NCAA Basketball: North Carolina the worst preseason No. 1 team of all time
By Joey Loose
23. 1982-83 Virginia
Long before Tony Bennett arrived in Charlottesville, this program had experienced a previous stint as one of the best in college basketball. The early 80’s were exceptional for the Cavaliers for one particular reason: Ralph Sampson. A 7’4 center, Sampson remains one of the greatest college basketball players in the history of the sport, winning AP National Player of the Year for three straight years. The previous two seasons saw the Cavaliers win 59 total games, making a Final Four in 1981 and coming up just short in 1982.
Now, Sampson’s senior season was when it all was going to come together. They had been ranked atop the national polls to start the year and it was Sampson’s last chance. He averaged 19 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game, but he was not the only stud on this Cavaliers roster. Two future NBA guards made up the backcourt, as both Othell Wilson and Rick Carlisle (the future longtime head coach) averaged double-digit points per game. Forwards Jim Miller and Craig Robinson also had solid seasons in the lineup, though everyone knew Sampson was the star of this team.
Most people also know that this is the top-ranked Virginia squad that somehow lost to non-D1 Chaminade. Their only other losses in the regular season came in a sweep by a very good North Carolina team, including a one-point road loss when the Tar Heels were the #1 team in the nation, but it’s the postseason that stings the most. After failing to win the ACC Tournament. A top-seed in their region, the Cavaliers won close games over Washington State and Boston College before being upset by 6-seed NC State in the Elite Eight; the team that Jim Valvano led to the title just a week later. Sampson’s career ended with those three national awards but without cutting down the nets and falling short once more.