March Madness has arrived again.
The 2025 NCAA Div. I Men’s Basketball Championship begins Tuesday and Wednesday (March 18-19) in Dayton, Ohio with the First Four games.
From there, an electric three weeks of competition lies ahead. It’ll all culminate at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas with the Men’s Final Four (Saturday, Apr. 5) and Men’s National Championship game (Monday, Apr. 7).
Two-time and defending men’s national champions UConn have not been up to their previous form this season. Nonetheless, the Huskies have a chance to join UCLA as the only schools to earn at least three consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championships in a row. UCLA earned an NCAA-record 7 consecutive titles from 1967-1973 under head coach John Wooden.
That’s one of the basics that you need to know about the men’s version of March Madness. Here are a few more…
Which team has won the most NCAA Division I men’s basketball championships all-time?
UCLA has won an NCAA-record 11 men’s basketball national championships (1964, 1965, 1967-1973, 1975, 1995). From 1964-1975, the Bruins created one of the greatest dynasties in sports history with 10 national championships, including seven in a row. But since that historic run, they’ve added just one. That came 30 years ago, when they knocked off Arkansas in the 1995 title game.
Which team has made the most men’s Final Four appearances all-time?
North Carolina has made an NCAA-record 21 men’s Final Four appearances. Their most recent appearance came in 2022. That year, the Tar Heels knocked off Marquette, No. 1 seed Baylor, UCLA and “Cinderella” No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s to reach the Final Four.
In the National Semifinal, UNC beat arch-rival Duke but squandered a 16-point lead over Kansas in the National Championship and lost to the Jayhawks, 72-69.
What’s the lowest men’s seed ever to win March Madness?
That would be No. 8 - Villanova back in 1985.
Since the NCAA men’s basketball tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985 (the field later expanded to its current 68 teams in 2011), the lowest seed to win the title is No. 8.
In 1985, No. 8 seed Villanova beat Patrick Ewing and No. 1 seed Georgetown, 66-64, in the National Championship game to claim one of the biggest upsets in NCAA men’s tournament history.
Has St. John’s ever won an NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship?
St. John’s, which enters this year’s NCAA men’s tournament as a 2 seed, has never won an NCAA men’s basketball national championship.
The closest that they’ve ever come to a national title was in 1952, when they lost the National Championship game to Kansas, 80-63.
33 years later, in 1985, they made their second and last men’s Final Four appearance. They lost to No. 1 seed Georgetown in the National Semifinal.
The Red Storm is fresh off winning its first outright BIG EAST men’s regular season title since the 1984-85 season and their first BIG EAST men’s tournament title since 2000.
Printable March Madness bracket 2025: NCAA Division I basketball bracket to download, fill out
Which coaches have won the most March Madness men’s championships?
The late John Wooden leads all head coaches with 10 NCAA men’s basketball national championships that he won with UCLA (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975).
Known as the “Wizard of Westwood,” Wooden mentored some of the game’s most beloved players, including Lew Alcindor - later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - and the late Bill Walton.
In total, six coaches have won at least 3 NCAA men’s basketball national championships. Retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is second behind Wooden with his five titles leading the Blue Devils (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015).
Following “Coach K” is the late Adolph Rupp and his four titles with Kentucky (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958).
Three others, Jim Calhoun (UConn - 1999, 2004, 2011), Roy Williams (North Carolina - 2005, 2009, 2017), and the late Bob Knight (Indiana - 1976, 1981, 1987), each have three titles.
North Carolina’s Inclusion in Men’s Basketball Tournament is an Optics Problem for the NCAA
March Madness – Past men’s basketball title winners, year by year
2024 - UConn
2023 - UConn
2022 - Kansas
2021 - Baylor
2020 - Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19
2019 - Virginia
2018 - Villanova
2017 - North Carolina
2016 - Villanova
2015 - Duke
2014 - UConn
2013 - Louisville (vacated due to NCAA rules violations)
2012 - Kentucky
2011 - UConn
2010 - Duke
2009 - North Carolina
2008 - Kansas
2007 - Florida
2006 - Florida
2005 - North Carolina
2004 - UConn
2003 - Syracuse
2002 - Maryland
2001 - Duke
2000 - Michigan State
1999 - UConn
1998 - Kentucky
1997 - Arizona
1996 - Kentucky
1995 - UCLA
1994 - Arkansas
1993 - North Carolina
1992 - Duke
1991 - Duke
1990 - UNLV
1989 - Michigan
1988 - Kansas
1987 - Indiana
1986 - Louisville
1985 - Villanova
1984 - Georgetown
1983 - NC State
1982 - North Carolina
1981 - Indiana
1980 - Louisville
1979 - Michigan State
1978 - Kentucky
1977 - Marquette
1976 - Indiana
1975 - UCLA
1974 - NC State
1973 - UCLA
1972 - UCLA
1971 - UCLA
1970 - UCLA
1969 - UCLA
1968 - UCLA
1967 - UCLA
1966 - UTEP
1965 - UCLA
1964 - UCLA
1963 - Loyola (IL)
1962 - Cincinnati
1961 - Cincinnati
1960 - Ohio State
1959 - California
1958 - Kentucky
1957 - North Carolina
1956 - San Francisco
1955 - San Francisco
1954 - La Salle
1953 - Indiana
1952 - Kansas
1951 - Kentucky
1950 - CCNY
1949 - Kentucky
1948 - Kentucky
1947 - Holy Cross
1946 - Oklahoma State
1945 - Oklahoma State
1944 - Utah
1943 - Wyoming
1942 - Stanford
1941 - Wisconsin
1940 - Indiana
1939 - Oregon
