NCAA Basketball: 5 programs set to dominate the next decade (2020-29)

Which NCAA Basketball programs have put themselves in the best positions to be successful in the next decade? Here are the top five to watch.

With the 2010’s decade coming to an end, it’s time to look ahead at what the next decade of NCAA basketball will bring.

The past decade was dominated by some familiar teams, but mostly some non-bluebloods. Yes, Duke, Kentucky, and North Carolina all won their national championships, but I don’t think you could say any of those three really dominated the decade.

The first half of the decade was controlled by UConn, who won national championships in 2011 and 2014. Villanova controlled the second half, cementing their place among the sport’s signature programs with five Big East titles and two national championships (2016, 2018) of their own. And it was Virginia – not Duke or UNC – who controlled the ACC, winning four conference titles and the most recent national championship in 2019.

There will be more programs like that who step up and dominate the 2020’s, especially considering the changes that could be coming at some of the sport’s major programs.

Duke has been led by Mike Krzyzewski since 1980, but that will likely change at some point in the next decade considering he’s 72 years old. North Carolina should experience a coaching change as well as Roy Williams is 69 years old. Kentucky signed John Calipari to a lifetime contract, but he’ll have to revamp the way his program recruits once the one-and-done era comes to an end.

So, it looks like there will be an opening for programs to emerge and be the most successful in the sport over the next 10 years. Which programs are the most likely to take advantage? Here are the five programs most likely to dominate the 2020’s.