When March Madness was canceled in 2020, it was more than the loss of a tournament. It was the loss of closure, of crowning a champion after months of battles on hardwood courts across the country. Fans have never stopped debating who would have cut down the nets.
For some, the heartbreak is personal. Entire seasons of hope ended overnight. Players lost their chance at glory. Fans never got to see their brackets tested. In threads years later, the question still burns: if March Madness had been played in 2020, who would have won it all?
The Kansas Case
Many fans point to Kansas as the clear favorite. u/rcragg82 reminded readers that the Jayhawks had two first team All Americans in Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike, plus Marcus Garrett, the defensive player of the year, and future NBA draft picks Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun.
Their resume was stacked. A 16 game winning streak carried them into the Big 12 tournament. u/wretched_beasties said it plainly: “Nobody could stop Udoka and Dotson that year, this one still hurts”. The Jayhawks had size, speed, and defense that locked down opponents. The only flaw was outside shooting, but many fans believe they would have powered through anyway. As one user put it, Kansas was simply on a tear.
Dayton’s Unfinished Dream
On the other side of the argument is Dayton, the Cinderella that never got to dance. The Flyers had gone toe to toe with Kansas at the Maui Invitational, taking the game to overtime. That game became a symbol. u/Clear-Garage-4828, who attended in person, called it the real national championship of 2020: “Those were the two best teams in the country that year. Dayton never lost in regulation. Kansas had so much star power. That game was, in my mind, the 2020 national championship game”.
Dayton was not just a feel good story. They were 29-2 and had dominated the Atlantic 10. Fans in Ohio and beyond were convinced it was their time. As u/Hawkdagon said, it took until February for the rest of the country to see it was no fluke.
The Forgotten Contenders
While Kansas and Dayton dominate the debate, other teams had strong claims. San Diego State finished 30-2, a team with both firepower and defensive grit. u/lazergator pointed out that Nathan Mensah was set to return for the tournament, which could have made them even more dangerous.
Florida State, with its depth and athleticism, was called a matchup nightmare. Baylor and Gonzaga also had elite squads ready for deep runs. Some even brought up Seton Hall and Wisconsin, each carrying momentum into March. But the majority of fans circleD back to Kansas and Dayton.
