Houston Cougars 1982-1983 Retro Shorts SLAM 244 SLAM's Legacy Collection dives inside

SLAM's Legacy Collection dives inside the archives to bring back some college basketball classics

After winning Rookie of the Year this year

The Illini closed the regular season going 12-2 over their last 14 games before beating Indiana and Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament

Syracuse also added freshman Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin to a core group led by sophmore star Hakim Warrick and veteran senior Keuth Duany

IU had a 7-5 record heading into the Big Ten and in fear of potentially missing the tournament

Houston Cougars 1982-1983 Retro Shorts SLAM 244 SLAM's Legacy Collection dives insideIn the early '80s the University of Houston basketball team became the most popular fraternity in college basketball history. "Texas' Tallest Fraternity" also known as Phi Slama Jama were led by Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. The Cougars not only electrified college basketball by making three straight NCAA Final Four appearances (1982 84), but they also helped transform the game itself under head coach Guy V. Lewis. "Sometimes the best teams don't