Greatest Freshmen Classes

[NashvilleDevil]

A tweet from Jalen Rose:

Not gonna give real spit about title game. Folks ain't ready. Give me another 20 years.

After reading this, I started thinking about greatest freshmen classes since freshmen became eligible. Obviously Jalen and the many platforms he is on will never let anyone forget the importance and greatness of the Fab Five. I believe that this year's Duke team and the 2012 Kentucky team are better freshmen classes than the Fab Five. Not only did they both win the title but both teams were among the best teams in the country for the entire season. I would love for some outlet to rate the great freshmen classes and leave the Fab Five out of the top spot and observe Jalen's reaction.

[NSDukeFan]

1997-98 wasn't too bad.

[Olympic Fan]

A tweet from Jalen Rose:

Not gonna give real spit about title game. Folks ain't ready. Give me another 20 years.

After reading this, I started thinking about greatest freshmen classes since freshmen became eligible. Obviously Jalen and the many platforms he is on will never let anyone forget the importance and greatness of the Fab Five. I believe that this year's Duke team and the 2012 Kentucky team are better freshmen classes than the Fab Five. Not only did they both win the title but both teams were among the best teams in the country for the entire season. I would love for some outlet to rate the great freshmen classes and leave the Fab Five out of the top spot and observe Jalen's reaction.

Well, I think we can agree that the Fab Five is the greatest collection of freshmen ever that never won anything -- not a national title and not a conference in title in the entire span of their time at Michigan.

I think at least four freshmen classes have to rank ahead of them when it comes to immediate impact:

1. Duke 2015 (not only won the title, but scored the most combined points of any freshmen in the title game)
2. Syracuse 2003 (not only won the title but scored the second-most points by a freshman group in the title game)
3. Kentucky 2012 (not only won the title, but scored the third-most points by a freshman group in the title game -- soph Doron Lamb was the top scorer)
4. Ohio State 2007 (lost in the championship game, but did finish No. 1 in the nation and win the Big Ten
5. Michigan 1992 (lost in the championship game, finished No. 15 in the nation)
6. Kentucky 2010 (lost in the regional finals, but finished No. 2 in the nation and won the SEC)

If you don't limit it to immediate impact, the Fab Five drops a good deal farther on the list, since a lot of classes formed the foundation for national championship teams -- which the Fab Five never did.

They did popularize baggy shorts ...

[NashvilleDevil]

1997-98 wasn't too bad.

That was a great class but, and I should have been more clear, I was thinking about what they did their freshmen year.

[Henderson]

A tweet from Jalen Rose:

Not gonna give real spit about title game. Folks ain't ready. Give me another 20 years.

After reading this, I started thinking about greatest freshmen classes since freshmen became eligible.

After reading this, I started thinking what a horse's ask Jalen Rose is.

No wait, I started that thought earlier...

[Duke95]

Well, I think we can agree that the Fab Five is the greatest collection of freshmen ever that never won anything -- not a national title and not a conference in title in the entire span of their time at Michigan.

I think at least four freshmen classes have to rank ahead of them when it comes to immediate impact:

1. Duke 2015 (not only won the title, but scored the most combined points of any freshmen in the title game)
2. Syracuse 2003 (not only won the title but scored the second-most points by a freshman group in the title game)
3. Kentucky 2012 (not only won the title, but scored the third-most points by a freshman group in the title game -- soph Doron Lamb was the top scorer)
4. Ohio State 2007 (lost in the championship game, but did finish No. 1 in the nation and win the Big Ten
5. Michigan 1992 (lost in the championship game, finished No. 15 in the nation)
6. Kentucky 2010 (lost in the regional finals, but finished No. 2 in the nation and won the SEC)

If you don't limit it to immediate impact, the Fab Five drops a good deal farther on the list, since a lot of classes formed the foundation for national championship teams -- which the Fab Five never did.

They did popularize baggy shorts ...

Man, looking at that list, you just have to realize what a Duke freshman class we just witnessed. It's just amazing, really. None of our freshmen have ANY fear. None.

[FerryFor50]

To be fair to Michigan's Fab Five, college ball had WAY more talent back then. Guys usually stuck around for at least 2-3 years. Then you had the phenom of high schoolers jumping right to the NBA.

Times have changed.

[NashvilleDevil]

To be fair to Michigan's Fab Five, college ball had WAY more talent back then. Guys usually stuck around for at least 2-3 years. Then you had the phenom of high schoolers jumping right to the NBA.

Times have changed.

Excellent point. I did not think of this when I posted. I just wanted to think of something that would irritate Jalen if he read it.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

My first reaction was Intro to Jazz. Not sure where my head is at.

[BD80]

To be fair to Michigan's Fab Five, college ball had WAY more talent back then. Guys usually stuck around for at least 2-3 years. Then you had the phenom of high schoolers jumping right to the NBA.

Times have changed.

Didn't Lou Alcindor's freshman team beat the national champions?

[texasdevil06]

Didn't Lou Alcindor's freshman team beat the national champions?

Yes, by double digits as I recall.

Freshman team had Lynn Shackleford, Lucius Allen and Lew Alcindor.

[mattman91]

Duke 2016...

40-0 baby!!!

:rolleyes:

[brevity]

This should be a short thread if we limit the discussion to what a freshman class did in its freshman year.

Duke's 2014-2015 freshman class won a title, and had:

1 conference rookie of the year (Okafor)
1 conference player of the year (Okafor)
3 conference academic team members (Allen, Jones, Winslow)
1 first-team All-American (Okafor)
1 Newell big man winner (Okafor)
1 Final Four MOP (Jones)
3 All-Final Four Team players (Allen, Jones, Winslow)

Those are the highlights. I left off other honors (NCAA regional MOP, all-ACC, all-ACC freshmen, all-ACC defense, honorable mentions, preseason awards, anything USA Basketball).

Kentucky 2011-2012 (Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Kyle Wiltjer, etc.) is really the only other class in the discussion. They don't match everything above, but they can boast a few things that Duke can't:

1 consensus national player of the year (Davis)
1 conference defensive player of the year (Davis)
1 conference title (16-0 regular season, lost in SEC tournament final)

I would listen to an argument that put this Kentucky team first, but would more readily accept a compromise that says Duke gets the edge for its balance, while Anthony Davis stands alone as college basketball's most dominant freshman.

Syracuse 2002-2003 (Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Billy Edelin, etc.) is probably third. Michigan's Fab Five is at best fourth.

[MarkD83]

Well, I think we can agree that the Fab Five is the greatest collection of freshmen ever that never won anything -- not a national title and not a conference in title in the entire span of their time at Michigan.

I think at least four freshmen classes have to rank ahead of them when it comes to immediate impact:

1. Duke 2015 (not only won the title, but scored the most combined points of any freshmen in the title game)
2. Syracuse 2003 (not only won the title but scored the second-most points by a freshman group in the title game)
3. Kentucky 2012 (not only won the title, but scored the third-most points by a freshman group in the title game -- soph Doron Lamb was the top scorer)
4. Ohio State 2007 (lost in the championship game, but did finish No. 1 in the nation and win the Big Ten
5. Michigan 1992 (lost in the championship game, finished No. 15 in the nation)
6. Kentucky 2010 (lost in the regional finals, but finished No. 2 in the nation and won the SEC)

If you don't limit it to immediate impact, the Fab Five drops a good deal farther on the list, since a lot of classes formed the foundation for national championship teams -- which the Fab Five never did.

They did popularize baggy shorts ...

I know that most of the nation is glad that Ky 2015 lost in the Final Four, but there is no reason they should be excluded from this list. They did finish 38-1, win their conference and make it to the Final Four. That means I would almost put them above Michigan 1992.

[bjornolf]

I know that most of the nation is glad that Ky 2015 lost in the Final Four, but there is no reason they should be excluded from this list. They did finish 38-1, win their conference and make it to the Final Four. That means I would almost put them above Michigan 1992.

Yea, but would they have gone undefeated in the Big 10 in 1992, OR the ACC this year? I doubt it personally.

[JasonEvans]

I know that most of the nation is glad that Ky 2015 lost in the Final Four, but there is no reason they should be excluded from this list. They did finish 38-1, win their conference and make it to the Final Four. That means I would almost put them above Michigan 1992.

But I dunno how much of Kentucky 2015's dominance was their freshmen. Towns and Lyles were the only freshman starters. Booker and Ullis came off the bench to play very well, but that team got tremendous help from non-freshmen. The top scorer was a soph and the top defender was a junior. In fact, the guy who won all the national and conference awards was WCS, a junior.

Now, if Cal had done as many folks thought he should and played Ullis and Booker a lot more than the Harrisons, then Kentucky 2015 would have a stronger argument. But that did not happen.

-Jason "I think it is tough to rank them alongside classes who were clearly dominated by the freshmen" Evans