NCAA Basketball: Ranking the last 25 NCAA Tournament champions

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11 Mar 1995: UCLA GUARD TYUS EDNEY CUTS DOWN THE NET IN CELEBRATION OF THE BRUINS” PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER A VICTORY OVER OREGON STATE AT PAULEY PAVILION IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. /

14) 1995 UCLA Bruins

Record: 31-1, 17-1 in Pac-10

Ok, this is where the level of these champions really takes a step up. After all, the UCLA Bruins only had one loss!

UCLA spent all of March ranked No. 1 in the country in their last national championship season, closing the year with 26 straight wins after falling to the Oregon Ducks in early January.

So, why aren’t they ranked higher? It took a last-second miracle for UCLA to even make the Sweet 16, though it did give us one of the best moments in tournament history.

The Bruins cruised after that win over the Missouri Tigers, including a dominant victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks, the reigning champs, in the national championship game. Five of their tournament wins came against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, showing just how impressive their run was.

However, this was generally a down year for the Pac-10, which allowed UCLA to inflate their record somewhat. Only two other teams, the Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State Sun Devils, finished the season ranked. They were the only three teams that won more than 20 games overall that year. The Bruins were clearly the class of the conference and did not face any real stiff competition.

They also lacked the plethora of top-end talent you’ll see on teams higher up this list. Ed O’Bannon and George Zidek were the only players on the roster that ended up being drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft.

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