CBS Writers Split on Best College Hoops Team Since 2000 — SkimNews
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- 2023-24 UConn received 17% of votes in CBS Sports' Candid Coaches poll of nearly 100 coaches, the top share in a survey where nine teams earned significant backing and no runaway consensus emerged
- Matt Norlander picked 2000-01 Duke (35-4), the first team since the 1985 expanded tournament era to win every NCAA Tournament game by double digits, and the only team ever to have teammates (Shane Battier and Jay Williams) win national player of the year in the same season
- Gary Parrish picked 2014-15 Kentucky, which went 38-0 before falling to Wisconsin in the title game; the roster featured nine future NBA players including No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns and a benched five-time All-Star Devin Booker
- Isaac Trotter picked 2025-26 Michigan, which posted a +19.9 net rating against high-major teams (99th percentile, per CBB Analytics) and placed three lottery picks in one draft for the first time since 2005
- Cameron Salerno picked 2023-24 UConn as the best title team of the last 25 years, noting the Huskies won all six tournament games by double digits as back-to-back champions—a feat he doubts any program will match in the next 20 years
- David Cobb picked 2011-12 Kentucky (38-2) behind Anthony Davis's 35.1 PER—the highest on a title-winning team since Sports Reference began tracking the metric in 2010—and John Calipari's lone national championship
Why it matters: The lack of consensus is the story: a near-100-coach poll produced a 17% plurality winner, and five CBS writers each picked a different team—splitting between dominant champions (UConn, Duke), near-misses (2015 Kentucky at 38-1), and a brand-new title winner (Michigan). It exposes how 'best team' arguments hinge on which criterion matters most: tournament dominance, NBA talent density, analytics, or roster construction innovation.
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