It's that time of the year again. The first round of the 2024 NCAA Basketball Tournament first round is set to tip off on Tuesday. Two compelling First Four matchups will decide the four schools that will enter the first round of March Madness 2024.
To commence the tournament, Wagner (16-15) will lock horns with Howard (18-16) for the No. 16 seed and the winner will face No. 1 seed North Carolina on Thursday.
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Who was the last back-to-back NCAA basketball champion?
The last time to win back-to-back NCAA basketball championships was the Florida Gators men's basketball team. It was William John Donovan Jr. who led them to two championships in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
In 2006, Florida defeated UCLA 73-57 at the RCA Dome, Indiana. In the next season, they faced Ohio State in the finals and defeated them 84-75 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Teams to win back-to-back NCAA basketball tournaments
A total of seven teams have won back-to-back NCAA basketball tournaments since it commenced in 1939. These are the teams that won the tournament twice in a row:
- Oklahoma State: 1945-56
- Kentucky: 1948-49
- San Francisco: 1955-56
- Cincinnati: 1961-62
- UCLA: 1964-65, 1967-1973
- Duke: 1991-92
- Florida: 2006-07
This year, UConn will be attempting to win back-to-back NCAA tournaments since Florida. They are the No. 1 seed in the East Region.
First Four March Madness 2024 schedule
The First Four starts on Tuesday at the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, with Wagner taking on Howard at 6:40 p.m. ET. The main offering will pit Colorado State and Virginia at 9:10 p.m. ET.
On Wednesday, Grambling and Montana State will begin the second session at 6:40 p.m. ET, followed by the Colorado-Boise State encounter at 9:10 p.m. ET.
The First Four matches will be broadcast on TruTV, while the live stream is available on Paramount+, Hulu, the NCAA March Madness Live app, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo.
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