Through the Phog
Fansided

Kansas basketball: How the past ten Preseason No. 1 teams have fared

By Kyle Jones

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 08: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after being called for a foul against the Boston College Eagles during the second half of their game in the second round of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 08, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 08: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after being called for a foul against the Boston College Eagles during the second half of their game in the second round of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 08, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Mar 27, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) reacts after a technical foul during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the championship game in the East regional of the NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) reacts after a technical foul during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the championship game in the East regional of the NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

2015 Preseason No. 1: North Carolina

Final Record: 33-7
NCAA Tournament Result: No. 1 Seed – Lost National Championship

This is one of the unusual cases of a big-time blue-blood team being the preseason No. 1 team without having a top recruiting class. In fact, this was a rather unimpressive class for the Tar Heels. Kenny Williams and Luke Maye were the only players in the class. Neither of them was a top-120 recruit, and neither of them played significant minutes in their freshman seasons.

What they lacked in freshman talent, they more than made up for in experience. Five of their top seven scorers were upperclassmen, led by Consensus All-American Brice Johnson. During the regular season, they didn’t lose a single game to a team that missed the NCAA Tournament. In said tournament, the Tar Heels dominated their way through their side of the bracket.

Heading into the National Championship, they had won their previous five tournament games by an average of 16 points. Unfortunately, they ran into an even more dominant Villanova team, who had won their five games by an average of a whopping 24 points (and that includes a five-point win over Kansas).

Marcus Paige tied the game with seconds remaining on a double clutch, game-tying 3-pointer. However, Kris Jenkins got the last laugh, sinking a buzzer-beater to stun the Tar Heels in one of the most memorable National Championship games in history.

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