The Florida Gators have won three national championships in college basketball since 2000, establishing themselves as a top program. They have also made five Final Four appearances and reached the title game a fourth time.
The Florida Gators have emerged as a college basketball blue blood since the turn of the millennium, winning three national championships, playing in the title game a fourth time, and making five total Final Four appearances. What was once considered a football school has become a dual threat in two of North America's biggest sports.
Now that the dust has settled from the Michigan Wolverines' second-ever NCAA Tournament triumph, ESPN's Myron Medcalf took on the task of ranking every champion of this century ā bearing in mind that there was no champion crowned during the 2020 COVID campaign ā beginning with the 1999-2000 season.
The author employed "a combination of real data and the eye test" in making his assessment, so these rankings are anything but scientific. Take a look at where the Orange and Blue's three trophy-winning teams landed on the list.
Non-tourney achievements:Ā Finished second in the SEC; won SEC tournament championship
**Best player:**Walter Clayton Jr. (AP All-America first team, NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player)
"The Gators ended the season as one of the hottest teams in the country after losing just one game after Feb. 1, finishing a game behind the NCAA tournament's No. 1 overall seed Auburn in the SEC standings while securing the conference tournament title. They also ranked second in adjusted offensive efficiency and sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom," Medcalf begins.
"It was Clayton's rise ā he scored 23 or more points in four NCAA tournament games ā that helped lift the Gators through close calls in multiple games. They had to fight through sizable deficits in multiple games and managed to launch successful comebacks in each, but they were a great story more than an all-time great team."
Best player:Ā Joakim Noah (AP All-America honorable mention, MOP)
"Billy Donovan's two-peat began with a Florida team that won its first 17-0 games and then struggled through a 5-6 stretch. There were mitigating circumstances, though. Lee Humphrey, the starting point guard, had to overcome a shoulder injury and Corey Brewer needed time to recover from mono," Medcalf notes.
"On March 1, 2006, however, Noah scored 37 points in a 77-66 win over Georgia that snapped a three-game losing streak. Florida never lost another game. Noah had 30 blocks in the NCAA tournament, as the Gators ā whose roster also included Al Horford ā ended 2-seed UCLA's 12-game winning streak. Plus, their NCAA tournament opponents averaged only 56.6 PPG."
2007 Florida Gators (No. 5)
Record:(35-5)
How they won:Ā def. Ohio State 84-75
NCAA tournament margin of victory:Ā 14.1 PPG
KenPom net rating:Ā +30.81 (2nd in the nation)
Non-tourney achievements:Ā SEC regular season champion; SEC tournament champion
Best player:Ā Joakim Noah (Associated Press All-America second team)
"Between March 21, 2006, and Feb. 17, 2007, these Gators lost only two games. Their first national title run in 2006 established a new standard for a program that won its second title in a row a year later. How? They thrived on a concept that's almost impossible to achieve in today's game: continuity," Medcalf offers.
"The same starters from the 2006 title game ā Lee Humphrey, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Noah ā also started in the 2007 championship win over an Ohio State squad led by freshman Greg Oden (an AP first-team All-American) and Mike Conley Jr. (18 years in the NBA). These Gators didn't dominate the NCAA tournament, but they were more consistent than the 2006 team and one of the better squads we've witnessed over the past 25 years."
Ranking NCAA tournament champions of the 21st century
2001 Duke Blue Devils
2009 North Carolina Tar Heels
2012 Kentucky Wildcats
2024 UConn Huskies
2007 Florida Gators
2018 Villanova Wildcats
2004 UConn Huskies
2005 North Carolina Tar Heels
2008 Kansas Jayhawks
2026 Michigan Wolverines
2023 UConn Huskies
2006 Florida Gators
2016 Villanova Wildcats
2015 Duke Blue Devils
2000 Michigan State Spartans
2013 Louisville Cardinals
2002 Maryland Terrapins
2003 Syracuse Orange
2010 Duke Blue Devils
2022 Kansas Jayhawks
2021 Baylor Bears
2025 Florida Gators
2019 Virginia Cavaliers
2017 North Carolina Tar Heels
2011 UConn Huskies
Follow usĀ @GatorsWireĀ on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page onĀ FacebookĀ to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
How many national championships has the Florida Gators basketball team won?
The Florida Gators basketball team has won three national championships.
What years did the Florida Gators win their national titles?
The Florida Gators won their national titles in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Where do the Florida Gators rank among college basketball champions of the 2000s?
The Florida Gators are ranked No. 22 among college basketball champions of the 2000s according to ESPN's recent rankings.
How many times have the Florida Gators reached the Final Four?
The Florida Gators have made a total of five Final Four appearances.
Related Articles
Sports
LIV Golf is still going, but its days seem numbered and probably always were
LIV Golf's future appears uncertain as reports suggest Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund may withdraw funding after investing $5 billion. Despite assurances for the 2026 season, the tour faces challenges from low ratings and strong competition from the PGA Tour.
ESPN NewsĀ·Ā·1 min read
MLBĀ·Recap
Angels' Mike Trout hits another HR to join Aaron Judge in rare Yankee Stadium history
Mike Trout's 446-foot HR joins him with Aaron Judge in Yankee Stadium lore.
Yahoo SportsĀ·Ā·1 min read
MLBĀ·Feature
Tigers projected to take a gamble on the upside of a 6'3" prep bat
Detroit Tigers projected to take a risk on a 6'3" prep bat in the MLB draft.