Championship History
| Year | Champion (Record) | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Duke (35-4) | Mike Krzyzewski | 68-63 | Wisconsin | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 2014 | Connecticut (32-8) | Kevin Ollie | 60-54 | Kentucky | Arlington, Texas |
| 2013 | Louisville (35-5) | Rick Pitino | 82-76 | Michigan | Atlanta, Ga. |
| 2012 | Kentucky (38-2) | John Calipari | 67-59 | Kansas | New Orleans, La. |
| 2011 | Connecticut (32-9) | Jim Calhoun | 53-41 | Butler | Houston, Texas |
| 2010 | Duke (35-5) | Mike Krzyzewski | 61-59 | Butler | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 2009 | North Carolina (34-4) | Roy Williams | 89-72 | Michigan State | Detroit, Mich. |
| 2008 | Kansas (37-3) | Bill Self | 75-68 (OT) | Memphis | San Antonio, Texas |
| 2007 | Florida (35-5) | Billy Donovan | 84-75 | Ohio State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| 2006 | Florida (33-6) | Billy Donovan | 73-57 | UCLA | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 2005 | North Carolina (33-4) | Roy Williams | 75-70 | Illinois | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 2004 | Connecticut (33-6) | Jim Calhoun | 82-73 | Georgia Tech | San Antonio, Texas |
| 2003 | Syracuse (30-5) | Jim Boeheim | 81-78 | Kansas | New Orleans, La. |
| 2002 | Maryland (32-4) | Gary Williams | 64-52 | Indiana | Atlanta, Ga. |
| 2001 | Duke (35-4) | Mike Krzyzewski | 82-72 | Arizona | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 2000 | Michigan State (32-7) | Tom Izzo | 89-76 | Florida | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 1999 | Connecticut (34-2) | Jim Calhoun | 77-74 | Duke | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| 1998 | Kentucky (35-4) | Tubby Smith | 78-69 | Utah | San Antonio, Texas |
| 1997 | Arizona (25-9) | Lute Olson | 84-79 (OT) | Kentucky | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 1996 | Kentucky (34-2) | Rick Pitino | 76-67 | Syracuse | East Rutherford, N.J. |
| 1995 | UCLA (31-2) | Jim Harrick | 89-78 | Arkansas | Seattle, Wash. |
| 1994 | Arkansas (31-3) | Nolan Richardson | 76-72 | Duke | Charlotte, N.C. |
| 1993 | North Carolina (34-4) | Dean Smith | 77-71 | Michigan | New Orleans, La. |
| 1992 | Duke (34-2) | Mike Krzyzewski | 71-51 | Michigan | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 1991 | Duke (32-7) | Mike Krzyzewski | 72-65 | Kansas | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 1990 | UNLV (35-5) | Jerry Tarkanian | 103-73 | Duke | Denver, Colo. |
| 1989 | Michigan (30-7) | Steve Fisher | 80-79 (OT) | Seton Hall | Seattle, Wash. |
| 1988 | Kansas (27-11) | Larry Brown | 83-79 | Oklahoma | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1987 | Indiana (30-4) | Bob Knight | 74-73 | Syracuse | New Orleans, La. |
| 1986 | Louisville (32-7) | Denny Crum | 72-69 | Duke | Dallas, Texas |
| 1985 | Villanova (25-10) | Rollie Massimino | 66-64 | Georgetown | Lexington, Ky, |
| 1984 | Georgetown (34-3) | John Thompson | 84-75 | Houston | Seattle, Wash. |
| 1983 | North Carolina State (26-10) | Jim Valvano | 54-52 | Houston | Albuquerque, N.M. |
| 1982 | North Carolina (32-2) | Dean Smith | 63-62 | Georgetown | New Orleans, La. |
| 1981 | Indiana (26-9) | Bob Knight | 63-50 | North Carolina | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| 1980 | Louisville (33-3) | Denny Crum | 59-54 | UCLA | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 1979 | Michigan State (26-6) | Jud Heathcote | 75-64 | Indiana State | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 1978 | Kentucky (30-2) | Joe Hall | 94-88 | Duke | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 1977 | Marquette (25-7) | Al McGuire | 67-59 | North Carolina | Atlanta, Ga. |
| 1976 | Indiana (32-0) | Bob Knight | 86-68 | Michigan | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| 1975 | UCLA (28-3) | John Wooden | 92-85 | Kentucky | San Diego, Calif. |
| 1974 | North Carolina State (30-1) | Norm Sloan | 76-64 | Marquette | Greensboro, N.C. |
| 1973 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | 87-66 | Memphis State | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 1972 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | 81-76 | Florida State | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| 1971 | UCLA (29-1) | John Wooden | 68-62 | Villanova | Houston, Texas |
| 1970 | UCLA (28-2) | John Wooden | 80-69 | Jacksonville | College Park, Md. |
| 1969 | UCLA (29-1) | John Wooden | 92-72 | Purdue | Louisville, Ky. |
| 1968 | UCLA (29-1) | John Wooden | 78-55 | North Carolina | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| 1967 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | 79-64 | Dayton | Louisville, Ky. |
| 1966 | UTEP (28-1) | Don Haskins | 72-65 | Kentucky | College Park, Md. |
| 1965 | UCLA (28-2) | John Wooden | 91-80 | Michigan | Portland, Ore. |
| 1964 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | 98-83 | Duke | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1963 | Loyola (Ill.) (29-2) | George Ireland | 60-58 (OT) | Cincinnati | Louisville, Ky. |
| 1962 | Cincinnati (29-2) | Ed Jucker | 71-59 | Ohio State | Louisville, Ky. |
| 1961 | Cincinnati (27-3) | Ed Jucker | 70-65 (OT) | Ohio State | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1960 | Ohio State (25-3) | Fred Taylor | 75-55 | California | Daly City, Calif. |
| 1959 | California (25-4) | Pete Newell | 71-70 | West Virginia | Louisville, Ky. |
| 1958 | Kentucky (23-6) | Adolph Rupp | 84-72 | Seattle | Louisville, Ky. |
| 1957 | North Carolina (32-0) | Frank McGuire | 54-53 (3OT) | Kansas | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1956 | San Francisco (29-0) | Phil Woolpert | 83-71 | Iowa | Evanston, Ill. |
| 1955 | San Francisco (28-1) | Phil Woolpert | 77-63 | LaSalle | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1954 | La Salle (26-4) | Ken Loeffler | 92-76 | Bradley | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1953 | Indiana (23-3) | Branch McCracken | 69-68 | Kansas | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1952 | Kansas (28-3) | Phog Allen | 80-63 | St. John's | Seattle, Wash. |
| 1951 | Kentucky (32-2) | Adolph Rupp | 68-58 | Kansas State | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 1950 | CCNY (24-5) | Nat Holman | 71-68 | Bradley | New York, N.Y. |
| 1949 | Kentucky (32-2) | Adolph Rupp | 46-36 | Oklahoma A&M | Seattle, Wash. |
| 1948 | Kentucky (36-3) | Adolph Rupp | 58-42 | Baylor | New York, N.Y. |
| 1947 | Holy Cross (27-3) | Doggie Julian | 58-47 | Oklahoma | New York, N.Y. |
| 1946 | Oklahoma State (31-2) | Henry Iba | 43-40 | North Carolina | New York, N.Y. |
| 1945 | Oklahoma State (27-4) | Henry Iba | 49-45 | NYU | New York, N.Y. |
| 1944 | Utah (21-4) | Vadal Peterson | 42-40 (OT) | Dartmouth | New York, N.Y. |
| 1943 | Wyoming (31-2) | Everett Shelton | 46-34 | Georgetown | New York, N.Y. |
| 1942 | Stanford (28-4) | Everett Dean | 53-38 | Dartmouth | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1941 | Wisconsin (20-3) | Bud Foster | 39-34 | Washington State | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1940 | Indiana (20-3) | Branch McCracken | 60-42 | Kansas | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1939 | Oregon (29-5) | Howard Hobson | 46-33 | Ohio State | Evanston, Ill. |