NEW YORK — Given the breadth of basketball talent to come out of New York City, the most from anywhere since James Naismith repurposed his peach baskets, it is, in many ways, a travesty that universities within the five boroughs have just one NCAA title.
The individual college champions, whether Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Cousy or Joakim Noah, all won outside of NYC, leaving CCNY with the lone title from its 1950 run. Programs here failed to gain traction after the wave of point-shaving scandals in the early ‘50s, leaving us to get overexcited about short-lived uprisings from St. John’s or, if you count neighboring North Jersey, P.J. Carlesimo’s Seton Hall Pirates.
But that’s kind of what this story is about. Last week was the 65th anniversary of one of the greatest games in NCAA Finals history, a matchup between UNC and Kansas that’s relevant today because the programs may stage a rematch for this year’s title.
