Ranking every NCAA men's tournament champion from this century

We start the list with the champion that was never crowned. The 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled less than one week before it was supposed to have started due to the global pandemic. The cancellation was one of the first and most dramatic moves by the sports world to take COVID this seriously in America. The final Associated Press poll had Kansas ranked No. 1.

Every champion on this list is a worthy champion, but let's be real — the 2014 UConn Huskies were not your typical no-brainer champion. The 2013-2014 Huskies were a second place team in the American Athletic Conference (and  No. 4 seed in the AAC tournament) who lost their final regular season game by 33 points. They were the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament and needed OT to get out of the first round. After surviving a scare from St. Joseph's, Shabazz Napier carried his team on his back and fought off this list of schools: Villanova, Michigan State, Florida and Kentucky to win UConn's fourth national championship.

I have nothing against UConn, but they have been known to come out of nowhere to win a tournament or two. Just like in 2014, this 2011 team was about a star guard carrying them to a national championship. After a meh regular season, Kemba Walker and the Huskies turned it on. UConn would win five games in five days to capture the Big East tournament crown — beating Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville — before making their NCAA tournament run. They would beat a pair of Wildcats (Arizona and Kentucky) in close games before winning, possibly the ugliest NCAA championship game ever, over Butler. Walker was the nation's second-leading scorer and got help from Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier (remember him?) on their way to the first Final Four with no No. 1 or No. 2 seeds. 

I know that when you look back at this, you won't understand how I could have a team that went back-to-back this low in the rankings. Well, in 2006 these Gators weren't thought of as they are now. They stunned everyone but winning their first 17 games but would struggle late in the season. Florida came alive in the SEC tournament and then blew through the NCAA tournament -- only one of their wins came by less than 13 points. 

The "Flintstones" is still Tom Izzo's only national championship team and still is the last Big Ten team to win the NCAA tournament. Izzo's team was filled with upperclassmen, with Mateen Cleaves the unquestioned leader. Mo Peterson, Charlie Bell, Andre Hutson and A.J. Granger (with freshman Jason Richardson) embodied what we know Michigan State basketball to be — hard nosed, tough and physical. The Spartans survived an upset-filled tournament to down 8-seed Wisconsin and 5-seed Florida in the Final Four. 

This Tar Heels team was driven by redemption. North Carolina fell victim to Villanova's Kris Jenkins in the 2016 title game and had their minds set on getting back to that final game and winning the whole thing. The Heels squeezed by Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon before getting into a physical final against Gonzaga. The Tar Heels, led by Joel Berry, Kennedy Meeks and Theo Pinson knocked down the Zags (who were making their first Final Four appearance). The least talented of Roy Williams' champions, but they made up for it with grit and timely plays all tournament long.  

It says a lot about a coach's career when you can say one of his national championship teams is kind of forgotten. That's what the 2010 Blue Devils are for Mike Krzyzewski's legacy. His 1991, 1992, 2001 and 2015 teams were so legendary that the 2010 squad gets glossed over. That isn't to say this wasn't a great team -- the No. 1 seeded Blue Devils were experienced with current head coach Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Lance Thomas. Duke coasted through much of the tournament, but had a battle with upstart Butler in the national championship game. A heave from Gordon Hayward (maybe the greatest missed shot in NCAA tournament history) was just off the mark to give Coach K his fourth title. 

The 2013 Louisville Cardinals championship still counts for the purpose of these rankings. Louisville began the season winning 16 of their first 17 games before suffering a three-game losing streak mid-season. The Cards then entered the tournament on a 10-game winning streak and the top overall seed. Louisville blew through the Midwest Region before dispatching Cinderella Wichita State in the Final Four and Michigan in a hard-fought title game. The backcourt of Peyton Siva and Russ Smith were nearly unstoppable during the tournament while Gorgui Dieng defended the paint. Luke Hancock is still the only bench player to win the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player award. Louisville's run may be most remembered for Kevin Ware's gruesome leg injury during their win over Duke.

It's hard to believe now, but this team showed how a freshman player (in a day where elite high school talents went straight to the NBA) could carry a team to a national championship. Carmelo Anthony brought Jim Boeheim and Syracuse their lone national title with a revered run through the Big Dance and a huge block by Hakim Warrick on Michael Lee to lock down the title win. Melo averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds for the season.

Remember way back at the beginning of the list what I mentioned that Kansas was the top team in the nation when the NCAA tournament was canceled in 2020?  Several of those players were on the 2022 Jayhawks -- guys like Christian Braun, David McCormack and Ochai Agbaji. Down 16 points to North Carolina in the title game, Kansas made the largest comeback in national championship history in the win. McCormack called it "avengement", but any way you put it, this title vaulted Bill Self into the conversation among the great coaches.

The '16 Wildcats will forever be remembered by Kris Jenkins' buzzer-beater and confetti instantly falling from the ceiling, but that just scratches the surface of Villanova's rebirth as a national power. And look at that roster: Jenkins, Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu, Donte DiVincenzo, Phil Booth, and future National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson. 

A wild NCAA tournament (only one top two seed reached the Elite 8) saw an opportunistic UConn team tear through the bracket and bring home their fifth title ... and the first of a back-to-back run. Yes, the Huskies dominated the tournament. No, they didn't really play a Murderer's Row of competition (despite being a four seed, the only team they played with a better seed was No. 3 Gonzaga in the regional final. They beat the Zags by 28 points. UConn started the season 14-0 but had an awful section of the midseason, losing 5 of 6 at one point. After losing a heartbreaker to Marquette in the Big East tournament, the Huskies went on a patented tournament run where they won each game by at least 13 points. 

Yet another UConn title team that can be defined by their dominant guard; this year it was Ben Gordon. Gordon led the Huskies in scoring, but center Emeka Okafor was so dominant that he was the Big East Player of the Year and the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The junior averaged 17.6 points and 11.5 rebounds and was a two-time national defensive player of the year. UConn cruised to the Final Four as they avoided the upsets around them but needed a big comeback to down Luol Deng, Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick and Sheldon Williams' Duke squad before pushing aside Georgia Tech in the title game. Six future NBA players were on this roster.

This season and Final Four has different context the further removed we get from it. For starters, it's best remembered for what didn't happen (Kentucky's perfect season) ... and it is also Mike Krzyzewski's final championship in a brilliant career. Unlike his previous four titles, this Duke team was dominated by freshmen. The trio of Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones -- plus a big effort from fellow frosh Grayson Allen -- took down a Wisconsin team who was flying high after ending Kentucky's season two nights earlier. But for all the freshmen did, it was senior point guard Quinn Cook, who followed in the footsteps of experienced and cool-headed lead guards that Krzyzewski depended on with all five of his title squads. 

The Jayhawks won the greatest Final Four ever assembled seed-wise. All No. 1 seeds made it to San Antonio, with Kansas absolutely blowing out North Carolina in the semifinals (we will see that team later on) before outlasting Memphis in overtime. The Jayhawks were led by Mario Chalmers ... who hit one of the most memorable shots in national championship history ... Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins and bigs Sasha Kaun, Cole Aldrich and Darnell Jackson. Remember that Kansas also ended Steph Curry's brilliant run through the tournament. 

One of the sea changes of the 21st century in college hoops is how championship teams are formed. With one and dones, NIL and the transfer portal, title teams can be quick fixes. This 2002 Terps team was a squad built for this. Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Chris Wilcox, Lonny Baxter and Byron Mouton reached the 2001 Final Four and blew a 22-point lead in the national semifinal to Duke. They got back the next year by dominating a strong ACC and beating down arguably the other great team that season, Kansas, in the Final Four. Their title win over surprising Indiana seemed anticlimactic for a team that finally broke through and reached their destiny. 

Now, I just said that we don't see title teams built over several years anymore and now I'm talking about one that happened just six years ago. The Cavaliers were roasted for being the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed the previous season and no one believed that these guys would ever get over the hump. All Kyle Guy, De'Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome, Mamadi Diakite, Braxton Key and freshman Kihei Clark did was arguably go on one of the great clutch runs in tournament history. They scooted by upset-minded Oregon, needed a miraculous finish to beat Purdue in overtime, barely squeaked by Auburn, and then needed huge shots to beat Texas Tech in overtime for the championship.  

This Huskies team blew through the NCAA tournament, setting a record for point differential in a single tournament. The 2024 team became just the second repeat champion on this list but the first to not return a bulk of their starters. Connecticut was relentless in 2023-2024, aggressively attacking defenses with their precise offensive movement while putting pressure on opponents with their defense. Danny Hurley's mixture of holdovers from their previous title team (led by Tristan Newton), guys stepping up into new roles (Donovan Clingan), freshman (Stephon Castle) and a transfer who fit perfectly (Cam Spencer) seems to be the modern way of winning championships. They are a superb champion for the reasons the great ones are: the only team that can beat them is themselves, and you have to take advantage of every opportunity when they do have an off night.

Roy Williams was brought back to his alma mater to restore North Carolina to glory and it didn't take long to do it. Led by juniors Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants, the 2004-2005 Tar Heels cruised through the season and beat No. 1 Illinois in the final. Just three years removed from an 8-20 season and two years from losing the title game as Kansas' head coach, Ol' Roy wins his first national championship and returned Carolina to an elite program. Freshman Marvin Williams, who wasn't even a starter this season, would be the No. 2 overall pick in the following draft. That's how solid a team this was. 

I mentioned earlier that the 2006 Gators were a bit of a surprise that season. In 2007, they were squarely the hunted and didn't flinch. Florida ran it back and became the first school since 1991-1992 Duke to win back-to-back titles. Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Al Horford, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey picked up where they left off and ran out to a 24-2 record. After a hiccup late in the season, Florida got back on track and pushed through the SEC and NCAA tournaments, winning both titles ... including beating a very strong Greg Oden/Mike Conley Ohio State Buckeyes team in the title game.

I'm one of those people who don't look down on "bubble championships" and how sports looked during the pandemic. What Baylor had to do in 2020-2021 was hard. For starters, this was a really good team who ran right with undefeated Gonzaga all through the season, but the COVID issues really hit this program hard. It wasn't just the empty arenas or testing, Baylor had 10 games cancelled or postponed due to health and safety protocols, including the Bears program essentially shutting down for two weeks in February. Baylor's first loss of the season was to Kansas, which was their first game after that shutdown. Once the tournament began, Baylor's physical play carried them through the dance as they dominated the aforementioned undefeated Gonzaga in the title game. The trio of MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler were suffocating that season and won a title for a program that had to dig itself out of the worst of circumstances not too long ago. 

This Villanova team was one of the greatest offensive champions in history. National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson led a lineup with Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Omari Spellman, Phil Booth and Eric Paschall were so efficient and could beat you in a variety of ways. The Wildcats would begin the season 22-1 before hitting some turbulence late in the season. Nova blew through the tournament, blowing out Kansas and Michigan in the Final Four to bring home their third championship and second in three years. 

The 2009 Tar Heels were all about domination. After getting embarrassed in the 2008 Final Four, all this Carolina team cared about was winning the national championship. Everyone (Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green) came back and took what they felt was theirs. They ran through the tournament, winning each game by at least 12 points. They spanked Michigan State in the Final Four in Detroit, setting an NCAA championship record for scoring in the first half. Three players on this roster would at some point win ACC Player of the Year. 

Anthony Davis may have been the one and done player of all-time. This Wildcats team had one of the more dominating seasons on this list. Kentucky lost twice all season — a buzzer beater at Indiana and a curious loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC championship game. Davis was dominant as a defensive force, basically locking up the paint and vacuuming every rebound. That allowed Doron Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague and Darius Miller the freedom to take chances on defense and have confidence in their shots on offense. This is how great Davis was -- he was MOP of the tournament despite scoring just six points in the national championship game against Kansas. His defensive presence was haunting.

This Blue Devils team was ridiculously talented (Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon) and battle tested (they were on the team that lost the national championship game to UConn in 1999). The all-star cast led the Blue Devils to their third-ever national championship and finished a four-year run where Duke went 133-15. This is how great they were: Williams won the NABC Player of the Year award while Battier won the Naismith and Wooden Awards. Three of their four losses that season were by two points or less and their two comeback wins against Maryland (who would win the title in 2002) at the height of their rivalry are among the greatest moments in program history.