The top 20 most marketable men’s college basketball teams, pre-NIL

Over the past few decades, a couple dozen men’s college basketball programs truly distinguished themselves as highly marketable teams. But in the pre-NIL world, there was no cashing in — at least not for the players.

On3 decided to try to pick the most marketable men’s college basketball teams since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 in 1985. Their teams were historically significant, memorable, dazzling — or a combination of all three — and the players surely would have cashed in.

There also were some highly marketable teams before 1985. In fact, former Louisville great Darrell Griffith once said that the first true brand in college basketball was his “Doctors of Dunk” Cardinals team that won the 1980 national title. They walked around campus wearing doctor smocks and lived above the rim. Griffith was known simply as “Dr. Dunkenstein.”

There were others: Houston’s Phi Slama Jama and North Carolina State’s “Survive and Advance” squad in 1983. Larry Bird’s Indiana State and Magic Johnson’s Michigan State teams in 1979. Texas Western in 1966. And more John Wooden-led UCLA teams than we can count (but we’re sure Bill Walton will remind us).

But for the purposes of this exercise, memory lane starts in the expanded-bracket era of 1985. Some of these memorable squads entered seasons as established brands, laden with stars and a distinct style. Others crafted compelling narratives during the sport’s defining month of March. Either way, if you tell the story of college basketball the past few decades, you’d better include mention of everyone on this list.

If only there were NIL back in the day …

1. 1992-93 Michigan

Bald heads, black socks, baggy shorts. “The Fab Five” — Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson — were a cultural phenomenon, one unlikely to be duplicated. Considering how brash, how young and how talented they were, their impact on a generation of a certain age can’t be overstated. And it all unfolded as hip-hop’s popularity continued to explode in the early ’90s. Their NIL potential would have been exponential. 

2. 1991-92 Duke

All you need to do is mention three names: Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill. They were constants each March. Duke is a polarizing program and it reached an apex in 1992. Many got tired of seeing Laettner’s face in March (he reached four Final Fours) and sinking game-winning shots (he hit one in the Elite Eight in 1990, then another seminal one in the same round in 1992). There’s even the ESPN 30 for 30 called “I Hate Christian Laettner.” He was a good-looking kid from Duke who happened to become one of the most accomplished college players in history. These Blue Devils would have been a national brands’ dream. 

3. 1984-85 Georgetown

In Georgetown’s heyday in the 1980s, John Thompson was Nike’s highest-paid coach, receiving some $200,000 per year to outfit his team in the Swoosh. Nike even gave the Hoyas their own signature sneaker, The Terminator. Phil Knight’s emerging mega-apparel company clearly recognized the cultural significance of the Georgetown brand. If only athletes from those teams could have profited. Patrick Ewing was a four-year star who played in three national title games, winning once. The Hoyas transcended sport. Georgetown apparel was worn on both coasts and everywhere in between. Hard to imagine another program today wielding as much cultural weight. 

4. 2006-07 Florida

After winning the 2006 national title, the Gators’ core of stars scheduled a news conference, causing everyone to think they were naturally turning pro. Instead, they shocked everyone by returning to Gainesville to run it back. And they did just that, becoming the most recent team to win consecutive national titles. They exhibited a togetherness that was infectious. The outspoken ringleader, Joakim Noah, was so demonstrative, so emotive, so irrepressible on the court. Plus, he had fascinating bloodlines; his mom was a model, his dad a former tennis pro. 

5. 1989-90 Loyola Marymount

Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers were emerging stars in L.A., a city of stars and a market with endless brand potential. Their breakneck style of play under coach Paul Westhead had the “wow” factor. The tragic on-court death of Gathers shortly before the 1990 NCAA Tournament made them as emotionally compelling a story as sports has seen. The image of Kimble shooting left-handed free throws in memory of his friend was as poignant then as it is today. No. 11 seed LMU dropped 149 points on defending national champ Michigan in the second round en route to an Elite Eight appearance. Under Westhead, LMU averaged 122.4 points per game. On the team’s 25th anniversary, Kimble told me the Lions’ unrelenting style would still dominate today. 

6. 1990-91 UNLV

Many brands would have shied away because Jerry Tarkanian’s program was commonly portrayed in the media as a rogue operation that flouted NCAA rules. Remember when Duke vs. UNLV was framed as Good vs. Evil? On the court, UNLV’s dominance was breathtaking, virtually unrivaled in three decades since. The Runnin’ Rebels’ popularity with a younger generation was unassailable. The Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon “Dressed for Success” Sports Illustrated cover remains a classic. 

7. 1996-97 North Carolina

The reason Vince Carter’s team ranks ahead of Michael Jordan’s team is because the search for the next Air Jordan was more celebrated, manufactured and hyped than the search for the first MJ. There was no search for the first MJ; there was no blueprint. It happened organically. As the media searched for the next Michael, Carter fit the mold, having left fans slack-jawed with his acrobatic dunks since his high school days in Daytona Beach, Fla.

8. 1983-84 North Carolina

This was the era of sky-scraping centers dominating the college landscape. But Jordan earned national college player of the year honors. He had already swished the game-winning jumper as a freshman in 1982 to win the national title. His jaw-dropping athleticism, his unrivaled competitiveness distinguished him. But he was not yet a brand. And given Dean Smith’s team-first philosophy, it’s uncertain how his venerable coach would have viewed the NIL era.

9. 1994-95 UCLA

Tyus Edney’s coast-to-coast buzzer-beater against Missouri was spectacular. Ed O’Bannon was the face of college basketball. The Bruins were one of the better national title teams in recent memory, operating in the endorsement-rich market of Los Angeles. Jim Harrick, who himself has a complicated legacy, delivered UCLA its first title since 1975. The late Tarkanian, a former recruiting rival, once told me Harrick operated in a recruiting gray area, saying Harrick was as “straight as the letter ‘S’. ”

10. 1995-96 Kentucky

This is the deepest college team ever, as nine players went on to play in the NBA. Coach Rick Pitino once told me he believed his second five was talented enough to reach the Final Four had they comprised their own team. The Wildcats would go on to play in the next two national title games, winning with Tubby Smith in 1998.

11. 1986-87 Indiana

The whole romantic narrative of basketball in the state of Indiana reached its peak during this season. The movie “Hoosiers” was released late in 1986, just months before Bob Knight won his third national title. Steve Alford, who made seven 3-pointers in the title-game win over Syracuse, emerged right out of central casting. The Hoosiers didn’t run the famed picket fence, but they probably should have. 

12. 1987-88 Kansas

Forever known as “Danny and the Miracles.” Larry Brown’s team lost five of its first six Big 8 games and eventually earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. But Danny Manning, the national player of the year, carried the Jayhawks to their first title in 36 years. The local NIL opportunities, in particular, would have been off the charts.

13. 1988-89 Illinois

What a difference a title would have meant for this star-studded group. The team flies, so to speak, under the radar. The collection of Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill and Kenny Battle scored 100 points eight times that season. “The Flyin’ Illini” was must-see TV. Despite losing a nail-biter to Michigan in the Final Four, Lou Henson’s team would have cashed in on NIL. They were one of the most talented teams in arguably the sport’s finest decade. 

14. 1987-88 Oklahoma

No one knows Oklahoma like sportswriter Berry Tramel, and he called this Sooners team “the greatest college basketball team most of us have ever seen and the greatest we ever will. And the most entertaining sports team in Oklahoma history.” Billy Tubbs’ team, featuring Stacey King, Harvey Grant and Mookie Blaylock, was ahead of its time. Longtime CBS analyst Billy Packer has said this team was one of the best 15 college teams ever. If not for the stunning title-game loss to Kansas’ “Danny and the Miracles,” history would elevate the Sooners. 

15. 2011-12 Kentucky

This was the first group of multiple one-and-done stars to win the national title. Anthony Davis was the marquee name and he could not have been more unselfish during the season. Basketball is religion in Kentucky, and this team had mass appeal (outside Louisville’s city limits, of course).

16. 2012-13 Florida Gulf Coast

“Dunk City.” Enough said. If you’re a No. 15 seed with your own nickname, you’re doing something right. This was a free-wheeling group that played fast and loose and above the rim. The benchwarmers waved towels and danced the funky chicken. Back then, reserve Christophe Varidel told me they actually called the dance the “It’s Cold as (expletive) Outside Dance.” The first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16, the Eagles would have capitalized on their 15 to 20 minutes of fame, for sure. 

17. 2008-09 Davidson

Steph Curry already was a thing at this point, and had taken the Wildcats to the brink of the Final Four in 2008. He was highly marketable for the same reason he is now: He shows that an under-recruited, cherub-faced skinny kid can do extraordinary things with a basketball.

18. 2020-21 Gonzaga

They were dominant, undefeated (until the final) and chock full of star power with Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and Jalen Suggs. Against UCLA in the Final Four, Suggs unleashed an unforgettable near-halfcourt, game-winning shot. All that was missing was Mark Few and Co. cutting down the nets in the end. This team occupies a unique spot in tournament history because it stormed through the season playing in front of cardboard cutouts of fans’ faces in The Kennel amid the pandemic. It never heard the full applause it deserved.

19. 2017-18 UMBC

The NCAA tournament will be played for many more years before we see a band of players turn in a more stunning one-game performance. It wasn’t just that its 74-54 win over No. 1 seed Virginia is the only time a 16 has beaten a 1. And it wasn’t that the Cavaliers were the top overall seed. It was the manner in which UMBC won the game. Astonishing then and now. Fame would have been short-lived, but there were NIL dollars to be had. 

20. 1987-88 Arizona

The 1988 crew in Tucson was a unique bunch, famously called “The Gumbies.” This was Florida Gulf Coast 1.0, only more talented. Steve Kerr, a guard on that Arizona team, told me in 2013 that it “had the best chemistry of any team I have ever been on.” It was equal parts talent (Kerr, Sean Elliott, Tom Tolbert, Anthony Cook) and goofiness. A No. 1 seed in 1988, the Wildcats reached the Final Four. Bruce Fraser, a player-turned-graduate assistant by the 1987-88 season, had coined the term “Gumbies” after needing to be perpetually pliable while being bullied or battered on the Arizona scout team. Taking the theme further, Fraser even kept a small rubber Gumby doll in his sock. This team had oodles of personality and would have been darlings of the NIL era.

Honorable mention: 1996-97 Arizona; 2009-10 Butler; 1992-93 California; 2005-06 George Mason; 1989-90 Georgia Tech; 1989-90 LSU; 1985-86 Maryland; 1991-92 Memphis State; 2007-2008 Memphis; 2010-11 UConn.

And, finally, you’d like to think the 1976-77 Marquette team that won the national title in Al McGuire’s final season also could’ve benefited from NIL, if for no other reason than the best official team picture of all time, in any sport.