Greatest Commonwealth Hoops … Ever?

Permit me one day of a sports post, since the greatest sport of them all wrapped up last night. Once again, the NCAA tournament didn’t disappoint, and it was riveting through all 67 games, culminating in Kentucky’s 8th national title.

I have seen a lot of articles, but I have not seen anyone address this question: Was 2011-2012 the greatest season of college hoops ever in the Commonwealth of Kentucky?

Think with me:

Kentucky: This team did not just win the national title. They only lost two games, by a total of 8 points, and did not lose a single game at home. They went 16-0 in the SEC, winning the regular season title by an insane 6 game margin. Included in their 38 total wins were victories over Kansas (twice), Louisville (twice), Baylor, North Carolina, and Florida (3 times). They were the #1 overall seed in the tournament and lived up to it. The 38 wins ties the most wins ever in a men’s basketball season. To sum it up: this was a really, really good year for the Wildcats.

But they were not the only team in the state that had a decent year.

Louisville did not have a dominant season, but when you look over the entire year, they were very good, too. They did win 30 games, after all, including victories over Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Florida, Marquette, and Notre Dame. They won the Big East tournament title by winning four games in four days. Then, they won the West Regional of the NCAA tournament and made the Final Four. Not too shabby.

But they weren’t all!

Murray State had an all-timer of a year in Racer-land. The team lost just 2 games against 31 wins. They had wins over teams like Memphis and Southern Mississippi, and the defense they played in the 2nd half of their NCAA tournament game against Colorado State was unreal. The Racers won the regular season and tournament titles in the Ohio Valley Conference, and were a 6 seed in the NCAAs, an unheard-of seed for a team from that conference.

And even Western Kentucky gets a little love in this post. The Hilltoppers had a terrible record, but turned their season around after New Years. They fired their coach and lost a game in which they played with 6 guys at the end… then made a run through the Sun Belt Conference and won the tournament. They won their opening NCAA tournament game by erasing a 15 point lead, with under five minutes to play.

Now, there have been good years in single states before, and of course the Bluegrass State is used to high-level seasons on the hardwood. But I just wonder: did we just see the best year the Commonwealth has ever had in D-1 hoops?

Time for you to weigh in. What do you think?