NCAA Basketball: Ranking of 20 best college teams from last 20 years
By Joey Loose
5. 2019 Virginia
When we’re talking about Virginia, the story has to begin with what happened the year before, with the top-seeded Cavaliers falling to 16-seed UMBC in an embarrassing and historical upset. Twelve months later, Virginia brought a ton of that talent back to Charlottesville and they made this season count, culminating in the first basketball title in school history.
The main story on this team was the guard play, getting impressive work from Kyle Guy (15.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg), De’Andre Hunter (15.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), and Ty Jerome (13.6 ppg, 5.5 apg), all of whom were talented long-range shooters. Forwards Mamadi Diakite, Braxton Key, and Jay Huff may not have been scoring the points but were vital parts of this unit, while freshman point guard Kihei Clark was the hidden gem on the team.
The Cavaliers knocked out Purdue, Auburn, and Texas Tech in three instant classics in their final three games, punctuating a 35-win with national glory. Tony Bennett’s team was known for their elite defense, but got enough from the offensive end, depending on players like NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player De’Andre Hunter to will this team to those six straight victories. Statistically and analytically, this team was dynamic and dominant.