NY Times article ranking 40 years of NCAA Tournament champions

[DonutHole]

Interesting. We are number 31.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Ranking 40 years of men’s NCAA Tournament champions, from 2024 UConn to 1985 Villanova

The best of the best separated themselves with their season-long dominance and emphatic victories in their six-game NCAA Tournament journey.

www.nytimes.com

 

[HRE Otto IV]

IMO 2010 Duke was one of the worst Champs ever. Ranking them 18th is a joke. The teams they beat were a complete joke in a really down year overall.

2024 UConn #1 is also a joke. Yes, they were the best team and dominant vs their competition, but that team doesn't beat half the other champs. Which brings up the fallacy of these rankings. Dominating in a weak year with no super star players and playing a bunch of low seeds shouldn't trump being a 3 seed in a loaded year with super star players running through a bunch of high seeds.

 

[Col. Bleep]

Methodology usually can be criticized.
The Orange(men) '03 don't seem to gain much by tying for 5th in the ranking of seeds beaten category.

'85 'Nova's run is really highlighted by how many top seeds they beat: two #2's and two #1's!
Incredible.
Yet they are ranked at the bottom of the list.

 

[DonutHole]

We were one blocked shot away from losing in 2003. I am happy to be in this company!

 

[FloridaCuse]

At least we're on the list!

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Methodology usually can be criticized.
The Orange(men) '03 don't seem to gain much by tying for 5th in the ranking of seeds beaten category.

'85 'Nova's run is really highlighted by how many top seeds they beat: two #2's and two #1's!
Incredible.
Yet they are ranked at the bottom of the list.

I get Nova because of their seeding. A 1 seed vs an 8 seed is a big gap. However a 1 vs a 3 is splitting hairs.

I think the ranking didn't take enough account of who you beat and the players that you had.

Last year's UConn team was dominate all year, but would a UConn fan really say that team was better than all of their other championship teams?

 

[sufandu]

Are they ranking the champs against each other or against who they played that year and how well they did against their schedule?

Regardless, 2024 UConn can't be #1.

 

[RF2044]

I don't worry about this kind of stuff too much.

I think that as a #3 seed, they "downgrade" us automatically on these types of lists, because we weren't expected to do as well as we did and over shot our seeding.

That's all -- there are plenty of teams above us on that list I think the 2003 could have beaten / defeated. But I get how these lists get compiled and how the teams get ranked.

 

[HyattsCuse]

I find comparing teams/players/leagues across different eras to be an entertaining read, but ultimately, meaningless.

Just glad we have a championship so we are included in these articles!

 

[sam]

IMO 2010 Duke was one of the worst Champs ever. Ranking them 18th is a joke. The teams they beat were a complete joke in a really down year overall.

2024 UConn #1 is also a joke. Yes, they were the best team and dominant vs their competition, but that team doesn't beat half the other champs. Which brings up the fallacy of these rankings. Dominating in a weak year with no super star players and playing a bunch of low seeds shouldn't trump being a 3 seed in a loaded year with super star players running through a bunch of high seeds.

They don’t beat half the other champs? Give me a break! UConn had the highest Kenpom efficiency numbers since it started and won every game by 14+ points. Also, not sure what you consider star power but they had 4 players drafted, including 2 lottery picks one of which is going to win Rookie of the Year and that’s not counting Karaban who’s an NBA pick.

 

[Irt4su]

We were one blocked shot away from losing in 2003. I am happy to be in this company!

May never have gone in anyway

 

[sufandu]

They don’t beat half the other champs? Give me a break! UConn had the highest Kenpom efficiency numbers since it started and won every game by 14+ points. Also, not sure what you consider star power but they had 4 players drafted, including 2 lottery picks one of which is going to win Rookie of the Year and that’s not counting Karaban who’s an NBA pick.

How they did against their schedule that year has zero relevance to how they would do against teams of other years, especially in this watered down era of college basketball where everyone leaves early and so many teams aren't together long enough to be cohesive.

 

[Charbroil]

This list should clearly start with 1996 Kentucky. I’d say 2001 Duke and 2007 Florida are right up there as well. And as much as I hate to say it, 2004 and 2024 UConn were incredible teams as well.

 

[sufandu]

This list should clearly start with 1996 Kentucky. I’d say 2001 Duke and 2007 Florida are right up there as well. And as much as I hate to say it, 2004 and 2024 UConn were incredible teams as well.

1992 Duke is there too.

 

[cuseattle]

The 1990 UNLV squad was pretty dominant. I'd probably have them higher.

 

[Charbroil]

1992 Duke is there too.

As great as they were, I dock them some points because Laettner probably should’ve been thrown out of that Elite 8 game against Kentucky where he hit the buzzer beater.

 

[sufandu]

As great as they were, I dock them some points because Laettner probably should’ve been thrown out of that Elite 8 game against Kentucky where he hit the buzzer beater.

That doesn't change how good they were, though.

 

[Charbroil]

That doesn't change how good they were, though.

True. Just grinds my gears because only a school like Duke gets the benefit of the doubt on a call like that.

 

[sufandu]

True. Just grinds my gears because only a school like Duke gets the benefit of the doubt on a call like that.

I think things like that have happened in other games. The status of that game and the divisiveness of Duke make it stick out more.

 

[dwilmont44]

Does anyone remember the 2003 season? Who were the favorites going into the tournament? We were a 3 seed so not some crazy Cinderella run to end up winning it all. But I don't remember thinking during the season that we were one of the best. I was also 11.

 

[Charbroil]

Does anyone remember the 2003 season? Who were the favorites going into the tournament? We were a 3 seed so not some crazy Cinderella run to end up winning it all. But I don't remember thinking during the season that we were one of the best. I was also 11.

I remember thinking Kentucky was the best team that year. But then Dwayne Wade had one of the great March Madness performances and knocked them off in the regional final. Arizona was also stacked and was probably the best team on paper.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Does anyone remember the 2003 season? Who were the favorites going into the tournament? We were a 3 seed so not some crazy Cinderella run to end up winning it all. But I don't remember thinking during the season that we were one of the best. I was also 11.

The Top 6 ranked teams were

1. UK
2. Zona
3. OU
4. Pitt
5. Texas
6. KU

We were 12 and beat 3, 5, 6, and 23 in our 6 game run.

 

[kirbivore]

As much as I hate them I'd rank 2004 storz higher since they had to beat Duke and the refs in that semi final game. If there was a betting option of "Okafor to get two whistles before the first media timeout" I would have bet the mortgage and been right. The ref assistance strategy for Duke was get the other big man in foul trouble.

 

[sufandu]

Does anyone remember the 2003 season? Who were the favorites going into the tournament? We were a 3 seed so not some crazy Cinderella run to end up winning it all. But I don't remember thinking during the season that we were one of the best. I was also 11.

I remember a friend asking me what I thought of our chances before rhe tournament. I told him we can be anyone if we're on our game. The only team that truly scared me was UConn. The were 2-0 with double digit wins against us.