Sporting their highest ranking since 2020 and having won seven of their past eight games, few teams are entering March Madness as hot as the Maryland Terrapins. And even fewer are entering the Big Dance with a better nickname.
The state of Maryland is known for its crab cakes. The Terrapins men’s basketball squad boasts one of the best starting lineups in the country. Put the two together, mixed with a healthy bit of early ’90s nostalgia, and you get the Crab Five.
The Crab Five!! pic.twitter.com/w1kiWch0uJ
— Ricky Harris (@RickyHarris5) February 18, 2025
Maryland isn’t the only college basketball team with a distinctive nickname to compete in the men’s NCAA tournament, though. Here are some of the other top monikers across the sport’s history.
Dunk City
School: Florida Gulf Coast
Year(s): 2013
The 2013 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, who had one of the most memorable Cinderella runs in recent memory, made the most of the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance, becoming the first 15-seed to make a run to the Sweet 16 — with plenty of impressive dunks along the way.
Press Virginia
School: West Virginia
Year(s): 2008-2023
Bob Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers squads became known for their signature style of play, which featured relentless disruption on defense full court.
Press Virginia aptly mixed the university’s name with Huggins’ pressing style, producing a moniker that would define the coach’s tenure with the Mountaineers. West Virginia would make it to the Sweet 16 five times under Huggins, including a run to the Final Four in 2010.
Flintstones
School: Michigan State
Year(s): 2000
The 1999-2000 Michigan State Spartans were led to a national championship in large part by three players who hailed from Flint, Michigan: Morris Peterson, Mateen Cleaves and Charlie Bell. Stemming from their shared roots and on-court achievements, the Flintstones were born.
The original Flintstones group was actually a bit larger. In the 1997-98 season, when Peterson and Cleaves were underclassmen, two more Flint natives were on the roster: Antonio Smith and Anthony Mull.
Fab Five
School: Michigan
Year(s): 1992-1993
The freshman class of the 1991-92 Michigan Wolverines had some names you might remember: Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson.
Together, the quintet became known as the “Fab Five,” one of sports’ most iconic nicknames. The full group suited up together for two consecutive years, falling in the national championship on both occasions. Howard, Webber, Rose and King went on to the NBA, and Howard later returned to Ann Arbor to become Michigan’s head coach.
Lethal Weapon 3
School: Georgia Tech
Year(s): 1990
The 1989-90 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets made their first Final Four appearance in program history behind an offense powered largely by three players: Kenny Anderson, Brian Oliver and Dennis Scott. They combined for more than 75% of the Yellow Jackets’ points that season.
Dubbed “Lethal Weapon 3” in a nod to the movie series, the trio helped Georgia Tech cut down the nets at the ACC tournament.
Flyin’ Illini
School: Illinois
Year(s): 1989
During the late 1980s, the Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team was also known as the “Flyin’ Illini,” thanks to the team’s high-powered offense and propensity for highlight-reel dunks.
Illinois eclipsed the 100-point mark in eight games that season, and rode its impressive offense to a Final Four berth.
Danny and the Miracles
School: Kansas
Year(s): 1988
An improbable tournament run inspired a memorable nickname for the Kansas Jayhawks’ 1987-88 national championship squad. Entering the tournament with a 9-5 conference record, on the back of a Big Eight tournament semifinal loss, the 6-seed Jayhawks weren’t considered much of a threat to win it all.
But Kansas ripped off six consecutive wins to cut down the nets, with the squad’s nickname being derived from the name of star player Danny Manning and the unlikely nature of the championship chase.
Phi Slama Jama
School: Houston
Year(s): 1982-1984
Phi Slama Jama, an iconic nickname for a storied chapter of Houston Cougars basketball, was a nod to the dunk-filled, energetic offenses boasted by Guy Lewis’ squads.
The Phi Slama Jama Cougars played in back-to-back-to-back Final Fours under Lewis, with some impressive names producing highlights along the way. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler were some of the most famous stars to play for “Texas’ Tallest Fraternity.”
Cardiac Pack
School: North Carolina State
Year(s): 1983
The “Cardiac Pack” was a play on the NC State Wolfpack mascot as well as Jim Valvano’s squad’s propensity for winning games late on.
Four of the Wolfpack’s six NCAA tournament games were decided by one-possession margins. Fittingly, in the national championship against Houston’s Phi Slama Jama group, a dunk by Lorenzo Charles with seconds remaining gave North Carolina State the lead and the title.
Rupp’s Runts
School: Kentucky
Year(s): 1966
Mixing alliteration, a coach’s name and a unique physical characteristic of the 1965-66 Kentucky Wildcats squad, their “Rupp’s Runts” moniker paid homage to the fact that not a single member of Adolph Rupp’s starting lineup that season stood over 6 feet, 5 inches.
Height didn’t prove to be much of a problem for Rupp’s Runts in postseason play, though. Kentucky won the SEC and five NCAA tournament games before losing in the national championship.
