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NCAA Basketball: North Carolina the worst preseason No. 1 team of all time

By Joey Loose

Feb 19, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) and forward Pete Nance (32) react during the second half of the game against North Carolina State Wolfpack at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) and forward Pete Nance (32) react during the second half of the game against North Carolina State Wolfpack at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indiana’s Isiah Thomas and Purdue’s Brian Walker battle for a loose ball. Feb 1, 1981 Iupu 1981
Indiana’s Isiah Thomas and Purdue’s Brian Walker battle for a loose ball. Feb 1, 1981 Iupu 1981 /

19. 1979-80 Indiana

Bob Knight was a Hall of Fame head coach at Indiana and his first decade with the Hoosiers alone proved it. He led them to a Final Four in his second season and the sport’s most recent undefeated championship a few years later. This particular Hoosiers squad earned the top ranking in the preseason not just because of what they brought back to Bloomington, but because of a new freshman tearing up the court as well.

Freshman guard and future NBA star Isiah Thomas was the leading scorer among Hoosiers that played the full season. Current Indiana head coach Mike Woodson actually averaged 19.3 points a game, but missed the early part of the season after back surgery. Future NBA players Butch Carter and Ray Tolbert also averaged double-digit points per game while forwards Landon Turner and Steve Bouchie were important contributors, especially in the early parts of that season. Knight’s team was healthy when the season came to an end, it just ended earlier than many anticipated.

The Hoosiers lost a slew of games early without Woodson but ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak. They accumulated 7 losses and fell out of the national rankings during the season, but still got a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. After a solid win over 7-seed Virginia Tech in their opening game, the Hoosiers were devastated as rival Purdue, a 6-seed, ended their season in the Sweet Sixteen with an upset win. Carter and Woodson came up short again for national glory, though Thomas would have his chance, as Indiana would win the national championship in the following season, getting Knight his second of three titles.

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