2012 NCAA Basketball Champion Power Ranking: Kentucky vs Last 25 National Champs

Using our college basketball simulation engine, we placed Kentucky in a round-robin tournament featuring every national champion from the past 25 years. Every team in the tournament played every other team 51 times. The simulation generated each team's winning percentage (Win%) and average points per game (Avg PPG).

To simulate these games or any other theoretical matchups of your choosing, try the WhatIfSports College Basketball SimMatchup tool.

2012 Kentucky vs Past 25 NCAA Basketball Champions
Rank	Team	Win%	Avg Score	Simulate vs Kentucky
1	2000-01 Duke Blue Devils	89.8	96.8	SimMatchup >
2	1995-96 Kentucky Wildcats	83.1	95.0	SimMatchup >
3	2004-05 North Carolina Tar Heels	80.4	94.4	SimMatchup >
4	1989-90 UNLV Runnin' Rebels	73.3	96.1	SimMatchup >
5	1997-98 Kentucky Wildcats	59.9	84.4	SimMatchup >
6	1991-92 Duke Blue Devils	59.8	93.3	SimMatchup >
7	2007-08 Kansas Jayhawks	59.6	84.5	SimMatchup >
8	2003-04 Connecticut Huskies	57.6	81.9	SimMatchup >
9	2001-02 Maryland Terrapins	56.5	89.4	SimMatchup >
10	2008-09 North Carolina Tar Heels	55.6	91.7	SimMatchup >
11	1994-95 UCLA Bruins	54.7	91.3	SimMatchup >
12	2006-07 Florida Gators	53.5	85.2	SimMatchup >
13	1992-93 North Carolina Tar Heels	53.4	89.3	SimMatchup >
14	1993-94 Arkansas Razorbacks	51.3	92.7	SimMatchup >
15	2005-06 Florida Gators	49.3	84.1	SimMatchup >
16	1988-89 Michigan Wolverines	46.3	90.8	SimMatchup >
17	1998-99 Connecticut Huskies	43.3	83.9	SimMatchup >
18	2011-12 Kentucky Wildcats	41.4	78.3	SimMatchup >
19	1990-91 Duke Blue Devils	40.5	89.7	SimMatchup >
20	1999-00 Michigan State Spartans	39.8	82.8	SimMatchup >
21	2009-10 Duke Blue Devils	37.6	82.2	SimMatchup >
22	2002-03 Syracuse Orange	29.8	82.4	SimMatchup >
23	1986-87 Indiana Hoosiers	28.5	86.9	SimMatchup >
24	2010-11 Connecticut Huskies	23.2	75.2	SimMatchup >
25	1996-97 Arizona Wildcats	20.9	85.2	SimMatchup >
26	1987-88 Kansas Jayhawks	10.9	80.0	SimMatchup >

The NCAA tournament tends to serve as the great equalizer of college basketball. Even the most talented squads have trouble navigating its gauntlet. As a result, more often than not, the team cutting down the net isn't really the "best" team at all. Consider Kentucky the exception.

The Wildcats were the preseason No. 2 team in the AP Top 25 and spent the last eight weeks of the season atop the rankings. Their loaded lineup features the Naismith College Player of the Year in Anthony Davis and as many as six first round NBA draft picks.

But how does Kentucky compare to past NCAA champions? Using our college basketball simulation engine, we pitted the Wildcats against the last 25 winners.

Kentucky ranked 18th in the simulation, winning 41.4 percent of its games, despite finishing as the second-lowest scoring team. Credit the Wildcats' simulation success to the same tenacious defense they deployed in limiting Kansas to 59 points on 35.5 percent shooting in the National Championship game.

Rick Pitino's 1995-96 team still sets the standard for the Wildcats, finishing second in the simulation with a winning percentage of 83.1.

Are you interested in creating your own all-time NCAA tournament dream team? Check out our NCAA Basketball Dream Teams feature and start loading up your roster with guys like Duke's Christian Laettner, Indiana's Isiah Thomas, Georgetown's Patrick Ewing, and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough. Then simulate your roster against other dream teams or any NCAA basketball program past or present. Best of all, it's FREE!