From Penthouse to Outhouse: No Guarantee of Success for Defending Champ
January 30th, 2015 - 19:30
Connecticut, sitting at 11-8 in mid-season, ran the risk of joining Stanford '42 and Michigan State '79 as the only defending NCAA champions compiling a losing record. But a relatively weak slate of league games in the American Athletic Conference enabled the Kevin Ollie-coached Huskies to finish the campaign with a double-digit total in defeats rather than incur a sub-.500 mark.
Following is a chronological list of reigning titlists suffering more than a dozen setbacks or posting a losing mark overall coming off a national crown:
| NCAA Champion | Coach | Record Next Season as Reigning Titlist | Conference Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford '42 | Everett Dean | 10-11 in 1942-43 | T2nd in PCC South |
| Indiana '76 | Bob Knight | 14-13 in 1976-77 | 5th in Big Ten |
| Michigan State '79 | Jud Heathcote | 12-15 in 1979-80 | 9th in Big Ten |
| North Carolina State '83 | Jim Valvano | 19-14 in 1983-84 | 7th in ACC |
| Louisville '86 | Denny Crum | 18-14 in 1986-87 | 1st in Metro |
| North Carolina '09 | Roy Williams | 20-17 in 2009-10 | T9th in ACC |
NOTE: Everett Shelton-coached Wyoming '43 went 10-18 in 1944-45 after failing to field a team in 1943-44 during World War II.