SWC75
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So, despite 21 upsets in 60 games, we have a Final Four of nothing but “Blue Bloods”: North Carolina has 6 national championships, Duke 5 and both Kansas and Villanova have 3 each for a total of 17 national championships among the four schools. How does that compare to past years?
17 – 2008 (UCLA 11, North Carolina 4, Kansas 2) and 2022 (North Carolina 6, Duke 5, Kansas and Villanova 3 each)
15 – 2015 (Kentucky 8, Duke 4, Michigan State 2, Wisconsin 1)
14 – 1995 (UCLA 10, North Carolina 3, Arkansas 1), 2007 (UCLA 11, Florida, Georgetown and Ohio State 1 each) and 2014 (Kentucky 8, Connecticut 3, Florida 2, Wisconsin 1)
13 – 1975 (UCLA 9, Kentucky 4) and 2012 (Kentucky 7, Kansas 3, Louisville 2, Ohio State 1)
12 – 1976 (UCLA 10, Indiana 2)
11 – 2006 (UCLA 11) and 2021 (UCLA 11)
10 – 1973 (UCLA 8, Indiana 2), 1974 (UCLA 9, Kansas 1), 1980 (UCLA 10), 1998 (Kentucky 6, North Carolina 3, Utah 1)
9 – 1992 (Indiana 5, Cincinnati 2, Duke 2), 1993 (Kentucky 5, Kansas 2, North Carolina 2), 1997 (Kentucky 6 North Carolina 3), 2009 (North Carolina 4, Connecticut 2, Michigan State and Villanova, 1 each), 2011 (Kentucky 7, Connecticut 2)
8 – 1972 (UCLA 7, North Carolina 1)
7 - 1971 (UCLA 6, Kansas 1), 2002 (Indiana 5, Kansas 2), 2005 (North Carolina 3, Louisville and Michigan State 2 each), 2016 (North Carolina 7 Syracuse 1, Villanova 1) and 2018 (Kansas 3, Villanova 2, Loyola of Chicago and Michigan 1)
6 – 2017 (North Carolina 5, Oregon 1)
5 – 1966 (Kentucky 4, Utah 1), 1968 (UCLA 3, North Carolina and Ohio State 1 each), 1969 (UCLA 4, North Carolina 1), 1970 (UCLA 5), 1984 (Kentucky 5), 1996 (Kentucky 5), 2000 (North Carolina 3, Michigan State 1, Wisconsin 1), 2001 (Duke 2, Michigan State 2, Arizona 1) 2004 (Duke 2, Oklahoma State 2, Connecticut 1), 2010 (Duke 3 Michigan State 2)
4 – 1978 (Kentucky 4), 1981 (Indiana 3, North Carolina 1), 1987 (Indiana 4), 1991 (Kansas 2, North Carolina and UNLV 1), 1999 (Duke 2, Arizona and Michigan State 1 each), 2013 (Louisville 2, Michigan 1, Syracuse 1)
3 – 1949 (Oklahoma State 2, Kentucky 1), 1952 (Kentucky 3), 1957 (San Francisco 2, Kansas 1), 1958 (Kentucky 3), 1967 (UCLA 2, North Carolina 1)
2 – 1951 (Kentucky 2), 1953 Indiana and Kansas) 1961, (Cincinnati and Ohio State), 1936 (Cincinnati 2), 1982 (Louisville and North Carolina), 1983 (Louisville and North Carolina State), 1986 (Kansas and Louisville), 1994 (Duke 2), 2003 (Kansas 2), 2019 (Michigan State 2)
1- 1946 (Oklahoma State), 1948 (Holy Cross), 1955 (LaSalle), 1956 (San Francisco), 1960 (California), 1961 (Ohio State), 1965 (UCLA), 1977 (North Carolina), 1985 (Georgetown), 1988 (Kansas)
0 – 1939-1945, 1947, 1950, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1979, 1989, 1990, 2020
There was no “Final Four” as we know it until 1952. Before that there were just two regions- East and West and the champions met for single championship games. There were still just East and West regions in 1952 but the championship games took place as semi-finals at the Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington. In 1953, for the first time, there were four regionals and the champions went to the Final Four at the Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri.
But there’s always been a Final Four teams so I went back to the first championship tournament in 1939 for this study. Amazingly, there was no school that already had a champion in a Final Four until 1946, when Oklahoma State, (then known as Oklahoma A&M) was going for their second straight title. Final Fours with four teams seeking their first title because increasingly rare of the years and the 2020 Final Four was the first such in 30 years.
The first Final Four featuring four schools that had all won the championship before wasn’t until 2007. Others have been in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018, so they are becoming quite common.
The best way for a Final Four to get a leg up on this list is to include UCLA, (11 titles), Kentucky (8) or North Carolina, (6). Duke is trying to join that group.
When there’s been a school with more national championships than anyone else in the Final Four, the school what’s won the most titles has won another 26 times in 60 occasions, (43%). That’s not a majority of the time but it beats 25%.
17 – 2008 (UCLA 11, North Carolina 4, Kansas 2) and 2022 (North Carolina 6, Duke 5, Kansas and Villanova 3 each)
15 – 2015 (Kentucky 8, Duke 4, Michigan State 2, Wisconsin 1)
14 – 1995 (UCLA 10, North Carolina 3, Arkansas 1), 2007 (UCLA 11, Florida, Georgetown and Ohio State 1 each) and 2014 (Kentucky 8, Connecticut 3, Florida 2, Wisconsin 1)
13 – 1975 (UCLA 9, Kentucky 4) and 2012 (Kentucky 7, Kansas 3, Louisville 2, Ohio State 1)
12 – 1976 (UCLA 10, Indiana 2)
11 – 2006 (UCLA 11) and 2021 (UCLA 11)
10 – 1973 (UCLA 8, Indiana 2), 1974 (UCLA 9, Kansas 1), 1980 (UCLA 10), 1998 (Kentucky 6, North Carolina 3, Utah 1)
9 – 1992 (Indiana 5, Cincinnati 2, Duke 2), 1993 (Kentucky 5, Kansas 2, North Carolina 2), 1997 (Kentucky 6 North Carolina 3), 2009 (North Carolina 4, Connecticut 2, Michigan State and Villanova, 1 each), 2011 (Kentucky 7, Connecticut 2)
8 – 1972 (UCLA 7, North Carolina 1)
7 - 1971 (UCLA 6, Kansas 1), 2002 (Indiana 5, Kansas 2), 2005 (North Carolina 3, Louisville and Michigan State 2 each), 2016 (North Carolina 7 Syracuse 1, Villanova 1) and 2018 (Kansas 3, Villanova 2, Loyola of Chicago and Michigan 1)
6 – 2017 (North Carolina 5, Oregon 1)
5 – 1966 (Kentucky 4, Utah 1), 1968 (UCLA 3, North Carolina and Ohio State 1 each), 1969 (UCLA 4, North Carolina 1), 1970 (UCLA 5), 1984 (Kentucky 5), 1996 (Kentucky 5), 2000 (North Carolina 3, Michigan State 1, Wisconsin 1), 2001 (Duke 2, Michigan State 2, Arizona 1) 2004 (Duke 2, Oklahoma State 2, Connecticut 1), 2010 (Duke 3 Michigan State 2)
4 – 1978 (Kentucky 4), 1981 (Indiana 3, North Carolina 1), 1987 (Indiana 4), 1991 (Kansas 2, North Carolina and UNLV 1), 1999 (Duke 2, Arizona and Michigan State 1 each), 2013 (Louisville 2, Michigan 1, Syracuse 1)
3 – 1949 (Oklahoma State 2, Kentucky 1), 1952 (Kentucky 3), 1957 (San Francisco 2, Kansas 1), 1958 (Kentucky 3), 1967 (UCLA 2, North Carolina 1)
2 – 1951 (Kentucky 2), 1953 Indiana and Kansas) 1961, (Cincinnati and Ohio State), 1936 (Cincinnati 2), 1982 (Louisville and North Carolina), 1983 (Louisville and North Carolina State), 1986 (Kansas and Louisville), 1994 (Duke 2), 2003 (Kansas 2), 2019 (Michigan State 2)
1- 1946 (Oklahoma State), 1948 (Holy Cross), 1955 (LaSalle), 1956 (San Francisco), 1960 (California), 1961 (Ohio State), 1965 (UCLA), 1977 (North Carolina), 1985 (Georgetown), 1988 (Kansas)
0 – 1939-1945, 1947, 1950, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1979, 1989, 1990, 2020
There was no “Final Four” as we know it until 1952. Before that there were just two regions- East and West and the champions met for single championship games. There were still just East and West regions in 1952 but the championship games took place as semi-finals at the Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington. In 1953, for the first time, there were four regionals and the champions went to the Final Four at the Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri.
But there’s always been a Final Four teams so I went back to the first championship tournament in 1939 for this study. Amazingly, there was no school that already had a champion in a Final Four until 1946, when Oklahoma State, (then known as Oklahoma A&M) was going for their second straight title. Final Fours with four teams seeking their first title because increasingly rare of the years and the 2020 Final Four was the first such in 30 years.
The first Final Four featuring four schools that had all won the championship before wasn’t until 2007. Others have been in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018, so they are becoming quite common.
The best way for a Final Four to get a leg up on this list is to include UCLA, (11 titles), Kentucky (8) or North Carolina, (6). Duke is trying to join that group.
When there’s been a school with more national championships than anyone else in the Final Four, the school what’s won the most titles has won another 26 times in 60 occasions, (43%). That’s not a majority of the time but it beats 25%.
