From 1990-99, the Duke basketball program accomplished just enough to earn the nod over Kentucky as the decade’s best; both had two national championships, but the Blue Devils held a five-to-four edge in final fours. That being said, plenty of folks in Lexington wouldn’t hesitate to put forth a counter-argument as to why the Wildcats were the best of the ’90s.
As for 2000-09, the only logical pick was UNC (two national titles, four final fours). Painfully, this one is tough to argue.
But it’s not as if anyone hands out an official trophy; rather, just like most of the best-of-anything titles abundant on the internet, deciding the best program from a decade is just an opportunity for writers to pass the time on slow news days and spark a heated discussion.