Record: 26-4

Coach: Doc Hayes

Best players: C Jim Krebs (19.1 ppg), G Bobby Mills.

During the regular season: The Mustangs were regarded as the nation’s best offensive team and were known as “The Long Rifles of Doc Hayes” because of their outside shooting prowess. They lost only December regular-season games at Iowa and at Kansas, before reeling of 12 consecutive Southwest Conference wins en route to the tournament.

NCAA history: The Mustangs beat Texas Tech, Houston and Oklahoma City before losing to San Francisco and Bill Russell in the semifinals. Krebs outscored Russell, 24-17, but the USF center produced 23 rebounds and Mike Farmer added 28 points. The Mustangs then lost the third place game to Temple.

What makes them special: Krebs and the Mustangs helped put SMU on the map, becoming the school’s last All-American and first Southwest Conference basketball player to be pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Their surge helped create interest that led to building Moody Coliseum on the SMU campus. Since then, the Mustangs have made only eight trips in the ensuing 57 years of the tournament and none since 1993.

Record: 27-7

Coach: Don Haskins

Best players: F Marlon Maxey (15.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg), C David Van Dyke (13.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg), G Prince Stewart (11.7 ppg).

During the regular season: The Miners utilized a 10-game winning streak that helped pushed them to No. 19 nationally in late January. They lost four of six in February, forcing them to finish second in the Western Athletic Conference. But they set the stage for their tournament run with seven straight victories before losing to BYU in the WAC final.

NCAA history: The Miners notched two tournament upsets as they beat Evansville and No. 1 ranked Kansas behind a three-guard lineup keyed by 18 points from Johnny Melvin. They were eliminated in a 69-67 loss to Cincinnati in the Sweet 16.

What makes them special: The Miners were the last great team coached by Haskins, who showed his Hall of Fame coaching acumen by directing this undersized team with a backcourt-heavy, defensive-oriented squad. They were the last UTEP team to win an NCAA tournament game and Haskins’ fourth team to make the Sweet 16.