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College basketball is a game of history, exemplified by the stars of yesterday who set the bar for today's student athletes. Jon Teitel looks back at some of the forgotten (and not so forgotten) college basketball legends who made our game what it is today. Some of these names might bring back great memories, while others will mean nothing to you, but each of the player's below made an important mark on college basketball history.

 

 

Butler's run to the national title game early this month wasn't the first time that a member of the (now) Horizon League made a run on the game's biggest stage. The 1963 Loyola (Chicago) Ramblers were trendsetters long before we dealt with terms such as "BCS" and "mid-major". George Ireland's team was the first with a predominantly African-American starting lineup to win a national title, ending Cincinnati's reign in 1963. One of the stars for Loyola was Les "Big Game" Hunter, who CHN writer Jon Teitel interviewed a short time back. 

Wow. What a game.

#1 Duke Blue Devils

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You might say that grading individual matchups is a waste of time.. that it's all about the "team".. and I say, you're half right. But its still fun to compare individual talent.. and ultimately, when there's a few seconds left on the clock, it takes one guy to win the game.

 

Note: Player grades take into account health status heading into Monday night.

 

It wasn't pretty but because of their defensive grit and the ability to take advantage of Michigan State mistakes, the Butler Bulldogs find themselves forty minutes away from striking a significant blow for all schools whose operating budgets reside below the "Red Line".

Ranking the Final Four's best by position:

Best Point Guard

Ranking the Final Four's best by position:

Best Go-to-Guy

#5 Butler Bulldogs

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"The Butler Way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality yet seeks improvement everyday while putting the team above self." (courtesy of butlersports.com)

The above sentence is one of the major reasons why the Butler Bulldogs, winners of 24 straight games, are now headed home to Indianapolis not just because they have to but also to play in next weekend's Final Four. Matt Howard ran into foul trouble early but it didn't matter as Brad Stevens' team used defense and rebounding to knock off two-seed Kansas State 63-56 in Salt Lake City.