So, just HOW good was Florida? I love historical sports discussions, and modern technology and advanced stats have never made them easier to compare players and teams across eras. In this article, I’m going to use those advanced stats but also my own eye test to evaluate the last 15 champions of College Basketball and rank them 1-15, including my placement of this year’s champion, the Florida Gators.
1. 2021 Baylor
The COVID-shortened season is difficult to evaluate, but the Bears were never tested in the NCAA Tournament and beat a previously unbeaten Gonzaga squad by 16 points to cut down the nets.
2. 2012 Kentucky
Anthony Davis and company only lost once in the regular season and avenged that loss in the tournament, and won every NCAA Tournament game by 8 points or more in a truly dominant run.
3. 2025 Florida
I’m not a prisoner of the moment – this Gators squad was REALLY good. They won the conference tournament of the best single-year conference we have ever seen, beat four top-10 KenPom teams on their way to the title, lost only one non-road game all season, and own the highest overall KenPom rating of any team on this list.
4. 2024 UConn
While the regular season resume does not match some of the very top teams, their dominance in the NCAA Tournament can not be understated, winning every game by at least 14 points.
5. 2018 Villanova
They were one of the best offensive teams in the last 15 years, had multiple NBA talents and was un-tested in the NCAA Tournament.
6. 2013 Louisville
Because of the chaos of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, it’s easy to forget that Rick Pitino’s squad was the number one overall seed and had arguably one of the best backcourts of any team on this list.
7. 2016 Villanova
The Wildcats battled through a tough draw, beating 5 straight top-25 (including #2 and #3) ranked KenPom teams to win the title in dramatic fashion thanks to a balanced attack that ranked top-5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
8. 2010 Duke
The first of two Duke teams on this list was a great basketball team in all respects, but it’s hard to shake the fact that they were mere inches away from giving this spot away to an overall unimpressive Butler squad.
9. 2015 Duke
Coach K’s final champion was the beneficiary of the bracket, as Wisconsin was able to eliminate Kentucky, a team that I would have envisioned Duke struggling against. But still, this Duke team’s KenPom rating of 32.48 is right around the average of this list.
10. 2017 North Carolina
The 2017 season was one where no team truly reached great heights, and UNC was just the last team standing at the end, despite ranking only 9th and 11th, respectively, in offensive and defensive efficiency on the season.
11. 2023 UConn
It would be easy to pick on this UConn team for not having to beat a 1 or 2-seed on their way to the title, but they were so dominant in the tournament (winning every game by 13 or more) that they avoided the basement of this ranking.
12. 2011 UConn
We all remember the magical run of Kemba Walker’s Huskies, who won 11 straight postseason games, but overall, this team was nothing special and ended their season ranked 10th in KenPom.
13. 2022 Kansas
While the order does not match exactly, this Kansas team had the 13th-best KenPom rating of any team on this list and sits here at #13 on my list.
14. 2019 Virginia
Call me unimpressed – this Virginia team lost in the semifinals of their conference tournament (and were arguably the 3rd-best team in their conference), beat no teams seeded higher than 3 in the NCAA Tournament, had no wins of greater than 15 points in that tournament, and relied on numerous improbable escapes that are mathematically unlikely to ever happen again.
15. 2014 UConn
It was a magical run for Shabazz Napier and company, but at the end of the day, no other team could fill this spot. They have the lowest KenPom rating of any team on this list by a wide margin, and needed an unlikely and-one in the final minute against St Joes to even escape the round of 64.
