What March Madness looked like the year you were born
Marv Huffman (34) was named most outstanding player for 1940. The Hoosiers defeated Kansas, 60-42, for the NCAA title in Kansas City, Missouri.
NCAA photo archives
Wisconsin’s team photo.
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A team photo
Stanford athletics
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Utah and coach Vadal Peterson beat Dartmouth 42-40 in overtime to claim the program’s first (and only) title.
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Oklahoma State’s Henry Iba gives a chalk talk to his 1946 NCAA Champions.
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George Kaftan of Holy Cross is carried off the court after defeating Oklahoma, 58-47, for the title.
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Fans celebrate UK’s championship with a street parade. Kentucky defeated Baylor 58-42.
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Kentucky defeated Oklahoma State, 46-36, in 1949.
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A program from the finals.
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Kentucky’s 7-foot center Bill Spivey scored 22 points in the title game
University of Kentucky/UK Athletics
Kansas head coach Phog Allen gives MVP Clyde Lovellette a hand shake for a job well done in the 1952 Championship game at Seattle, WA. Kansas beat St. John’s for the title 80-63.
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Indiana coach Branch McCracken argues with the scorer over the amount of fouls on Kansas center B.H. Born during the title game held in Kansas City, MO. at the Municipal Auditorium. Indiana defeated Kansas 69-68 to win the title.
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La Salle’s Tom Gola was named the tournament’s most outstanding player in 1954.
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Bill Russell gets a ride off the court after San Francisco won the 1955 title game.
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San Francisco beat Iowa in 1956 to win consecutive titles.
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Undefeated North Carolina held off Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas in triple overtime.
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The photo corps at the 1958 title game in Louisville at Freedom Hall.
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California coach Pete Newell rides on the shoulders of this team after defeating West Virginia 71-70.
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The Buckeyes celebrate winning the championship.
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Cincinnati coach Ed Jucker celebrates after the Bearcats beat Ohio State in the 1961 title game.
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George Ireland and Loyola Chicago beat Cincinnati for the program’s only national championship.
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UCLA coach John Wooden and his championship team after winning their first NCAA basketball title.
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UCLA’s Gail Goodrich (center) and teammates run on to the court after the victory.
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Texas Western beat Kentucky at the 1966 NCAA Championship.
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A UCLA team member tears down the net following UCLA defeating Dayton 79-64 for the national title.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar skies during the 1968 Final Four.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his father.
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UCLA defeated Jacksonville, 80-69.
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UCLA forward Curtis Rowe (left) coach John Wooden and forward Sidney Wicks at the Astrodome.
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UCLA’s Bill Walton (center) led the Bruins to the national title in Los Angeles at the Sports Arena.
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UCLA coach John Wooden talks to his team at the Final Four. The Bruins beat Memphis State to win another championship.
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North Carolina State defeated Marquette for the national crown in 1974.
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UCLA returned to the top after a year off.
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The Hoosiers finished a perfect season over Michigan in the national championship game.
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Marquette Athletics
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Kentucky won the national championship game against Duke.
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Young Earvin “Magic” Johnson throws it down en route to a Sparty championship.
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Darrell Griffith, AKA Dr. Dunkenstein, rides the wave of Louisville’s national title victory.
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Indiana’s Isiah Thomas led IU to a national championship.
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North Carolina won the national championship in 1992 with Michael Jordan (23) in tow.
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North Carolina State’s Lorenzo Charles (43) jams the ball in the hoop while Houston’s Akeem Olajuwon (34) watches.
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Patrick Ewing (33) celebrates against Houston.�
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Rollie Massimino cuts the nets after Villanova, the only 8-seed ever to win in a 64-team tournament, shocked Georgetown.
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Louisville became the first team from outside a power conference to win the championship since the expansion to 64 teams.
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Keith Smart (23) of Indiana puts up a shot past Rony Seikaly (4) of Syracuse.
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Danny Manning led KU national championship against conference rival Oklahoma.
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Michigan rushes on the floor after winning against Seton Hall in the final.
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Jerry Tarkanian’s Runnin’ Rebels crushed Duke to take the 1990 national championship.
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Duke stunned UNLV in 1991 and would go on to win back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992.
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UNC fans in full Final Four mode at the 1993 national championship game.
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The Razorbacks celebrate their most recent national championship.
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UCLA won the 1995 title by defeating defending national champion Arkansas.
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Kentucky beat Syracuse to earn the ’96 championship.
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Arizona Wildcats, national champions — even the mascot.
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Kentucky topped Utah in the Utes’ first Final Four appearance since 1966.
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Elation after UConn won the 1999 national championship.
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Michigan State celebrates with a win against Florida for the national championship.
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Shane Battier helped to lead Duke to a national championship.
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Maryland’s 2002 national championship win was just peachy.
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Carmelo Anthony’s season at Syracuse left an unforgettable mark.
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The Huskies topped Georgia Tech team to win the title
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Sean May’s Tar Heels claimed the national title in 2005.
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The Gators made it two straight.
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Kansas rallied against Memphis to force OT in an eventual win.
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Ty Lawson waves to fans after cutting down the net following the championship game.
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Duke won, but Butler’s Gordon Hayward nearly made the greatest shot in tournament history.
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The maelstrom after the Huskies’ improbable run ended in glory.
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Anthony Davis goes for a national championship-worthy block.
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Air time in Louisville’s Final Four win over Wichita State.
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The Huskies won the 2014 National Championship by defeating Kentucky.
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Duke players pile up after winning the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship game.
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Villanova players celebrate after Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the national championship.
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UNC senior Kennedy Meeks and Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss go up for the rebound.
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2018 – Villanova (36-4)
Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo (10) scored 31 points off the bench to win MOP, and help the Wildcats secure the title for the second time in three years.
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2019 – Virginia (35-3)
One year after Virginia became the first team to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Cavaliers wrote a new ending to their story with their first national championship as they defeated Texas Tech in overtime.
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The COVID-19 pandemic caused arenas across the nation to empty, including Bankers Life Fieldhouse (seen above), which played host to the canceled Big Ten tournament. As a result, the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled.
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2021 – Baylor (28-2)
The Bears won their first national title, denying Gonzaga a perfect season with the 86-70 win. Baylor won all of its NCAA tournament games by double digits except one — a nine-point win against No. 3 Arkansas in the Elite Eight.
2022 – Kansas (34-6)
The Jayhawks won their fourth championship in program history — and second under coach Bill Self — by completing the largest comeback in national title game history, rallying from a 16-point deficit to defeat North Carolina, 72-69.
2023 – UConn (31-8)
The Huskies won their fifth title since 1999 behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Tristen Newton. Adama Sanogo was named tournament Most Outstanding Player; he contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds in the title game. UConn won all six of their tournament games by more than 10 points, becoming the first team to accomplish this feat since 2018 Villanova.
2024 – UConn (37-3)
The Huskies became the first team to claim back-to-back national titles since Florida in 2006-2007 bringing their tally to six NCAA championship trophies since first winning in 1999. The 75-60 win over Purdue, and 7-foot-3 Naismith winner Zach Edey, continued a two-year winning streak in the NCAA tournament, all 12 of which were won my double digits. UConn won the six 2024 tournament games by a margin of 23.33 per game — the highest on record since the field went to 64 teams in 1985. Tristan Newton was named tournament Most Outstanding Player and led the Huskies with 20 points and seven assists in the final game.
