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Who didn’t love watching ’91 UNLV?

So sick of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” ads. Given that “interesting” is meant to be synonymous with “cool” it fails after the second viewing. The guy’s a dolt.
That’s why certain labels are problematic for lists. Thankfully, Andy Glockner dodges that issue with his “Most compelling teams since ’91 UNLV.”

Simply put, who were the must-see teams of the past 20 seasons?

Image (1) 061012_bkcChamps_1990.standard.jpg for post 227

Eric Risberg/AP

The ’91 Runnin’ Rebs top the list, which was an easy call. As Glockner details in his feature story, that squad had - and still maintains - a mystique most teams just can’t match. Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony & Co. just destroyed teams and they did it with style.

They were one of the few teams in recent hoops history that was loaded with talent but didn’t coast (that defense was nasty) and it showed on the court.

That they lost to Duke in the 1991 Final Four only adds to the mystique. It bolsters arguments about their true “greatness” and creates a marvelous ending note. (To me, that’s the same mystique surrounding the 2007 New England Patriots.)

As for the rest, click here to see the slideshow. You got the Fab 5, 40 Minutes of Hell, Kentucky’s superb ’96 squad, high-flying Heels of ’98 and a pair of teams (St. Joe’s ’04 and Illinois ’05) who flirted with perfection. Nice list.

Worthy considerations: ’00 Cincinnati (Kenyon Martin’s ferocious blocks still resonate) and ’99 Duke, the best team of the last 15 years without a title.

Mike Miller’s also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller, usually talkin’ hoops. Click here for more.