No. 1 Baylor fell in an overtime thriller to No. 8 UNC in the second round of the 2022 men’s NCAA tournament on Saturday afternoon, ending the program’s hopes of a repeat as national champions.
However, the Bears are far from the first of the previous year’s title-winner to stumble during the first weekend of next Big Dance. In fact, what happened to Baylor on Saturday has become somewhat of a normal occurrence in recent years.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Baylor became the the fifth straight defending champion to get bounced in the first two rounds of the ensuing tournament. The last title-winner to advance past the first weekend and into the Sweet 16 the following year was Duke in 2015 and ’16.
Virginia (2019 and ’21), Villanova (2018 and ’19), North Carolina (2017 and ’18) and Villanova again (2016 and ’17) were the last four defending champions who were unable to get into the Sweet 16 in the next tournament played after their title victory. The Cavaliers, a No. 4 seed in ’21, fell to No. 13 Ohio in the first round, whereas the Wildcats and Tar Heels got bounced in the second round each year after their respective championships.
With Baylor now out of the bracket this March, the stage is set for a new national champion to be crowned in a few weeks time.
