The NCAA Tournament is the pinnacle of domestic basketball in America, where fans can tune in to watch the NBA superstars of tomorrow. First conducted in 1939, the national tournament has seen some of basketball’s best players and teams face off.
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UCLA has dominated the tournament with 11 NCAA titles, the most in competition history. Kentucky sits second on the list with eight, and UCONN rounds up the top 3 with six titles.
But in this article, the focus will be on teams that have won the most NCAA titles in the 21st century. Let’s see which college teams have been performing the best in the last two decades.
2 NCAA Championships
Three teams have won two NCAA titles each in the 21st Century. These are Florida, Villanova, and Kansas, each college with its own rich history in the NCAA.
The Florida Gators managed a two-peat, winning during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. During the 05-06 campaign, they tallied a 22-8 regular season record, beating UCLA 73-57 in the Championship game. In the 06-07 season, they finished the regular season with a 25-6 record, beating Ohio State 84-75 in the Championship game.
Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, and Al Horford were prominent players for the Gators in both seasons, later making it to the NBA. Then-Head Coach Billy Donovan also played a massive role in building that team and leading them to victory.
Villanova won their 21st-century NCAA titles in a short span as well, taking home the trophy in 2016 and 2018. During the 2016 campaign, the Wildcats finished with a 27-4 record in the regular season. They then beat North Carolina in a close championship game 77-74.
In 2018, Villanova registered a 27-4 regular season record. They beat Michigan in the NCAA Tournament final 79-62 in a dominant victory.
During the first campaign, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Mikal Bridges played key roles. Donte DiVincenzo was a bench player and did not play many minutes. In the Nova side’s next rodeo, Brunson and Bridges once again played big roles. But this time DiVincenzo was a crucial player as well.
All of these players have made it to the NBA and now play important roles for their teams. The tandem of Hart, Brunson, and DiVincenzo with the New York Knicks came to be known as the ‘Nova Knicks’ in the 2023-24 season because of their Villanova roots.
Kansas won their NCAA titles in the 2008 and 2022 editions. During the 07-08 season, the team had a 28-3 record. They beat Memphis 75-68 in what turned out to be an overtime thriller. Mario Chalmers is the most notable NBA player from this side, winning 2 NBA titles alongside LeBron James. Cole Aldrich and Brandon Rush also made it to the NBA from the side.
In 2021-22, they finished with a 25-6 record and beat North Carolina in the NCAA Finals, in a close 72-69 encounter. Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji are the two most notable NBA players from this championship team.
3 NCAA Championships
Duke and North Carolina are the only two teams to have won three NCAA titles in the 21st century. Both are elite college programs with historic backgrounds.
Duke won their titles in 2001, 2010, and 2015. During the ’01 campaign, they finished with a 26-4 record, beating Arizona 82-72 in the NCAA Tournament Final. In 2009-10, they had a 26-5 record, beating Butler 61-59 for the Championship. In the last stint, they finished with a 28-3 record, beating Wisconsin 68-63 for the NCAA title.
Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer had the most NBA success from the ’01 team. Jay Williams’ career was tragically cut short due to a motorcycle accident despite immense potential. Mason Plumlee and Miles Plumlee were a part of the 09-10 team alongside current Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer.
But the 14-15 team was a true juggernaut with Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones, and Quinn Cook, all a crucial part of it. Grayson Allen and Semi Ojeleye were also a part of this team.
North Carolina bagged the 2005, 2009, and 2017 titles. In 2005, the team secured a 26-3 regular season record and beat Illinois in the NCAA Tournament Final 75-70. During the ’08-09 season, they had a 27-3 regular season record, beating Michigan State 89-72 in the National Championship Game.
In 2017, they managed a 26-6 record and beat Gonzaga in the NCAA Finals, 71-65.
Raymond Felton and Marvin Williams from the ’05 team both earned starting roles in the NBA and managed to play 10+ years in the league. Danny Green, Wayne Ellington, and Ty Lawson from the 2009 team made it to the league as well. Green recently retired, ending an illustrious career in the NBA with multiple Championships.
The 2017 team saw Justin Jackson, Tony Bradley, and Theo Pinson make it to basketball’s biggest stage.
5 NCAA Championships
UCONN has been by far the best team of the 21st century. They are the only side to have won 5 NCAA titles so far after the turn of the century. Furthermore, with their recent success, they look set to add to this success.
Even Duke and UNC are 2 titles behind the Huskies despite having some great players on their teams. Connecticut has managed to combine top recruitment with great coaching to achieve this success.
In 2003-04, the Huskies managed a 24-6 record, beating Georgia Tech 82-73 in the Championship game. During the 2010-11 season, UCONN had a 21-9 record and beat Butler in the NCAA Finals game 53-41. In 2013-14, they had a 24-7 regular season before beating Kentucky 60-54 for the title.
UCONN registered a 24-7 regular season record for the second year in a row. They beat San Diego State University 76-59 in the Championship game. The Huskies managed to two-peat in the 2023-24 season, beating Purdue 75-60 in the NCAA Final after a 28-3 regular season.
Across these five NCAA titles, the Huskies saw a number of their players enter the NBA. Emeka Okafor, Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, and Shabazz Napier are some of the names that made it to the league. Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan were some of the latest graduates to reach the NBA.
UCONN will be looking to add to their two-peat and continue their dominance in the 21st century. But the other top teams will not make it easy for the reigning champions.
