Almost U-nanimous: best team in the history of Miami’s program

With the University of Miami beating Wichita State 65-57 and advancing to the Sweet 16, the question arises: Is this the Hurricanes’ best team ever?

To help answer that question, we consulted with Miami play-by-play announcer Joe Zagacki, who has been the team’s voice for 14 years but has broadcast Hurricanes’ events for 27. As Zagacki points out, there isn’t a lot of Miami basketball history. This is just Miami’s third trip to the Sweet 16. The Hurricanes never have made the Elite Eight.

The school began basketball in 1926 but didn’t reach its first NCAA Tournament until 1960. It has made The Big Dance just eight times. Hall of Famer Rick Barry was an All-American player for the Hurricanes in the early 1960s. He averaged an amazing 37.4 points per game in the 1964-65 season but Miami couldn’t go to the NCAAs because it was on probation.

From 1971-85, the school dropped basketball. Former athletic director Sam Jankovich helped bring the sport back when…