Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as his best NCAA Tournament player ever during a segment on the post-game after the East Regional Final on Saturday night. Lloyd, who turned 50 in December, was born six seasons after Abdul-Jabbar's legendary career at UCLA ended.
In three seasons at UCLA, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 26.4 points per game and 15.5 rebounds while shooting 63.9 percent from the field and 62.8 percent from the free throw line. In three seasons with Abdul-Jabbar at center, UCLA finished 88-2 and won three national championships.
Abdul-Jabbaar was a three-time National Player of the Year, the three-time NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and a three-time All-American. UCLA finished 41-1 in what was then known as the Association of Western Universities (later the Pac-8) in three seasons led by Abdul-Jabbar.
Arizona did not play UCLA during the three seasons Abdul-Jabbar dominated college basketball. Abdul-Jabbar's career ended 10 years before Arizona joined what would become the Pac-10. Arizona lost 84-67 at UCLA on January 31, 1966, when Abdul-Jabbar was a freshman and not eligible to play.
""He put that team on his back and was unbelievable""Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd
In 12 NCAA Tournament games, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 25.7 PPG, 16.8 RPG, shot 64.2 percent from the field and 62.2 percent from the free throw line as UCLA won the National Championship in all three of his collegiate seasons.
The closest NCAA Tournament game for UCLA during Abdul-Jabbar's tenure with the Bruins was 58-49 over New Mexico State in a West Regional Semifinal. During that era, the round of 16 was the first game UCLA would play in the NCAA Tournament.
The only two losses by UCLA during Abdul-Jabbar's tenure was 71-69 to Houston in the Astrodome in 1969 in the first game ever played in a domed stadium and one that was billed as the game of the century and 46-44 to USC in the Bruins' only home loss during in that three year span.
UCLA won seven consecutive national championships from 1966 through 1973. Abdul-Jabbar led the Bruins to their second, third and fourth titles. The only title for UCLA since the end of the John Wooden era was in 1995. The Arizona and UCLA rivarly arguably began in earnest with the Wildcats' 1986 Pac 10 title.