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Message: [QUOTE="sutomcat, post: 27044, member: 27"] The NC teams named retroactively were apparently actually chosen by Bill Schroeder, who co-founded the Helms Foundation with Paul Helms, a billionaire executive who made his fortune in the baking industry. He did this after consulting with coaches and sportswriters (they called it an expert panel). The retoractive choices were made in 1936. The Helms Foundation continued to independently name NCs until the 1980s. It is common for schools that were named Helms National Champions to publicize this. Syracuse has two large banners honoring its two Helms NC teams. After googling for 15 minutes, I found many schools that embrace the Helms Chamionships they hold... UNC: [IMG]http://dailydoc.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/uncbanners.jpg?w=500&h=285[/IMG] Kansas: [IMG]http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTjeo1dMNPvhDan3l3gFVU5xP8bvmRIzS3bL1rnaGd-NiBvBpQFHYF1avv-[/IMG] Pitt: [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/1927-28_nationChampteam.jpg/300px-1927-28_nationChampteam.jpg[/IMG] Pennsylvania: [URL='http://upenngazettesports.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/penn1920.jpg'][IMG]http://upenngazettesports.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/penn1920.jpg?w=455&h=334[/IMG][/URL] [LEFT][SIZE=2][FONT=arial]Your 1920 national champion Penn Quakers[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT] Washington State: [IMG]http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/wast/sports/genrel/auto_action/959477.jpeg[/IMG] [URL='http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/helms.html']Here[/URL] is a good article that talks about the Helms Foundation, how it came about and how teams were named. In modern times, statistical modeling systems have been developed to rate teams in a consistent manner, based on things like strength of schedule, quality wins, etc. The article shows where models developed by Premo and Porretta independently confirm that Syracuse was the best team in the country in the years it was named NC by the Helms Foundation. Helms Foundation NCs aren't the same as NCAA championships and are labeled differently. This is understood by anyone with a basic knowledge of college basketball. The fact is that Syracuse dominated college basketball in those years and has been independently confirmed as being the best team in the country in those years by multiple independent sources. You are free to consider someone else the national champion in those years if you like. [/QUOTE]

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