April 10, 201313 yr My guess would be next year, but you never really know. In the 90s we expected that it would be coming every year. Then it transformed into "will UK EVER win another one? (or make a Final Four)" It's a hard, hard thing to do, even when you have the "best" team. I'm still just grateful to have seen UK win three of them. Exactly. When it comes down to it a Championship is decided with a single elimination tournament where goofy things can happen. You put 18 year old kids in weird environments, odd start times, and other factors anything can happen. While UK may be the "favorite" going in to next season, you have to take the field. As would you with any team in any season. Edited April 10, 201313 yr by bugatti
April 10, 201313 yr Exactly. When it comes down to it, a Championship is decided with a single elimination tournament where goofy things can happen. You put 18 year old kids in weird environments, odd start times, and other factors anything can happen. While UK may be the "favorite" going in to next season, you have to take the field. As would you with any team in any season. :thumb:
April 10, 201313 yr My guess would be next year, but you never really know. In the 90s we expected that it would be coming every year. Then it transformed into "will UK EVER win another one? (or make a Final Four)" It's a hard, hard thing to do, even when you have the "best" team. I'm still just grateful to have seen UK win three of them. Exactly. When it comes down to it, a Championship is decided with a single elimination tournament where goofy things can happen. You put 18 year old kids in weird environments, odd start times, and other factors anything can happen. While UK may be the "favorite" going in to next season, you have to take the field. As would you with any team in any season. Agree. Very hard to do. The best team doesn't always win.
April 10, 201313 yr Agree. Very hard to do. The best team doesn't always win. I think that is often forgotten. When the Tourney is over, does the best team stand as the champion? 2013: Louisville was the best 2012: UK was the best 2011: I don't think UConn was the best team 2010: Duke? 2009: UNC was the best 2008: Kansas? Good case for them. 2007 & 06: Florida 2005: UNC I think in recent history the best team has won more than not but it's not to say the best team always wins.
April 10, 201313 yr I think that is often forgotten. When the Tourney is over, does the best team stand as the champion? 2013: Louisville was the best 2012: UK was the best 2011: I don't think UConn was the best team 2010: Duke? 2009: UNC was the best 2008: Kansas? Good case for them. 2007 & 06: Florida 2005: UNC I think in recent history the best team has won more than not but it's not to say the best team always wins. I just looked back at the bracket from 2008. Holy cow, I'd forgotten how much talent there was at the top that year. The four one seeds all advanced to the Final Four and were UNC, UCLA, Kansas and Memphis. Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansborough, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Cole Aldrich, Mario Chalmers and Derrick Rose were all in that Final Four. That's just a case of somebody having to come out the winner in the end. Just unbelievable how loaded those four were. And I'll agree with your statement that in recent history, talent seems to have borne out and the top team seems to ultimately win it.
April 10, 201313 yr I think that is often forgotten. When the Tourney is over, does the best team stand as the champion? 2013: Louisville was the best 2012: UK was the best 2011: I don't think UConn was the best team 2010: Duke? 2009: UNC was the best 2008: Kansas? Good case for them. 2007 & 06: Florida 2005: UNC I think in recent history the best team has won more than not but it's not to say the best team always wins. I guess the question there is what definition of best are we using? Louisville was the best in terms over being the overall #1 seed, but they weren't ranked as such in the polls entering the tournament. They were 4th behind Gonzaga, Duke, and Indiana. If we're going by the overall #1 seed: 2004 - Kentucky (L Second Round) 2005 - Illinois (L Natl Championship) 2006 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2007 - Florida (Champions) 2008 - North Carolina (L Final Four) 2009 - Louisville (L Elite Eight) 2010 - Kansas (L Second Round) 2011 - Ohio State (L Sweet Sixteen) 2012 - Kentucky (Champions) 2013 - Louisville (Champions) That's just three times the overall 1 seed has won it, albeit two of them coming back to back in the last two years. If going by rankings entering the tournament: 1995 - UCLA (Champions) 1996 - Massachusetts (L Final Four) 1997 - Kansas (L Sweet Sixteen) 1998 - North Carolina (L Final Four) 1999 - Duke (L Natl Championship) 2000 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2001 - Duke (Champions) 2002 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2003 - Kentucky (L Elite Eight) 2004 - Stanford (L Second Round) 2005 - Illinois (L Natl Championship) 2006 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2007 - Ohio State (L Natl Championship) 2008 - North Carolina (L Final Four) 2009 - Louisville (L Elite Eight) 2010 - Kansas (L Second Round) 2011 - Ohio State (L Sweet Sixteen) 2012 - Kentucky (Champions) 2013 - Gonzaga (L Second Round) I went back far enough to find three champions from the #1 ranked team in the AP poll, and you can see that it's even worse. It's easy to see some teams as the best once the tourney is over, but it rarely matches that perception from before the tournament.
April 10, 201313 yr I guess the question there is what definition of best are we using? Louisville was the best in terms over being the overall #1 seed, but they weren't ranked as such in the polls entering the tournament. They were 4th behind Gonzaga, Duke, and Indiana. If we're going by the overall #1 seed: 2004 - Kentucky (L Second Round) 2005 - Illinois (L Natl Championship) 2006 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2007 - Florida (Champions) 2008 - North Carolina (L Final Four) 2009 - Louisville (L Elite Eight) 2010 - Kansas (L Second Round) 2011 - Ohio State (L Sweet Sixteen) 2012 - Kentucky (Champions) 2013 - Louisville (Champions) That's just three times the overall 1 seed has won it, albeit two of them coming back to back in the last two years. If going by rankings entering the tournament: 1995 - UCLA (Champions) 1996 - Massachusetts (L Final Four) 1997 - Kansas (L Sweet Sixteen) 1998 - North Carolina (L Final Four) 1999 - Duke (L Natl Championship) 2000 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2001 - Duke (Champions) 2002 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2003 - Kentucky (L Elite Eight) 2004 - Stanford (L Second Round) 2005 - Illinois (L Natl Championship) 2006 - Duke (L Sweet Sixteen) 2007 - Ohio State (L Natl Championship) 2008 - North Carolina (L Final Four) 2009 - Louisville (L Elite Eight) 2010 - Kansas (L Second Round) 2011 - Ohio State (L Sweet Sixteen) 2012 - Kentucky (Champions) 2013 - Gonzaga (L Second Round) I went back far enough to find three champions from the #1 ranked team in the AP poll, and you can see that it's even worse. It's easy to see some teams as the best once the tourney is over, but it rarely matches that perception from before the tournament. Screw the AP Poll. Who was the overall #1 seed?
April 10, 201313 yr Screw the AP Poll. Who was the overall #1 seed? Well, I did have that before the AP rankings.....
April 10, 201313 yr Kind of interesting that UK and UofL are the only two schools to be an overall number one seed mor than once during the stretch you researched.
April 10, 201313 yr Screw the AP Poll. Who was the overall #1 seed? They've only recently started doing that, right?
April 10, 201313 yr Well, I did have that before the AP rankings..... Sorry, missed that. Job well done.
April 10, 201313 yr I think that is often forgotten. When the Tourney is over, does the best team stand as the champion? 2013: Louisville was the best 2012: UK was the best 2011: I don't think UConn was the best team 2010: Duke? 2009: UNC was the best 2008: Kansas? Good case for them. 2007 & 06: Florida 2005: UNC I think in recent history the best team has won more than not but it's not to say the best team always wins. 2005 Carolina was the best team that year IMO. Everybody pretty well thought it would be UNC/Illinois at the end, but I always felt like UNC was the better team. So in the years you referenced, I'd say 2005 UNC, 2007 Florida, 2009 UNC, 2012 UK, & 2013 UL.
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