NCAA Basketball: Ranking of 20 best college teams from last 20 years
By Joey Loose
11. 2018 Villanova
Before his retirement this offseason, Hall of Famer Jay Wright was certainly one of the best head coaches in college basketball and had Villanova in an incredible position. The Wildcats had completely dominated the Big East since it reformed in 2013, and had won the national championship back in 2016. Two years later, it was an even more impressive performance from the Wildcats that gave Wright that rare second national title.
Six players averaged double-digit scoring, led by juniors Jalen Brunson (18.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.6 apg) and Mikal Bridges (17.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg), who both had incredible seasons for the Wildcats. That starting lineup also included Omari Spellman (10.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg), Eric Paschall (10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), and Phil Booth (10.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg), with all but Booth ended up in the NBA at some point. We didn’t even mention key piece Donte DiVincenzo, who was the Most Outstanding Player of that 2018 Tournament.
These Wildcats averaged greater than 86 points per game and won all six NCAA Tournament games by 12 points or more, an impressive feat. A 36-4 season punctuated with another national title further solidified Wright and Villanova’s place in basketball lore. There were a few star recruits, like Brunson and Spellman, but this was a fantastically talented and underrated roster of players who really came together under Wright and had one of the most dominant runs through the NCAA Tournament in recent memory.