Star Light: No Chance UVa Would Have Reached NCAA Playoff Regional Final
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 the latest of 13 schools 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), Corey Maggette (13th) | 29-5 | Lost NCAA regional semifinal |
| 2001 | Arizona (3) | Gilbert Arenas (31st), Richard Jefferson (13th), Michael Wright (39th) | 24-10 | Lost NCAA regional semifinal |
| 2005 | North Carolina (4) | Raymond Felton (5th), Sean May (13th), Rashad McCants (14th), Marvin Williams (2nd) | 23-8 | Lost in NCAA second round |
| 2007 | Florida (4) | Corey Brewer (7th), Taurean Green (52nd), Al Horford (3rd), Joakim Noah (9th) | 24-12 | Reached NIT semifinals |
| 2007 | Ohio State (3) | Mike Conley Jr. (4th), Daequan Cook (21st), Greg Oden (1st) | 24-13 | Won NIT |
| 2008 | Kansas (3) | Darrell Arthur (27th), Mario Chalmers (34th), Brandon Rush (13th) | 27-8 | Lost NCAA regional semifinal |
| 2008 | UCLA (3) | Kevin Love (5th), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (37th), 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), Marquis Teague (29th) | 21-12 | Lost in NIT first round |
| 2015 | Duke (3) | Tyus Jones (24th), Jahlil Okafor (3rd), 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), Karl-Anthony Towns (1st) | 27-9 | Lost in NCAA second round |
| 2017 | Oregon (3) | Jordan Bell (38th), Dillon Brooks (45th), Tyler Dorsey (41st) | 23-13 | Lost in NIT second round |
| 2018 | Villanova (4) | Mikal Bridges (10th), Jalen Brunson (33rd), Donte DiVincenzo (17th), Omari Spellman (30th) | 26-10 | Lost in NCAA second round |
| 2019 | Virginia (3) | Kyle Guy (55th), De'Andre Hunter (4th), Ty Jerome (24th) | 23-7 | Playoffs Cancelled |