With this year’s Sweet 16, we’ve decided to have some fun. For every team that’s still alive in the 2022 NCAA tournament, we picked an all-time starting five — and we ranked them.
This list is solely based on collegiate production. The goal was to create a traditional lineup that features both guards and big men. We couldn’t pull that off with every school. Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have to be paired together on UCLA’s all-time team, right?
We also admit that there are a lot of players who could have cracked these lists. But when you limit yourself to five players, things get more difficult and probably more controversial.
That didn’t stop us from trying.
Here is our list of the all-time starting fives — and the coaches to lead them — for this season’s Sweet 16 teams, and where we believe they should be ranked.
Good luck guarding both Abdul-Jabbar and Walton.
G Gail Goodrich: AP All-America first team (1965); won national titles in 1964 and 1965; averaged 19.0 PPG in three seasons at UCLA
G Reggie Miller: All-Pac-12 first team (1986, 1987); averaged 25.9 PPG in 1985-86; averaged 22.3 PPG and 44% from 3 in 1986-87
F Marques Johnson: Won the first Wooden Award (1977); averaged 11.6 PPG for the 1975 national title team; AP All-America first team (1977); averaged 21.4 PPG, 11.1 RPG in 1976-77
C Kareem Abdul Jabbar: Led UCLA to three consecutive national titles (1967-69); AP All-America first team three years in a row (1967-69); averaged 26.4 PPG and 15.5 RPG in three seasons at UCLA; AP player of the year in 1967, 1969
C Bill Walton: Led UCLA to national titles in 1972 and 1973; AP All-America three consecutive seasons (1972-74); averaged 20.3 PPG and 15.7 RPG in three years at UCLA
Coach: John Wooden (10 national championships, NCAA record)
Jordan & Co. aren’t losing to many teams on this list.
G Phil Ford: Won the Wooden Award (1978); averaged 18.6 PPG and 6.1 APG in four years at North Carolina; AP All-America first team in 1977 and 1978; led team to 1977 national title game
G Michael Jordan: Won the Wooden Award (1984); hit game winner in 1982 national title game vs. Georgetown; averaged 17.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 1.7 SPG in three seasons at North Carolina; AP America first team in 1983 and 1984
PPG and 6.3 RPG for 1982 national title team; 1982 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player
G Jerry Stackhouse: AP All-America first team (1995); averaged 19.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.7 BPG in 1994-95; led team to the Final Four in 1995
F James Worthy: AP All-America second team (1982); averaged 15.6
F Tyler Hansbrough: Won the Wooden Award (2008); AP All-America first team in 2008 and 2009; led North Carolina to national championship in 2009; averaged 20.2 PPG and 8.6 RPG in four years at North Carolina
Coach: Dean Smith (won national titles in 1982 and 1993)
Chamberlain and Manning with a bunch of All-Americans doesn’t seem fair.
G Jacque Vaughn: AP All-America second team (1996, 1997); averaged 9.6 PPG, 6.4 APG, 38% clip from beyond the arc in four years at Kansas
F Paul Pierce: AP All-America first team (1998); averaged 20.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG in 1997-98; Big 12 tournament MVP in 1997 and 1998
F Nick Collison: AP All-America first team (2003); Big 12 Player of the Year (2012); led team to national title game (2003); averaged 18.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.9 BPG in 2002-03
F Danny Manning: Won the Wooden Award (1988); led team to national 1988 national championship, averaged 24.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.9 BPG in 1987-88
C Wilt Chamberlain: AP All-America first team (1957, 1958); Most…
Read More: March Madness – Ranking the all-time starting fives for the 2022 NCAA tournament Sweet 16 team