NCAA basketball: 25 best college basketball teams of all time

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 02: (L-R) Darius Miller #1, Anthony Davis #23, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist #14, Terrence Jones #3 and Marquis Teague #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats walk on the court in the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the National Championship Game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 2, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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19. 2000-2001 Duke Blue Devils

There aren’t many programs in college basketball that are more despised than Duke, which wins in a way that seems too cool for school. The Blue Devils have carved out a reputation as the villains of college hoops, and one of their finest teams took the floor at the turn of the century.

Mike Krzyzewski‘s squad was loaded with future NBA players in 2001, with Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy, Jay Williams, and Carlos Boozer headlining this roster. Duke ran roughshod over the ACC during the regular season, going 26-4 to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.

The Blue Devils began their run through March by sweeping the ACC Tournament, including a blowout over bitter rival North Carolina in the title game. The selection committee gave Duke a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but by that point, the Blue Devils were in cruise control.

No team came within 10 points of the Blue Devils, who stampeded through March to win Coach K’s third national championship. Duke became the first team to enter the tournament No. 1 in the polls to win it all since UCLA back in 1995, with Battier winning the National Player of the Year Awards.

The core of this group made another dominant regular season run the next year, but Duke was upset by a point in the Sweet 16 by Indiana. If the Blue Devils had gotten through that game there is a good chance that Duke team would have also made the countdown.