The NCAA March Madness is a single-elimination basketball competition featuring 68 teams from Division I of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) that is held each spring in the United States. The National Association of Basketball Trainers first held this competition in 1939, and Harold Olsen, the coach at Ohio State, proposed the concept. It is currently one of the most well-known sporting activities conducted in the United States, and it takes place in March. Most championship winners come from the 32 Division I conferences, and an NCAA selection group chooses these teams.
March Madness Winners List
The NCAA Men's National Championship events are listed below by year. It displays winners, runner-ups, final scores, and years.
| March Madness Winners | |||
| Year | Winner | runner-up | Final Score |
| 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 | UConn | San Diego State | 76–59 |
*Due to rules violations between 2011 and 2015, Louisville's championship was annulled in 2018.
**Due to the coronavirus outbreak, a tournament has been postponed.
Key Factors in Winning
Key factors in winning the NCAA Basketball Championship are given below:
Data Understanding
Data Cleaning
Methodology
Modeling/ categorized
Top Contenders for the 2023–24 Tournament
The top contenders with the best probability of making the Final Four and winning the championship are as follows:
Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY
Final Four: UConn, North Carolina, Houston, and PurdueChampionship: UConn over Purdue
Dan Wolken, USA TODAY
Final Four: UConn, Saint Mary's, Houston, and CreightonChampionship: UConn over Houston
Dick Vitale, ESPN
Final Four: UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, and BaylorChampions: UConn
Jay Bilas, ESPN
Final Four: UConn, Houston, Purdue, and ArizonaChampions: UConn
Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated
Final Four: UConn, Houston, Baylor, and CreightonChampionship: UConn over Houston
Kerry Miller, Bleacher Report
Final Four: UConn, North Carolina, Tennessee, and KentuckyChampionship: UConn over Tennessee
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports
Final Four: UConn, Houston, Arizona, and PurdueChampionship: Purdue over Arizona
March Madness 2024 FAQs
A. The 2023–24 season's March Madness will conclude on April 8.
