Record: 31-2

Coach: Guy Lewis

Best players: F Elvin Hayes (36.8 ppg), C Ken Spain (14.2 ppg), G Don Chaney (13.0 ppg).

During the regular season: Ran off a 31-game winning streak, taking over as the nation’s No. 1 team after upsetting defending national champion UCLA at the Astrodome in mid-January. The Cougars claimed the No. 1 position in the national polls for the rest of the season, scoring at least 100 points in 11 consecutive games.

NCAA history: Playing without injured starting point guard George Reynolds, the Cougars claimed their first three tournament games over Loyola, Louisville and TCU before running into UCLA. The Bruins used a box-and-one defense to stymie Hayes in a 101-69 beatdown in the semifinals. Houston then lost the third-place game to Ohio State.

What makes them special:The Cougars were the first Texas team to be ranked No. 1 during the regular season. Hayes was a two-time All American who took the Cougars to their first taste of national glory with back-to-back Final Four appearances in 1967-68.

Record: 27-7

Coach: Billy Gillispie

Best players: G Acie Law (18.1 ppg, 5.0 apg), C Joseph Jones (13.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg), F Antanas Kavaliauskas (11.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg).

Regular season: Gillispie’s best A&M team was a fierce defensive unit that ranked second nationally in defensive field-goal percentage, 16th in points allowed, second in 3-point percentage and ninth in assists. After starting the season with a seven-game winning streak and later adding another nine-game winning streak, the Aggies finished second behind Kansas despite beating the Jayhawks in their only meeting in Lawrence. They were eliminated in their first Big 12 tournament game by Oklahoma State.

NCAA history: After beating Pennsylvania in the first round, Law went for 26 points to pace a victory over Louisville in Lexington, Ky. The Aggies had their chances in the Sweet 16 against Memphis in the Alamodome, but Antonio Anderson hit two foul shots with 3.4 seconds left ending their season.

What makes them special: The Aggies set a school record for victories in Gillispie’s final season before leaving for Kentucky. They soared as high as No. 6 and finished at No. 9 for their highest poll finish in school history. Law became the school’s first consensus first-team college basketball All-American, earning the Bob Cousy Award and was the first Aggie athlete in any sport to have his jersey hung in the rafters at Reed Arena.