NCAA Basketball: Revisiting the Dream Seasons of 2020; Four Years Later

Sweeter Dreams Were Still To Come

Baylor
2020 Season: 26-4; #1 seed
Dream Outcome: Final Four
Best Season Since: 2021; National Champions

Long the laughing stock of the power conferences, Baylor didn't make an NCAA Tournament from 1989-2007, at the same time as their football program failed to make a bowl game from 1995-2009. But after breaking their cold streak in 2008, the Bears were off and rolling, making eight appearances in twelve seasons, highlighted by four #3 seeds and two Elite Eight appearances. But the program's last Final Four came in 1950 and there was little doubt that the 2020 team was Baylor's best ever.

Fortunately for Baylor, their three best players, Jared Butler, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell, all returned for the next season. Behind Butler's First Team All-American season, the Bears became the only outright Big 12 regular season champion outside of Kansas since 2004. Baylor earned a #1 seed, got over the hump with an 81-72 Elite Eight win over Arkansas and beat 31-0 Gonzaga to win their first national title.

Hartford
2020 Season: 18-15; America East Championship Game
Dream Outcome: NCAA Tournament
Best Season Since: 2021; NCAA Tournament

Hartford moved up to Division I in 1985 and the best the Hawks had to show for it was a pair of CIT appearances. In 2020, they matched the program's best finish in the America East, third place, and were fresh off of a road upset of Stony Brook in the semifinals. Awaiting Hartford in a few days was a game in Patrick Gymnasium against Vermont, with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line in the building of the defending champion.

One season later, Hartford stumbled into fourth place and found themselves finally in Burlington, where they slayed the Vermont monster in the semifinals behind a twenty-five point game from senior Austin Williams, and thanks to an upset, got to play the championship game at home, defeating UMass Lowell. In the Hawks lone NCAA Tournament game ever, they fell to the eventual national champ, Baylor.

Those two seasons now feel more like an illusion than a dream. Two months later, Hartford announced a move down to Division III, closing the book with 2021 as the final chapter.

Honorable Mention: St. Peter's; The Peacocks (who haven't won a conference regular season since 1987) finished second in the MAAC in Shaheen Holloway's second year at the helm, and had just defeated four time defending conference tournament champion Iona in the quarterfinals. In 2022, St. Peter's won the MAAC Tournament and followed it up with an Elite Eight run that included wins over Kentucky and Purdue.

Everyone Can Rest Easy Now

Kansas
2020 Season: 28-3; #1 seed
Dream Outcome: National Champions
Best Season Since: 2022; National Champions

I'm sure that no one outside of those who use the phrase "rock chalk" as part of their common vernacular ever shed a tear for Bill Self or the Kansas fanbase, but the Jayhawks were deserving of the unofficial 2020 National Champions status that should have been bestowed on them thanks to a #1 ranking in the final AP Poll. They had already beaten #3 Dayton and split 1-1 with #5 Baylor and would have been the favorite to win it all.

Following a 2nd round NCAA exit in a trophy-less 2021, Kansas came into 2022 built around the three rotation players remining from the 2020 squad, Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun and David McCormick, along with Jalen Wilson, a sparingly used freshman on that team. The Jayhawks reclaimed the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, before an NCAA Tournament run that included dispatching with two other blue bloods, Villanova and North Carolina in the Final Four. That 2022 title was great, but it remains fair to question if Kansas missed a chance to grab two right at the turn of the decade.

San Deigo State
2020 Season: 30-2; #2 seed
Dream Outcome: Final Four
Best Season Since: 2023; National Runner-Up

Led by All-American point guard Malachi Flynn, San Deigo St started 26-0 before a loss to UNLV slowed down the season and a defeat at the hands of arch-rival Utah St in the Mountain West Championship kept them away from a #1 seed. Regardless, the Aztecs clearly had their best chance for Brian Dutcher to finish the job his mentor Steve Fisher started and overcome the program's all-time 0-2 record in the Sweet Sixteen (2011 with Kawhi Leonard and 2014).

Going into that 2020 season, San Diego St had actually been in a rut, missing three of the previous four NCAA Tournaments. They steadied things by making it in 2021 and 2022 but were knocked out First Round both times. In 2023, they made program history in the Sweet Sixteen, beating #1 Alabama. Then Darrion Trammell, got fouled at the buzzer against Creighton and hit the free throw that sent the Aztecs to the Final Four. After another buzzer-beater, this one by LaMont Butler, the Aztecs eventually fell to UConn in the National Championship Game.

Honorable Mention: Richmond; The Spiders were set to make their first NCAA Tournament since 2011 in 2020, brought back the core of that team for next two seasons and failed to finish top four in the A-10 both years. In the 2022 A-10 Tournament, Richmond beat the top three teams in three days and then upset #5 seed Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.