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1. 2018 Villanova Wildcats (36-4)
The 2018 Villanova Wildcats are one of the best teams since 2000. After winning it all in 2016, Nova entered the ’17 tournament as a 1-seed — but fell in the second round to #8 Wisconsin. Committed to avenging the loss, Nova was ranked no lower than #6 in ’18. Jalen Brunson won the Wooden Award and led the Wildcats in scoring (18.9 PPG), Mikal Bridges averaged 17.7 PPG, and the team had seven future pros including sophomore Donte DiVincenzo (13.4 PPG). The Wildcats led the nation with over 86 PPG and their high-octane offense didn’t miss a beat in the NCAA Tournament. Nova walloped #16 Radford (87-61) and #9 Alabama (81-58) before taking down #5 West Virginia by 12 in the Sweet 16. In the Elite Eight, Nova took down #3 Texas Tech by 12 — Tech would reach the National Championship the following season. In the Final Four, Jay Wright’s crew led #1 Kansas by as many as 22 before cruising to a 95-79 win. In the title game, Nova once again built a 22-point lead over #3 Michigan and waltzed to a 79-62 triumph. The top offense in the game, one of the best defenses, and an elite coach — Nova had the perfect recipe for a second title in three years.
2. 2021 Baylor Bears (28-2)
During the Covid-shortened season in 2020, Baylor spent multiple weeks ranked #1. Of course, the Bears weren’t able to challenge for a title as the season was canceled during conference tournament week. Entering 2021, Baylor was ranked #2 — and it never fell below #3 throughout the season. Baylor won 18 in a row to open the season before dropping two of its last six games. Led by a dynamic backcourt that featured Davion Mitchell, Jared Butler and MaCio Teague, the Bears had one of the nation’s most potent attacks. A 1-seed in the South, Baylor cruised through its region and into the Final Four — dispatching its first four opponents by a combined 57 points. To earn a spot in the National Championship Game, Baylor thumped #2 Houston by 19. Standing in their way of cutting down the nets? The 31-0, #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga was absolutely stacked — led by a sophomore Drew Timme and five future NBA players. After Timme, Gonzaga’s four highest-scorers were notable names (Jalen Suggs, Andrew Nembhard, Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi). Unfortunately for fans, the hyped matchup was a rout from the jump — Baylor scored the first nine points and led by as many as 20 in an eventual 86-70 win.
3. 2024 UConn Huskies (37-3)
As good as the 2023 UConn Huskies were, the 2024 team was even better. Dan Hurley’s squad cruised to a second National Championship in a row with an even more dominant run through the tournament. The defending champs entered March as the #1 team in the nation and left no doubt that they were the best team in America. #16 Stetson was dealt a 39-point loss, #9 Northwestern fell by 17, and #5 San Diego State — in a rematch of the ’23 title game — was the victim of a 30-point obliteration in the Sweet 16. The final three games were lopsided as well. UConn dispatched #3 Illinois by 25 before taking out #4 Alabama, 86-72, in the Final Four. To complete their back-to-back quest, UConn thumped #1 Purdue, 75-60. Tristen Newton was named Most Outstanding Player, and the Huskies received great performances from freshman Stephon Castle and big man Donovan Clingan.
4. 2025 Florida Gators (36-4)
The most recent champion on the list, Florida won its first National Championship since Joakim Noah and Co. went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. Led by All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators finished the regular season in second-place in the SEC — one game behind Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed — and proceeded to win the SEC Tournament. In the NCAA’s, Florida survived a Round of 32 scare from two-time defending champion UConn and rallied from down nine points or more in each of its last three wins. The Gators featured an elite offense and defense and won 12 games in a row to end the year.
5. 2023 UConn Huskies (31-8)
UConn’s back-t0-back National Championship run began with a dominant six-game streak in 2023. The Huskies climbed to as high as #2 in the nation before a mid-season swoon left the team 5-6 in Big East play. UConn rallied and closed the year with a 10-2 run and earned a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Once in the tourney, the Huskies didn’t blink. Led by Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Tristen Newton, UConn won all six tournament games by 13+ points. A 15-point win over #5 St. Mary’s and a 23-point pasting of #8 Arkansas were appetizers for a 28-point beatdown of #3 Gonzaga in the Elite Eight. In the Final Four, UConn dispatched #5 Miami by 13 and toppled #5 San Diego State, 76-59, to win the title. Overall, UConn won 25 games by double-digits.
6. 2016 Villanova Wildcats (35-5)
The 2016 Villanova squad remains one that is often talked about to this day. Jay Wright’s first title team was led by a star forward named Josh Hart, a freshman Jalen Brunson, an accomplished senior Ryan Arcidiacono, and Kris Jenkins. Mikal Bridges, also a freshman, contributed, as well. Nova entered the tournament as a 2-seed after losing to Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament and proceeded to thump its first three opponents — beating UNC Asheville by 29, Iowa by 19, and #3 Miami by 23. Ranked in the top-5 nationally on both offense and defense, the Wildcats survived a battle with #1 Kansas in the Elite Eight before thumping the Buddy Hield-led Oklahoma Sooners by 44 points in the Final Four. In the National Championship, Jenkins capped off one of the best title games of all-time with a buzzer-beating three pointer.
7. 2015 Duke Blue Devils (35-4)
The most recent Duke team to win it all did not take anybody by surprise. The Blue Devils entered the year ranked #4 and boasted a stacked roster including the likes of Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook, Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones and a freshman Grayson Allen. In total, eight future NBA players were on the roster. Midway through the season, Coach K switched things up — Duke would start playing zone. Following the schematic change, Duke went 18-1 to close the year and had a relatively smooth ride through the NCAA Tournament. Dominant wins over Robert Morris and San Diego State resulted in a Sweet 16 matchup with #5 Utah. The Utes put up a valiant effort but lost by six. To reach the Final Four, Duke pulled away from #2 Gonzaga late and handed the Zags just their third loss of the year. Duke dismantled #7 Michigan State, 81-61, to reach the National Championship, where it took on #1 Wisconsin. The Badgers ended Kentucky’s dream of a perfect season in the Final Four, and Frank Kaminsky and Co. led Duke by as many as nine in the second half. Jones and Allen combined for 39 points in the game as Duke outlasted the Badgers, 68-63.
8. 2019 Virginia Cavaliers (35-3)
One year earlier, Virginia suffered one of the most humiliating losses in college basketball history. Ranked #1 in the nation, Virginia became the first 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed — suffering a 20-point beatdown at the hands of UMBC. UVA returned to March as a 1-seed in 2019 and trailed 16-seed Gardner-Webb by as many as 14 points before pulling out a 15-point victory. A win over #9 Oklahoma preceded three nail-biting victories. A four-point win over #12 Oregon was followed by an overtime win over #3 Purdue and a 63-62 win over #5 Auburn in which UVA was fouled on the final play of the game — a three-pointer by Kyle Guy — to allow it to eek out a win. In the National Championship, De’Andre Hunter hit a game-tying three with 12 seconds to play in regulation to force overtime. The Cavaliers owned the extra period, outscoring Texas Tech by eight points to cap their terrific season.
9. 2022 Kansas Jayhawks (34-6)
Ahead of the 2021-22 season, Kansas had gone through three disappointing seasons in a row. Sandwiching the Covid season in which Kansas was the #1 team in the nation when the season was cut short, the Jayhawks lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament both times. In 2022, the Jayhawks spent the entire season ranked in the Top 10. Led by All-American Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun and future All-American Jalen Wilson, the Jayhawks pummeled Miami, 76-50, in the Elite Eight and Villanova, 81-65, in the Final Four to reach the title game. Facing North Carolina, Kansas trailed by 15 at halftime — however, the Jayhawks dominated the second half. KU took a lead with less than 10 minutes off the clock in the second half and ultimately prevailed by three (72-69) thanks to two David McCormack jumpers in the final 1:21.
10. 2017 North Carolina Tar Heels (33-7)
In 2016, North Carolina entered the NCAA Tournament as a 1-seed and lost to Villanova in the title game on an iconic buzzer-beater. The following year, the Tar Heels spent a majority of the season in the Top 10 and once again found themselves with a 1-seed. Led by the ACC Player of the Year and First-Team All-American Justin Jackson and Joel Berry, the Tar Heels survived a daunting stretch of games en route to cutting down the nets. In the Elite Eight, UNC faced a stacked Kentucky group featuring Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. Following a game-winning shot by Luke Maye with 0.3 on the clock, UNC faced #3 Oregon in the Final Four. The Ducks featured five future pros including Dillon Brooks and Payton Pritchard — the Tar Heels won, 77-76. In the National Championship, UNC was tasked with stopping #1 Gonzaga. The Zags entered the game with a 37-1 record and had five future NBA players on their roster, as well. Trailing 65-63 with 1:55 to play, UNC ended the game on an 8-0 run to cut down the nets.
11. 2014 UConn Huskies (32-8)
Connecticut has won three NCAA Championships since 2014. In ’14, UConn began the season ranked No. 18 with coach Kevin Ollie entering his second season as the lead man. The Huskies spent all of January outside the Top 25 and lost twice to Louisville in the final week of the season ahead of March Madness. The team entered the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed and nobody expected them to make a run. After needing overtime to topple #10 Saint Joseph’s, UConn eliminated #2 Villanova (77-65), #3 Iowa State (81-76) and #4 Michigan State (60-54) to reach the Final Four. Star guard Shabazz Napier averaged 21.1 PPG in the tournament to lead the way. A 63-53 win over #1 Florida resulted in a showdown with an 8-seed Kentucky group for the title. Napier nailed four threes en route to a game-high 22 points and led the Huskies to a 60-54 win.
