NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - NCAA Division I Champions
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NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - NCAA Division I Champions
The National Collegiate Division I Basketball Championship provides for a field of 65 teams. The Final Four tournament played in March determines the national champion, based on a single game elimination format.
The first national championship tournament, in 1939, was conducted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and sanctioned by the NCAA, which took over the tournament in 1940.
Prior to that the Helms Foundation (Los Angeles) retroactively selected Basketball National Champions from 1901 to 1941. In addition the Helms Foundation selected national college basketball champions from 1942-82. In most cases the selections were the NCAA tournament winners, however in 1939, 1940, 1944 and 1954 they were different. A full listing of the Helm Foundation selections is located here.
From 1939 through 1950, one team was chosen from each of the NCAA's eight districts. Four of them competed in a western tournament and four in an eastern tournament, with the two champions then playing for the national title.
The tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951, with 10 conference champions automatically qualifying and 6 at-large teams chosen by a committee. The move to the "Final Four" came the following year, when the number of regional tournaments was increased from two to four.
In 1954, the number of teams grew to 24, with 15 conference champions and 9 at-large teams. The number varied somewhat until 1975, when a 32-team bracket was adopted and the selection committee was allowed to choose a second team from a conference as an at-large entry.
The field has grown three times since then, to 48 in 1980, to 64 in 1988, and finally to 65 in 2001. In 2001, the men's tournament field expanded because 31 conferences received automatic bids, two more than in 2000. The winner of the preliminary game between two of the lower-ranked conferences moves into the brackets as a No. 16 seed. The number of conference champions automatically qualifying is subject to change from year to year, but under NCAA rules they can make up no more than half the teams in the tournament.
Year | Winner |
Score |
Runner-up |
Third Place |
Fourth Place |
Winning Coach |
1939 | Oregon |
46-33 |
Ohio State |
*Oklahoma |
*Villanova |
Howard Hobson |
1940 | Indiana |
60-42 |
Kansas |
*Duquesne |
*USC |
Branch McCracken |
1941 | Wisconsin |
39-34 |
Washington State |
*Pittsburgh |
*Arkansas |
Harold Foster |
1942 | Stanford |
53-38 |
Dartmouth |
*Colorado |
*Kentucky |
Everett Dean |
1943 | Wyoming |
46-34 |
Georgetown |
*Texas |
*DePaul |
Everett Shelton |
1944 | Utah |
42-40 (OT) |
Dartmouth |
*Iowa State |
*Ohio State |
Vadal Peterson |
1945 | Oklahoma State |
49-45 |
NYU |
*Arkansas |
*Ohio State |
Hank Iba |
1946 | Oklahoma State |
43-40 |
North Carolina |
Ohio State |
California |
Hank Iba |
1947 | Holy Cross |
58-47 |
Oklahoma |
Texas |
CCNY |
Alvin Julian |
1948 | Kentucky |
58-42 |
Baylor |
Holy Cross |
Kansas State |
Adolph Rupp |
1949 | Kentucky |
46-36 |
Oklahoma State |
Illinois |
Oregon State |
Adolph Rupp |
1950 | CCNY |
71-68 |
Bradley |
North Carolina State |
Baylor |
Nat Holman |
1951 | Kentucky |
68-58 |
Kansas State |
Illinois |
Oklahoma State |
Adolph Rupp |
1952 | Kansas |
80-63 |
St. John's (NY) |
Illinois |
Santa Clara |
Forrest Allen |
1953 | Indiana |
69-68 |
Kansas |
Washington |
LSU |
Branch McCracken |
1954 | La Salle |
92-76 |
Bradley |
Penn State |
USC |
Kenneth Loeffler |
1955 | San Francisco |
77-63 |
La Salle |
Colorado |
Iowa |
Phil Woolpert |
1956 | San Francisco |
83-71 |
Iowa |
Temple |
SMU |
Phil Woolpert |
1957 | North Carolina |
54-53 (3OT) |
Kansas |
San Francisco |
Michigan State |
Frank McGuire |
1958 | Kentucky |
84-72 |
Seattle |
Temple |
Kansas State |
Adolph Rupp |
1959 | California |
71-70 |
West Virginia |
Cincinnati |
Louisville |
Pete Newell |
1960 | Ohio State |
75-55 |
California |
Cincinnati |
NYU |
Fred Taylor |
1961 | Cincinnati |
70-65 (OT) |
Ohio State |
St Josephs |
Utah |
Edwin Jucker |
1962 | Cincinnati |
71-59 |
Ohio State |
Wake Forest |
UCLA |
Edwin Jucker |
1963 | Loyola (IL) |
60-58 (OT) |
Cincinnati |
Duke |
Oregon State |
George Ireland |
1964 | UCLA |
98-83 |
Duke |
Michigan |
Kansas State |
John Wooden |
1965 | UCLA |
91-80 |
Michigan |
Princeton |
Wichita State |
John Wooden |
1966 | UTEP |
72-65 |
Kentucky |
Duke |
Utah |
Don Haskins |
1967 | UCLA |
79-64 |
Dayton |
Houston |
North Carolina |
John Wooden |
1968 | UCLA |
78-55 |
North Carolina |
Ohio State |
Houston |
John Wooden |
1969 | UCLA |
92-72 |
Purdue |
Drake |
North Carolina |
John Wooden |
1970 | UCLA |
80-69 |
Jacksonville |
New Mexico State |
St. Bonaventure |
John Wooden |
1971 | UCLA |
68-62 |
Vacated |
Vacated |
Kansas |
John Wooden |
1972 | UCLA |
81-76 |
Florida State |
North Carolina |
Louisville |
John Wooden |
1973 | UCLA |
87-66 |
Memphis State |
Indiana |
Providence |
John Wooden |
1974 | North Carolina State |
76-64 |
Marquette |
UCLA |
Kansas |
Norm Sloan |
1975 | UCLA |
92-85 |
Kentucky |
Louisville |
Syracuse |
John Wooden |
1976 | Indiana |
86-68 |
Michigan |
UCLA |
Rutgers |
Bob Knight |
1977 | Marquette |
67-59 |
North Carolina |
UNLV |
NC-Charlotte |
Al McGuire |
1978 | Kentucky |
94-88 |
Duke |
Arkansas |
Notre Dame |
Joe Hall |
1979 | Michigan State |
75-64 |
Indiana State |
DePaul |
Penn |
Jud Heathcote |
1980 | Lousville |
59-54 |
Vacated |
Purdue |
Iowa |
Denny Crum |
1981 | Indiana |
63-50 |
North Carolina |
Virginia |
LSU |
Bob Knight |
1982 | North Carolina |
63-62 |
Georgetown |
*Houston |
*Louisville |
Dean Smith |
1983 | North Carolina State |
54-52 |
Houston |
*Georgia |
*Louisville |
Jim Valvano |
1984 | Georgetown |
84-75 |
Houston |
*Kentucky |
*Virginia |
John Thompson |
1985 | Villanova |
66-64 |
Georgetown |
St. John's (NY) |
Vacated |
Rollie Massimino |
1986 | Louisville |
72-69 |
Duke |
*Kansas |
*LSU |
Denny Crum |
1987 | Indiana |
74-73 |
Syracuse |
*UNLV |
*Providence |
Bob Knight |
1988 | Kansas |
83-79 |
Oklahoma |
*Arizona |
*Duke |
Larry Brown |
1989 | Michigan |
80-79 (OT) |
Seton Hall |
*Duke |
*Illinois |
Steve Fisher |
1990 | UNLV |
103-73 |
Duke |
*Arkansas |
*Georgia Tech |
Jerry Tarkanian |
1991 | Duke |
72-65 |
Kansas |
*UNLV |
*North Carolina |
Mike Krzyzewski |
1992 | Duke |
71-51 |
Michigan |
*Cincinnati |
*Indiana |
Mike Krzyzewski |
1993 | North Carolina |
77-71 |
Michigan |
*Kansas |
*Kentucky |
Dean Smith |
1994 | Arkansas |
76-72 |
Duke |
*Arizona |
*Florida |
Nolan Richardson |
1995 | UCLA |
89-78 |
Arkansas |
*North Carolina |
*Oklahoma State |
Jim Harrick |
1996 | Kentucky |
76-67 |
Syracuse |
Vacated |
Mississippi State |
Rick Pitino |
1997 | Arizona |
84-79 (OT) |
Kentucky |
*Minnesota |
*North Carolina |
Lute Olson |
1998 | Kentucky |
78-69 |
Utah |
*Stanford |
*North Carolina |
Tubby Smith |
1999 | Connecticut |
77-74 |
Duke |
*Michigan State |
*Ohio State |
Jim Calhoun |
2000 | Michigan State |
89-76 |
Florida |
*Wisconsin |
*North Carolina |
Tom Izzo |
2001 | Duke |
82-72 |
Arizona |
*Maryland |
*Michigan State |
Mike Krzyzewski |
2002 | Maryland |
64-52 |
Indiana |
*Oklahoma |
*Kansas |
Gary Williams |
2003 | Syracuse |
81-78 |
Kansas |
*Marquette |
*Texas |
Jim Boeheim |
2004 | Connecticut |
82-73 |
Georgia Tech |
*Duke |
*Oklahoma State |
Jim Calhoun |
2005 | North Carolina | 75-70 | Illinois | *Michigan State | *Louisville | Roy Williams |
2006 | Florida | 73-57 | UCLA | George Mason | LSU | Billy Donovan |
2007 | Florida | 84-75 | Ohio State | Georgetown | UCLA | Billy Donovan |
* denotes teams tied for third place