Throughout this college basketball season, words like “historic” and “generational” have been thrown around without much context, especially around March Madness. You’re here because general, albeit awfully flattering, terms like that don’t cut it for you – you need detail.
I’ve got you covered.
March Madness Profile Rankings, 2021–25
This sport we love is ever-evolving, making it irresponsible to compare statistical profiles directly from one year to another.
An elite FG% this year is not the same as last year or in 2021. That theory applies to every metric used in our March Madness content. In that vein, I wanted to compare every team against their field and the level of excellence against past teams.
We lost our beloved tournament during the COVID-19 season in 2020; the game has changed ever since. From Stephen Curry’s impact on offensive structure to NIL to extended eligibility, there is no denying that the post-2020 era differs from the years that preceded it.
With that in mind, I’ve logged all the March Madness grades by season, thus allowing me to compare just how impressive each profile was regarding the 67 teams in the field that season and compare those rates across seasons.
Enough talking—you came to see where this year’s best teams rank among the best Madness profiles since 2021.
| Historic Rank | Season | School | Round of Elimination | Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | Purdue | Title Game | 1 |
| 2 | 2025 | Duke | 1 | |
| 3 | 2024 | Connecticut | CHAMPION | 1 |
| 4 | 2021 | Michigan | Elite Eight | 1 |
| 5 | 2022 | Arizona | Sweet 16 | 1 |
| 6 | 2022 | Gonzaga | Sweet 16 | 1 |
| 7 | 2021 | Illinois | Round 2 | 1 |
| 8 | 2021 | Gonzaga | Title Game | 1 |
| 9 | 2024 | Creighton | Sweet 16 | 3 |
| 10 | 2023 | Arizona | Round 1 | 2 |
| 11 | 2025 | Auburn | 1 | |
| 12 | 2021 | Iowa | Round 2 | 2 |
| 13 | 2022 | Kansas | CHAMPION | 1 |
| 14 | 2021 | Baylor | CHAMPION | 1 |
| 15 | 2022 | Duke | Final Four | 2 |
| 16 | 2025 | Florida | 1 | |
| 17 | 2023 | Kansas | Round 2 | 1 |
| 18 | 2023 | Purdue | Round 1 | 1 |
| 19 | 2023 | Xavier | Sweet 16 | 3 |
| 20 | 2024 | Marquette | Sweet 16 | 2 |
| 21 | 2023 | Marquette | Round 2 | 2 |
| 22 | 2022 | Baylor | Round 2 | 1 |
| 23 | 2025 | Kentucky | 3 | |
| 24 | 2025 | Alabama | 2 | |
| 25 | 2023 | Texas | Elite Eight | 2 |
| 26 | 2024 | Arizona | Sweet 16 | 2 |
| 27 | 2025 | Texas Tech | 3 | |
| 28 | 2025 | Tennessee | 2 | |
| 29 | 2022 | Kentucky | Round 1 | 2 |
| 30 | 2023 | Alabama | Sweet 16 | 1 |
A great profile assures these teams nothing more than my support and a statistically favorable opportunity to make noise. Will Duke run the table, something this ranking suggests they should be heavily favored to do, even though they aren’t considered the top overall seed in this event?
KEEP READING: March Madness Trend — What Is the Impact of Seed and Pace?
That’s a choice you must make, but my numbers say yes in a big way!
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