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The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has held annual Division I men's basketball championship tournaments since 1939, with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last 10 NCAA Division I men's basketball champions were: Connecticut (2023, 2024), Arkansas (2022), Baylor (2021), Kansas (2019 and 2020), Virginia (2018), Villanova (2017 and 2018), North Carolina (2016), Duke (2015), Connecticut (2014), and Louisville (2013). However, Louisville's 2013 championship win was vacated by the NCAA in 2018 due to a sex scandal involving recruits.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of the last 10 championships | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 (cancelled), 2023, 2024 |
| Winners of the last 10 championships | Louisville (2013, vacated by the NCAA in 2018), UConn (2014), Duke (2015), Villanova (2016, 2018), North Carolina (2017), Virginia (2019), UConn (2023, 2024) |
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What You'll Learn
2024 and 2023 NCAA Tournament champions: UConn
The University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, branded as UConn, won the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Tournament Championships. UConn defeated San Diego State in the 2023 final and Purdue in 2024. UConn's 2024 victory was the first time since 2012 that the top overall seed won the tournament. It also marked the first time since 2016 that a defending champion advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
The NCAA Tournament has been held annually since 1939, except for 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament field has expanded over time, growing from eight teams initially to 65 by 2001, and 68 as of 2011. Teams can gain entry by winning a conference championship or receiving an at-large bid from an NCAA Selection Committee.
The 2024 tournament saw 68 teams compete, with 32 automatic bids awarded to programs that won a conference tournament. The remaining 36 bids were issued "at-large". Eight teams (consisting of the four lowest-seeded automatic and at-large qualifiers) competed in the First Four, with the winners advancing to the main tournament bracket.
UConn's consecutive championship wins in 2023 and 2024 added to their previous successes in the NCAA Tournament. UConn has now won six championships in total, tying them with North Carolina for third-most all-time, behind Kentucky (8) and Duke and Indiana (5 each).
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2021 NBA champions: Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks were crowned 2021 NBA Finals Champions, winning the league and claiming the Larry O'Brien Trophy. This was a huge moment for the team and their fans, who had believed in them throughout the season. The Bucks' victory was historic, and their success has been commemorated with official merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, and a rainbow patch.
The Bucks' win in 2021 adds to their previous NBA Championship title in 1971, when they defeated the Baltimore Bullets and became the champions for the first time. The 2021 victory is especially sweet for the team and their supporters, ending a 50-year wait for the championship title.
The NBA Tournament has been held annually since 1939, with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament has grown over the years, now featuring 68 teams, up from eight when it began. The semifinals, known as the Final Four, are held in a different city each year, with the exception of Indianapolis, the NCAA's base, which will host the Final Four every five years until 2040.
The Bucks' victory in 2021 prevented the Phoenix Suns from claiming their first-ever NBA championship title. The Suns had an impressive regular season, finishing with the second-best record in the entire league. However, they were unable to overcome the Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA during the regular season.
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2013 NCAA Tournament: Louisville, later vacated
The 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was the 75th annual edition of the tournament and began on March 19, 2013, concluding with the championship game on April 8. A total of 68 teams entered the 2013 tournament, playing in a single-elimination format to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2012–13 season.
The Final Four consisted of Louisville, Wichita State, Syracuse, and Michigan. Louisville defeated Michigan in the championship game by a final score of 82–76, winning their first national title since 1986. Louisville's head coach, Rick Pitino, became the first coach to win an NCAA championship with two different schools.
However, on February 20, 2018, the NCAA vacated Louisville's entire tournament run, including its national title, due to a 2015 sex scandal involving the university's men's basketball program. The scandal involved improper benefits given by Andre McGee, a former Louisville player who was then serving as Director of Basketball Operations, to prospective players and former Louisville players. As a result of the scandal, Louisville's basketball program was sanctioned, and the university was fined for revenue earned from advertisements during the Final Fours and National Championship. The university filed an appeal, but the NCAA upheld its original decision, declaring no official result of the 2013 NCAA tournament and no official winner of the national championship.
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2011 NCAA Tournament: UConn
The 2010-11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010-2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Jim Calhoun and played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies were a member of the Big East Conference.
The Huskies entered the year unranked and picked to finish tenth in the Big East. In November, they won the Maui Invitational Tournament for the second time. They finished the Big East regular season in a tie for ninth place at 9–9. Led by Kemba Walker, who scored a tournament record of 130 points, they became the first school to win five conference tournament games in as many days in claiming their seventh Big East tournament title. By winning the tournament, they were awarded an automatic berth into the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
UConn continued to earn win after win, improving to 17-2, before closing their season with several conference battles. The Huskies played on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the week of the Big East tournament. Calhoun called not earning a first-round bye “a slap in the face,” and his team responded by cruising past DePaul and Georgetown.
The Huskies ultimately earned the No. 3 seed in the West Region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Walker scored 18 in an easy win over the No. 14 Bucknell Bison and then 33 more against the No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. Walker's biggest scoring game of the entire run came against No. 2 seed San Diego State Aztecs, where he scored 36 points. At the Final Four, UConn and Jim Calhoun defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in the national semifinal at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, before beating the Butler Bulldogs in the championship game to win the 2011 national title.
The 2011 UConn Huskies put together one of the greatest postseason runs in college basketball history, winning five games in five days in the Big East Tournament and then six more in the NCAA Tournament to win the national championship.
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1985 NCAA Tournament: Villanova
The 1985 NCAA Tournament, the first to feature a 64-team bracket, culminated in the Villanova Wildcats defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 66-64 to win their first-ever national championship. The game, held on April 1, 1985, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, is considered one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
Villanova, an eighth seed from the Southeast region, faced a formidable Georgetown team that was the defending national champion and the top seed from the East region. Georgetown, coached by John Thompson, featured star centre Patrick Ewing, who was named to the 1985 All-American team. They began the season with a 14-game winning streak against Division I clubs and were widely regarded as one of the best college teams in years.
Villanova, on the other hand, had a more challenging season. Coached by Rollie Massimino, the Wildcats started with a 13-3 record but then suffered a slump, going 5-5 in their last 10 regular-season games. They entered the 1985 NCAA Tournament with a 19-10 record and were not expected to contend for the championship.
However, Villanova pulled off a series of upsets en route to the Final Four, where they joined Georgetown and two other Big East teams, St. John's and Villanova, marking the first time three teams from the same conference reached the Final Four. In the championship game, Villanova executed a near-perfect game plan, combining excellent defence with efficient shooting. Dwayne McClain led the Wildcats with 17 points, and the team shot an impressive 79% from the field. They also managed to get Ewing into foul trouble and slowed the pace of the game to their advantage.
Villanova's victory over Georgetown, a team with five future NBA players, marked a significant upset and a memorable moment in college basketball history. It was the Wildcats' first national championship, ending the season with a remarkable achievement.
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