Great Teams of the Three-Point Era

[PointGuard]

Rather than focusing on a specific team or single coach’s career, this “dynasty” report is a focus on Great Players and Great Teams of the Three-Point era. It’s designed to provide exposure to top players and teams since the 3-point shot was integrated into college ball (on or after the 1986-87 season). Rather than focusing on one team, it will showcase games between great teams and highlight fantastic players during the past 40 years
.
NCAAhoops’ outstanding new mod (Greatest Teams 3) will be used to provide a realistic way of looking back at top teams and the players who have excelled before during the era when there’s been a 3-point line in college basketball.

Using DDSCB2025, the games will be simmed with me watching the sim to be able to report some highlights.

So let’s get going and see how some of these teams and players have fared against each other!

[PointGuard]

Game 1: Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1995) @ Syracuse Orange (1987)

1995 Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Coach Dave Odom; 26-6; 4-way tie for 1st in ACC standings; 3rd in final AP Poll

Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Randolph Childress; 6-2 Sr; 20.1 ppg; 5.2 apg
SG Jerry Braswell; 6-1 Fr; 3.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg
SF Travis Banks; 6-6 Sr; 9.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg
PF Ricky Peral; 6-10 Fr; 6.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg
C Tim Duncan; 6-11 So; 16.8 ppg; 12.5 rpg
G Rusty LaRue; 6-2 Jr; 6.0 ppg; 1.9 rpg
G Tony Rutland; 6-2 Fr; 5.8 ppg; 1.9 rpg
G Steven Goolsby; 6-4 Fr; 2.7 ppg; 0.6 rpg

[Senior guard Randolph Childress was a 2nd team all-american and ACC athlete of the year and Coach Odom was the ACC’s coach of the year. Tim Duncan was to follow up this season to become a 2 time all-american and ACC player of the year and then go on to a 19 year NBA career.]

[The Demon Deacons finished in a 4-way tie for the ACC regular season title and then win the ACC Conference Tourney as they climbed to 3rd in the AP Poll. But they were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the 3rd round.]

1987 Syracuse Orange: Coach Jim Boheim; 31-7; 3-way tie for 1st in Big East standings; 10th in final AP Poll; 2nd place in NCAA championship tournament

Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Sherman Douglas; 6-0 So; 17.3 ppg; 7.6 apg
SG Greg Monroe; 6-3 Sr; 12.9 ppg; 2.5 rpg
SF Edward Triche; 6-5 Sr; 11.8 ppg; 4.8 rpg
PF Derrick Coleman; 6-10 Fr; 11.9 ppg; 8.8 rpg
C Rony Seikaly; 6-11 Jr; 15.1 ppg; 8.2 rpg
G Stephen Thompson; 6-4 Fr; 5.8 ppg; 1.8 rpg
F Derek Brower; 6-9 Jr; 3.1 ppg; 2.8 rpg
F Rodney Walker; 6-9 So; 4.4 ppg; 3.9 rpg

[Rony Seikaly played stellar offense and defense as well as being a top-flight rebounder and would become a 2nd team all American the following season before going on to a solid 12 year career in the NBA. Sherman Douglas was a 3-time all-Big East first teamer and would become a 2nd team all-american before playing 13 years in the NBA.]

[The Orange won their first 14 games this season and were the runner-up in the NCAA Tournament, lost to Georgetown in the Big East Conference Tourney, and then lost a heartbreaker 74-73 to Indiana in the championship game.]

Game Summary:

1st Half—Sherman Douglas took advantage of the new 3-point rule by drilling a 3 just 23 seconds into the game. Tim Duncan was intimidating inside with 4 blocks in the first 5 minutes of the game and Jerry Braswell sunk a trio of 3’s to give Wake Forest an early 11-9 lead. But Rony Seikaly got Duncan to commit 2 fouls which sent him to the bench at the 14:15 mark of the first half. The Deacon Demons went to a small lineup and Seikaly led the Orange to a 24-17 lead at the midpoint of the half. With Duncan off the floor, Seikaly took advantage by scoring 19 points and hauling down 12 rebounds. But Randolph Childress kept Wake Forest in the game by tossing in 16 first half points. The half ended with Syracuse ahead but only by a 39-35 score. Boheim’s 2-3 zone limited Wake Forest’s shooting to 38% but the Orange could only manage to hit 41% of their shots.

2nd Half—The question at the beginning of the 2nd half was could Duncan keep from fouling so he could stay on the court and shut down Syracuse’s inside game. Duncan continued to block shots and Wake Forest tied the game at 45-45 with 15:42 on the clock. With Childress continuing to score and Syracuse having trouble getting the ball to drop through the hoop, the Deacon Demons spurted ahead 63-51 lead with 8 minutes remaining. The Orange continued to shoot poorly and Sherman Douglas had an off game which allowed Wake Forest to continue to pull away all the way til the buzzer.

Final Score: Wake Forest—82, Syracuse--62

Team Stats:

Wake Forest—43% on FG’s; 39% on 3’s (12 of 31); 88% on FT’s (but just 7 of 8); 34 Reb; 15 assists; 6 steals; 13 blocks; 9 TO’s.
Syracuse—39% on FG’s; 25% on 3’s (just 2 of 8); 73% of FT’s (16 of 22); 38 Reb; 14 assists; 4 steals; 2 blocks; 15 TO’s.

Player Stats:

Wake Forest—Randolph Childress-38 points; Jerry Braswell-12 points; Tim Duncan-6 points, 9 reb, 3 stl, 8 blk.
Syracuse—Rony Seikaly-32 pts, 16 reb; Derrick Coleman-10 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast; Sherman Douglas-5 pts

[PointGuard]

Game 2: Wichita State Shockers (2015) @ Utah Utes (1997)

2015 Wichita State Shockers: Coach Gregg Marshall; 30-5; 17-1 to finish 1st in Missouri Valley Conference standings; 14th in final AP poll

Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Fred VanVleet; 6-0 Jr; 13.6 ppg; 5.2 apg
SG Tekele Cotton; 6-3 Sr; 9.8, 3.9 rpg
SF Ron Baker; 6-4 Jr; 14.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg
PF Evan Wessel; 6-4 Jr; 4.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
C Darius Carter; 6-7 Sr; 11.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg
PF Shaquille Morris; 6-7 Fr; 4.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg
F Rashad Kelly; 6-7 Fr; 2.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg
F Zach Brown; 6-6 Fr; 3.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
C Rauno Nurger; 6-10 Fr; 2.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg

[Fred VanVleet was an All-MVC 1st Team selection. After leading the Shockers to very successful seasons during his 4 years at Wichita State, he began a pro career with Toronto and now plays for Houston. He’s averaged 15.0 ppg and 5.7 apg thus far in the NBA which includes a 54 point game and a 20 assist game.]

[The Shockers were an exceptionally strong defensive team, allowing just 57.4 ppg (10th best nationally). They won 18 of 19 games (which included two 9-game win streaks as bookends) at the end of the regular season. After upsetting Indiana and Kansas in the NCAA Tourney, they lost to Notre Dame in the Sweet 16.]

1997 Utah Utes: Coach Rick Majerus; 29-4; 15-1 and first place in the Western Athletic Conference and then won WAC Tourney; 2nd in final AP poll; made it to Elite 8 in NCAA Tournament

Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Andre Miller; 6-2 So; 9.8 ppg, 6.1 apg
SG Ben Caton; 6-3 Sr; 8.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg
SF Drew Hansen; 6-4 Fr; 4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg
PF Keith Van Horn; 6-10 Sr; 22.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg
C Michael Doleac; 6-11 Jr; 14.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg
SF Hanna Mottolo; 6-11 Fr; 6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
G Jordie McTavish; 6-1 Fr; 2.0 ppg, 1.4 apg
F Ashante Johnson; 6-9 So; 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg

[Keith Van Horn averaged over 20 ppg during his 4-year college career at Utah and was the WAC’s Player of the Year 3 straight seasons, a 2nd team All-American as a junior and a 1st team All-American as a senior, and ESPN’s Men’s College Player of the Year. He was the 2nd pick overall in the NBA draft and averaged 16.0 ppg and 6.8 rpg during his 9 year pro career.]

[The Utes 21 of their last 22 games (including winning 14 straight games at the end of the season and in the WAC Tourney and NCAA Tournament) before losing to Kentucky in the Elite 8.]

Game Summary:

1st Half—The two teams bludgeoned each other the first 5 minutes, but then Utah edged ahead with Keith Van Horn scoring nearly at will and held onto a 5-7 point lead until the Shockers, behind the scoring of VanVleet, Carter and Baker, rallied to recapture the lead with 3 minutes remaining in the half. The Utes came back to tie the game at 39-39 at the break. Van Horn scored 18 first half points for Utah while Carter and VanVleet both scored 12 for Wichita State.

2nd Half—With Wichita State unable to control Van Horn, the Utes took an early lead in the 2nd half. The Shockers gamely fought to keep things close and with just under 10 minutes left in the game, Ron Baker got loose for a 14 foot jumper that put the Shockers on top 62-60. Led by Baker and VanVleet and Utah’s shooting going cold, Wichita State quickly extended their lead to 10 with 7:15 on the clock. The Utes got within a single point with 3 minutes to go, but Van Horn finally ran out of gas and had to go to the bench. The Shockers were ahead by 3 with a minute to go. Then with just 24 ticks on the clock, Andre Miller knocked down a 3 from the corner to tie the game. As Wichita State played to trim down the time for a final shot, Baker was called for a contested offensive foul. Baker made up for it by stealing a pass with 8 seconds to go. A last second awkward shot didn’t go down taking the game to OT tied at 79-79.

Overtime—Both VanVleet for the Shockers and Van Horn for the Utes began the OT running on fumes, but Van Horn swished a 3 from the left corner on the Utes first possession. Wichita State turned the ball over and Miller knocked down a 3 to put Utah up by 6 with 3:47 to go. Van Horn’s 8 foot baseline jumper made it 87-79. Tekele Cotton scored the Shockers first points of the OT when he hit a 3 at the 2:45 mark. Utah would not let the Shockers come back though.

Final Score: Utah—94, Wichita State—89 (OT)

Team Stats:

Wichita State—FG’s 46%; 3’s 71% (10 of 16); FT’s 77%; 33 reb; 20 ast; 7 stl; 5 blk; 18 TO; 8 pts in paint; 4 fast break points

Utah—FG’s 50%; 3’s 29% (5 of 17); FT’s 83%; 29 reb; 23 ast; 11 stl; 9 blk; 11 TO; 14 pts in paint; 12 fast break points

Player Stats:

Wichita State—Fred VanVleet-23 pts, 5 reb; Ron Baker-23 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl; Darius Carter-17 pts, 6 reb; Darius Carter-17 pts, 6 reb; Tereke Cotton-13 pts, 5 ast

Utah—Keith Van Horn-43 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast; Andre Miller-21 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast, 8 stl; Ben Caton-11 pts, 3 ast; Michael Doleac-8 pts, 5 reb

[PointGuard]

Game #3: Illinois Fighting Illini (1989) @ UCLA Bruins (2008)

1989 Illinois Fighting Illini: Coach Lou Hensen; 31-5; 3rd in final AP Poll; Final 4 in NCAA Tournament

Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Steve Bardo; 6-5 Jr; 8.1 ppg, 4.1 apg
SG Nick Anderson; 6-6 Jr; 18.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg
SF Kenny Battle; 6-6 Sr; 16.6 ppg; 4.8 rpg
PF Marcus Liberty; 6-8 So; 8.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
C Lowell Hamilton; 6-7 Sr; 13.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg
G Kendall Gill; 6-5 Jr; 15.4 ppg, 3.8 apg
G Larry Smith; 6-4 Jr; 4.9 ppg, 4.4 apg

[Nick Anderson was the 11th pick in the NBA draft after this season and the first pick ever for the expansion Orlando Magic. After playing 10 years for Orlando, he finished his 13 seasons in his NBA career with Sacramento and Memphis with a career average of 14.4 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Kendall Gill had a 15 year career in the NBA with a career average of 13.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Kenny Battle also played 4 seasons in the NBA.]

[The Fighting Illini won their first 16 games of the 1988-89 season. They finished 2nd in the Big 10 and then won the Midwest Region in the NCAA Tourney before losing by 2 points to Michigan in the Final 4.]

2008 UCLA Bruins: Coach Ben Howland; 35-4; 16-2 and 1st place in Pac-10 Conference; 3rd in final AP Poll

Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Darren Collison; 6-1 Jr; 14.5 ppg, 3.8 apg
SG Russell Westbrook; 6-3 So; 12.7 ppg, 4.3 apg
SF Josh Shipp; 6-5 Jr; 12.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg
PF/C Lorenzo Mata-Real; 6-9 Sr; 3.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg
C Kevin Love; 6-10 Fr; 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg
PF Luc Richard Mbah a Moute; 6-8 Jr; 8.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg
F Alfred Aboya; 6-9 Jr; 2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
F James Keefe; 6-8 So; 2.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg

[Russell Westbrook declared early after this season and was the 4th pick in the NBA draft, averaging 21.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 3.8 apg thus far in his 17 seasons and his 202 season regular season triple-doubles are the most in NBA history. In 2017 he was the MVP in the NBA. Kevin Love was a 1st team All-American. He also declared early and was the 5th pick in the draft and has also played 17 seasons thus far in the NBA with a career average of 16.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Luc Mbah a Moute played 12 years in the NBA with a career average of 6.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg. In his 4 seasons at UCLA Darren Collison earned All-Pac-10 honors 3 times. He subsequently was the 21st pick in the NBA draft and during his 11 seasons as a pro he averaged 12.5 ppg and 5.0 apg.]

[UCLA allowed just 59.0 ppg to opponents (10th best in Division 1) and was 1st in the Pac-10 and won the Pac-10 Conference Tourney and then made it to the Final 4 in the NCAA Tournament, breaking a 14-game win streak by their loss to Memphis.]

Game Summary:

1st Half—Hot early shooting allowed Indiana to take an 11-6 lead. But UCLA, led by Kevin Love, then scored the next 10 points and with Russell Westbrook catching fire and UCLA tightening their “D”, the Bruins opened as much as a 9 point lead. The Fighting Illini fought back late in the half to cut the Bruins’ halftime lead to 44-42. Both teams hit over 50% of their FG’s. Nick Anderson led Illinois’ scoring with 13 points with Kendall Gill adding 8. UCLA’s Love and Westbrook scored 13 and 12 points, respectively in the half.

2nd Half—The offensive battle continued in the 2nd half with UCLA holding onto their small lead for the first 6 minutes. But sharp passing and excellent court movement by the Bruins made it possible for them to get open shots and expand their lead to 12 points with 12 minutes left in the game. Indiana worked hard to cut into that lead, but UCLA never let them get closer than 7 points.

Final Score: UCLA—92, Indiana--83

Team Stats:

Illinois—47% FG’s, 33% 3’s, 77% FT’s, 29 reb, 19 ast, 8 stl, 4 blk, 10 TO’s

UCLA—59% FG’s, 35% 3’s, 84% FT’s, 24 reb, 20 ast, 6 stl, 6 blk, 13 TO’s

Player Stats:

Illinois—Nick Anderson-22 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl; Kenny Battle-15 pts; Kendall Gill-14 pts; Lowell Hamilton-12 pts

UCLA—Kevin Love-25 pts (8 of 12 on FG’s and 9 of 10 on FT’s), 4 reb; Russell Westbrook-23 pts, 6 ast, 3 stl; Darren Collison-18 pts, 8 ast; Luc Mbah a Moute-8 pts, 4 reb

[PointGuard]

Game #4: Baylor Bears (2021) @ Duke Blue Devils (2001)

2021 Baylor Bears: Coach Scott Drew; 28-2; 1st in Big 12 with 13-1 record; 3rd in final AP Poll; National Champions

PG Davion Mitchell; 6-2 Jr; 14.0 ppg, 5.5 apg
SG Jared Butler; 6-3 Jr; 16.7 ppg, 4.8 apg
SF MaCio Teague; 6-4 Sr; 15.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg
PF Mark Vital; 6-5 Sr; 5.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg
C Flo Thamba; 6-10 Jr; 3.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg
G Adam Flagler; 6-3 Sr; 9.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
F Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua; 6-8 So; 6.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg
F Matthew Mayer; 6-9 Jr; 8.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
G L J Cryer; 6-1 Fr; 3.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg

[Jared Butler was a 1st team All-American and Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament. He was the 40th pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He’s split time between the NBA and Development League, averaging 5.6 ppg and 2.3 apg thus far in his NBA career. Davion Mitchell was the 9th pick in the NBA draft and has thus far averaged 7.3 ppg and 3.1 apg as a pro.]

[In a season truncated due to Covid19, Baylor averaged 82.9 ppg (6th highest in Division 1)…while giving up just 65.5 ppg. The Bears won their first 18 games. After losing to Oklahoma State in the 2nd round of the Big 12, Baylor cruised thorough the NCAA Tournament, thumping all 6 of their opponents by winning margins ranging between 9 and 24 points and won the championship over Gonzaga 86-70.]

2001 Duke Blue Devils: Coach Mike Krzyzewski; 35-4; 13-3 and 2nd place in ACC; 1st in final AP Poll; ACC Tourney and NCAA Tournament Champions

PG Jay Williams; 6-2 So; 21.6 ppg, 6.1 apg
SG Nate James; 6-6 Sr; 12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg
SF Mike Dunleavy; 6-8 So; 12.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg
PF Shane Battier; 6-8 Sr; 19.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg
C Carlos Boozer; 6-9 So; 13.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg
G Chris Duhon; 6-1 Fr; 7.2 ppg, 4.5 apg
C Casey Sanders; 6-11 So; 2.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg
F Andre Sweet; 6-6 Fr; 4.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg
F Nick Horvath; 6-10 So; 2.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg

[Shane Battier was not only a 1st Team All-American but was the AP Player of the Year and also the NCAA Tourney Most Outstanding Player. He was the 6th pick in the NBA draft and during his 13 year pro career he averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.2 rpg. Jay Williams was also a 1st Team All-American. He was the 2nd pick in the 2002 NBA draft, but due to a motorcycle accident, his pro career ended after 1 year during which he averaged 9.5 ppg and 4.7 apg. Bob Boozer was the 35th pick in the 2002 pro draft. During his 13 year career in the NBA, he averaged 16.2 ppg and 9.5 rpg. Mike Dunleavy was the 3rd pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He averaged 11.2 ppg and 4.3 rpg during his 15 year pro career. Chris Duhon went on to play 4 seasons at Duke during which he became Duke’s all-time leader in steals with 300 and minutes played (4813) and 2nd in assists with 819. He was the 38th pick in the 2004 NBA draft, playing 9 years and averaging 6.5 ppg and 4.4 apg.]

[Duke began this season with 10 straight victories and ended their season with a 10-game win streak.. Blue Devils won the ACC Tourney and then breezed through the NCAA Tournament winning their 6 games by point margins ranging between 10 and 43 points, beating Arizona 82-72 to become National Champions. During the entire season, Duke averaged 90.7 ppg (2nd in Division 1) while allowing their opponents to average just 70.5 ppg.]

Game Summary:

1st Half—The first half was a total and complete disaster for Baylor. A slow start put them down 13-2. They appeared to get back into the game by cutting the deficit to 15-11, but then a combination of a ferocious Duke defense and fan base that provided dominating momentum to the Blue Devils squashed the Bears. By the end of the half, Baylor was in a 45-21 hole. The Bears had made 12 turnovers to 5 by Duke. The Blue Devils had blocked 9 Baylor shots and stolen the ball 9 times. The dispirited Bears could only manage to sink 22% of their shots. Duke’s Jason Williams scored 14 points while Carlos Boozer dominated the boards, taking down 10 first half rebounds.

2nd Half—Duke continued to sink the dagger, scoring the first 10 points in the half with Jason Williams contributing 7 of those. After 5 minutes of play Baylor trailed by 40 points at 65-25 and the Bears shooting percentage had dropped to 18%. Led by Jared Butler, Baylor began to generate some offense in the final 12 minutes of the game. But while that resulted in a slight narrowing of the gap, the game’s outcome had been decided.

{This game was over almost before it started…think I should have set this game up with Baylor as the home team since Duke gained too much momentum from the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd. I’m politicking to get a neutral court option added at setup for Exhibition games (if such an enhancement can incorporated without a development hassle).}

Final Score: Duke—87, Baylor--55

Team Stats:

Baylor—30% FG’s; 30% 3’s (8 of 27); 81% FT’s; 34 reb; 11 ast; 3 stl; 3 blk; 15 TO’s

Duke—47% FG’s; 42% 3’s (15 of 36); 60% FT’s; 41 reb; 19 ast; 9 stl; 14 blk; 8 TO’s

Player Stats:

Baylor—Jared Butler-19 pts, 5 reb; Davion Mitchell-11 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast; Matthew Mayer-7 pts, 3 ast; Flo Thamba-5 pts, 8 reb

Duke—Jason Williams-31 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast; Nate James-14 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl; Mike Dunleavy-9 pts; Carlos Boozer-6 pts, 16 reb, 3 ast, 7 blk

[PointGuard]

[Since an update to DDSCB2025 now provides a toggle to “Eliminate Home Court Advantage”, all future games in this thread will be on neutral courts (unless otherwise noted).]

Game 5: Maryland Terrapins (2002) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs (2017)

2002 Maryland Terrapins: Coach Gary Williams; 32-4, 1st in ACC, 4th in final AP poll, NCAA Tournament National Champions

Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Steve Blake, 6-3 Jr; 8.0 ppg. 7.9 apg
SG Juan Dixon, 6-3, Sr; 20.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
SF Byron Mouton, 6-6 Sr; 11.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg
PF Chris Wilcox, 6-10 So; 12.0 ppg; 7.1 rpg
C Lonny Baxter, 6-8 Sr; 15.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg
G Drew Nicholas, 6-3 Jr; 7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
C Tahj Holden, 6-10 Jr; 5.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg

[1st team All-American Juan Dixon capped a stellar 4 year collegiate career by leading the team to the National Championship. He was drafted 17th in the subsequent NBA draft. He played 7 seasons as a pro with a career average of 8.4 ppg. He then was head coach at Coppin State for 6 seasons. Steve Blake had a 13 year NBA career, averaging 6.5 ppg and 4.0 apg. Chris Wilcox played 11 seasons in the NBA, with a career average of 8.2 ppg and 4.9 rpg. Coach Gary Williams was head coach in Division 1 for 33 years, 22 at Maryland. His teams won 668 games and lost 380 and had a 29-16 record in the NCAA Tournament. He has been AD at Maryland the past 14 years.]

[The Terrapins won 13 straight games at the end of their season before losing to NC State in the semifinals of the ACC Tourney. They then went on to roll off 6 consecutive wins including a 64-52 victory of Indiana in the championship game.]

2017 Gonzaga Bulldogs: Coach Mark Few; 37-2, 1st in WCC, 2nd in final AP poll, Runnerup in NCAA Tournament

Starters and key subs with their season stats:

PG Nigel Williams-Goss, 6-3 Jr; 16.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.7 apg
SG Josh Perkins, 6-3 So; 8.1 ppg, 3.1 apg
SF Jordan Matthews; 6-3 Sr; 10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg
PF Johnathan Williams; 6-9 Jr; 10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg
C Zach Collins; 7-0 Fr; 10.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg
C Przemek Karnowski; 7-1 Sr; 12.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg
G Silas Melson, 6-4 Jr; 7.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg
F Killian Tillie, 6-10 Fr; 4.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg

[Nigel Williams-Goss played 2 successful seasons for the University of Washington, then transferred to Gonzaga where he led the team in scoring the 2016-17 season and then has starred professionally on several European professional teams. Following his freshman season, Zach Collins was the 10th pick in the draft and has played 7 seasons professionally, averaging 7.9 ppg and 4.7 rpg.]

[The Zags won their first 29 games in 2017. They not only were first in the West Coast Conference standings, but won the WCC Tourney. They won their first 5 games in the NCAA Tournament but lost 71-65 to North Carolina in the NCAA Championship game.]

[Mark Few has been the head coach at Gonzaga for the past 26 years, compiling a 742-152 (.830) record. His teams have never missed being invited to the Big Dance and are 44-25 in the NCAA Tournament.]

Game Summary:

1st Half—Defense predominated throughout the first 15 minutes, making it tough for either team to get the ball in the hoop. Both teams were able to put points on the board the final 5 minutes and the half ended with Maryland on top 41-40. There were 13 lead changes. Williams-Goss led all scorers with 11 points for the Bulldogs while Blake scored 9 to top the Terrapins scoring.

2nd Half—Maryland opened the 2nd half with a 10-2 run. The Zags shooting was ice-cold and made some disastrous turnovers. The Terrapins took advantage to extend their lead to 66-45 with 11-1/2 minutes remaining. Gonzaga’s offense finally began to click and they whittled the lead to 12 with 8:15 to go. Then with 3:40 remaining, Maryland’s lead was down to 76-68. But the Terrapins then held the Zags off to come away with the victory. A 34-20 rebounding advantage and 15-2 difference on 2nd chance points led to Maryland’s victory.

Final Score: Maryland—88, Gonzaga—79

Team Stats:

Maryland—53% FG’s; 35% 3’s; 79% FT’s; 34 reb; 22 ast; 18 TO’s.
Gonzaga—46% FG’s; 48% 3’s; 76% FT’s; 20; 18 ast; 17 TO’s.

Player Stats:

Maryland—Baxter: 22 pts, 15 reb, 2 blk; Blake: 18 pts, 7 ast; Dixon: 12 pts, 3 ast, 3 stl; Nicholas: 12 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast
Gonzaga—Williams-Goss: 24 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl; Perkins: 16 pts, 5 ast, 2 stl; Collins: 8 pts, 4 reb; Matthews: 8 pts, 3 reb, 3 stl

[PointGuard]

Game 6: Ohio State Buckeyes (2007) vs UMass Minutemen (1996)

Ohio State: Coach Thad Motta; 35-4 (15-1, 1st place in Big 10); Ranked #1 in Final AP poll; Runner-up in NCAA Tournament (had 22 game win streak coming into the championship game)

Top Players—Greg Oden (15.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg); Ron Lewis (12.7 ppg); Mike Conley (11.3 ppg, 6.1 apg); Daequan Cook (9.8 ppg); Jamar Butler (8.5 ppg)

UMass: Coach John Calipari; 35-2 (15-1, 1st in Atlantic 10); 1st in Final AP Poll; Began season with 26 straight victories; Final 4 in NCAA Tournament

Top Players—Marcus Canby (20.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg); Donta Bright (14.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Carmelo Travieso (12.6 ppg); Dana Dingle (10.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg); Edgar Padilla (8.9 ppg, 6.7 apg)

1st Half—UMass took control from the onset of the game and used a potent D to maintain a lead throughout most of the half. But led by Greg Oden’s 14 points, the Buckeyes came back as time was winding down to go to the locker room with a 31-27 lead. The Minutemen’s 10 turnovers contributed to their late demise.

2nd Half—Neither team could get more than a 4 point lead in the 2nd half until the Minutemen went ahead 56-50 with 5-1/2 minutes remaining. Ohio State kept cutting into the lead but each time the Buckeyes would get within 2 points, the Minutemen refused to give up the lead. The difference in the game was UMass getting to the line 14 more times and scoring 9 more points on free throws than Ohio State. The two stars (Marcus Canby and Greg Oden) both shone brightly.

Final Score: UMass—68, Ohio State—62

Player Stats:

Ohio State—Greg Oden-22 pts, 7 reb; Jamar Butler—10 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast; Ron Lewis-10 pts, 3 blk; Ivan Harris-8 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast; Daequan Cook-6 pts, 7 reb.

UMass—Marcus Canby-14 pts, 8 reb, 5 blk; Edgar Padilla-14 pts, 4 ast; Carmelo Travieso-10 pts, 4 ast; Dana Dingle-7 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast; Donta Bright-8 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast.