EA Sports recently announced that they are working on reviving its college basketball game, hopefully starting in 2028. The game should be awesome. With the success of EA Sports College Football, an EA Sports college basketball game seems to have all the potential to be a smash hit.
The potential game modes are seemingly endless, but an exciting possibility unique to college basketball is the ability to have a historical franchise mode that allows players to relive the storied seasons of past college teams. We could also see an ultimate team mode utilize many legendary players from past championship-winning (and non-championship-winning) teams throughout history.
With this aspect likely to be a big part of the game, I compiled the top ten College teams throughout history that I absolutely want to play as in EA College Basketball.
Top Ten Teams We Want to See
1971-1972 UCLA Bruins
Head coach: John Wooden
- PG Henry Bibby (9 years in NBA)
- SG Greg Lee (1 year in NBA)
- SF Jamaal Wilkes (12 years in NBA)
- PF Larry Farmer (0 years in NBA)
- C Bill Walton (10 years in NBA)
Summary: The early days of college basketball were dominated by UCLA. Led by head coach John Wooden, UCLA in the late sixties and early seventies had several legends on the roster, including four NBA Hall of Famers in Gail Goodrich, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, and Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes, all playing for the team within 12 years. UCLA dominated the era, winning 10 championships in 12 seasons. Still, the 1972 championship-winning team stands above the rest, centered around AP Player of the Year Bill Walton. “Big Red” scored 21 points and grabbed 15.5 rebounds per game as he helped the team cruise to a 30-0 perfect season and a championship title.
This UCLA team was the first truly dominant dynasty in college basketball, and it should be fun to recreate in EA College Basketball. With Henry Bibby, Silk, and Walton as the big three, the team also had future NBA player Swen Nater coming off the bench. Nater spent eight years in the NBA and three seasons in the ABA.
1975-1976 Indiana Hoosiers
Head Coach: Bobby Knight
- PG Quinn Buckner (10 years in NBA)
- SG Bob Wilkerson (7 years in NBA)
- SF Scott May (7 years in NBA)
- PF Tom Abernethy (5 years in NBA)
- C Kent Benson (11 years in NBA)
Summary: The Hoosiers officially ended the UCLA dynasty with the opening game of this historic season for Indiana. They destroyed the reigning champion Bruins 84-64 to start the season, and they kept rolling from there. The Hoosiers won all their regular season games and cruised through the NCAA Championship, playing the UCLA Bruins once again in the final four, this time beating them 65-51, putting the final nail in the coffin of their dynasty, and helping get Indiana to the Championship game where they wrapped up a perfect season with an 18 point win over Michigan. This Hoosiers team was the last team ever to get a perfect season!
The Hoosiers were led by AP All-American Scott May, who scored 23.5 points per game and tallied 7.7 rebounds. He was accompanied by five other future NBA players, including fellow All-American Kent Benson, who averaged 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for the Hoosiers that year. In terms of NBA pedigree, Quinn Buckner likely had the best career of the group, making the all-defensive second team four seasons and averaging five assists and two steals a game for most of his career.
1981-1982 North Carolina Tar Heels
Head Coach: Dean Smith
- PG Jimmy Black (0 years in NBA)
- SG Michael Jordan (15 years in NBA)
- SF Matt Doherty (0 years in NBA)
- PF James Worthy (12 years in NBA)
- PF Sam Perkins (17 years in NBA)
Summary: Obviously, I had to include this legendary squad that had both Michael Jordan and James Worthy, even though they might not have been as dominant as other teams on this list. Jordan was just a freshman and got the least amount of minutes per game of any of their starters, and only Worthy made the All-American 1st team (Perkins made the second team). The Tar Heels did win it all that season with a last-second Michael Jordan shot that put him on the map and landed him a deal with Nike, but only after a brutal series of tough wins and occasional bouts of underwhelming play.
It would be awesome to play that season again in EA College Basketball with Jordan getting more minutes and allowing him to be the true leader. To see if they could get a perfect season with the same roster but with adjusted stats, knowing what we now know about the two Hall of Famers and Sam Perkins (who, in my opinion, should also be a Hall of Famer!). If you let Jordan run the offense with those two dominant big men in the paint, I think you have a recipe for success, even though they didn’t have a single other NBA player on the roster.
1990-1991 UNLV Rebels
Head Coach: Jerry Tarkanian
- PG Greg Anthony (11 years in NBA)
- SG Anderson Hunt (0 years in NBA)
- SF Stacey Augmon (17 years in NBA)
- PF Larry Johnson (10 years in NBA)
- C George Ackles (0 years in NBA)
Summary: The 1989-1990 Rebels won the Championship, destroying Duke by 30 points to set themselves up for a potential dynasty in the nineties. It looked likely as they started the 1990-1991 season with perhaps the most dominant regular season ever recorded. Led by Wooden and Naismith award winner Larry Johnson, who led the nation in both points and rebounds, the Rebels had an average point differential of 26.7! That’s insane, and nothing like that has happened since (UConn recently put up a point differential of 23.3 in March Madness, but it still wasn’t as long-running or dominant as the Rebels’ 1990 run.
Unfortunately for the Rebels, the dynasty never materialized. They were shocked in the final four by the same Duke team that they had destroyed a year prior. Duke then took over as the top team of the decade, leaving the ’91 Rebels in the dustbin of history as a team that was just one game away from history! That’s history that could be rewritten in EA’s College basketball!
1991-1992 Duke Blue Devils
Head coach: Mike Krzyzewski
- PG Bobby Hurley (5 years in NBA)
- SG Thomas Hill (0 years in NBA)
- SF Brian Davis (1 year in NBA)
- SF Grant Hill (18 years in NBA)
- C Christian Laettner (13 years in NBA)
Summary: If you are talking about college basketball’s most Iconic moments and teams, Duke beating Kentucky in overtime on a Christian Laettner catch and shoot with less than two seconds left to sink a “unforgettable” Kentucky team that was on the verge of making a remarkable comeback after a three-postseason season ban. That game is probably the best college basketball game ever, and Christian Laettner became a legend for everyone watching with his last-second play that capped a 31-point, perfect shooting performance in the game.
Of course, Grant Hill is the best NBA player on the team, but I think everyone would want to play with this team simply to play as Laettner. He had a bit of a disappointing NBA career, so it’s not like you can easily play as him in NBA2K, but in EA’s College Basketball, you know for sure that he is going to be in the game as a historical legend!
1992-1993 Michigan Wolverines
Head Coach: Steve Fisher
- SG Jimmy King (2 years in NBA)
- SG Jalen Rose (13 years in NBA)
- SF Ray Jackson (0 years in NBA)
- PF Chris Webber (15 years in NBA)
- C Juwan Howard (19 years in NBA)
Summary: While they never won a championship and usually aren’t on any lists of the “greatest college basketball teams ever,” they sure were fun, and they had a great nickname, “the Fab Five.” This team changed the culture of college basketball forever, with a swagger about them that helped usher in a less stiff and formal culture around the game. This team helped create an NBA attitude in a college game still stuck in the seventies and eighties style of play and culture.
The Fab Five had nearly all averaged double-digit scoring numbers (Ray Jackson just missed the mark with just 9 points per game) and were led by Chris Webber, who averaged a double-double per game and was a consensus all-American. The team was electric and dominant but could never make it past the final game, losing in the championships two years in a row. A recruiting controversy tarnished their reputation, but they still should be a top squad to play as in EA College Basketball.
1995-1996 Kentucky Wildcats
- PG Tony Delk (10 years in NBA)
- SG Derek Anderson (11 years in NBA)
- SF Ron Mercer (8 years in NBA)
- PF Walter McCarty (10 years in NBA)
- PF Antoine Walker (12 years in NBA)
Head Coach: Rick Pitino
Summary: This is the first Wildcat team on this list, but it certainly won’t be the last. The Wildcats nearly started their dynasty in 1992 but were snubbed by Laettner and the Blue Devils. In a way, it was worth the crushing defeat, however, because they doubled down after the loss, focused on recruiting during the early to mid-nineties, and eventually formed a squad that may be considered the best college basketball team ever assembled.
With nine future NBA players on the roster, the Kentucky Wildcats reached new heights and absolutely decimated teams with their fast-paced offense and dominant defense that helped them easily win the Championship with only two early-season losses on their record. Kentucky had an impressive 24-point margin of victory, which was slightly below the 91 UNLV Rebels, but when you add in their championship victory and their 40% team three-point percentage, they should rank above the Rebels as the most dominant team in college basketball history.
Adding the 51 total years of NBA experience from their starters to their bench that consisted of Nazr Mohammed (18 years in NBA), Mark Pope (six years in NBA), Jeff Sheppard (one year in NBA), and Wayne Turner (one year in NBA), you get a total roster with 77 years of NBA experience!
2006-2007 Florida Gators
Head Coach: Billy Donovan
- PG Taurean Green (1 year in NBA)
- SG Lee Humphrey (0 years in NBA)
- SF Corey Brewer (13 years in NBA)
- PF Al Horford (18 years in NBA)
- C Joakim Noah (13 years in NBA)
Summary: The Gators had five losses during this season, but when the games mattered, they were able to utilize their insanely talented frontcourt to win the biggest games. They rallied at the end of the season and blew three in the SEC championship and NCAA championship to win their second straight Championship after beating UCLA in the championship game the year before.
With 44 years of NBA seasons amongst their big three in the frontcourt, the Gators had a roster that was loaded with size and talent. Although 6’0” guard Taurean Green led the team in points and minutes, among the big three, Green and shooting guard Lee Humphrey, the Gators had five players with 10 points per game. They also led the country in field goal percentage.
2011-2012 Kentucky Wildcats
Head Coach: John Calipari
- PG Marquis Teague (3 years in NBA)
- SG Doron Lamb (2 years in NBA)
- SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (8 years in NBA)
- PF Terrence Jones (6 years in NBA)
- C Anthony Davis (13 years and counting in NBA)
Summary: This team might not have been designated as the best college team ever assembled, but it certainly could claim that it had the best defense ever. Led by prolific shot blocker Anthony Davis deep during his “Brow” era (he had a whopping 4.7 blocks per game to lead the nation that season), Davis led the team to an opponent field percentage of just .374 (the best in the country by far!). While the team didn’t have any other NBA stars on the roster, they did have Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who earned second-team All-American, and they didn’t really even need him either because Davis was a one-person wrecking crew, winning just about every award under the sun.
The team won all but two of their fourth games that season, winning the NCAA Championship and getting Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist taken with the first two picks in the draft. This team had a lot of talent, even if Anthony Davis was the only one to really pan out in the league. I think this team would be incredible to play as in EA College Basketball, maybe even with the ability to replay the season and win those two games to make this a 40-0 team!
2014-2015 Kentucky Wildcats
Head Coach: John Calipari
- PG Tyler Ulis (3 years in NBA)
- SG Devin Booker (10 years and counting in NBA)
- PF Trey Lyles (10 years and counting in NBA)
- PF Willie Cauley Stein (7 years in NBA)
- C Karl-Anthony Towns (10 years and counting in NBA)
Summary: No, this team did not win a championship, but perhaps with the magic of EA College Basketball, they could… at least in the digital world. In real life, this team went the way of the 91 UNLV Rebels; they crushed the competition, earning an average point differential of 20 points and beating ranked opponents by double digits in six of their seven contests. They cruised to the final four with an undefeated record, nearly on the doorstep of becoming the first team since 1976. They were saved against Notre Dame in the Final Four with a pair of late free throws by one of the two Harrison brothers (Either Aaron or Andrew, I can never remember); the brothers were the team’s starting guards, but if given another chance, I would argue that the team should go with Tyler Ulis at guard and then a big lineup with Booker playing SG and Trey Lyles at the 3.
The team was led by Willie Cauley-Stein, who won the AP Player of the Year award as well as a host of other awards. However, given what we know now, I could argue that Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns’ shooting ability should be utilized more as the center of the team’s offensive focus and identity. The team had nine future NBA players and two All-Stars in Devin Booker and KAT.
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