Duke men’s basketball’s season ended in heartbreak in the Final Four, but it is far from the only great team to come up short in NCAA history. The Blue Zone examines several other contenders that didn’t reach the pinnacle of the sport:
1990-91 UNLV
Heading into the 1991 Final Four, UNLV was riding one of the most dominant streaks in the history of college basketball. The Runnin’ Rebels had won their last 45 games, which included the 1990 national championship against Duke, a dominant 103-73 victory. Head coach Jerry Tarkanian’s squad looked even better in 1991, with a 34-0 record heading into the Final Four, where the Runnin’ Rebels once again faced the Blue Devils as a clear favorite.
In a thrilling back-and-forth affair that saw multiple lead changes down the stretch, UNLV looked to be in control with a 76-71 lead with 2:31 to go. However, Duke outscored UNLV 8-1 the rest of the way, which included two clutch free throws by Blue Devil forward Christian Laettner with 12.7 seconds left. Runnin’ Rebels shooting guard Anderson Hunt, one of college basketball’s best 3-point shooters, missed the potential game-winning shot, resulting in a dramatic upset in Duke’s favor. While the Blue Devils would go on to win their first national championship against Kansas, the Runnin’ Rebels would be left with a single blemish on their record: a loss in one of the greatest college basketball games ever.
1998-99 Duke
Of the seven Duke teams under head coach Mike Krzyzewski that reached the Final Four but did not win the national championship, the 1998-99 team is likely the best. With just one loss heading into the tournament — an early-season defeat to Cincinnati in the Great Alaska Shootout — Krzyzewski’s third championship seemed well in sight. The 1998-99 Blue Devils still have the highest KenPom efficiency rating in the website’s history at +43.01; no other team has cracked above 40.
Led by a dominant guard trio of Will Avery, Elton Brand and Trajan Langdon, Duke beat its first five NCAA tournament opponents by an average of 25.2 points. The only real scare came against Michigan State in the Final Four, but the Blue Devils survived and advanced to the national championship game against Connecticut. In a tight battle, Duke had the basketball down one with seconds remaining, but Langdon committed a travel violation and the Huskies pushed the lead to three thanks to free throws. On the final possession, Langdon tripped, ending Duke’s dominant season.
2014-15 Kentucky
Three years after his first — and ultimately, only — championship banner at Kentucky, head coach John Calipari seemed to have built an even better contender. The 2014-15 Wildcats, led by future All-NBA talents like Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns, won their first 38 games, tying the 2011-12 championship team for the most in NCAA men’s basketball history. Kentucky ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for every single week of the season and the preseason poll, and was favored to win the NCAA tournament following a dominant SEC tournament run.
After surviving a close battle against Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, the Wildcats advanced to play Wisconsin in the Final Four for a rematch of the previous year’s Final Four, albeit with different rosters. Unfortunately for Calipari, history did not repeat itself, as Wisconsin went on a 15-4 run in the final 4:28 of play to emerge victorious. The ultimate source of Kentucky’s demise was off the glass; the Badgers outrebounded the Wildcats 34 to 22. Wisconsin advanced to the national championship, ultimately losing to Duke. Meanwhile, the Wildcats would go down as arguably the most successful team of the decade — and one of the best ever — to not hoist the championship trophy by season’s end.
2020-21 Gonzaga
The 2020-21 NCAA season was highly unusual thanks largely to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately restricted the 2021 NCAA tournament to only the state of Indiana. Perhaps related to the pandemic, two blueblood schools — Duke and Kentucky — did not even qualify for the tournament, which helped open the door for other programs to secure the title that season. One such program was Gonzaga, one of the most competitive mid-major teams in the country. With head coach Mark Few securing his 14th West Coast Conference Coach of the Year award, as well as two of the best players in the country in Corey Kispert and Drew Timme, the Bulldogs secured a 31-0 record heading into the national championship game. In the Final Four against UCLA, Jalen Suggs sunk a desperate half-court triple to propel Gonzaga to the tournament’s final match, setting up a date with Baylor in the national championship.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, their quest to become the first undefeated NCAA team since 1976 ran afoul. Despite being a 4.5-point favorite, Gonzaga was never able to establish itself in the contest. The Bears secured 16 offensive rebounds compared to only five by the Bulldogs, and Gonzaga turned the ball over 14 times compared to nine by Baylor. Despite the loss, Gonzaga’s +36.48 adjusted efficiency margin on KenPom was the best since Kentucky in 2014-15.
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