averaged 25.7 ppg and 13.8 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor over three-year span.
Clem Haskins	G-F	Western Kentucky	Ohio Valley (1965 through 1967)	Averaged 22.1 ppg and 10.6 rpg over three-year span.
Pete Maravich	G	Louisiana State	Southeastern (1968 through 1970)	Averaged 44.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 5.1 apg over three-year span.
Gene Phillips	F	Southern Methodist	Southwest (1969 through 1971)	Averaged 26.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg while shooting 81.7% from the free-throw line over three-year span.
David Thompson	F	North Carolina State	Atlantic Coast (1973 through 1975)	Averaged 26.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 55.3% from the floor over three-year span.
Bernard King	F	Tennessee	Southeastern (1975 through 1977)	Averaged 25.8 ppg and 13.2 rpg while shooting 59% from the floor over three-year span.
Bill Cartwright	C	San Francisco	West Coast (1977 through 1979)	Averaged 21.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg while shooting 60.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Michael Brooks	F	La Salle	East Coast (1978 through 1980)	Averaged 24.1 ppg and 12.5 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Harry Kelly	F	Texas Southern	Southwestern Athletic (1980 through 1983)	Averaged 27.9 ppg and 9.9 rpg over four-year span.
Ralph Sampson	C	Virginia	Atlantic Coast (1981 through 1983)	Averaged 17.6 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 3.1 bpg while shooting 57.5% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Joe Binion	F	North Carolina A&T	Mid-Eastern Athletic (1982 through 1984)	Averaged 19.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg while shooting 50.9% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Willie Jackson	F	Centenary	Trans America Athletic (1982 through 1984)	Averaged 23.9 ppg and 9.2 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Alfredrick Hughes	F	Loyola (Ill.)	Midwestern Collegiate (1983 through 1985)	Averaged 26.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Chris Mullin	G-F	St. John's	Big East (1983 through 1985)	Averaged 20.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 86.5% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
Wayman Tisdale	C	Oklahoma	Big Eight (1983 through 1985)	Averaged 25.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg while shooting 57.8% from the floor over three-year span.
Larry Krystkowiak	F	Montana	Big Sky (1984 through 1986)	Averaged 20.4 ppg and 10.7 rpg while shooting 57.1% from the floor and 80.1% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
Reggie Lewis	F	Northeastern	ECAC North Atlantic (1985 through 1987)	Averaged 23.7 ppg and 8.5 rpg over three-year MVP span.
David Robinson	C	Navy	Colonial Athletic (1985 through 1987)	Averaged 24.8 ppg, 12.2 rpg and 4.8 bpg while shooting 61.2% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Danny Manning	F	Kansas	Big Eight (1986 through 1988)	Averaged 21.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg while shooting 59.9% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Lionel Simmons	F	La Salle	Metro Atlantic Athletic (1988 through 1990)	Averaged 26 ppg and 11.3 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Clarence Weatherspoon	F	Southern Mississippi	Metro (1990 through 1992)	Averaged 19.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg while shooting 58.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Tony Dunkin	F	Coastal Carolina	Big South (1990 through 1993)	Averaged 20.7 ppg and 7 rpg while shooting 52.2% from the floor and 41.2% from beyond the three-point arc over four-year span.
Gary Trent	F	Ohio University	Mid-American (1993 through 1995)	Averaged 22.7 ppg and 11.3 rpg while shooting 57.3% from the floor over three-year span.
Keith Van Horn	F	Utah	Western Athletic (1995 through 1997)	Averaged 21.5 ppg and 8.9 rpg while shooting 52.4% from the floor and 87% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
George Evans	F	George Mason	Colonial Athletic (1999 through 2001)	Averaged 17.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg while shooting 58.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
David West	F-C	Xavier	Atlantic 10 (2001 through 2003)	Averaged 18.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg while shooting 53.1% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Taylor Coppenrath	F	Vermont	America East (2003 through 2005)	Averaged 23.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Nick Fazekas	F	Nevada	Western Athletic (2005 through 2007)	Averaged 21 ppg and 10.3 rpg while shooting 53.2% from the floor and 82.3% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
Caleb Green	F	Oral Roberts	Mid-Continent (2005 through 2007)	Averaged 20.2 ppg and 9.1 rpg while shooting 52.6% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Jameel Warney	F-C	Stony Brook	America East (2014 through 2016)	Averaged 16.9 ppg and 10.2 rpg over three-year MVP span.

In 1965-66, the best team in the country might have been UCLA's freshman squad. The Bruins' frosh, led by 7-1 Lew Alcindor's 31 points and 21 rebounds, defeated the two-time NCAA champion UCLA varsity, 75-60. The yearlings compiled a 21-0 record, outscoring their opponents 113.2 points per game to 56.6. Starters for what is considered by some as the best freshman team in NCAA history included Alcindor (33.1 ppg and 21.5 rpg), forwards Lynn Shackelford (20.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg) and Kent Taylor (7.2 ppg) and guards Lucius Allen (22.4 ppg and 7.8 rpg) and Kenny Heitz (14.3 ppg).

Freshmen became eligible for varsity competition seven years later, but there are no guarantees despite a recruit's regal high school resume. In fact, UCLA had a couple of the most disappointing classes in memory thus far in the 21st Century before gifted groups for Duke and Kentucky failed to live up to great expectations this campaign. Michigan saw both ends of the spectrum with a couple of its freshman recruiting crops in the 1990s that were highly acclaimed. One lived up to expectations while the other went from feast to famine.

The "Fab Five" in the first half of the decade probably will stand the test of time and earn recognition among the best classes in college basketball history. On the other hand, guard Louis Bullock was all that was left at the conclusion of the Wolverines' promising 1995-96 freshman class that included Tractor Traylor (left early to become an NBA lottery pick) and Albert White (transferred to Missouri where he was the Tigers' leading scorer in 1998-99 with 16.3 ppg). Minus Traylor and White, Michigan posted an anemic 12-19 record in 1998-99 and finished in a tie for ninth place in the Big Ten (5-11).

In the aftermath of Michigan's recruiting hauls, Duke had an amazing series of regal freshman classes. The Blue Devils' 1997-98 freshman crop (William Avery, Shane Battier, Elton Brand and Chris Burgess) dominated the ACC and was well on its way toward challenging Indiana's superb group in the mid-1970s as the premier class of all time until Avery and Brand left school early for the NBA and Burgess transferred to Utah. The splendid original class was eventually regarded as superior to Michigan's "Fab Five" but with only two years intact won't boast the extended excellence to supplant Indiana's brilliant crew that included Quinn Buckner, Scott May and Bobby Wilkerson.

In 1999-00, Duke's stunning freshmen included Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jason Williams. In 2002-03, the Devils' frosh class included guards Sean Dockery and J.J. Redick plus centers Shavlik Randolph and Shelden Williams. All of these groups were Final Four-bound. As a means of comparison, the Blue Devils' outstanding class comprised of Mark Alarie, Jay Bilas, Johnny Dawkins and David Henderson embarked with an 11-17 mark in 1982-83 before concluding their collegiate careers with an NCAA single-season standard for victories (37-3 in 1985-86). But none of these gifted groups compare to Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen capturing an NCAA title as Blue Devil freshmen in 2015.

Ranking recruiting classes regarding their long-term impact on college basketball is risky business. For instance, does Michigan's Fab Five deserve more acclaim than Butler's mid-major level class also reaching back-to-back NCAA championship games? Where does Kentucky's terrific title trio in 2012 deserve to be ranked insofar as it was around only one year? And what does the future hold for elite recruiting classes assembled again by Duke and Kentucky if they aren't normal one-year mercenaries? Each year's UK crop of late immediately goes to being labeled as perhaps the greatest in collegiate history but this year's group - three of top four scorers Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox and Edrice Adebayo plus part-time starter Wenyen Gabriel - will do well to simply be better than four previous Wildcats classes (1978, 1983, 2013 and 2015) in the mediocre SEC.

It is a simplistic copout to accept the instant visibility of icon programs and automatically cite them among the most influential in college history. Classes from Alcorn State, Butler, East Tennessee State, San Francisco, Southern Mississippi and Wichita State are mentioned in this appraisal. In an era of "one 'n done" freshmen, extended impact becomes an even more vital factor in separating the premier recruiting classes.

There is little doubt Kentucky's 2012 title team frosh class would have quickly moved up the pecking order if they had chosen to return. It's highly unlikely the NCAA will tamper with a nation's fascination on freshmen by making them ineligible. Following is CollegeHoopedia.com's view, factoring in length of tenure (undergraduates declaring for the NBA draft), of the premier recruiting crops (excluding junior college signees) since the introduction of freshman eligibility in 1972-73:

1. Indiana (class of '76)
Recruiting Class: Tom Abernethy, Quinn Buckner, Jim Crews, Scott May, Bobby Wilkerson.
Achievements: Last NCAA champion to go undefeated compiled a 63-1 record in last two seasons this class was intact, climaxing a run of four Big Ten titles. Reached 1973 Final Four with freshmen Buckner and Crews as starting guards under coach Bob Knight (May was ineligible as a freshman for academic reasons). Posted an amazing 59-5 conference mark while capturing four consecutive Big Ten titles. Abernethy, Buckner, May and Wilkerson all played at least five seasons in the NBA while Crews went on to coach Evansville and Army for more than 20 seasons

2. Duke (class of '01)
Recruiting Class: William Avery, Shane Battier, Elton Brand, Chris Burgess (transfer/Utah).
Achievements: Won 31 of 32 ACC games in two seasons together before Avery and Brand left early for the NBA draft. NCAA playoff runner-up in 1999 under coach Mike Krzyzewski

3. Georgetown (class of '85)
Recruiting Class: Ralph Dalton, Patrick Ewing, Anthony Jones (transfer/UNLV), Bill Martin.
Achievements: Won NCAA title in 1984, runner-up in 1985 and reached Final Four in 1982. Went 30-7, 22-10, 34-3 and 35-3 under coach John Thompson. The Hoyas' worst Big East record in that span was 11-5 in 1982-83 although their only conference crown was in 1984. Ewing was the only one of the group to play more than three season in the NBA.

4. Florida (class of '08)
Recruiting Class: Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Joakim Noah.
Achievements: Brewer, Horford and Noah were top nine NBA draft choices as undergraduates after capturing back-to-back NCAA crowns in 2006 and 2007.

5. Duke (class of '18)
Recruiting Class: Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow.
Achievements: Okafor, Winslow and Jones left after capturing NCAA crown as freshmen to become NBA first-round draft choices. Allen, an improbable hero in the title game, went on to become an All-American the next season.

6. North Carolina (class of '06)
Recruiting Class: Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Sean May, David Noel, Bryon Sanders.
Achievements: Felton, McCants and May earned All-ACC honors in their final seasons as juniors when they captured the NCAA crown before becoming top 14 NBA draft choices.

7. Kansas (class of '03)
Recruiting Class: Nick Collison, Drew Gooden, Kirk Hinrich.
Achievements: Collison, Gooden and Hinrich each became an NBA lottery pick. After Gooden left early for the NBA draft, Collison and Hinrich were All-Americans in 2003 when the Jayhawks finished NCAA Tournament runner-up under coach Roy Williams. KU went unbeaten in the Big 12 Conference in 2002.

8. Duke (class of '03)
Recruiting Class: Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Jason Williams.
Achievements: Might have been the school's best if any of them had exercised all of their eligibility similar to teammate Shane Battier. Reached NCAA playoff final in 1999 and 2001 under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

9. Michigan (class of '95)
Recruiting Class: Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber.
Achievements: NCAA Tournament runner-up in 1992 (25-9) and 1993 (31-5) as freshman and sophomore starters. Howard, Rose and Webber became NBA first-round draft choices as undergraduates and each played more than 12 years in the league. Principal drawback is that none of the "Fab Five" was a member of a Big Ten Conference title team under coach Steve Fisher.

10. North Carolina (class of '10)
Recruiting Class: Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, Alec Stephenson (transfer/Southern California), Deon Thompson, Brandan Wright.
Achievements: Wright was a "one 'n done" recruit, but core of group cruised to 2009 NCAA crown by winning their playoff games by an average of 20.2 points.

11. Notre Dame (class of '81)
Recruiting Class: Tracy Jackson, Gilbert Salinas, Kelly Tripucka, Stan Wilcox, Orlando Woolridge.
Achievements: Final Four participant in 1978 and Midwest Regional runner-up in '79. Irish went 23-8, 24-6, 22-6 and 23-6 under coach Digger Phelps. Jackson, Tripucka and Woolridge were its top three scorers each of their last three seasons. Tripucka (26.5 ppg/15.3) and Woolridge (25.1/10.6) had long NBA careers where they flourished as scorers, posting a pro career-high scoring average significantly higher than their college career mark.

12. North Carolina (class of '16)
Recruiting Class: Joel James, Brice Johnson, Marcus Paige, J.P. Tokoto.
Achievements: Compiled a 108-40 record over four seasons. Reached NCAA Tournament final as seniors despite Tokoto declaring early for the NBA draft after the previous campaign.

13. Louisville (class of '82)
Recruiting Class: Wiley Brown, Jerry Eaves, Scooter McCray, Derek Smith, Pancho Wright.
Achievements: Won NCAA title in 1980 with Brown, Eaves and Smith starting while McCray was sidelined with a knee injury. Reached the 1982 Final Four under coach Denny Crum. Went 24-8, 33-3, 21-9 and 23-10 with Metro Conference crowns the first three years.

14. Kentucky (class of '15)
Recruiting Class: Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Kyle Wiltjer (transfer/Gonzaga).
Achievements: Undefeated SEC worksheet before capturing an NCAA title in their lone season together. Outside marksman Wiltjer was the only one not to declare for the NBA draft after their 38-2 freshman campaign under coach John Calipari.

15. North Carolina (class of '97)
Recruiting Class: Guy McInnis, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Serge Zwikker.
Achievements: Zwikker was the only Tar Heels representative for each of their three 28-win campaigns in this four-year span under coach Dean Smith.

16. Kentucky (class of '83)
Recruiting Class: Sam Bowie, Derrick Hord, Charles Hunt, Dirk Minniefield.
Achievements: Oft-injured Bowie played five years, reaching Final Four in 1984. Original class had respective records of 29-6, 22-6, 22-8 and 23-8, but never advanced beyond second game of NCAA playoffs. Captured three SEC championships in that span under coach Joe B. Hall.

17. UCLA (class of '77)
Recruiting Class: Marques Johnson, Wilbert Olinde, Gavin Smith (transfer/Hawaii), Jim Spillane, Richard Washington.
Achievements: Won [John Wooden's](coaches/john-wooden) final NCAA title in 1975. Washington left for the NBA a year early. Bruins went 26-4, 28-3, 28-4 and 25-4 with four Pacific-8 Conference crowns. Reached Final Four in '76 under coach Gene Bartow.

18. Ohio State (class of '10)
Recruiting Class: Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, David Lighty, Greg Oden.
Achievements: Known as the "Thad Five" (when adding juco recruit Othello Hunter), the Buckeyes compiled a 35-4 as NCAA Tournament runner-up in 2007. Oden and Conley were top four NBA draft choices following freshman campaign.

19. North Carolina (class of '77)
Recruiting Class: Bruce Buckley, Walter Davis, John Kuester, Tom LaGarde.
Achievements: Lost 1977 NCAA playoff final (28-5 record) after posting similar marks (composite of 70-18) the previous three years. Captured ACC regular-season championships their last two seasons under coach Dean Smith.

20. North Carolina (class of '94)
Recruiting Class: Eric Montross, Derrick Phelps, Brian Reese, Clifford Rozier (transfer/Louisville), Pat Sullivan.
Achievements: Won NCAA title in 1993 after reaching 1991 Final Four as freshmen. Compiled records of 29-6, 23-10, 34-4 and 28-7 under coach Dean Smith. Only ACC regular-season championship was in 1993.

21. Illinois (class of '06)
Recruiting Class: James Augustine, Dee Brown, Deron Williams, Kyle Wilson (transfer/Wichita State).
Achievements: Bill Self's recruits became NCAA Tournament runner-up in 2005 under coach Bruce Weber.

22. Kentucky (class of '13)
Recruiting Class: Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, John Wall.
Achievements: Regional runner-up after winning SEC regular-season and league tournament titles in 2010 in their lone season together. All four recruits became NBA first-round draft choices.

23. Michigan State (class of '81)
Recruiting Class: Mike Brkovich, Magic Johnson, Rick Kaye, Jay Vincent.
Achievements: Recovered from embarrassing 18-point defeat to league cellar dweller Northwestern to win 1979 NCAA championship under coach Jud Heathcote with an average victory margin of 20.8 points. Went 25-5 and 26-6 and captured Big Ten titles in Johnson's two seasons before posting losing records (12-15 and 13-14) after he turned pro early.

24. Duke (class of '86)
Recruiting Class: Mark Alarie, Jay Bilas, Johnny Dawkins, David Henderson.
Achievements: Runner-up in 1986 NCAA playoffs with an NCAA-record 37-3 mark after going 24-10 and 23-8 the previous two years following an 11-17 worksheet as freshmen under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Senior season accounted for the group's lone ACC regular-season championship.

25. San Francisco (class of '79)
Recruiting Class: Winford Boynes, Bill Cartwright, Erik Gilberg, Raymond Hamilton (left after two seasons), James Hardy.
Achievements: Went 22-8, 29-2, 22-5 and 22-7 with WCAC championships the last three years. Boynes and Hardy were among the top 13 NBA draft picks after leaving school following their junior season when Dan Belluomini succeeded Bob Gaillard as coach. Cartwright was the third selection overall the next year.

26. Duke (class of '06)
Recruiting Class: Sean Dockery, Lee Melchionni, Shavlik Randolph, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams.
Achievements: Three seasons with at least 28 victories as All-Americans Redick and Williams exercised all of their collegiate eligibility. Can't be ranked ahead of Michigan's Fab Five because they never reached a Final Four.

27. Kansas (class of '09)
Recruiting Class: Mario Chalmers, Micah Downs (transfer/Gonzaga), Brandon Rush, Julian Wright.
Achievements: Wright left school early for the NBA prior to KU's NCAA title in 2008. None of group was around for the 2008-09 campaign.

28. Syracuse (class of '06)
Recruiting Class: Carmelo Anthony, Billy Edelin, Gerry McNamara.
Achievements: Anthony, the 2003 Final Four MOP, led the champion Orange in scoring in five of its six playoff games. McNamara was Big East Conference Tournament MVP as a senior.

29. Connecticut (class of '07)
Recruiting Class: Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams.
Achievements: Won 2004 NCAA title before each of them left school early for the NBA the next two years.

30. Kansas (class of '05)
Recruiting Class: Keith Langford, Michael Lee, Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien.
Achievements: Splitting time between coaches Roy Williams and Bill Self, this quartet combined for nearly 5,100 points.

31. Marquette (class of '09)
Recruiting Class: Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal.
Achievements: Recruited by Tom Crean and playing senior season under Buzz Williams, they combined for more than 5,400 points in compiling four 20-win seasons.

32. Arizona (class of '76)
Recruiting Class: Al Fleming, John Irving (transfer/Hofstra), Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Jim Rappis.
Achievements: Overshadowed by UCLA, UA's "Kiddie Korps" started off 16-10 before members of the original group went 19-7, 22-7 and 24-9 under coach Fred Snowden. Norman averaged 23.9 ppg and Money averaged 18.5 ppg before they turned pro after two seasons. Irving played one season with the Wildcats before transferring to Hofstra, where he led the nation in rebounding in 1975. Fleming became the school's all-time leading rebounder.

33. Purdue (class of '88)
Recruiting Class: Jeff Arnold, Troy Lewis, Todd Mitchell, Dave Stack, Everette Stephens.
Achievements: "The Three Amigos" (Lewis, Mitchell and Stephens) were instrumental in helping the Boilermakers compile a four-year record of 96-28 (.774), including a glittering 29-4 mark as seniors under coach Gene Keady. Lewis and Mitchell still rank among the school's all-time top 10 scorers. Group captured Big Ten Conference titles their last two seasons together. Stephens went on to have the most NBA experience with 38 games.

34. North Carolina (class of '99)
Recruiting Class: Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ademola Okulaja.
Achievements: Coach Dean Smith must have been frustrated in his last two seasons that teams with talents such as Carter and Jamison lost a total of 18 games in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

35. Arizona (class of '05)
Recruiting Class: Will Bynum (transfer/Georgia Tech), Isaiah Fox, Channing Frye, Dennis Latimore (transfer/Notre Dame), Salim Stoudamire.
Achievements: Might have ranked higher if they didn't go through the turmoil of coach Lute Olson's swan song.

36. Kentucky (class of '78)
Recruiting Class: Jack Givens, Dan Hall (transfer/Marshall), James Lee, Mike Phillips, Rick Robey.
Achievements: Freshmen on UK's national runner-up in 1975. Givens (Final Four MOP), Lee, Phillips and Robey represented four of the Wildcats' top five scorers for the Wildcats' 1978 NCAA titlist under coach Joe B. Hall. UK had to settle for participating in the 1976 NIT when Robey missed more than half of the season because of a knee injury.

37. Kansas State (class of '11)
Recruiting Class: Ron Anderson Jr. (transfer/South Florida), Michael Beasley, Fred Brown, Jacob Pullen, Dominique Sutton (transfer/North Carolina Central), Bill Walker.
Achievements: Notched a 21-12 record in their only season together as Beasley and Walker departed for the NBA after freshman campaign.

38. Maryland (class of '81)
Recruiting Class: Ernest Graham, Albert King, Greg Manning.
Achievements: Graham, King and Manning all finished their careers with more than 1,500 points. The Terrapins went 15-13, 19-11, 24-7 (won 1980 ACC regular-season title) and 21-10 under coach Lefty Driesell.

39. Pittsburgh (class of '91)
Recruiting Class: Bobby Martin, Jason Matthews, Sean Miller (RS in 1990), Darelle Porter, Brian Shorter (Prop 48).
Achievements: All five players became 1,000-point scorers in their careers. The Panthers went 24-7 with a Big East Conference title in 1987-88 when they were freshmen before struggling the next couple of seasons under coach Paul Evans.

40. UCLA (class of '83)
Recruiting Class: Darren Daye, Rod Foster, Michael Holton, Cliff Pruitt (transfer/UAB).
Achievements: NCAA Tournament runner-up in 1980 as freshmen under coach Larry Brown. Won Pacific-10 title in '83 under Brown's successor (Larry Farmer). Compiled records of 22-10, 20-7, 21-6 and 23-6.

SPECIAL MENTION
(Underrated classes that didn't generate the headlines they deserved.)

Alcorn State (class of '85)
Recruiting Class: Eddie Archer, Aaron Brandon, Tommy Collier, Michael Phelps.
Achievements: Archer, Brandon, Collier and Phelps all finished their careers with more than 1,200 points. The Braves won three SWAC championships in four years from 1982 through 1985 under coach Davey Whitney, winning NCAA playoff games in 1983 and 1984 when they were eliminated by Georgetown and Kansas by a total of six points.

Butler (class of '12)
Recruiting Class: Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, Ronald Nored, Chase Stigall (redshirt).
Achievements: Hayward nearly hit a game-winning half-court shot in 2010 NCAA title contest. Mack and Nored appeared in back-to-back NCAA championship games. Stigall went on to become one of the Bulldogs' top three-point shooters.

East Tennessee State (class of '91)
Recruiting Class: Greg Dennis, Major Geer, Keith Jennings, Alvin West.
Achievements: All four players became 1,000-point scorers in their careers. East Tennessee State coasted to three consecutive Southern Conference Tournament titles from 1989 through 1991 under coaches Les Robinson and Alan LeForce.

Georgia (class of '83)
Recruiting Class: Terry Fair, Lamar Heard, Dominique Wilkins.
Achievements: The Bulldogs averaged 19 victories annually from 1979-80 through 1982-83 after winning more than 14 games only once the previous 29 seasons.

Illinois (class of '86)
Recruiting Class: Doug Altenberger, Bruce Douglas, Scott Meents, Efrem Winters, Reggie Woodward.
Achievements: Illini won more than 20 games four consecutive campaigns under coach Lou Henson.

Indiana (class of '93)
Recruiting Class: Calbert Cheaney, Lawrence Funderburke (transfer/Ohio State), Greg Graham, Pat Graham, Chris Lawson (transfer/Vanderbilt), Todd Leary, Chris Reynolds.
Achievements: Reached 1992 Final Four en route to compiling 105-27 record. Cheaney became IU's all-time leading scorer.

Iowa (class of '89)
Recruiting Class: B.J. Armstrong, Ed Horton, Les Jepsen (freshman redshirt), Roy Marble.
Achievements: George Raveling's final recruiting class with the Hawkeyes (including J.C. signee Kevin Gamble) all played in the NBA after helping Tom Davis capture national coach of the year acclaim in 1986-87.

Michigan State (class of '92)
Recruiting Class: Parish Hickman (transfer/Liberty), Mark Montgomery, Mike Peplowski (freshman redshirt), Matt Steigenga.
Achievements: Coming off back-to-back losing campaigns under coach Jud Heathcote, the Spartans averaged almost 22 wins annually the next four seasons from 1988-89 through 1991-92.

North Carolina (class of '69)
Recruiting Class: Jim Bostick (transfer/Auburn), Joe Brown, Bill Bunting, Rusty Clark, Dick Grubar, Gerald Tuttle.
Achievements: In three years of varsity competition (45-6 record against ACC foes and 81-15 overall), this group coached by Dean Smith became the first to finish No. 1 in the regular season, win the ACC Tournament and advance to the Final Four each year.

Ohio State (class of '81)
Recruiting Class: Marquis Miller, Kenny Page (transfer/New Mexico), Todd Penn, Carter Scott, Jim Smith, Herb Williams. Achievements: Eldon Miller, Fred Taylor's coaching successor, returned the Buckeyes to national postseason competition with three four-year starters (Scott, Smith and Williams). Page, after starting most of his freshman season with OSU, twice ranked among the nation's top 11 scorers with the Lobos.

Southern California (class of '89)
Recruiting Class: Jeff Connelly (transfer/Santa Clara), Hank Gathers (transfer/Loyola Marymount), Bo Kimble (transfer/Loyola Marymount), Tom Lewis (transfer/Pepperdine).
Achievements: The nucleus of USC's class, recruited by Stan Morrison, left to become stars in the West Coast Conference after a modest freshman season (11-17) when George Raveling arrived as coach.

Southern Mississippi (class of '88)
Recruiting Class: Casey Fisher, Derrick Hamilton, Randolph Keys, John White.
Achievements: Keys, Fisher, Hamilton and White all finished their careers with more than 1,300 points. The Golden Eagles, overshadowed in the Metro Conference by Louisville, won the 1987 NIT under coach M.K. Turk when each of the quartet scored in double digits.

Syracuse (class of '95)
Recruiting Class: Anthony Harris (transfer/Hawaii), Luke Jackson, Lawrence Moten, J.B. Reafsnyder (RS), Glenn Sekunda (transfer/Penn State), Lazarus Sims (RS).
Achievements: The Orange were on NCAA probation in 1993 before Moten finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer.

UNLV (class of '77)
Recruiting Class: Lewis Brown, Glen Gondrezick, Eddie Owens, Jackie Robinson.
Achievements: Core of freshmen, supplemented by JC signee Ricky Sobers first two seasons, wound up in 1977 Final Four under coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Utah (class of '81)
Recruiting Class: Karl Bankowski, Tom Chambers, Scott Martin, Danny Vranes.
Achievements: Formidable frontcourt featuring Bankowski/Chambers/Vranes helped enable Martin to pace the Utes in assists three successive seasons under coach Jerry Pimm.

Wake Forest (class of '82)
Recruiting Class: Mike Helms, Jim Johnstone, Guy Morgan, Alvis Rogers (RS in 1982).
Achievements: All four players finished their careers with more than 1,100 points under coach Carl Tacy. Morgan, Rogers and Johnstone each grabbed more than 550 rebounds. The Demon Deacons posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history (22-7 in 1980-81 and 21-9 in 1981-82 when they finished both years in third place in the ACC).

Wichita State (class of '83)
Recruiting Class: Antoine Carr, James Gibbs, Ozell Jones (transfer/Cal State Fullerton), Cliff Levingston.
Achievements: Posted marks of 17-12, 26-7, 23-6 and 25-3 under coach Gene Smithson. Group is somewhat overlooked because the school was on NCAA probation in 1982 and 1983. Levingston left after his junior year. Captured Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships in 1981 and 1983. Jones played in the NBA with Carr and Levingston.

Don't believe everything you hear. Complicating the high-expectations transition for freshmen phenoms are misguided rush-to-judgment comments from experts such as Dick Vitale who hype recruits beyond reason during their senior season in high school. According to the effervescent ESPN analyst, Delray Brooks (Indiana/Providence) was going to be the next Oscar Robertson, Tito Horford (Louisiana State/Miami FL) was going to be the next Hakeem Olajuwon, Jeff Lebo (North Carolina) was going to be the next Jerry West, ad nauseam. Brooks, Horford and Lebo went on to become fine college players, but the only historical basketball byproduct they had in common with the Big O, the Dream and Mr. Clutch was they played in the same half century.

Freshmen played varsity college basketball in wartime years during the 1940s and early '50s because of manpower shortages, and at earlier times when eligibility requirements were lax. But for the most part prior to the 1972-73 campaign, colleges fielded freshman teams requiring extra scholarships and operating expenses. Consequently, the introduction of freshman eligibility trimmed costs and, of course, gave eager coaches instant access to high school phenoms who are immediately placed under the glare of the spotlight to help keep elite programs on a pedestal or possibly give struggling teams a chance to climb the ladder of success.

Former Marquette coach Al McGuire coined the phrase: "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores." But McGuire's clever message came before the "one-and-done" era. Brandon Ingram (Duke) and Ben Simmons (LSU) went 1-2 in the 2016 NBA draft despite failing to boost their college teams to any significant improvement. Washington's Markelle Fultz followed suit in less-than-instant-success category this year after the Huskies were 19-15 last season. North Carolina State's Dennis Smith Jr. also joined the following list of acclaimed freshmen such as Ingram and Simmons losing at least 10 games in their inaugural campaign while failing to guide their schools to better record than they compiled the previous season:

"It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required." - Winston Churchill

The NCAA Tournament speaks to your sports soul, leaving you yearning for more such as last season's spectacular-finish final between Villanova and North Carolina. This year marks the 79th NCAA championship spectacle and we're 79 days away from the next championship contest. Perhaps the most amazing stretch in NCAA playoff history was an eight-year span from 1982 through 1989 when seven finals were decided by an average of two points. All of those close title contests, surely measuring up to Churchill's "best" quote, must be included in any celebratory ranking of the most stimulating games in tourney history.

Since some of the most entertaining games are somewhat overshadowed because they came in earlier rounds, it's difficult to decide what were the premier outings in playoff history. There is inspiration everywhere one turns - so many entertaining contests to choose from with so many divergent opinions on a seemingly endless list of stellar candidates.

Nothing provokes disagreements among ardent hoop fans more than healthy what's-the-best-in-history dialogue. In deference to the 79th playoff, following is a ranking of the top 79 games one remembers the most. You wouldn't wonder what all the fuss is about if you had the good fortune to witness firsthand or learn from ardent fans about much of the following drama:

1. 1992 East Regional Final (Duke 104, Kentucky 103 in OT)
Duke's Christian Laettner hit a decisive last-second shot near the head of the key against UK in overtime after receiving a long in-bounds pass from Grant Hill in the East Regional final. The game is acknowledged as one of the most suspenseful in NCAA history.
2. 1985 Championship Game (Villanova 66, Georgetown 64)
Villanova became the worst seed (#8 in the Southeast Regional) to win a national championship by shooting a championship game-record 78.6% from the floor against the nation's top-ranked team. The Hoyas, powered by national player of the year Patrick Ewing, had defeated the Wildcats twice by a total of nine points in Big East Conference competition.
3. 1983 Championship Game (North Carolina State 54, Houston 52)
Sophomore forward Lorenzo Charles scored only four points, but two of them came when he converted guard Dereck Whittenburg's off-line desperation shot from well beyond the top of the free-throw circle into a decisive dunk as North Carolina State upset heavily-favored Houston. The Cougars, featuring Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon, entered the final with a 26-game winning streak.
4. 1982 Championship Game (North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62)
North Carolina freshman guard Michael Jordan swished a 16-foot jumper from the left side with 16 seconds remaining to provide the title contest's final points before Georgetown guard Fred Brown's errant pass directly to Tar Heels forward James Worthy prevented the Hoyas from attempting a potential game-winning shot in the closing seconds. Also memorable was was a stream of intimidating goal-tending calls early in the contest against Hoyas freshman center Patrick Ewing.
5. 1987 Championship Game (Indiana 74, Syracuse 73)
Junior college recruit Keith Smart, a guard who was Indiana's fifth-leading scorer for the season, tallied 12 of the Hoosiers' last 15 points, including a 15-foot jumper from the left baseline with five seconds remaining.
6. 1957 Championship Game (North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 in 3OT)
Carolina center Joe Quigg sank two free throws with six seconds remaining in third overtime to tie score and provide decisive point against the Wilt Chamberlain-led Jayhawks. Although Lennie Rosenbluth was the unbeaten Tar Heels' leading scorer in 27 of their 32 contests, they won the NCAA final despite him fouling out with 1:45 remaining in regulation.
7. 2016 Championship Game (Villanova 77, North Carolina 74)
On the heels of a miraculous, double-clutch game-tying three-pointer by Carolina's Marcus Paige with fewer than five ticks remaining, Jenkins nailed a trey off a nifty pass and brush screen by Final Four MOP Ryan Arcidiacono. Unsung hero Phil Booth Jr. led the Wildcats in scoring in the final with 20 points while Jenkins, Nova's #2 scorer on the season (13.6 ppg) behind Josh Hart, chipped in with 14.
8. 1966 Championship Game (Texas Western 72, Kentucky 65)
Texas Western (28-1), featuring an all-black starting lineup with three players 6-1 or shorter in the NCAA final, stunned top-ranked and all-white Kentucky (27-2), putting the finishing touches on dismantling the prejudiced myth that black athletes couldn't play disciplined basketball. Junior college transfer Bobby Joe Hill, one of the tiny trio, converted steals into layups on consecutive trips down the floor by flustered UK guards to give the Miners a lead they never relinquished.
9. 1975 Mideast Regional Final (Kentucky 92, Indiana 90)
Indiana, undefeated entering the tourney (29-0), lost against Kentucky despite center Kent Benson's 33 points and tourney-high 23 rebounds. The Wildcats (26-5) prevailed despite 6-of-19 field-goal shooting by leading scorer Kevin Grevey. UK guards Jimmy Dan Conner and Mike Flynn combined to outscore IU counterparts Quinn Buckner and Bobby Wilkerson, 39-22.
10. 1991 National Semifinals (Duke 79, UNLV 77)
Duke's shocking win over defending champion UNLV (34-1) was the Rebels' lone defeat. Christian Laettner scored 28 points for the Blue Devils (32-7).
11. 1989 Championship Game (Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 in OT)
Former street urchin Rumeal Robinson sank two pressure free throws against Seton Hall (31-7) with three seconds remaining in overtime to give the win to Michigan (30-7), which was guided by interim coach Steve Fisher.
12. 1957 National Semifinals (North Carolina 74, Michigan State 70 in 3OT)
The lead changed hands 31 times and the score was tied on 21 occasions. The Spartans' Jack Quiggle made a last-second, half-court shot at the end of regulation but it was disallowed. The end-of-game rule at the time was that the ball had to reach the apex of its arc before the buzzer. The officials ruled that the ball was still ascending. Teammate Johnny Green missed a free throw with 11 seconds remaining in the first overtime that would have sealed the verdict. Carolina's Pete Brennan grabbed Green's miss. Rather than tossing the ball out to a guard as Brennan normally would do, he dribbled down-court and hit a game-tying jumper just to the right of the foul line at the buzzer.
13. 1994 Championship Game (Arkansas 76, Duke 72)
The pressure was intense on Arkansas' Scotty Thurman with the shot clock winding down and score tied with 40 seconds remaining when he lofted a three-point attempt over Duke defender Antonio Lang that hit nothing but net.
14. 1974 National Semifinals (North Carolina State 80, UCLA 77 in 2OT)
The final in N.C. State's home state at Greensboro was anti-climatic after the Wolfpack avenged an 18-point loss against UCLA earlier in the season on a neutral court by ending the Bruins' 38-game playoff winning streak. N.C. State erased an 11-point deficit midway through the second half and a seven-point deficit in the second extra session behind David Thompson's 28 points and 10 rebounds to halt UCLA's string of seven consecutive NCAA championships.
15. 1990 East Regional Final (Duke 79, Connecticut 78 in OT)
Two days after UConn escaped Clemson on a controversial last-second shot, Duke turned the tables on the Huskies when Christian Laettner inbounded the ball with 2.6 seconds remaining, received a return pass and sank a leaning jumper from the left side at the buzzer.
16. 1981 Mideast Regional Second Round (St. Joseph's 49, DePaul 48)
St. Joseph's gained its only lead in the second half when inexcusably unguarded Hawks player John Smith sank a layup with three seconds left after DePaul's most accurate foul shooter, Skip Dillard, the guy they called "Money" because when he shot 'em, they were as good as in the bank, missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12 seconds remaining. The top-ranked Blue Demons did not score a point or take a shot in the final 6 1/2 minutes. A stunned Mark Aguirre, the national player of the year, didn't even throw the ball inbounds and finished the game with one rebound, one assist, no blocked shots, no steals and the only single-digit scoring output of his DePaul career (eight points).
17. 1981 Midwest Regional Second Round (Arkansas 74, Louisville 73)
Defending champion Louisville lost when Arkansas' U.S. Reed received an in-bounds pass with five seconds remaining, criss-cross dribbled up the sideline and heaved a mid-court shot from right side that went through the net at the buzzer.
18. 1993 Championship Game (North Carolina 77, Michigan 71)
George Lynch, North Carolina's top rebounder and second-leading scorer, made four big plays in the closing moments of title game. With Michigan leading, 67-66, he and Eric Montross blocked away a driving layup by Jimmy King. That led to a fast-break basket by Derrick Phelps and put the Tar Heels ahead to stay with just over three minutes remaining. After a missed UM shot, Lynch hit a turnaround jumper from the middle of the lane with 2:28 remaining to increase Carolina's lead to 70-67. On an inbounds play after UNC regained possession, Lynch lofted a perfect pass to Montross for a dunk. The Wolverines rallied to trim the deficit to 73-71 before Lynch and Phelps trapped Chris Webber along the right sideline with only 11 seconds remaining and Michigan's consensus first-team All-American called a fateful timeout his team did not have, a "whopper" of a mistake long before his Burger King commercial.
19. 1973 Championship Game (UCLA 87, Memphis State 61)
UCLA's Bill Walton, aided by Greg Lee's 14 assists, erupted for a title game-record 44 points. Walton, the only player to have as many as 20 field goals in an NCAA final, hit all but one of 22 shots from the floor.
20. 1958 East Regional First Round (Manhattan 89, West Virginia 84)
West Virginia, ranked No. 1 in the country at the end of the regular season, was upset at New York when Jack Powers, who went on to become executive director of the NIT, collected 29 points and 15 rebounds for Manhattan (16-10). Jerry West scored just 10 points in his first NCAA Tournament game for the Mountaineers, who finished the season with the best winning percentage in school history (26-2, .929).
21. 1983 Mideast Regional final (Louisville 80, Kentucky 68 in OT)
The first meeting between in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville in more than 24 years was memorable as the Cardinals outscored the Wildcats in overtime, 18-6, to reach the Final Four.
22. 1963 Championship Game (Loyola of Chicago 60, Cincinnati 58 in OT)
Forward Vic Rouse leaped high to redirect center Les Hunter's shot from the free-throw line into the basket to climax the Ramblers' first year in the playoffs. Loyola, using its starting lineup the entire final, overcame 27.4% field-goal shooting by committing just three turnovers. The Ramblers trailed the defending NCAA champion by 15 points in the second half before knotting the score at 54-54 when Jerry Harkness hit a 12-foot jumper with four seconds remaining in regulation.
23. 1988 Championship Game (Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79)
The two Big Eight Conference members were deadlocked, 50-50, at intermission in the highest-scoring first half in title game history. The Jayhawks' Danny Manning poured in 31 points.
24. 1979 Championship Game (Michigan State 75, Indiana State 64)
Undefeated Indiana State lost against Michigan State when the Sycamores' Larry Bird, who hit 53.2% of his field-goal attempts on the season, made just one-third of his shots from the floor (7 of 21) as a sore thumb limited his shooting effectiveness. Magic Johnson scored a game-high 24 points for the Spartans. The ballyhooed matchup between icons Bird and Magic failed to live up to billing but aroused fans and generated the largest-ever TV share for an NCAA final.
25. 1989 East Regional First Round (Georgetown 50, Princeton 49)
No. 16 seed Princeton pushed No. 1 seed Georgetown to the limit in the East Regional before the patient and precise Tigers bowed when a last-second shot was blocked by All-American center Alonzo Mourning.
26. 1996 Southeast Regional First Round (Princeton 43, UCLA 41)
Princeton coach Pete Carril bowed out in style with a decisive perfectly executed back-door layup reminiscent of how many games were played several decades ago. It was UCLA's lowest-scoring output in 99 playoff outings, and the lowest score for a Bruins team in a regulation game in more than 55 years.
27. 1977 Championship Game (Marquette 67, North Carolina 59)
Tears of joy flowed for coach Al McGuire when Marquette won the championship in his farewell. McGuire, leaving the bench before the game was even over with tears running down his cheeks, pulled away from a hug by long-time assistant Hank Raymonds and made his way to the silence of the locker room. "I want to be alone," McGuire said. "I'm not afraid to cry. All I could think about at the end was - why me? After all the jocks and socks. All the odors in the locker room. All the fights in the gyms. Just the wildness of it all. And to have it end like this ..."
28. 1971 Mideast Regional Semifinals (Western Kentucky 107, Kentucky 83)
WKU, long regarded as poor country cousins by Kentucky, whipped the Wildcats in their first-ever meeting when All-American Jim McDaniels poured in 35 points for the Hilltoppers.
29. 1975 National Semifinals (UCLA 75, Louisville 74 in OT)
Three Louisville regulars shooting better than 50% from the floor for the season (swingman Junior Bridgeman, center Ricky Gallon and guard Phillip Bond) combined to hit 25% (6 of 24) in a loss against UCLA. Adding insult to injury for the Cardinals was reserve guard Terry Howard missing the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity in the closing seconds of overtime after he converted all 28 of his previous foul shots that season.
30. 1997 Championship Game (Arizona 84, Kentucky 79 in OT)
Arizona, the only team to win an NCAA crown after finishing as low as fifth place in its league, capitalized on a 34-9 edge in free throws made to upend favored Kentucky although Zona did not make a field goal in the extra session.
31. 1995 West Regional Second Round (UCLA 75, Missouri 74)
Playmaker Tyus Edney played the role of Wizard of Westwood II with a series of breathtaking drives and baskets in UCLA's first five playoff games, including a length-of-the-court game-winner against Mizzou.
32. 1990 East Regional Semifinals (Connecticut 71, Clemson 70)
It was difficult for Clemson fans to fathom how UConn's Tate George had sufficient time with one second on the clock to receive a full-court pass, come down, square up and get off a game-winning jumper from the right baseline.
33. 1990 West Regional Second Round (Loyola Marymount 149, Michigan 115)
The record for most three-point field goals in a playoff game was set by Loyola Marymount senior guard Jeff Fryer with 11. Fryer (41) and Bo Kimble (37) became the only set of teammates to score more than 35 points in the same tourney game when they combined for 78 vs. Michigan in the highest-scoring game in NCAA playoff history.
34. 1981 East Regional Semifinals (Brigham Young 51, Notre Dame 50)
BYU's Danny Ainge went coast-to-coast driving through the heart of No. 2 seed Notre Dame's defense for a layup at the buzzer to give the Cougars the victory.
35. 1983 West Regional First Round (N.C. State 69, Pepperdine 67 in 2OT)
NCAA champion-to-be North Carolina State (26-10) defeated Pepperdine (20-9) in two extra sessions after trailing by six points with 24 seconds remaining in regulation.
36. 1978 Championship Game (Kentucky 94, Duke 88)
Jack Givens sank 18 of 27 field-goal attempts against upstart Duke's zone defense and scored Kentucky's last 16 points of the first half en route to a 41-point performance.
37. 2001 National Semifinals (Duke 95, Maryland 84)
The Blue Devils (35-4) overcame a 22-point deficit against the Terrapins (25-11), the biggest comeback in Final Four history. Mike Dunleavy Jr. hit three consecutive three-pointers in a 45-second span of the second half after Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told his squad to quit calling plays and just go out and play the game.
38. 2003 West Regional Second Round (Arizona 96, Gonzaga 95 in 2OT)
Gonzaga's Tony Skinner and Blake Stepp tied for game-high scoring honors with 25 points but each of them missed an open shot in the last four seconds of the second overtime for the Zags (24-9) against No. 1 seed Arizona (28-4). Wildcats standout guard Jason Gardner contributed a pair of three-pointers after missing 17 consecutive shots from beyond the arc in his previous three outings.
39. 1970 Mideast Regional First Round (Notre Dame 112, Ohio University 82)
Guard Austin Carr became the only player to score more than 60 points in a single playoff game. Carr tallied 35 of Notre Dame's 54 first-half points en route to a school-record 61 against OU.
40. 1952 East Regional Final (St. John's 64, Kentucky 57)
St. John's (25-6), sparked by center Bob Zawoluk's 32 points, avenged a 41-point rout at UK (29-3) earlier in the season (81-40) by ending the 23-game winning streak of the nation's No. 1 team.
41. 1969 National Semifinals (UCLA 85, Drake 82)
Guard John Vallely, averaging a modest 10.2 points per game entering the Final Four, erupted for 29 points and the Bruins (29-1) needed all of them. They had a nine-point lead with 70 seconds remaining dwindle to one before defeating Drake (26-5) after the Bulldogs missed a go-ahead basket in the waning moments. UCLA star center Lew Alcindor grabbed 21 rebounds.
42. 1945 National Semifinals (New York University 70, Ohio State 65 in OT)
NYU (14-7), featuring just one senior on its roster, erased a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation against Ohio State (15-5).
43. 1968 Midwest Regional First Round (Houston 94, Loyola of Chicago 76)
UH's Elvin Hayes became the only player in tournament history to collect more than 40 points and 25 rebounds in the same game when he garnered 49 points and 27 rebounds. Hayes led the tournament in scoring and rebounding by wide margins for the fourth-place Cougars (31-2), but he wasn't named to the all-tournament team.
44. 1998 Midwest Regional First Round (Valparaiso 70, Mississippi 69)
Valpo's Jamie Sykes, an outfield prospect late for spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks, inbounded from the opposite baseline with 2.5 seconds remaining. He hurled a baseball pass that Bill Jenkins leaped to catch. Jenkins delivered a touch pass to guard Bryce Drew on the right wing, and the son of coach Homer Drew drilled a game-winning three-pointer for the Crusaders (23-10).
45. 1970 Mideast Regional Final (Jacksonville 106, Kentucky 100)
JU's Artis Gilmore collected 24 points and 20 rebounds to help eliminate the nation's top-ranked team. Teammate Rex Morgan contributed 28 points while outshining UK's backcourt.
46. 1951 East Regional First Round (Illinois 79, Columbia 71)
Columbia, undefeated entering the tourney (21-0), blew a seven-point, halftime lead and lost to eventual national third-place finisher Illinois (22-5). The Lions' John Azary was outscored by the Illini's Don Sunderlage (25-13) in a battle of All-American candidates.
47. 1965 National Third-Place Game (Princeton 118, Wichita 82)
Princeton's Bill Bradley set the mark for most points in a single Final Four game with a school-record 58. He scored 39 of them in the second half of the consolation contest.
48. 1971 Mideast Regional Semifinals (Ohio State 60, Marquette 59)
Marquette, undefeated entering the tourney (26-0), lost against Ohio State (20-6) after the Warriors' playmaker, unanimous first-team All-America Dean "The Dream" Meminger, fouled out with five minutes remaining. Teammate Allie McGuire, the coach's son, committed a costly turnover in the closing seconds before Buckeyes guard Allan Hornyak converted a pair of crucial free throws to end Marquette's 39-game winning streak.
49. 2005 Midwest Regional Final (Illinois 90, Arizona 89 in OT)
Illini (37-2) overcame a 14-point deficit with just over three minutes remaining in regulation and nine-point deficit in the last 1 1/2 minutes before defeating Arizona (30-7) in an extra session.
50. 1999 West Regional First Round (Weber State 76, North Carolina 74)
No. 3 seed North Carolina (24-10) lost its playoff opener for the first time in 19 years when the Tar Heels succumbed against No. 14 Weber State (25-8). Junior college transfer Harold Arceneaux contributed five three-pointers en route to 36 points for the Wildcats. His output matched the highest ever in the playoffs against Carolina.
51. 1965 Championship Game (UCLA 91, Michigan 80)
UCLA's Gail Goodrich became the only guard to score more than 35 points in an NCAA final, erupting for 42 points on 12 of 22 field-goal shooting and 18 of 20 free-throw shooting. His free throws made and attempted remain championship game records.
52. 1976 West Regional Semifinals (Arizona 114, UNLV 109 in OT)
Each team had four players score at least 18 points as UNLV (29-2), ranked third by AP and fourth by UPI entering the tourney, was eliminated by Arizona (24-9) when Jim Rappis had more assists (12) than the Rebels' entire team.
53. 1981 West Regional Second Round (Kansas State 50, Oregon State 48)
K-State (24-9) upset second-ranked Oregon State (26-2) on Rolando Blackman's 17-foot buzzer beater from the right baseline.
54. 1959 Mideast Regional Semifinals (Louisville 76, Kentucky 61)
Second-ranked Kentucky (24-3) hit less than one-third of its field-goal attempts in blowing a 15-point lead against intra-state rival Louisville (19-12).
55. 1976 Championship Game (Indiana 86, Michigan 68)
Trailing Michigan (25-7) by six points at intermission and playing without Bobby Wilkerson after the starting guard sustained a concussion early in the game, the Hoosiers shot 60% from the floor in the second half to come from behind and earn recognition as the nation's last undefeated team. Scott May, Kent Benson and Quinn Buckner collaborated for 36 of IU's first 38 second-half points.
56. 2005 West Regional Final (Louisville 93, West Virginia 85)
West Virginia set a regional final record with 18 three-pointers but still lost against Louisville.
57. 1977 West Regional Semifinals (Idaho State 76, UCLA 75)
The visiting Bruins, ranked fourth by UPI entering the tourney, finished with a 24-5 record when guards Roy Hamilton and Brad Holland combined to hit just 8 of 24 field-goal attempts. Idaho State (25-5), prevailing despite shooting a modest 40.6% from the floor, received 27 points and 12 rebounds from center Steve Hayes.
58. 1981 Midwest Regional Second Round (Kansas 88, Arizona State 71)
Third-ranked Arizona State (24-4), featuring four upperclassmen who combined for a total of more than 35 seasons in the NBA (guards Fat Lever and Byron Scott, center Alton Lister and forward Sam Williams), was clobbered by Kansas (24-8) when Tony Guy poured in 36 points for the Jayhawks. The Sun Devils fell behind by 16 points at intermission.
59. 1979 Midwest Regional Final (Indiana State 73, Arkansas 71)
Larry Bird-led Indiana State became the only school to reach the Final Four in its one and only NCAA Tournament appearance in the 20th Century when the Sycamores' Bob Heaton shifted the ball from his normal right hand to his left for a short shot that bounced twice on the rim before going down.
60. 1971 West Regional Final (UCLA 57, Long Beach State 55)
The closest result for UCLA (29-1) during the Bruins' 38-game playoff winning streak from 1967 through 1973 came when they had to erase an 11-point deficit despite 29% field-goal shooting to edge Jerry Tarkanian-coached Long Beach State (24-5).
61. 1977 National Semifinals (North Carolina 84, UNLV 83)
Mike O'Koren became the first freshman to score more than 30 points in a national semifinal or championship game when the UNC forward tallied 31. O'Koren and his teammates enjoyed a 28-5 edge over the Rebels in free-throw attempts.
62. 1978 Midwest Regional Semifinals (DePaul 90, Louisville 89)
DePaul center Dave Corzine tallied 46 points in double overtime game to become the only individual to score at least 45 in the NCAA playoffs and never be an NCAA first- or second-team consensus All-American or Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
63. 1959 Championship Game (California 71, West Virginia 70)
Two-time first-team All-American swingman Jerry West of West Virginia (29-5) was denied an NCAA championship ring when California (25-4) junior center Darrall Imhoff, West's teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers for four seasons in the mid-1960s, tipped in a basket with 17 seconds remaining.
64. 2006 East Regional Final (George Mason 86, Connecticut 84)
The #11 seed Patriots (27-8) advanced to the national semifinals with overtime win against UConn (30-4), which was their third victim featuring a coach who previously won an NCAA title.
65. 1979 East Regional Second Round (Penn 72, North Carolina 71)
No. 1 seed Carolina (23-6) lost its opener in the Tar Heels' home state (Raleigh, N.C.) when Penn's Tony Price poured in a game-high 25 points for the Quakers (25-7).
66. 1984 East Regional Semifinals (Indiana 72, North Carolina 68)
Many observers predicted Georgetown would meet the top-ranked Tar Heels in the national final, but they were upset by IU when national player of the year Michael Jordan was limited to 13 points, one rebound and one assist.
67. 1993 West Regional First Round (Santa Clara 64, Arizona 61)
In terms of point spreads, No. 2 seed Arizona's defeat against 20-point underdog Santa Clara (19-12), a No. 15 seed, was the biggest upset in NCAA playoff history. The Wildcats (24-4), ranked fifth by AP entering the tournament, lost although they scored 25 consecutive points in a 10-minute span bridging the first and second halves.
68. 2004 St. Louis Regional Second Round (UAB 76, Kentucky 75)
UAB (22-10), after outlasting Washington (102-100) in first round, used its frenetic pressure defense to frustrate No. 1 seed Kentucky (27-5).
69. 1956 East Regional Semifinals (Temple 65, Connecticut 59)
Guard Hal Lear manufactured 61.5% of Temple's offense by scoring 40 points. The most rebounds ever in a playoff game were grabbed by teammate Fred Cohen, who retrieved a school-record 34 missed shots.
70. 2005 Second Round (West Virginia 111, Wake Forest 105 in 2OT)
Mike Gansey scored 19 of his 29 points after the end of regulation when West Virginia (24-11) outlasted #2 seed Wake Forest (27-6) in double overtime.
71. 1975 Championship Game (UCLA 92, Kentucky 85)
Coach John Wooden's farewell resulted in his 10th NCAA title for the Bruins.
72. 1981 Midwest Regional Semifinals (Wichita State 66, Kansas 65)
Mike Jones hit two long-range baskets in the last 50 seconds for Wichita State (26-7) in the first duel between the intrastate rivals in 36 years.
73. 1980 Midwest Regional Second Round (Missouri 87, Notre Dame 84 in OT)
Mizzou (25-6) backup swingman Mark Dressler, entering the NCAA playoffs with an eight-point scoring average, erupted for 32 points on 13 of 16 field-goal shooting against the 22-6 Irish (ranked No. 9 by AP).
74. 1989 Southeast Regional First Round (South Alabama 86, Alabama 84)
In an exciting intrastate battle, South Alabama (23-9) erased a 16-point halftime deficit. Jeff Hodge and Gabe Estaba combined for 55 points to lead USA against 'Bama (23-8).
75. 1980 Mideast Regional First Round (Virginia Tech 89, Western Kentucky 85 in OT)
Virginia Tech, sparked by Dale Solomon's 10-of-13 field-goal shooting, became the only school to erase a halftime deficit of at least 18 points to win a playoff game in the 20th Century. The Hokies, Metro Conference runner-up to eventual NCAA champion Louisville, trailed WKU at intermission, 48-30, in a duel between two 21-8 teams.
76. 2008 Midwest Regional Second Round (Davidson 74, Georgetown 70)
Stephen Curry, a son of former NBA standout Dell Curry, poured in 25 of his 30 points in the second half as Davidson (29-7) erased a double-digit deficit to upset the Hoyas (28-6).
77. 1978 West Regional First Round (Cal State Fullerton 90, New Mexico 85)
Cal State Fullerton (23-9) had four players score from 18 to 23 points and made 62.1% of its field-goal attempts to erase a six-point, halftime deficit and upend fourth-ranked New Mexico. Future Lakers standout Michael Cooper had an off-game for the Lobos (24-4), sinking just six of 15 field-goal attempts.
78. 1986 Midwest Regional First Round (UALR 90, Notre Dame 83)
UALR, a 17 1/2-point underdog, shocked No. 3 seed Notre Dame by shooting 62.3% from the floor. Pete Meyers scored 29 points in 29 minutes for the Trojans.
79. 1984 East Regional First Round (Virginia Commonwealth 70, Northeastern 69)
Jim Calhoun-coached Northeastern hit 75% of its field-goal attempts (33 of 44), including 15-of-17 by freshman Reggie Lewis, but still bowed to VCU.

Loyalists for big-name schools count on remaining or returning to elite status via recruiting services. Typically, the follow-the-pack national media falls in lockstep predicting most of them will be back to at least near the top of the national polls. But welfare writers (accepting guesswork handouts from well-meaning but ineffectual middle men) better hope the recruiting gurus ranking high school hotshots emerge from a sorry slump. Textbook examples this season are the top two national player of the year candidates in mid-year - Josh Hart (Villanova) and Frank Mason (Kansas). Neither of them ranked among the consensus Top 75 coming out of high school in 2013. But at least Hart and Mason were somewhere between 75 and 100 similar to Michigan State's Denzel Valentine, who shared national POY awards last season with Oklahoma's Buddy Hield (outside Top 100 in 2012). Closing in on Hart and Mason this year in the national POY race is Baylor's Johnathan Motley, who wasn't among the RSCI Top 100 in 2013.

What good are prep player rankings and ESPN's mid-season McDonald's All-American selection show if the brainiac analysts can't come close to pinpointing a prospect who will become among the elite collegiate players in a couple of years? Four seasons ago provided ample evidence of rating ineptitude when four of the five NCAA unanimous All-American first-team selections, including national player of the year Trey Burke (Michigan), weren't ranked among the consensus Top 100 H.S. recruits assembled by RSCI the years they left high school. First-teamer Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga) and Final Four MOP Luke Hancock (Louisville) weren't among the top 100 in 2009. First-teamers Doug McDermott (Creighton) and Victor Oladipo (Indiana) plus honorable mention All-American Russ Smith (leading scorer for NCAA champion Louisville) weren't among the top 100 in 2010.

The player pimps certainly are out of credibility. Burke, McDermott, Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) and Hield pooled their previously overlooked assets to assemble a string of four straight national POY honorees. Burke wasn't included among the consensus top 100 in 2011 although every scout in this burgeoning charade saw him play on the same high school squad with eventual Ohio State All-American Jared Sullinger. Ditto McDermott with regal recruit Harrison Barnes (North Carolina).

Media hacks as confused as Bruce Jenner and inauguration boycotters, apparently incapable of calculating the difference between AAU-pickup street ball and genuine team ball, should be deep-sixed when you compared Hield and Valentine against the following list of mediocre players ranked among the consensus Top 40 recruits in 2012: Chaquille Cleare (averaged 3.5 ppg for Maryland and Texas), DaJuan Coleman (4.8 ppg/Syracuse), Grant Jerrett (5.2 ppg/Arizona) and Omar Calhoun (6 ppg/Connecticut).

As a cautionary measure, pore over this information again the next time some lazy broadcaster needing a drool bucket begins slobbering over a pimple-faced teenager without ever seeing him play firsthand and only using recruiting services as a resource. The dopey devotees intoxicated by recruiting services should simply be ignored for accepting as gospel player rankings dwelling on wingspans, weight reps, Soul Train dance moves and carnival-like dunk contests. How about focusing solely on whether they'll continue to improve against comparable athletes, boast the proper attitude to learn to fit in with teammates in a me-myself-and-I generation and make a major bottom-line impact on the game rather than strut-your-stuff swagger? When pass is considered a dirty four-letter word, the chronic over-hyping doesn't appear as if it will end anytime soon.

When Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Willie Cauley-Stein (Sacramento Kings) became the seventh and eighth Kentucky product in a six-year span among the NBA's top eight draft picks, the gifted group may have pooled credit-hour resources for a single shared diploma (hopefully not useless AFAS). The pair of 2015-16 rookies and six of the other early Big Blue picks - including DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), Brandon Knight (Phoenix Suns), Nerlens Noel (Sixers), Julius Randle (Los Angeles Lakers) and John Wall (Washington Wizards) - on seven different NBA teams combined for a paltry 183-391 record last season (.318), a winning percentage even lower than John Calipari's 72-112 worksheet (.391) in three seasons coaching the New Jersey Nets in the late 1990s. UK provided 22 undergraduate selections in the previous six years, averaging three first-round picks annually while combining to earn in excess of $85 million in the last campaign. But if winning on the NBA hardwood is more vital than the draft lottery, UK hasn't been more valuable. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Hornets) missing majority of previous campaign because of an injured right shoulder, none of those 22 UK Calipari-coached undergrad draft choices started for a 2016 NBA postseason participant - 20 of them ranking among the top 26 recruits by RSCI from 2007 through 2014 (all but Cauley-Stein and Eric Bledsoe). Does anyone really believe 2016 UK undergrad defectors/projected Top 20 picks Jamal Murray, Skal Labissiere and Tyler Ulis will be premier playoff performers in the NBA this season?

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and three-point shooting sensation Stephen Curry (Davidson) is perhaps the premier collegian thus far this century. If you've got a life, you don't have time to go over all of the no-names ranked better than Curry when he graduated from high school in 2006. You'd have an easier task competing in the national spelling bee, trying to size up all of the issues involving Tulsa coach Frank Haith's checking account when he was at Miami (Fla.), helping Bruce Pearl remember decor of inside of his residence, discerning how much Roy Williams "earned" in academic progress bonuses at North Carolina or believing Rick Pitino's Sgt. "I-Know-Nothing" Schultz routine at Louisville regarding recruiting regaling.

Rating recruits - the ultimate sports distortion foisted upon dupes - is akin to believing government grifters telling the gullible masses taxpayer-financed Muslim extremist terrorism is workplace violence or fueled by a largely-unseen movie (such as Shrillary Rotten lying about video in front of caskets at Andrews AFB duplicating her honesty when describing dodging Bosnian bullets). Pilfering a propaganda-like phrase spun during the institutionalizing of political correctness to the detriment of the safety of the American people, the player ratings are authentic "man-made disasters." They need to make a dramatic turnaround comparable to the White House's post-marathon bombing appeasing administration lauding Cambridge/Boston area police after previous exploitation portraying them as "acting stupidly" when it suited their agenda. Amid the insulting misinformation overload, it might be time to visit Rev. Wrong's church and see if he is recruiting susceptible supporters by telling his captive audience "America's Chechens have come home to roost." Truth-escape artists and opponents of Tsarnaev receiving a death-penalty sentence can simply deny you ever heard or read such impudence.

The same play-dumb mindset comparable to the Benghazi stonewalling, VA executive comparing veteran care waits to long lines at Disney theme park, IRS conservative-group targeting and general incompetence, Shrillary's State Department IT chief unable to provide his emails or being willing to talk to investigators plus fondness for determining transgender dumping grounds applies to entitlement-era "ridiculists" stemming from recruiting service player ratings. Resembling Jason Collins' long-time fiancée, you look like a full-fledged fool by putting a significant amount of stock in these breathless rush-to-judgment projections spawning a slew of blue-chippers turned prima donnas. But don't muzzle 'em with a jock jihad or sound as lucid as the buffoonish Bomb Mom. Just give the sane a barf bag when clueless adults hold their collective breath to see if coddled scholar dons their alma mater's cap on TV announcing a college choice. Why can't we simply wait until impressionable teenagers such as Hart, Mason and Motley compete in an actual game on both ends of a college court against comparable athletes before rendering assessments on their ability at the next level?

A principal reason Jerry Tarkanian became a Hall of Famer was the fact he is the only coach in NCAA Division I history to win more than 90% of his assignments for a school in a single conference including both regular season and postseason league tourney (229-19 mark in PCAA/Big West with UNLV in a 10-year span from 1982-83 through 1991-92).

Among active coaches, Gonzaga's Mark Few is en route to extending his stunning string of consecutive NCAA playoff appearances in as many seasons to 18 with the Zags. But what is equally impressive is his domination of the West Coast Conference not only in regular-season competition (230-28) but also in league tournament action (36-4). Few isn't expected to fall much, if any, from list of league rulers in the near future. Ditto winning percentage overall through 17 campaigns as Few (.808) ranks fourth at this juncture in his career behind legendary Clair Bee (.850), Adolph Rupp (.824) and Tarkanian (.813). Despite never reaching the Final Four, how in the name of James Naismith has Few never been anointed national coach of the year?

John Calipari is the only coach to win 80% of his league assignments in two conferences with different schools. But if Few remains at his present success level, Calipari could tack on another 105 consecutive SEC triumphs via five additional unbeaten regular seasons and league tourney titles in succession with Kentucky and still be behind Few in conference domination.

Brad Stevens won 80.8% of Butler's Horizon League games in five seasons but fell just short of meeting the minimum of 100 decisions in a single conference on the following list before subsequently moving on to the Atlantic 10 and NBA's Boston Celtics. Stevens has had a better pro career than Tarkanian, who compiled a 9-11 record in a brief stint with the San Antonio Spurs at the start of the 1992-93 campaign. Few ranks third, also behind North Carolina State's Everett Case, among the following coaches who have won more than 75% of their games in a single conference including participation in league tourney play (entering 2016-17):

Coach	School	Conference	Seasons	Regular-Season	League Tourney	Overall	Pct.
Jerry Tarkanian	UNLV	PCAA/Big West	1983-92	205-17	24-2	229-19	.923
Everett Case	North Carolina State	Southern	1947-53	87-11	20-1	107-12	.899
Mark Few	Gonzaga	West Coast	2000-16	230-28	36-4	266-32	.893
Adolph Rupp	Kentucky	SEC	1933-72	397-75	57-6	454-81	.849
Roy Williams	Kansas	Big 12	1997-2003	94-18	14-4	108-22	.831
Gregg Marshall	Winthrop	Big South	1999-2007	104-24	19-2	123-26	.826
Bill Self	Kansas	Big 12	2004-16	179-39	27-6	206-45	.821
John Calipari	Memphis	C-USA	2001-09	117-25	17-5	134-30	.817
John Calipari	Kentucky	SEC	2010-16	95-25	16-3	111-28	.799
Rick Majerus	Utah	Western Athletic	1991-99	118-30	15-6	133-36	.787
Eddie Sutton	Arkansas	Southwest	1975-85	139-35	13-7	152-42	.784
Bob Huggins	Cincinnati	C-USA	1996-2005	123-33	16-6	139-39	.781
Pete Gillen	Xavier	Midwestern Collegiate	1986-94	83-25	17-4	100-29	.775
Vic Bubas	Duke	ACC	1960-69	106-32	22-6	128-38	.771
Stew Morrill	Utah State	Big West	1999-2005	91-28	13-3	104-31	.770
Charlie Spoonhour	SW Missouri State	Mid-Continent	1984-90	73-21	9-4	82-25	.766
Lute Olson	Arizona	Pacific-10	1984-2007	328-102	16-6	344-108	.761
Joe Williams	Furman	Southern	1971-78	67-25	18-3	85-28	.752
Denny Crum	Louisville	Metro	1977-95	173-59	33-9	206-68	.752

NOTES: Huggins (West Virginia), Marshall (Wichita State) and Williams (North Carolina) are active coaches currently employed by other schools. . . . UCLA's John Wooden won 81% of his games in the PCC/AAWU/Pacific-8 from 1948-49 through 1974-75 but none of those contests included conference tournament competition.

"Politicians are a lot like diapers. They should be changed frequently, and for the same reasons." - Comedian Robin Williams

Was it more style (#AudacityofHype) than substance (#AudacityofHope) regarding the self-styled basketball booster (#AudacityofHoops)? Hollyweird "shaken" spokesperson Meryl Streep probably prefers moralizing "like a box of chocolates," but a presidential farewell, resembling life, is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end as Robin Williams indicated, the faster the _ _ _ _ goes exemplified by Congressional "icon" John Lewis emerging as just a con deceiving us about foreclosure expert's "first" inauguration boycott. Shoveling "sad-sack snowflakes" such as acting-like-an-AG Sally "You're Fired" Yates to the curb doesn't come fast enough when, amid chronically condemning Christians, petty punditry emerges such as: "The future does not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Whether you're an adult or a dolt susceptible to George Soros-coordinated leftist lunacy, it's closing argument time amid "huge" transfer of the reigns of presidential power while brain-damaged leftist toadies such as Madonna, Ashley Judd and other haughty Hollyweird hacks nuttier than squirrel turds take Trump Trauma Treatment. Coupled with #Messmedia, they are more concerned about getting back to taking shots at #TheDonald's two scoops of ice cream rather than murderous shot to the back of DNC operative Seth Rich. If not practice water boarding on the unhinged, can intelligence community infected by Brennan and Clapper at least march out and wash out their potty mouths with BleachBit for "entertaining" empty-headed estrogen emerging from padded-room safe spaces for field trips to airports protesting temporary refugee ban?

Enduring self-radicalization gibberish as the left's Greatest "Show" on Earth came to legitimate end, a problem persists that the overwhelming majority of slanted reporters, including the toy department (sports), write through a liberal prism insulting our common sense and intelligence. Thus the toughest question Social Engineer/President Barack H. Obama faced in a given year from the malpractice minions probably was an ESPN bracket racket inquiry concerning whether his alma mater (Harvard) was going to advance to the second round in NCAA basketball playoff competition. Don't you wish he would have put as much effort into meeting a budget deadline as the failure to people of faith did in providing a bracket, accepting mulligan lessons from Tiger, pardoning weirdo Wikileaker Chelsea Manning, hosting parties at Club Obama or elaborating on Mommy problems? Did he think security detail acted stupidly when protecting Republicans against a progressive puke? After all, didn't wise-guy say: "If they bring a knife, then we bring a gun." Or was it: "If they bring a bat, then we bring a rifle."

By any measure, the puff-piece enemies of illumination failed to fully vet Obama and his leftist fantasies before he became POTUS other than perhaps focusing on an alleged hoop prowess. As Mr. Clean and Articulate departed after his dudes reportedly warned Iranian terrorist of Israeli assassination plan, Obama surrogates in the myopic media sounded like out-of-control fans in the stands hollering at referees, saying numerous repulsive things about opponents of their Messiah overseeing a losing legacy (70 House seats, 13 U.S. Senate seats, 13 state governors, 30 state legislative chambers and 910 state legislators). "Nasty" numbers depicting glaring downgrade don't include perhaps the worst trade of all-time (5-for-1 community-organized swap of terrorist titans for disgusting deserter Bowe Bergdahl) or spiking news of terror suspect's arrest to prevent ShrillaryRotten from looking bad. Obama must have returned to smoking dope and reading fiction from "security" novelist Ben Rhodes if he thought unmasked lackey #TokyoRice or #DirtyRice served nation with as much honor and distinction as Bergdahl.

So great conceptually, but so mediocre in reality while giving forum to Fruit Loops Fanatic, he never achieved sufficient success as private citizen to own or affiliate with business that could have been boycotted by conservatives (his army of agitators don't generate a profit). As former NBA Commissioner David Stern said in jest about Obama's basketball background: "He thinks he's better than he really is." Although probably not intentional, Stern's dispassionate assessment also summarized cut-it-out's presidency. At the risk of becoming the next U.S. citizen subject to a drone strike or Milo Yiannopoulos-like protest from free-speech loving progressives before our long national nightmare concluded, following is a detailed scouting report on the hoop-loving lefty before the moving vans arrive:

INSATIABLE URGE TO ALWAYS GO TO HIS LEFT
From Frank Marshall Davis, a member of the old Moscow-controlled Communist Party USA who was a mysterious friend and adviser while Obama was growing up in Hawaii; to his early “daze” rooming with shady Sohale Siddiqi in a drug-infested portion of NYC after visiting Siddiqi’s native country during college with other Pakistanis; to a close association with Dr. Khalid al-Mansour, a key adviser to a Saudi billionaire who mentored the founding members of the Black Panthers (alleged in a 1995 book that the U.S. was plotting genocide against black Americans); to attending a black liberation church for almost two decades under a disgraced pastor - Jeremiah Wright - who “inspired him”; to launching his first campaign for public office with a fund-raising party at the home of friends (unrepentant Weather Underground leaders William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn) whose violent guerilla group bombed the Pentagon; to employing as a state senator senior staffers who belonged to Louis Farrakhan’s controversial Nation of Islam; to having benefactors such as FBI fugitive Salman Ibrahim (Sunrise Equities fraud) and far left-wing Rabbi Arnold Wolf who even invited the “Chicago 7” to address his synagogue; to longstanding shady dealings with slumlord/convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko and purchasing a home with his help for $1.65 million; to connections with first cousin Odinga who wanted to bring Kenya under Sharia law; to gushing over Chicago pal Rashid Khalidi, a mouthpiece for master terrorist Yasser Arafat; to having convicted felon Robert Creamer making 340 visits to the Obama White House, the sheikh- and emperor-bowing disciple of Saul Alinsky (author of Rules for Radicals) seems to be most comfortable taking far-left turns with Marxists and revolutionaries boasting difficult-to-spell names plus United Nations-affiliated nut jobs seemingly straight out of the Star Wars tavern scene. How else were MS-13 gang members knowingly released in our country and Hezbollah was shielded to enhance prospect of Iranian deal?

FAILS TO EXHIBIT ADEQUATE COURT LEADERSHIP
Anyone with a triple-digit IQ sizing up the parasites influencing him could discern the shameless shenanigans around the corner. Czar-loving O-bow-a catered to two-bit dictators and Hollyweird, won’t protect the border (probably since “we’re not a Christian nation”) but did take time from numerous golf outings to praise the Phoenix “Amnesty” Suns for protesting Arizona’s new immigration law, paid ACORN almost $1 million to conduct some corrupt “community organizing,” doesn’t boast sufficient courage to say the word “terrorist” but is sufficiently clever to create contrived phrases such as "workplace violence" and “man-caused disaster,” conducted a beer summit after getting “all wee wee’d up” prejudging a white police officer, aligned with the scare-tactic buffoonery of Al Bore regarding the global warming hoax, claims he’s in charge from the start of the Gulf Coast oil spill while making more long trips West campaigning for Barbara “I Work So Hard” Boxer and Dingy Harry, savaged oil companies but didn’t return the $1 million BP donated to him (also accepted similar amount from self-anointed know-it-all Bill Maher despite his genuine "War on Women"), attempted to fix elections hiding behind Sick Willie so his favorites can continue to suck on the government boob via what few jobs he did create (75 times less than food stamp growth), ran from the abortion issue because it’s “above his pay grade” and is more likely to promote the grand opening of a mosque near Ground Zero rather than attending Arlington Cemetery on Memorial Day. The fearless leader, much more concerned with illegal immigrants, gay rights and lowering flag to half-staff for singer/drug-addict Whitney Houston, failed to acknowledge the murder of an authentic hero - Chris "American Sniper" Kyle - or Christian pastor imprisoned in Iran. The "leader" of the free world knows all about the sexual preference of an NBA center averaging 1 ppg but doesn't know anything about reports of intimidating potential State Department witnesses. However, he does "know" a wall is okay for the White House, his post-presidency residence and Vatican but not the U.S. southern border. He may need more than a wall to contain privileged daughter Malia after she was caught at 3 a.m. partying underage at 21-plus NYC nightspot (The Parlor).

GENERALLY LISTLESS PERFORMER DOESN’T DELIVER IN CLUTCH
Enlightened elitist Progressives, amused by the absence of “shovel-ready” jobs, aren’t nearly as bright as they like to portray themselves. Fawning liberals chronically convey to us that the Audacity of Hype is a super smart guy. Barry is a “genius” in the messy-truth vernacular of his principal MSLSD sycophants Chrissy "Thrill Up My Leg" Matthews, Mika the Mannequin, Rich-with-ill-will Madcow and Al “Not So” Sharpton. And yet, for the width and breadth of such utter brilliance, Obama seemed way above his pay grade about many things, especially when his teleprompter isn’t uh-uh functioning properly. Surely, a once-in-a-lifetime Messiah would know the fact the U.S. doesn’t have 57 states; Afghans’ language isn’t Arabic; there is no language called Austrian; daughter's asthma might be triggered more his smoking than climate change; difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day; a singular bomb wasn’t dropped on Pearl Harbor; the word corpsman isn’t pronounced like a dead body; “under God” is nothing to hide from when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance; distinction between Great Britain and England; would admit he was for tax cuts and reducing the national budget before he was against them; collective salvation is absurd from a Christian perspective; it’s incorrect to say Twitters and internets; his home state (Hawaii) isn’t part of Asia; priorities are screwed up if encouraging NASA to become a Muslim outreach program, and you shouldn’t make the unforgivable gaffe mistakenly identifying a fallen member of the Army as another soldier in a completely different Army unit who is alive. Unless there is some stench to hide, Ramadan-celebrating B.O. also should permit his squirreled-away college papers/academic records to see the light of day so the public could judge for themselves the dimensions of his breathtaking splendor. He might be a fake, but his feints were phony when expressing "sick" outrage at Donald Trump's claims of he and his associates possibly being under surveillance by previous administration (#DirtyRice, #FictionalBen, #ValPal, etc.).

KNOWS THE BASICS BUT MOST COMFORTABLE AS ROLE PLAYER
Let me be clear about the clunker lame-stream media exhibiting most of the traits of Baghdad Bob (Gibbs)! In 2008, they failed to point out Obama was devoid of executive experience but had an excess of agitator experience alongside contemptible Chicago-gang comrades Screwie Louie Farrakhan, bombastic Blago, repulsive Rahm, demented David Axel(grease) and dumb-as-a-stump Rev. Wrong. That’s probably why the community organizer became a temporary interior decorator by promptly ridding the White House of the bust of dauntless Winston Churchill, an authentic hero whose guardianship of freedom is so alien to him. The apologist-in-chief proudly proclaims that “the U.S. is not a Christian nation.” Prior to giving Solyndra preferential treatment, the only business transaction he ever conducted was a sweetheart housing deal with felon Tony Rezko. How is all that hope and change working out for us as he describes Americans as “lazy” or "clinging to their guns and religion"? We didn’t build anything. If you voted for Hopey in ’08 to prove you’ve shed your white guilt, it seems you’d have to vote for someone other than “Debt Man Walking” in ’12 to prove you’re not a village idiot worthy of earning a trip on Farrakhan’s mother ship (where vacation junkie Michelle will be a “Let’s Move (It)” stewardess forcing organic food down our palates). Rather than buckling down and exhibiting authentic leadership skills in fiscal cliff negotiations or offering a bonafide budget, the golfer-in-chief went on vacation in Hawaii, including hitting the links with a longtime pal arrested on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute. Frankly, he and his colleagues couldn't "lead" a herd of ants to a picnic.

BELIEVES IN DISTRIBUTION BUT MORESO FOR OTHERS THAN HIMSELF
Simplistic Demorats lecture us endlessly but are “Do As I Say; Not As I Do” when it comes to being champions of the poor. In the decade before becoming Vice Plagiarist, (Oh So Ordinary) Joe Biden gave a grand total of $3,690 to charity (0.2% of income). Now, he helps the deficit by charging the Secret Service seven times that amount in rent (to protect him and his clean-and-articulate family) for a cottage on his property. Debate prep companion Lurch Kerry gave a big fat goose egg in 1995 but did spend a half million dollars that year on a 17th-Century Dutch seascape painting. In the previous two years to that enormous disparity, however, the self-proclaimed Vietnam hero gave a staggering sum of $2,214. In 1998, Al Bore, boasting a personal carbon footprint the size of Bigfoot, gave an anemic $353 to charity. Liberal Lyin’ Ted Kennedy gave 1% of his income to charity in the decade of the '70s. Barack and Michelle Peron gave an average of 3.5% of their income to charity in the eight years before his presidency. Their lofty rhetoric and Ivy League educations notwithstanding, none of these charlatans apparently applies tithing to their personal lives. Meanwhile, the self-indulgent half of America paying no federal taxes is more than happy to raise taxes on the inspired half who actually prosper by getting off their royal cushion and going to work. In the meantime, Trump made more "Let's Move" progress in first eight hours of his presidency getting ugly (wordsmiths) and fat women off their butts world-wide and marching to try to exorcise their Ashley Judd demons than First Personal Trainer Michelle O inspired to exercise in eight years. Judd, succeeding Basketball Barack as latest leftist hoop scholar, probably thought UK lost at Tennessee because of Russian hacking in aftermath of her filthy filibuster in DC.

BLOCKS OUT FOR “REBOUNDERS” TO PICK AND ROLL (IN DOUGH)
The clueless clowns comprising OWS (really need to Occupy Water in Shower) should have been protesting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Consider the following three former Fannie Mae executives who were instrumental in disgracing Wall Street and igniting the bevy of bailouts: (1) Franklin Raines – Chairman and CEO departed with a golden parachute valued at $240 million in benefits when he was forced to retire in the wake of auditing discovering severe irregularities; (2) Tim Howard – Chief Financial Officer’s golden parachute was estimated at $20 million despite resigning under pressure for cooking the books, manipulating earnings to trigger bonuses; (3) Jim Johnson – Former executive at Lehman Brothers and Fannie Mae, who was investigated for taking illegal loans from Countrywide, received an estimated $28 million golden parachute despite hiding his compensation from the public. Where did this stench-filled trio of trash take their expertise? Raines worked for Obama’s Campaign as Chief Economic Advisor, Howard was also a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama, and Johnson, a Senior Obama Finance Advisor, was selected to run the VP Search Committee. Naturally, this doesn’t include morally bankrupt ex-N.J. governor Jon Corzine, an Obama fundraiser and alleged economic expert immersed in the MF Global scandal. How often has fake squaw Elizabeth Warren emerged from her "flipped" tee-pee to weigh in specifically with Senatorial splendor on these characters?

CLEARLY KNOWS NUANCES OF GAME WITH EMPHASIS ON BACKDOOR CUTS
Cutting backroom deals is his forte with an emphasis on union waivers and failing to acknowledge numerous email address changes by shifty Secretary of State. Do you think a pardon is already in the works for fellow Chicagoan Jesse Jackson Jr. if one is necessary after costing taxpayers more than $5 million to fill his spot with the timing of his suspect resignation from Congress? Moreover, Obama never stands up to race baiter such as the 95% Diversity President Al Sharptongue. Devoid of heart, august POTUS simply looked the other way while a plantation potentate practices soft racism of low expectations. Simply overlook Sharptongue’s history as described by the lovely and gracious Ann Coulter: In addition to libeling innocent men in the Tawana Brawley hoax, ginning up angry mobs outside the Central Park jogger’s rapists’ trial, inciting throngs after an auto accident in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood killed a black child and a rabbinical student was stabbed to death, Sharptongue famously ignited an anti-Semitic protest against a Jewish-owned clothing store in Harlem, saying, “We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business.” Someone who was listening to Sharptongue later decided to storm the store and start shooting, wounding several employees, and setting a fire killing seven people. Nevertheless, the lame-stream media generally and MSNBC specifically frequently parade out “Resist We Much!” as an “expert” when commenting on civil discourse. The reparations crowd apparently didn't comprehend proclamation from Gettysburg. You are free! You can leave the Dimorats' urban plantation!

PLAYS MATADOR DEFENSE WITH OBSESSION FOR BLAMING EVERYONE ELSE
If George W. can’t be affixed with fault for SuperStorm Sandy amid everything else, Obama will find someone in a "fast and furious" fashion to serve as fall guy after securing his photo op. A classic example of the blame game was when the feds were more concerned with detaining some obscure producer of an anti-Islamic film making light of the prophet Mohammed. At least they didn't pull out the workplace-violence card again. Meanwhile, the stonewalling Obama Administration - either grossly incompetent or immersed in "crude and disgusting" fraud - dealt with a terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, by shamelessly standing in front of caskets at an airport hangar (plus the White House press corps, the U.N. and national politically-oriented shows such as Meet the Depressed) offering an orchestrated narrative claiming the nondescript video was responsible for a spontaneous murder of the American ambassador and three other Americans. Unbelievably, a Navy SEAL among the deceased violated stand-down orders to help save numerous individuals at the death-trap embassy and then fought the terrorists for seven hours while his pleas for backup at a nearby annex were ignored by government officials real-time watching events unfold. Weeks later, the apologist-in-chief and cowardly cronies were still striving to supply a cogent response to their deflect-and-deny sacrificial inaction. Where's a photo of the vaunted Obama Team deliberating during the Benghazi attack before rescue troops were told to "stand down"? Bracing for a cross-country campaign trip, did "That's Not What We Do" go to bed while brave Americans were savaged? If not, then be transparent enough to at least conduct a stand-up, man-up press conference detailing what you did do (other than dispatching a "Damsel in Distress" who allegedly didn't know as much about the topic as a general's mistress); not just cozy up to David Letterman and be charm-offensive "eye candy" for The View vixens. Surely, he and his dignified cohorts didn't indefensibly throw lives in the trash akin to late-term abortions. Barry, buttressed by Roman columns, was hailed as a savior but emphasizes selective salvation when it came to "punishing" children he wasn't hiding behind. Planned Murderhood notwithstanding, he proclaimed "if there's a step we can take to save even one child, we should take that step." Speaking of children, do you think Trump's daughters took a year off after grueling high school years for "work on twerk" program?

There are ample reasons why the majority of Americans fail to have confidence in a biased mass media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. The major TV networks and two principal liberal rags (New York Slimes and Washington Compost) refused to give coverage to a Fox News report acknowledging the Obama Administration denied aid multiple times to Americans attacked and murdered by terrorists in Benghazi on September 11 of all days. If they withheld evidence (such as emails from the National Security Advisor's office telling a counter-terrorism unit to stand down), they're as corrupt in a cover-up as the administration's self-righteous Siskel & Ebert wannabees more concerned with muzzling Benghazi survivors than transparency with the public.

Why didn't the lapdog media do its job and press the issue providing accountable answers to the many questions bubbling up about what precisely occurred in the Celebrity-in-Chief's chamber? Why do the vast majority of them remain so disinterested in pursuing the litany of "jaw-dropping" misstatements and dissembling regarding what was known before and after the Benghazi attack? It wasn't because the misfit media was too busy prepping for coverage of the capital case carnage in the Dr. Gosnell abortion trial.

Al Jazeera is more objective in its coverage of U.S. politics than incestuous ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and CNN. In an effort to help the inept media shine the light of truth on the Benghazi bungling and scrubbed talking points, following are some basic "who/what/when/why/where" questions for which the public deserves answers:
* Who first concocted "the (misleading) spontaneous reaction" to a YouTube video explanation for the attack (framed before the final two deaths) and did the same individual help orchestrate a coordinated response at various venues in the days and weeks immediately following said attack?
* What portion of the entire 7 1/2 hours of the attack did POTUS himself spend in the Situation Room and was he directly involved with multiple "stand-down" orders while the attacks were in place?
* When precisely did POTUS and/or his national security staff first become aware that an attack was underway at the Benghazi compound?
* Why was the Obama Administration's response so lax despite an unmanned drone providing real-time live video feed of the scene?
* Where is evidence of the "Betray Us" administration's responses to repeated pleas to strengthen security for Americans in Libya, not only from the State Department security chief and man on the ground in charge of security, but from the ambassador?

In the previous election cycle, NBC's slobbering Brian "Save the Tin Foil" Williams, the self-proclaimed patriot, was fond of displaying adoring news magazine "halo" covers to Obama and then asking him if his mother would have liked the image. Since Williams is in dire need of a drool bucket, perhaps one of his counterparts who isn't certified Obama Orgasmic should brandish photos of the murdered Americans in front of POTUS and ask him if he sleeps well at night knowing he did everything humanly possible before and during the attack to protect and help these hero sons of steadfast mothers. The Messiah could also be asked what did give-me-a-break Shrillary Rotten mean when the former Secretary of State callously said during testimony: "What difference does it make?" Despite not being interviewed by the review board, the difference could be a little candor to the country's citizens vs. cover-up deception with much of the media serving as corrupt accomplices.

Dan Rather's blather at CBS frequently ended with some inane reference to "courage." Was that a trait exhibited by CBS when it concealed footage for an extended period from a 60 Minutes interview with Obama where he clearly refused to categorize the Benghazi attack as an act of terror? Of course, curious George Stephanopoulos (Step-on-truth-to-us) is deemed a journalistic jewel by ABC after earning his spurs as a political hack for the petulant Clintons disparaging one female after another. Is this the best and most honest our country can produce in the newsrooms and Oval Office? In helping "educate" the public before election day, all we could expect from the courageous "never-seen-you-lose" media was something like: "Will Harvard return to the NCAA Tournament this season?"

The biggest loser over the last couple of election cycles is the mangy media serving as little more than the Praetorian Guard for liberal lunacy praising Planned Parenthood and its accompanying murders of innocent babies while smearing whistle-blowers crestfallen over the murders of innocent colleagues. The #MessMedia and politicians are so full of poop, the sclera (whites) of their eyes are turning brown. As shamelessly one-sided as conservatives have asserted for years, excessive media malpractice peering through their liberal-heavy lens finally discarded the pretense of objectivity. The good news is that the influence-peddling gig for broadcast networks, major daily newspapers and newsweeklies is nearly expired because the less-than-honest brokers are gutless wonders shackled by a business model in free-fall. Good riddance to the fourth-rate estate such as CNN info-babes hyperventilating over Obama's kite-surfing and don't let death's door hit you in your contemptible can on the way out!