Top 10 All-Time GT Men's Basketball Teams

[Steverc]

1. 1989-90
2. 2003-04
3. 1984-85
4. 1985-86
5. 1970-71
6. 1991-92
7. 1992-93
8. 1995-96
9. 2016-17
10. 2020-21

 

[awbuzz]

Some darn good choices.

 

[Root4GT]

The 2004-05 team was very good. Late season injuries to Jack and Mohammad derailed what could have n=been a very good season. Lost to Duke in a very competitive ACCT Championship game. Ish couldn't jump and Jack was playing with a badly sprained ankle.

The Favors lead 2009-10 team was also very good.

I believe both were better than the last 2 on your list.

 

[GTkaiboi]

The Okogie-Lammers squad over the Alvarado-Wright team is an interesting take

 

[Ramble1885]

1. 1989-90, no doubter. Lethal Weapon 3.
2. 1984-85, did not make final four but had an absloutley LOADED roster with Price, Salley, Dalrample, etc, and lost to Patrick Ewing and co. in the elite eight.
3. 2003-04, longest NCAA run in school history. Lost in NCG to UCONN. Only reason I don't put them at 2 is because 84-85 simply has more talent.
4. 1985-86, same roster as the year prior, another great year but lost in the sweet 16.
5. 1995-96, Marbury and Harpring led a great group to Cremins final sweet 16.
6. 1992-93, won the ACC but lost in first round to Southern.
7. 1991-92, opposite of 92-93. Limped into tournament and had cinderella sweet 16 run.
8. 2009-10, Hewitt's last great year. A roster led by Iman Shumpert, Gani Lawal, and Derrick Favors. Lost in the ACCCG and made the second round.
9. 2020-21, Pastner's greatest team. Started 0-2, but caught fire in ACC play. Beat Kentucky, UNC, and Duke in the SAME SEASON! And of course won the ACC title ending a decade long tourney drought.
10. 1959-60, most GT basketball before Cremins wasn't anything notable, but this is a rare exception. They were the first GT squad in march madness and made the sweet 16.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Is anyone old enough to remember when the NIT was considered as important as the NCAA? If you do, then you know that the 1969-1970 team should never be left off a top 10 list.

Would that team have been competitive in a championship final in more recent years? We suspect not but don’t know for sure. What we do know is that teams feared Yunkus and did everything they could to scheme against him. And he still got his points.

 

[Ramble1885]

Is anyone old enough to remember when the NIT was considered as important as the NCAA? If you do, then you know that the 1969-1970 team should never be left off a top 10 list.

Would that team have been competitive in a championship final in more recent years? We suspect not but don’t know for sure. What we do know is that teams feared Yunkus and did everything they could to scheme against him. And he still got his points.

69-70 team didn't make the NIT. It was the 70-71 squad. They lost to UNC in the final.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

69-70 team didn't make the NIT. It was the 70-71 squad. They lost to UNC in the final.

Yes, thank you. One of only two Tech basketball teams to make a final.

 

[bke1984]

Most of the same teams as everyone else. And the ACC tournament run in 09-10 was fun, but to call that a great team is probably a stretch. That team was 7-9 regular season in the ACC and only had 19 wins going into the conference tournament. They arguably needed that run to make the NCAAT

 

[Ramble1885]

Most of the same teams as everyone else. And the ACC tournament run in 09-10 was fun, but to call that a great team is probably a stretch. That team was 7-9 regular season in the ACC and only had 19 wins going into the conference tournament. They arguably needed that run to make the NCAAT

I’d say they were more talented than the 16-17 team.

 

[RyanS12]

Good list but the sobering part is, those are really the only good teams we’ve had at GT. That list is basically our small relevance in college basketball…. Almost every Cremins team from 84/85 to 95/96, two Hewitt squads (04 and 09 team which greatly underachieved) and Josh’s ACCT champs in 2021.

 

[Ramble1885]

Good list but the sobering part is, those are really the only good teams we’ve had at GT. That list is basically our small relevance in college basketball…. Almost every Cremins team from 84/85 to 95/96, two Hewitt squads (04 and 09 team which greatly underachieved) and Josh’s ACCT champs in 2021.

HISTORY OF GT HOOPS IN NUTSHELL

bad (1905-mid 30's)
good... but NCAA tourney doesn't exist (late 1930's)
mid (1940's)
awfully awful (early 50's)
mid (mid-late 50's)
GREAT! (early 1960's)
respectable (mid 1960's-mid 1970's)
dumpster fire (late 1970's-early 80's)
CREMINS COMES TO SAVE THE DAY! (1981)
THE GLORY YEARS (1983-1998)
mid (1999-2002)
HEWITT'S PEAK (2003-2010)
bad (2011-2015)
decent! (mid 2010's)
mid (late 2010's)
good (2019-2021)
bad (2022-now)

compared to other ACC teams we have quite the history. I'd say all time history we're on par or above Wake Forest, Miami, Pitt, BC, vt. A little below FSU and NC State.

 

[Jazzchaz]

1. 1989-90, no doubter. Lethal Weapon 3.
2. 1984-85, did not make final four but had an absloutley LOADED roster with Price, Salley, Dalrample, etc, and lost to Patrick Ewing and co. in the elite eight.

I think 84-85 was as good or better. Refs called Salley for his fifth foul early but refused to call a fifth on the four Georgetown players with four fouls each as they continued to hammer away on Tech shooters. Price was ice cold shooting that day 3-16!
That was also the year that Tech had a one point lead with 14 seconds left against Carolina in the ACC final. They inbounded the ball and ran off 10 seconds before Carolina had to foul Price. But amazingly (NOT) the clock never started. The refs stuck eight seconds on the clock as Price went to the line. It should have been three or four tops. Price made both free throws and Tech intercepted Carolina's inbound pass to preserve the victory.
There was a LOT of creative basketball whenever a team played Carolina.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

1989-90
1984-85
2003-04
1985-86
1995-96
1992-93
2004-05
2020-21
1991-92
2009-10
1987-88
1990-91
2006-07

 

[Steverc]

1989-90
1984-85
2003-04
1985-86
1995-96
1992-93
2004-05
2020-21
1991-92
2009-10
1987-88
1990-91
2006-07

This list dates you.

 

[Dress2Jacket]

84-85 is at the top of the list for me. We lost to Georgetown because Price was absolutely wiped out physically from the previous game (per one of the assistants) and was leaving his jumper short. Worst shooting performance of his career, and he was getting open looks.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

84-85 is at the top of the list for me. We lost to Georgetown because Price was absolutely wiped out physically from the previous game (per one of the assistants) and was leaving his jumper short. Worst shooting performance of his career, and he was getting open looks.

It is pretty close between the top three, but I gave 1990 team the edge for winning the ACC (which the 2004 team did not do) and for making it to the Final Four (which the 1985 team did not do) Also, they were playing UNLV well until the refs decided to stop calling fouls on them. That game was certainly more competitive than the UNLV-Duke Championship game.