Better Late Than Not: League Non-Titlists Go On to Win NCAA Championship
Connecticut wasn't a regular-season league champion any of the three times the Huskies went on to earn an NCAA title in an 11-year span (2004-11-14). NCAA kingpins UConn '11 and Villanova '85 both finished six games behind the Big East Conference regular-season champ. National tourney runner-up Michigan '18 also had been there/done that - capture NCAA Tournament title in 1989 after failing to win regular-season conference championship. Nova, after dropping half of the Wildcats' Big East assignments in a six-game span down the stretch, finished runner-up to Xavier by one game. They are among the following list of power-league school NCAA titlists failing to at least tie for regular-season title since multiple conference members were allowed to participate in playoffs when field was expanded to 32 teams in 1975 (in reverse order):
| Year | NCAA Champion (League/Finish) | Regular-Season Titlist(s) | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Villanova (Big East/2nd) | Xavier (15-3) | 1 |
| 2015 | Duke (ACC/2nd) | Virginia (16-2) | 1 |
| 2014 | Connecticut (AAC/T3rd) | Cincinnati/Louisville (15-3) | 3 |
| 2011 | Connecticut (Big East/T9th) | Pittsburgh (15-3) | 6 |
| 2006 | Florida (SEC East/2nd) | Tennessee (12-4) | 2 |
| 2004 | Connecticut (Big East/2nd) | Pittsburgh (13-3) | 1 |
| 1997 | Arizona (Pacific-10/5th) | UCLA (15-3) | 4 |
| 1989 | Michigan (Big Ten/3rd) | Indiana (15-3) | 3 |
| 1988 | Kansas (Big Eight/3rd) | Oklahoma (12-2) | 3 |
| 1985 | Villanova (Big East/3rd) | St. John's (15-1) | 6 |
| 1983 | North Carolina State (ACC/T3rd) | North Carolina/Virginia (12-2) | 4 |