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NCAA Division I men’s college basketball champions
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The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team celebrates on stage, posing with the championship trophy and wearing championship shirts and towels after winning the 2022 NCAA title.
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2022 NCAA champions
2022 NCAA champions Members of the University of Kansas Jayhawks celebrating their win over the University of North Carolina Tarheels in the NCAA championship, 2022.

NCAA Division I men’s college basketball champions

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History

NCAA Division I men’s college basketball champions, winners of the annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s college basketball tournament (commonly referred to as March Madness). The tournament’s field consists of 68 teams that either automatically qualify by winning their conference championship tournament or are selected as at-large entrants on the basis of their regular-season performance. The bracket consists of four 16-team regions (East, West, South, and Midwest) with teams seeded 1–16 and matched up accordingly within each region. (Before the tournament proper begins, the four overall lowest-seeded teams and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams are matched up in play-in games to determine the last four participants [two from the overall lowest seeds and two from the at-large seeds] in the 64-team field.) The teams then play in single-elimination games on neutral courts over three successive weeks of competition to determine a national champion. Below is a list of NCAA men’s tournament championship game results.

Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship—men
year winner runner-up score
*Louisville's title was vacated in 2018 because of rules violations committed between 2011 and 2015.
**Tournament canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
1939 Oregon Ohio State 46–43
1940 Indiana Kansas 60–42
1941 Wisconsin Washington State 39–34
1942 Stanford Dartmouth 53–38
1943 Wyoming Georgetown 46–34
1944 Utah Dartmouth 42–40
1945 Oklahoma A&M New York 49–45
1946 Oklahoma A&M North Carolina 43–40
1947 Holy Cross Oklahoma 58–47
1948 Kentucky Baylor 58–42
1949 Kentucky Oklahoma State 46–36
1950 CCNY Bradley 71–68
1951 Kentucky Kansas State 68–58
1952 Kansas St. John's (N.Y.) 80–63
1953 Indiana Kansas 69–68
1954 La Salle Bradley 92–76
1955 San Francisco La Salle 77–63
1956 San Francisco Iowa 83–71
1957 North Carolina Kansas 54–53
1958 Kentucky Seattle 84–72
1959 California (Berkeley) West Virginia 71–70
1960 Ohio State California (Berkeley) 75–55
1961 Cincinnati Ohio State 70–65
1962 Cincinnati Ohio State 71–59
1963 Loyola (Ill.) Cincinnati 60–58
1964 UCLA Duke 98–83
1965 UCLA Michigan 91–80
1966 Texas Western Kentucky 72–65
1967 UCLA Dayton 79–64
1968 UCLA North Carolina 78–55
1969 UCLA Purdue 92–72
1970 UCLA Jacksonville 80–69
1971 UCLA Villanova 68–62
1972 UCLA Florida State 81–76
1973 UCLA Memphis State 87–66
1974 North Carolina State Marquette 76–64
1975 UCLA Kentucky 92–85
1976 Indiana Michigan 86–68
1977 Marquette North Carolina 67–59
1978 Kentucky Duke 94–88
1979 Michigan State Indiana State 75–64
1980 Louisville UCLA 59–54
1981 Indiana North Carolina 63–50
1982 North Carolina Georgetown 63–62
1983 North Carolina State Houston 54–52
1984 Georgetown Houston 84–75
1985 Villanova Georgetown 66–64
1986 Louisville Duke 72–69
1987 Indiana Syracuse 74–73
1988 Kansas Oklahoma 83–79
1989 Michigan Seton Hall 80–79
1990 UNLV Duke 103–73
1991 Duke Kansas 72–65
1992 Duke Michigan 71–51
1993 North Carolina Michigan 77–71
1994 Arkansas Duke 76–72
1995 UCLA Arkansas 89–78
1996 Kentucky Syracuse 76–67
1997 Arizona Kentucky 84–79
1998 Kentucky Utah 78–69
1999 Connecticut Duke 77–74
2000 Michigan State Florida 89–76
2001 Duke Arizona 82–72
2002 Maryland Indiana 64–52
2003 Syracuse Kansas 81–78
2004 Connecticut Georgia Tech 82–73
2005 North Carolina Illinois 75–70
2006 Florida UCLA 73–57
2007 Florida Ohio State 84–75
2008 Kansas Memphis 75–68
2009 North Carolina Michigan State 89–72
2010 Duke Butler 61–59
2011 Connecticut Butler 53–41
2012 Kentucky Kansas 67–59
2013 Louisville* Michigan 82–76
2014 Connecticut Kentucky 60–54
2015 Duke Wisconsin 68–63
2016 Villanova North Carolina 77–74
2017 North Carolina Gonzaga 71–65
2018 Villanova Michigan 79–62
2019 Virginia Texas Tech 85–77
2020 not held**
2021 Baylor Gonzaga 86–70
2022 Kansas North Carolina 72–69
2023 Connecticut San Diego State 76–59
2024 Connecticut Purdue 75–60
2025 Florida Houston 65–63
2026 Michigan Connecticut 69–63
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.