Star Light: Duke is Third Final Four Team to Lose as Many as Five Undergrads
Duke became the third Final Four participant to lose as many as five undergraduates to the NBA draft, joining Kentucky in 2012 and 2015. None of the first 13 F4 schools losing as many as three undergrads advanced to a regional final the following season, let alone return to the national semifinals.
Each Final Four since 1995 had at least one school promptly lose a minimum of one player early to the NBA, including all four participants in 2007 (Florida, Georgetown, Ohio State and UCLA). But what happened to those national semifinal schools such as 2019 champion Virginia with as many as three undergraduates declaring for the NBA? COVID-19 cancellation of 2020 Big Dance denied possibility, but it's no great mystery why Virginia would have become another school in this "denuclearized" category not to advance as far as a regional final following the early departures of Kyle Guy, De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome. Check out the following chronological look at how Final Four schools fared the year after having three or more players renounce their college eligibility (averaging 10 defeats among them):
| Year | Final Four Team | Three or More Undergraduates Declaring For NBA Draft | Record | Postseason Outcome Next Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Duke (3) | William Avery (14th pick overall), Elton Brand (1st) and Corey Maggette (13th) | 29-5 | Lost NCAA regional semifinal |
| 2001 | Arizona (3) | Gilbert Arenas (31st), Richard Jefferson (13th) and Michael Wright (39th) | 24-10 | Lost NCAA regional semifinal |
| 2005 | North Carolina (4) | Raymond Felton (5th), Sean May (13th), Rashad McCants (14th) and Marvin Williams (2nd) | 23-8 | Lost in NCAA second round |
| 2007 | Florida (4) | Corey Brewer (7th), Taurean Green (52nd), Al Horford (3rd) and Joakim Noah (9th) | 24-12 | Reached NIT semifinals |
| 2007 | Ohio State (3) | Mike Conley Jr. (4th), Daequan Cook (21st) and Greg Oden (1st) | 24-13 | Won NIT |
| 2008 | Kansas (3) | Darrell Arthur (27th), Mario Chalmers (34th) and Brandon Rush (13th) | 27-8 | Lost NCAA regional semifinal |
| 2008 | UCLA (3) | Kevin Love (5th), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (37th) and Russell Westbrook (4th) | 26-9 | Lost in NCAA second round |
| 2012 | Kentucky (5) | Anthony Davis (1st), Terrence Jones (18th), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2nd), Doron Lamb (42nd) and Marquis Teague (29th) | 21-12 | Lost in NIT first round |
| 2015 | Duke (3) | Tyus Jones (24th), Jahlil Okafor (3rd) and Justise Winslow (10th) | 25-11 | Lost NCAA regional semifinal |
| 2015 | Kentucky (6) | Devin Booker (13th), Willie Cauley-Stein (6th), Andrew Harrison (44th), Dakari Johnson (48th), Trey Lyles (12th) and Karl-Anthony Towns (1st) | 27-9 | Lost in NCAA second round |
| 2017 | Oregon (3) | Jordan Bell (38th), Dillon Brooks (45th) and Tyler Dorsey (41st) | 23-13 | Lost in NIT second round |
| 2018 | Villanova (4) | Mikal Bridges (10th), Jalen Brunson (33rd), Donte DiVincenzo (17th) and Omari Spellman (30th) | 26-10 | Lost in NCAA second round |
| 2019 | Virginia (3) | Kyle Guy (55th), De'Andre Hunter (4th) and Ty Jerome (24th) | 23-7 | Playoffs Cancelled |
| 2022 | Duke (5) | Paolo Banchero (1st), AJ Griffin (16th), Trevor Keels (42nd), Wendell Moore (26th) and Mark Williams (15th) | 27-9 | Lost in NCAA second round |