From UConn Huskies to Kansas Jayhawks: How Have the Last 5 NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions Performed in 2023–24 Season

The NCAA regular season is about to end, and the March Madness for men’s basketball will commence from March 19th onwards. While some teams have done exceptionally well in the regular season, others have been upset by their competitors. Let’s take a look at the champions of the past five years and how they have performed in the regular season:

The University of Connecticut Huskies 2023 

The 2023 NCAA Champions, the University of Connecticut Huskies, have fared exceptionally well in the tournament this season. They have a 24-3 record, and with a 14-2 conference round stat, they occupy first place in the Big East. They have lost only three games that came against the Kansas Jayhawks, the Seton Hall, and the Creighton Bluejays. Apart from that, they have won all the remaining games.

Their wins have been a collective team effort, with the squad focusing more on defense than offense. The top scorer for this team has been their guard, Tristen Newton, who has smashed an average of 15.4 points per game with 6.9 rebounds per match and 5.7 assists per contest. The other contributing members have been their guard, Cam Spencer, forward Alex Karaban, and center Donovan Clingan. If they continue their on-song performances, then they will be a tough team to tackle in the March Madness, and who knows, their head coach Dan Hurley could get them another NCAA title.

Kansas Jayhawks 2022

The Kansas Jayhawks won the 2022 championship title. They have a 20-6 stat in the regular season and an 8-5 tally in the regular season. They occupy the third spot in the Big 12. They have performed averagely well in the tournament and didn’t stand up to expectations, losing out against big teams like Marquette. 

In the other matches they lost, the Jayhawks mostly had a mediocre score which also means that they were defended well by their opponents. The best player for the Jayhawks this season has been their guard, Kevin McCullar Jr. McCullar Jr. has potted an exceptional 19 points per game with 6.4 rebounds per match.

Another player who has lived up to the hype is their center, Hunter Dickinson. Dickinson has smoked 18.2 points per game with 11 rebounds per contest. Barring these two, the other players for the Jayhawks have done averagely well, and it remains to be seen how the Jayhawks will progress in the tournament.

Baylor Bears 2021

The Baylor Bears have had their share of hiccups this season. They have a 19-7 record along with an 8-5 tally in the NCAA tournament. They have been average this season, especially in the conference round. They are placed in the third spot in the Big 12. Nonetheless, they are currently positioned in the 11th spot in the men’s basketball AP Polls. They will have to go all guns blazing in the NCAA tournament if they want to win this year’s championship title.

The top performers for the Bears have been their guards, Ja’Kobe Walter and RayJ Dennis. While Walter has thrashed 14.4 points per game, Dennis has dusted 13.1 points per contest.

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The other athletes have performed averagely, but they seem to have good depth up to their sixth player. The Bears would be keen to prove their mettle with the March madness about to begin.

Virginia Cavaliers 2019

The Virginia Cavaliers have a 20-7 record in the regular season and an 11-5 record in the conference round. They therefore occupy the third spot in the ACC. As of now, the Cavaliers are not in the Top 25 men’s basketball ranking polls. Every time that they have lost, it has been due to a poor offensive performance, especially against Wisconsin and Virginia Tech, when the Cavaliers could only score 41 points. Therefore, it remains to be seen if they can make an impact in this NCAA tournament.

The top scorers for the Cavaliers have been their guards, Reece Beekman and Isaac McKneely. But they don’t possess a high ceiling. Plus, the Cavaliers also lack the depth to pull off big games. They would be looking to make the most of the remaining matches and perform to the best of their capabilities.

Villanova Wildcats 2018

The Villanova Wildcats have an abysmal 15-11 record in the regular season, along with an 8-7 record in the regular season. They have lost their matches by a close margin. However, in some games, like the one against St. John’s, the Wildcats lost by a blowout margin of 70-50. They haven’t looked like the team that won the 2018 NCAA Championship.

The top performer for the Villanova has been their forward Eric Dixon who has besotted 15.9 points per game. The next points average is too less that of 10.4 points per contest by their guard TJ Bamba. The lack of depth and a low ceiling have been the major reasons behind this team’s poor performance in the regular season. The Villanova will have to pull up their socks this season if they want to make anything of it.

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