Who has won the most NCAA men’s basketball championships?
Since 1939 the NCAA has been crowning a men’s basketball champion. It is one of the most coveted titles in college sports, and the championship tournament has become must-see TV in the United States. The first winner was Oregon, which defeated Ohio State in a closely contested game, 46–43. Since then more than 35 schools have claimed the title. However, one stands above all the others: UCLA. It has won a record-setting 11 championships. Second is Kentucky, with 8 titles. Next on the list are 6-time winners North Carolina and UConn. Read on to see how the winning teams in Division I rank.
| school | titles | years |
|---|---|---|
| *Louisville’s 2013 championship was vacated by the NCAA. | ||
| UCLA | 11 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 |
| UConn | 6 | 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024 |
| Indiana | 5 | 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
| Duke | 5 | 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
| Kansas | 4 | 1952, 1988, 2008, 2022 |
| Villanova | 3 | 1985, 2016, 2018 |
| Florida | 3 | 2006, 2007, 2025 |
| Louisville* | 2 | 1980, 1986 |
| Oklahoma State | 2 | 1945, 1946 |
| San Francisco | 2 | 1955, 1956 |
| Cincinnati | 2 | 1961, 1962 |
| NC State | 2 | 1974, 1983 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 1979, 2000 |
| Michigan | 2 | 1989, 2026 |
| Oregon | 1 | 1939 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 1941 |
| Stanford | 1 | 1942 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 1943 |
| Utah | 1 | 1944 |
| Holy Cross | 1 | 1947 |
| CCNY | 1 | 1950 |
| La Salle | 1 | 1954 |
| California (Berkeley) | 1 | 1959 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 1960 |
| Loyola (Ill.) | 1 | 1963 |
| UTEP | 1 | 1966 |
| Marquette | 1 | 1977 |
| Georgetown | 1 | 1984 |
| UNLV | 1 | 1990 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 1994 |
| Arizona | 1 | 1997 |
| Maryland | 1 | 2002 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 2003 |
| Virginia | 1 | 2019 |
| Baylor | 1 | 2021 |
Citation Information
Article Title:
Who has won the most NCAA men’s basketball championships?
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
06 April 2026
Access Date:
November 15, 2026