Title team notes

Three of the six current major team sport’s champions were second best in the previous season. They are Clemson University in college football, North Carolina University in college basketball and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.

Additionally, the Pittsburgh Penguins repeated as NHL champions, while two defending champions, Alabama University and the Cleveland Cavaliers lost in their entity’s final.

I doubt there has ever been such a plethora of defending “second best” teams winning it all and doing so vs defending champions. Also in the four cited, six of eight teams returned to the final while in the NBA, college basketball and college football it was 5 of 6 as only Villanova the ’16 title winner in college basketball did not make a “final return trip.”