March Madness: Ranking every national champion this century

March Madness: Ranking every national champion from this century

02 APR 2001: Duke University basketball team celebrates with head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the championship trophy after the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four Championship game held in Minneaplois, MN at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Duke defeated Arizona 82-72 for the championship. Ryan McKee/NCAA Photos via Getty Images /

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GLENDALE, AZ – APRIL 03: The North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team hoist the championship trophy during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

14. North Carolina (2017)

The school that Villanova defeated in 2016, North Carolina, found their redemption just one year later. It was not with a win over the school that brought them heartbreak, but yet another National Championship under head coach Roy Williams.

Depth gave the Tar Heels options against anyone they played, with Justin Jackson headlining the roster and players like Theo Pinson and Luke Maye filling out the rotation, both of whom went on to take bigger roles in ensuing seasons. They also had NBA talent in Tony Bradley and Isaiah Hicks around to work the frontcourt.

UNC was a No. 1 seed and the No. 3 overall team in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, but they did not have the easiest path to the title. That was through a close game with Arkansas, a battle with No. 4 Butler and a narrow win over No. 2 Kentucky.

The final opponent was maybe the best Oregon team of the 2000s, with Tyler Dorsey and Jordan Bell falling short by one point in the Final Four. Fellow No. 1 Gonzaga even gave them a ride in the National Championship Game — arguably Mark Few’s best team of his tenure.

This UNC team may not have been the most special of the March Madness pack in the 2000s, but they went through a difficult back-end to reach the title game consecutively and receive the latest shining moment in Williams’ run.

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