The Madness of March has a way of captivating the sports world. However, since the turn of the century, there have been many title favorites, future Hall of Famer’s, and legendary coaches who fell short of winning it all. Let’s take a look at a few of the most talented teams that didn’t secure the NCAA Championship since the 2000’s.
Kentucky 2014-2015
Photo Cred: USA Today
This Kentucky Wildcats team may be the most talented team in college basketball history. The names on the 2014-15 roster speak for themselves. The team was filled with NBA talent with Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Devin Booker, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Trey Lyles, and Tyler Ulis. With so much talent no player averaged more than 26 minutes per game. The team went undefeated in the regular season and Confrence tournament play. But the dream season ended with a 38-1 record and lost to Wisconson in the Elite 8. UK finished with the No. 6 offense and No. 1 defense in the country.
Gonzaga 2016-2017
Photo Cred: USA Today
In Mark Few’s 18th season as head coach, the 37-2 Gonzaga Bulldogs came within a whisker of winning the championship. This team finally broke into the Final Four and ended the season as the No. 1 team.They would ultimately lose to North Carolina in the national championship game. The team included future NBA big man Zach Collins who averaged 10 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Guard Nigel Williams-Goss was First Team All Confrence and was a consensus All-American Second Team. Gonzaga boasted the nation’s best defense and a Top 15 offense.
UCLA 2007-08
Photo Cred: USA Today
The 2007-08 UCLA Bruins, led by head coach Ben Howland, made three consecutive Final Fours. It featured two future NBA stars in Kevin Love and Russel Westbrook. And Westbrook was still evolving into the explosive player he became. Love averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Bruins finished with a 35-4 record with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute providing stifling defense and Darren Collison orchestrating the offense. Westbrook spent much of the season playing off the ball. This was a loaded team that came up just short, but their talent was undeniable.
