NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball tournament - wikipedia NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball tournament `` NCAA Men 's Basketball Tournament '' redirects here. For other division tournaments, see NCAA basketball tournament. `` March Madness '' redirects here. For other uses, see March Madness ( disambiguation ). `` NCAA March Madness '' redirects here. For CBS & Turner Sports ' coverage of the tournament, see NCAA March Madness ( CBS / Turner ). NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament Upcoming season or competition : 2018 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament Sport College basketball Founded 1939 No. of teams 68 ( since 2011 ) Most recent champion ( s ) North Carolina ( 6th title ) Most titles UCLA ( 11 titles ) TV partner ( s ) CBS TNT TruTV TBS CBS Sports Network ( re-airs ) Galavision ( Spanish - coverage ) Official website NCAA.com The NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament ( known informally as March Madness or the Big Dance ) is a single - elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ), to determine the national championship. The tournament was created in 1939 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and was the idea of Ohio State University coach Harold Olsen. Played mostly during March, it has become one of the most famous annual sporting events in the United States. The tournament teams include champions from 32 Division I conferences ( which receive automatic bids ), and 36 teams which are awarded at - large berths. These `` at - large '' teams are chosen by an NCAA selection committee, then announced in a nationally televised event on the Sunday preceding the `` First Four '' play - in games, currently held in Dayton, Ohio, and dubbed Selection Sunday. The 68 teams are divided into four regions and organized into a single - elimination `` bracket '', which pre-determines, when a team wins a game, which team it will face next. Each team is `` seeded '', or ranked, within its region from 1 to 16. After the First Four, the tournament occurs during the course of three weekends, at pre-selected neutral sites across the United States. Teams, seeded by rank, proceed through a single - game elimination bracket beginning with a `` first four '' consisting of 8 low - seeded teams playing in 4 games for a position in the first round the Tuesday and Wednesday before the first round begins, a first round consisting of 64 teams playing in 32 games over the course of a week, the `` Sweet Sixteen '' and `` Elite Eight '' rounds the next week and weekend, respectively, and -- for the last weekend of the tournament -- the `` Final Four '' round. The Final Four is usually played during the first weekend of April. These four teams, one from each region ( East, South, Midwest, and West ), compete in a preselected location for the national championship. The tournament has been at least partially televised since 1969. Currently, the games are broadcast by CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV under the trade - name NCAA March Madness. Since 2011, all games are available for viewing nationwide and internationally, such as in the Philippines and Canada. As television coverage has grown, so too has the tournament 's popularity. Currently, millions of Americans fill out a bracket, attempting to correctly predict the outcome of all 67 games of the tournament. With 11 national titles, UCLA has the record for the most NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Championships ; John Wooden coached UCLA to 10 of its 11 titles. The University of Kentucky ( UK ) is second, with eight national titles. The University of North Carolina is third, with six national titles, Duke University and Indiana University are tied for fourth with five national titles. The University of Connecticut is sixth with four national titles. The University of Kansas ( KU ) is seventh with three national titles. Since 1985, when the tournament expanded to 64 teams, North Carolina and Duke have each won five championships ; Connecticut has four ; Kentucky has three ; Kansas, Florida, and Villanova have two ; UCLA, Indiana, Louisville, and Michigan State have one. During that time Villanova, Michigan, UNLV, Duke, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, Syracuse, and Florida all won their first championships. Contents 1 Current tournament format 1.1 Qualifying 1.2 Regions 1.2. 1 Seeding and bracket 1.2. 2 Venues 1.3 Rounds 1.3. 1 First Four 1.3. 2 First and Second Rounds 1.3. 3 Regional semifinals and finals 1.3. 4 Final Four 2 Winners and appearances 2.1 Titles by year 2.2 Titles by school 2.3 Mid-Major Teams 2.3. 1 Defunct conferences and independents 2.4 Tournament droughts 3 Evolution of the Tournament 3.1 Expansion of field 3.2 Seeding History and Statistics 3.2. 1 # 1 Seeds by year and region 3.2. 2 Number of # 1 Seeds by school 3.3 Venues 3.3. 1 Stadium size and domes 3.4 Other changes 3.4. 1 Bids per conferences 3.4. 2 Consolation games 3.4. 3 Play - In games 3.4. 4 Play - In round naming 3.4. 5 Pod system 3.4. 6 Semi-Final seeding 3.5 Other Notes 3.5. 1 Home court advantage 3.5. 2 Flag controversy 3.5. 3 House Bill 2 4 Rituals and influence 4.1 Cutting down the nets 4.2 Team awards 4.3 Most Outstanding Player 4.4 Influence on the NBA draft 5 Television coverage and revenues 5.1 Current television contracts 5.2 History of television coverage 5.2. 1 Early broadcast coverage 5.2. 2 ESPN & CBS share coverage 5.2. 3 CBS takes over 5.2. 4 Viewing options emerge 5.2. 5 HDTV coverage 5.3 International broadcasts 6 Tournament statistics 6.1 Low seeded teams 6.1. 1 Most successful low seeds 6.1. 2 Best performances by No. 16 seeds 6.1. 3 Additional low - seed stats 6.1. 4 Notable point spread upsets 6.2 Highly seeded teams 6.2. 1 All No. 1 seeds in the Final Four 6.2. 2 Final Fours without a No. 1 seed 6.2. 3 No. 1 seeds in the Championship Game 6.2. 4 Additional No. 1 seed stats 6.2. 5 Teams No. 1 in national polls 6.2. 6 Performance of undefeated teams 6.2. 7 Undefeated teams not in the tournament 6.2. 8 Champions absent the next year 6.3 Coaches 6.3. 1 Most national championships 6.3. 2 National championships among active coaches 6.3. 3 Schools winning a national championship under multiple coaches 6.3. 4 Most teams from different schools taken to the Final Four 6.4 Point differentials 6.4. 1 Championship victory margins 6.4. 2 Accumulated victory margins 6.5 Seed pairing results 6.5. 1 Round of 64 results 6.5. 2 Round of 32 results 6.5. 3 Round of 16 results 6.5. 4 Regional finals results 7 Host cities 8 Popular culture 8.1 Bracketology and pools 8.2 Tournament associated terms 8.2. 1 March Madness 8.2. 2 Sweet Sixteen 8.2. 3 Final Four 8.2. 4 Cinderella team 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Current tournament format A ticket from the 1988 tournament held in Kansas City, Missouri The NCAA has changed the tournament format several times since its inception, most often representing an increase of the number of teams. This section describes the tournament as it has operated since 2011. For changes during the course of its history, and to see how the tournament operated during past years, go to Format history, below. Qualifying A total of 68 teams qualify for the tournament played during March and April. Thirty - two teams earn automatic bids as their respective conference champions. Of the 32 Division I `` all - sports '' conferences ( defined as those that sponsor men 's and women 's basketball ), all 32 currently hold championship tournaments to determine which team receives the automatic qualification. The Ivy League was the last Division I conference that did not conduct a tournament ; through the 2015 -- 16 season, it awarded its tournament berth to the regular - season champion. If two or more Ivies shared a regular - season championship, a one - game playoff ( or series of such playoffs ) was used to decide the tournament participant. Since 2017, the league conducts their own postseason tournament. The remaining 36 tournament slots are granted to at - large bids, which are determined by the Selection Committee in a nationally televised event on the Sunday preceding the First Four play - in tournament and dubbed Selection Sunday by the media and fans, by a group primarily of conference commissioners and school athletic directors who are appointed into service by the NCAA. The committee also determines where all sixty - eight teams are seeded and placed in the bracket. Regions The tournament is divided into four regions and each region has at least sixteen teams, but four additional teams are added per the decision of the Selection Committee. ( See : First Four, below. ) The committee is charged with making each of the four regions as close as possible in overall quality of teams from wherever they come from. The names of the regions vary from year to year, and are broadly geographic ( such as `` West '', `` South '', `` East '', and `` Midwest '' ). From 1956 to 1984, the `` Mideast '', roughly corresponding to the Southeastern region of the United States, designation was used. From 1985 to 1998, the Mideast region was known as `` Southeast '' and again changed to `` South '' starting from 1999. The selected names roughly correspond to the location of the four cities hosting the regional finals. From 2004 to 2006, the regions were named after their host cities, e.g. the Phoenix Regional in 2004, the Chicago Regional in 2005, and the Minneapolis Regional in 2006, but reverted to the traditional geographic designations beginning in 2007. For example, during 2012, the regions were named South ( Atlanta, Georgia ), East ( Boston, Massachusetts ), Midwest ( St. Louis, Missouri ), and West ( Phoenix, Arizona ). Seeding and bracket Further information : NCAA basketball tournament selection process The selection committee ranks the whole field of 68 teams from 1 to 68. ( It did not make this information public until 2012. ) The committee then divides the teams amongst the regions. The top four teams will be distributed among the four regions, and each will receive a No. 1 seed within that region. The next four ranked teams will then be distributed among the four regions, each receiving a No. 2 seed in their region, and the process continues down the line, with some exceptions ( as is explained below ). Carried to its logical conclusion, this would give each region seventeen teams -- seeded from No. 1 to No. 17 -- but, each region has only sixteen teams ( from No. 1 to No. 16 ). As can be seen below, the actual seeding depends on ( among other factors ) the rankings of the eight teams that the committee selects for the `` First Four '' opening round ( see the next paragraph and the `` First Four '' section below ). The selection committee is also instructed to place teams so that whenever possible, teams from the same conference can not meet until the regional finals. Additionally, it is also instructed to avoid any possible rematches of regular - season or previous year 's tournament games during the First and Second rounds. Further restrictions are listed in the Venues section below. To comply with these other requirements, the selection committee may move one or several teams up or down one seed from their respective original seed line. Thus, for example, the 40th overall ranked team, originally slated to be a No. 10 seed within a particular region, may instead be moved up to a No. 9 seed or moved down to a No. 11 seed. In addition, the rankings of the eight teams selected for the `` First Four '' play - in round will likewise affect the final seedlings. The bracket is thus established, and during the semifinals, the champion of the top - ranked number 1 seed 's region will play against the champion of the fourth - ranked number 1 seed 's region, and the champion of the second - ranked number 1 seed 's region will play against the champion of the third - ranked number 1 seed 's region. Venues In the men 's tournament, all sites are nominally neutral : teams are prohibited from playing tournament games on their home courts prior to the Final Four ( though in some cases, a team may be fortunate enough to play in or near its home state or city ). By current NCAA rules, any court on which a team hosts more than three regular - season games ( in other words, not including conference tournament games ) is considered a `` home court ''. The exception to this rule is the University of Dayton, which would be allowed to play a game in the `` First Four '' round in their home arena as they did in 2015. However, while a team can be moved to a different region if its home court is being used during any of the first two weeks of the tournament, the Final Four venue is determined years in advance, and can not be changed regardless of participants. For this reason, in theory, a team could play in a Final Four on its home court ; in reality, this would be unlikely, since the Final Four is usually staged at a venue larger than most college basketball arenas. ( The most recent team to play the Final Four in its home city was Butler during 2010 ; its home court then seated only 10,000 and has since been reduced to a capacity of 9,100, as opposed to the 70,000 - plus seating capacity of Lucas Oil Stadium in its Final Four configuration. ) Rounds The tournament consists of several rounds. They are currently named, in order of first to last : The First Four The First Round ( the Round of 64 ) The Second Round ( the Round of 32 ) The Regional Semi-finals ( participating teams are known popularly as the `` Sweet Sixteen '' ) The Regional Finals ( participating teams are known commonly as the `` Elite Eight '' ) The National Semi-finals ( participating teams are referred to officially as the `` Final Four '' ) The National Championship The tournament is single - elimination, which increases the chance of an underdog and lower - seeded `` Cinderella team '' advancing to subsequent rounds. Although these lower - ranked teams are forced to play stronger teams, they need only one win to advance ( instead of needing to win a majority of games in a series, as in professional basketball ). First Four The University of Dayton Arena, which has hosted all First Four games since the round 's inception in 2011, as well as its precursor, the single `` play - in '' game held from 2001 to 2010. As of 2017, the arena has hosted 115 tournament games, the most of any venue. The `` First Four '' refers to the number of games played, not the number of teams. First held during 2011, the First Four are games between the four lowest - ranked at - large teams and the four lowest - ranked automatic - bid ( conference - champion ) teams. They are not normally the eight lowest - ranked teams in the field ; the four lowest - ranked at - large teams usually have higher rankings among the entire field of 68 than several of the automatic - bid teams coming from the smaller conferences. The four games are held to determine which teams will assume a place in the First Round. Unlike other early games in the tournament, the teams are not matched with disparity intended. Rather, equality governs match - ups ( e.g., in one game, two teams -- usually two of the four lowest - ranked automatic - bid teams -- might play for a No. 16 seeding in the first round, while in another game, two teams -- usually two of the four lowest - ranked at - large teams -- are usually trying to advance as a No. 11 seed ). While other NCAA tournament games are played Thursday through Sunday ( and the final game on a Monday ), the First Four games are played earlier in the first week, between Selection Sunday and the First Round on Thursday and Friday. As of 2017, two games are played on the Tuesday following Selection Sunday, and the remaining two are played on Wednesday. Once the First Four games are played, the four winning teams assume their places in the bracket of 64 teams, and must play again later that week, with little rest. Typically, the two Tuesday winners are paired with their next opponent on Thursday ; and, the Wednesday winners play on Friday. With the Second Round being played on Saturday and Sunday, this scheduling allows for six consecutive days of televised competition during the first week of the tournament. Every year that the First Four has taken place, at least one of the teams that participated went on to win in the round of 64. In 2011, VCU was part of the First Four and advanced all the way to the Final Four. In 2012, South Florida advanced to the round of 32. In 2013, La Salle advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating Boise State, Kansas State, and Ole Miss. In 2014, Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating Iowa, Massachusetts, and Mercer. The following year, Dayton won its First Four game on their home court and then defeated Providence to advance to the round of 32. In 2016, Wichita State advanced to the round of 32 by defeating Vanderbilt and Arizona. In 2017, USC won the first round against SMU but lost to Baylor in the round of 32. Prior to expanding from 65 to 68 teams, the two lowest seeded teams played in the NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Opening Round game. All of the previous - format single Opening Round games and current - format First Four games, have been played at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. First Four At - large seeds Note : Each year, the four lowest - ranked at - large teams compete in two of the First Four games. The two winners then receive a No. 11, 12, 13, or 14 seed in one of the regions. The table below shows the years in which each of those four seeds were claimed by one of the two at - large winners. Seed Count Years 11 9 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 ( 2 ), 2016 ( 2 ), 2017 ( 2 ) 12 2011, 2012, 2014 13 2013 14 2012 First and second rounds During the First Round ( the Round of 64 ), the No. 1 seed plays the No. 16 seed in all regions ; the No. 2 team plays the No. 15, and so on. The effect of this seeding structure ensures that the better a team is ranked ( and therefore seeded ), the worse - ranked ( and presumably weaker ) their opponents will be. Sixteen first - round games are played on the Thursday following the `` First Four '' round. The remaining sixteen first - round games are played Friday. At this point the contestants are reduced to 32 teams. The Second Round ( the Round of 32 ) is played on Saturday and Sunday immediately after the first round. The second round consists of Thursday 's winners playing in eight games on Saturday, followed by Friday 's winners playing in the remaining eight second - round games on Sunday. Thus, after the first weekend, 16 teams remain, commonly known as the `` Sweet Sixteen. '' Regional semifinals and finals The teams that are still competing after the first weekend advance to the regional semifinals ( the Sweet Sixteen ) and finals ( the Elite Eight ), which are played during the second weekend of the tournament ( again, the games are split into Thursday / Saturday and Friday / Sunday ). Four regional semi-final games are played Thursday and four are played Friday. After Friday 's games, 8 teams ( the Elite Eight ) remain. Saturday features two regional final games matching Thursday 's winners and Sunday 's two final games match Friday 's winners. After the second weekend of the tournament, the four regional champions are the `` Final Four. '' Final Four Main article : NCAA Men 's Division I Final Four appearances by school The winners of each region advance to the Final Four, where the national semifinals are played on Saturday and the national championship is played on Monday. As is noted above, which regional champion will play which, and in which semifinal they play, is determined by the overall rankings of the four No. 1 seeds in the original bracket, not on the ranks of the eventual Final Four teams themselves. Winners and appearances Titles by year Main article : List of NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball champions Titles by school UCLA Kentucky North Carolina Duke Indiana UConn Kansas Louisville S.F. Villanova Florida NC State Oklahoma State Cincinnati Michigan State Arkansas Holy Cross La Salle Loyola Marquette UTEP Arizona UNLV Stanford California Georgetown Maryland Ohio State Utah CCNY Wyoming Michigan Syracuse Wisconsin Oregon Schools that have won the NCAA Championship -- 11 championships, -- 8 championships, -- 6 championships, -- 5 championships, -- 4 championships, -- 3 championships, -- 2 championships, -- 1 championship The following is a list of all schools that have won at least one NCAA Men 's Basketball Tournament, along with the year ( s ) in which they won their championship ( s ). For non-NCAA championships claimed by schools, see National Invitation Tournament, Helms Athletic Foundation, and Mythical national championship. School Titles Years UCLA 11 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 Kentucky 8 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 North Carolina 6 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 Duke 5 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 Indiana 5 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 Connecticut 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 Kansas 1952, 1988, 2008 Louisville * 1980, 1986 Cincinnati 1961, 1962 Florida 2006, 2007 Michigan State 1979, 2000 NC State 1974, 1983 Oklahoma State ( Oklahoma A&M ) 1945, 1946 San Francisco 1955, 1956 Villanova 1985, 2016 Michigan 1989 Arizona 1997 Arkansas 1994 California 1959 CCNY 1950 Georgetown 1984 Holy Cross 1947 La Salle 1954 Loyola Chicago 1963 Marquette 1977 Maryland 2002 Ohio State 1960 Oregon 1939 UNLV 1990 Stanford 1942 Syracuse 2003 UTEP ( Texas Western ) 1966 Utah 1944 Wisconsin 1941 Wyoming 1943 * 2013 title vacated by NCAA. Mid-major teams Mid-major teams -- which are ( as of 2018 ) defined as teams from the America East Conference ( America East ), Atlantic Sun Conference ( ASUN ), Big Sky Conference ( Big Sky ), Big South Conference ( Big South ), Big West Conference ( Big West ), Colonial Athletic Conference ( CAA ), Conference USA ( C - USA ), Horizon League ( Horizon ), Ivy League ( Ivy ), Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ( MAAC ), Mid-American Conference ( MAC ), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference ( MEAC ), Missouri Valley Conference ( MVC ), Mountain West Conference ( MW ), Northeast Conference ( NEC ), Ohio Valley Conference ( OVC ), Patriot League ( Patriot ), Southern Conference ( SoCon ), Southland Conference ( Southland ), Southwest Athletic Conference ( SWAC ), Summit League ( Summit ), Sun Belt Conference ( Sun Belt ), West Coast Conference ( WCC ), and the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) -- have experienced periods of success in the tournament. Below is a table that shows the performance of mid-major teams from the Sweet Sixteen round to the National Championship Game from 1939 -- the tournament 's first year -- to 2017, the most recent tournament. Notes The first column is a list of every mid-major conference. For the conferences that have predecessor names, a footnote ( below the table ) lists those names and years. Opposite each conference 's name are the schools that have appeared in the tournament from the Sweet Sixteen onwards when the school was a member of the conference or a predecessor conference. Some of the conferences that are now considered mid-majors were regarded as major conferences in the past. For example : Conference USA was considered a major conference at its formation in 1995. It arguably became a mid-major in 2005, when several of its more prominent teams left for the Big East Conference, and unquestionably became a mid-major during the early - 2010s realignment cycle. The WAC was considered a major conference until 1999, when 8 of its 16 members left to form the Mountain West Conference. The MW was considered a major basketball conference until 2011, when two of its most prominent basketball programs ( BYU and Utah ) left for other conferences ( West Coast Conference and Pac - 12, respectively ). Mid-Major Conference Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Championship Game National Champion America East - - - - - ASUN Florida Gulf Coast ( 2013 ) - - - - Big Sky Weber State ( 1969, 1972 ), Montana ( 1975 ), Idaho ( 1982 ) Idaho State ( 1977 ) - - - Big South - - - - - Big West Long Beach State ( 1973 ), UNLV ( 1975, 1976, 1984, 1986 ), Fresno State ( 1982 ), New Mexico State ( 1992 ) Long Beach State ( 1972 ), Cal State Fullerton ( 1978 ), UNLV ( 1989 ) UNLV ( 1977, 1987 ) UNLV ( 1991 ) UNLV ( 1990 ) CAA Navy ( 1986 ), Richmond ( 1988 ) - George Mason ( 2006 ), VCU ( 2011 ) - C - USA Louisville ( 1996 ), Cincinnati ( 2001 ), UAB ( 2004 ), Memphis ( 2009 ) Cincinnati ( 1996 ), Louisville ( 1997 ), Memphis ( 2006, 2007 ) Marquette ( 2003 ), Louisville ( 2005 ) Memphis ( 2008 ) - Horizon Loyola ( Chicago ) ( 1985 ), Butler ( 2003, 2007, 2017 ), Milwaukee ( 2005 ) - - Butler ( 2010, 2011 ) - Ivy Princeton ( 1967 ), Columbia ( 1968 ), Cornell ( 2010 ) Dartmouth ( 1958 ) Princeton ( 1965 ), Penn ( 1979 ) - - MAAC - - - - - MAC Bowling Green ( 1963 ), Central Michigan ( 1975 ), Western Michigan ( 1976 ), Toledo ( 1979 ), Ball State ( 1990 ), Eastern Michigan ( 1991 ), Miami ( Ohio ) ( 1999 ), Ohio ( 2012 ) Ohio ( 1964 ), Kent State ( 2002 ) - - - MEAC - - - - - MVC Saint Louis ( 1957 ), Cincinnati ( 1958, 1966 ), Creighton ( 1962, 1964, 1974 ), Tulsa ( 1994, 1995 ), Southwest Missouri State ( 1999 ), Southern Illinois ( 2002, 2007 ), Wichita State ( 2006, 2015 ), Bradley ( 2006 ), Northern Iowa ( 2010 ) Creighton ( 1941 ), Saint Louis ( 1952 ), Bradley ( 1955 ), Wichita State ( 1964, 1981 ), Drake ( 1970, 1971 ) Oklahoma A&M ( 1949 ), Cincinnati ( 1960 ), Wichita State ( 1965, 2013 ), Drake ( 1969 ) Bradley ( 1950, 1954 ), Cincinnati ( 1963 ), Indiana State ( 1979 ) Oklahoma A&M ( 1945, 1946 ), Cincinnati ( 1961, 1962 ) MW Utah ( 2005 ), UNLV ( 2007 ), BYU ( 2011 ), San Diego State ( 2011, 2014 ) - - - - NEC - - - - - OVC Morehead State ( 1961 ), Austin Peay ( 1973 ) - - - - Patriot - - - - - SoCon East Tennessee State ( 1968 ), Furman ( 1974 ), VMI ( 1977 ), Chattanooga ( 1997 ) VMI ( 1976 ), Davidson ( 2008 ) - - - Southland Lamar ( 1980 ), Louisiana Tech ( 1985 ) - - - - SWAC - - - - - Summit Cleveland State ( 1986 ), Xavier ( 1990 ), Valparaiso ( 1998 ) - - - - Sun Belt UAB ( 1982 ), Western Kentucky ( 1993, 2008 ) - UNC Charlotte ( 1977 ) - - WCC Santa Clara ( 1970 ), Pacific ( 1971 ), Pepperdine ( 1976 ), San Francisco ( 1979 ), Gonzaga ( 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2016 ), St. Mary 's ( California ) ( 2010 ), BYU ( 2011 ) St. Mary 's ( California ) ( 1959 ), Pacific ( 1967 ), Santa Clara ( 1969 ), San Francisco ( 1974 ), Loyola Marymount ( 1990 ), Gonzaga ( 1999, 2015 ) Santa Clara ( 1952 ), San Francisco ( 1957 ) Gonzaga ( 2017 ) San Francisco ( 1955, 1956 ) WAC Colorado State ( 1969 ), New Mexico ( 1974 ), Wyoming ( 1987 ), Utah ( 1991, 1996 ), UTEP ( 1992 ), Nevada ( 2004 ) BYU ( 1981 ), Tulsa ( 2000 ) Utah ( 1997 ) Utah ( 1998 ) - Jump up ^ Known as the Eastern College Athletic Conference - North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from 1988 to 1996. Jump up ^ Known as the Trans America Athletic Conference ( TAAC ) from 1978 to 2001. Jump up ^ Known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association ( PCAA ) from 1969 to 1988. Jump up ^ Known as the Eastern College Athletic Conference - South from 1979 to 1985. Jump up ^ Vacated due to academic ineligibility and impermissible benefits given to Derrick Rose Jump up ^ Known as the Midwestern City Conference from 1979 to 1985 and the Midwestern Collegiate Conference from 1985 to 2001. Jump up ^ Known as the Colonial League from 1986 to 1990, a period in which it was a football - only conference. Jump up ^ Known as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities from 1982 to 1989 and the Mid-Continent Conference ( MCC ) until 2007. Jump up ^ Known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and the West Coast Athletic Conference ( WCAC ) from 1956 to 1989. Defunct conferences and independents This table shows mid-major teams that saw success in the tournament from now - defunct conferences or were independents. Mid-Major Conference Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Championship Game National Champion Border Intercollegiate Athletic Conference New Mexico State ( 1952 ) Arizona State ( 1961 ) - - - East Coast Conference - - Saint Joseph 's ( 1981 ) - - Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League - - - Dartmouth ( 1942, 1944 ) - Great Midwest Conference Marquette ( 1994 ), Memphis ( 1995 ) Memphis State ( 1992 ), Cincinnati ( 1993 ) Cincinnati ( 1992 ) - - Metropolitan New York Conference NYU ( 1943, 1946, 1951, 1962, 1963 ), Manhattan ( 1958 ) City College of New York ( 1947 ) NYU ( 1960 ) NYU ( 1952 ) City College of New York ( 1950 ) Middle Atlantic Conference Saint Joseph 's ( 1959, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1966 ) Saint Joseph 's ( 1963 ) Saint Joseph 's ( 1961 ) - - Mountain States Conference BYU ( 1950, 1951, 1957 ) - Utah State ( 1939 ) - Wyoming ( 1943 ) New Jersey - New York 7 Conference - - St. John 's ( 1979 ) - - Western New York Little Three Conference Canisius ( 1957 ) Canisius ( 1955, 1956 ) - - - Yankee Conference UConn ( 1956, 1976 ) UConn ( 1964 ) - - Independents Montana State ( 1951 ), Dayton ( 1952, 1965, 1966, 1974 ), DePaul ( 1953, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1976, 1984, 1986, 1987 ), Seattle ( 1953, 1955, 1956, 1964 ), Butler ( 1962 ), Utah State ( 1962, 1964 ), Niagara ( 1970 ), Cincinnati ( 1975 ), Rutgers ( 1976 ) Oklahoma City ( 1957 ), Boston University ( 1959 ), DePaul ( 1978, Dayton ( 1984 ) DePaul ( 1943, 1979 ), Bradley ( 1955 ), New Mexico State ( 1970 ), St. Bonaventure ( 1970 ), Utah State ( 1970 ) Bradley ( 1954 ), La Salle ( 1955 ), Seattle ( 1958 ), Dayton ( 1967 ), Jacksonville ( 1970 ) Utah ( 1944 ), Holy Cross ( 1947 ), La Salle ( 1954 ), Loyola ( Chicago ) ( 1963 ), Texas Western ( 1966 ), Marquette ( 1977 ) Jump up ^ Established in 1931 and dissolved in 1962. Jump up ^ Established in 1958 and dissolved in 1994. Jump up ^ Established in 1901 and dissolved in 1955, though claimed by the Ivy League as a part of its own history. Jump up ^ Established in 1990 and merged into Conference USA in 1995. Jump up ^ Established in 1933 and dissolved in 1963. Jump up ^ Established in 1912 and became a Division III conference after 1974. Jump up ^ Established in 1938 and known as the Skyline Conference from 1951 to 1962 before the conference dissolved in early 1962. Jump up ^ Established in 1976 and dissolved in 1979. Jump up ^ Established in 1946 and dissolved in 1958. Jump up ^ Established in 1946 by former members of the New England Conference, which was founded in 1938 but never placed a team in the NCAA Tournament ; became a football - only conference in 1976 and dissolved in 1997. ^ Jump up to : Vacated by the NCAA Tournament droughts List of schools with the longest time between NCAA Men 's Basketball Tournament appearances : School Appearance Next Appearance Years Harvard 1946 2012 66 years Dartmouth 1959 - 58 years and counting Yale 1962 2016 54 years Tennessee Tech 1963 - 54 years and counting Bowling Green 1968 - 48 years and counting Columbia 1968 - 48 years and counting Stanford 1942 1989 47 years Brown 1939 1986 47 years ( also 30 years and counting from 1986 to present ) Wisconsin 1947 1994 47 years Seattle 1969 - 47 years and counting ( not in Division I for 29 of those years ) Rice 1970 - 46 years and counting Iowa State 1944 1985 41 years Duquesne 1977 - 39 years and counting VMI 1977 - 39 years and counting Washington State 1941 1980 39 years Baylor 1950 1988 38 years Drake 1971 2008 37 years Portland 1959 37 years ( also 20 years and counting from 1996 to present ) Toledo 1980 - 36 years and counting Oregon 1961 1995 34 years Georgetown 1943 32 years Loyola Chicago 1985 - 31 years and counting Massachusetts 1962 1992 30 years California 1960 1990 30 years Cal State Fullerton 1978 2008 30 years Saint Mary 's 1959 1989 30 years Mercer 1985 2014 29 years Marist - 29 years and counting Marshall - 29 years and counting Mississippi State 1963 1991 28 years Gonzaga 1967 1994 27 years Loyola Marymount 1990 - 26 years and counting Idaho 1990 - 26 years and counting Oregon State 1990 2016 26 years Georgia Tech 1960 1985 25 years LSU 1954 1979 25 years Rutgers 1991 - 25 years and counting Fordham 1992 - 24 years and counting Northeastern 1991 2015 24 years East Carolina 1993 - 23 years and counting Hawaii 1972 1994 22 years Southern Methodist 1993 2015 22 years East Carolina 1972 1993 21 years Baylor 1988 2008 20 years Cornell 1988 2008 20 years Green Bay 2016 20 years Santa Clara - 20 years and counting Through the 2017 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament, four schools that were considered `` major college '' by the Associated Press when it published its first college basketball rankings in 1948 have never reached the national tournament. While the NCAA did not split into divisions until 1956, the AP has made a distinction between `` major college '' and `` small college '' throughout the history of its basketball rankings. School Army The Citadel St. Francis Brooklyn William & Mary Evolution of the tournament The NCAA tournament has changed its format many times over the years. Below are listed many of these changes. Expansion of field The NCAA tournament has expanded a number of times throughout its history. This is a breakdown of the history of the tournament formats : 1939 -- 1950 : 8 teams 1951 -- 1952 : 16 teams 1953 -- 1974 : varied between 22 and 25 teams 1975 -- 1978 : 32 teams 1979 : 40 teams 1980 -- 1982 : 48 teams 1983 : 52 teams ( four play - in games before the tournament ) 1984 : 53 teams ( five play - in games before the tournament ) 1985 -- 2000 : 64 teams 2001 -- 2010 : 65 teams ( one play - in game to determine whether the 64th or 65th team plays in the first round ) 2011 -- present : 68 teams ( four play - in games before all remaining teams compete in the round of 64 ; from 2011 to 2015, the round of 64 was deemed to be the second round ; beginning in 2016, the round of 64 is again deemed to be the first round ) After the conclusion of the 2010 tournament, there was much speculation about increasing the tournament size to as many as 128 teams. On April 1, 2010, the NCAA announced that it was looking at expanding to 96 teams for 2011. On April 22, 2010, the NCAA announced a new television contract with CBS / Turner that would expand the field, but only to 68 teams. Seeding history and statistics The process of seeding was first used in 1978 for automatically qualified ( Q ) and at - large ( L ) teams respectively, and then for all teams within their respective region in 1979. Starting in 2012, the NCAA began releasing full seeding numbers making known the Overall # 1 Seed. # 1 seeds by year and region When seeding, the NCAA has used the following names for the four regions with the exception of 2004 - ' 06 when they were named after host cities : East West Midwest ( Southwest used in 2011 ) Mideast ( 1979 - ' 84 ), Southeast ( 1985 - ' 97 & 2011 ), or South ( 1998 - 2010 & 2012 - present ) Year East Midwest South West 1979 North Carolina Indiana State Notre Dame UCLA 1980 Syracuse LSU Kentucky DePaul 1981 Virginia LSU DePaul Oregon State 1982 North Carolina DePaul Virginia Georgetown St. John 's Houston Louisville Virginia 1984 North Carolina DePaul Kentucky Georgetown 1985 Georgetown Oklahoma Michigan St. John 's 1986 Duke Kansas Kentucky St. John 's North Carolina Indiana Georgetown UNLV 1988 Temple Purdue Oklahoma Arizona 1989 Georgetown Illinois Oklahoma Arizona 1990 Connecticut Oklahoma Michigan State UNLV 1991 North Carolina Ohio State Arkansas UNLV 1992 Duke Kansas Ohio State UCLA 1993 North Carolina Indiana Kentucky Michigan * 1994 North Carolina Arkansas Purdue Missouri 1995 Wake Forest Kansas Kentucky UCLA Massachusetts * Kentucky Connecticut Purdue 1997 North Carolina Minnesota * Kansas Kentucky 1998 North Carolina Kansas Duke Arizona 1999 Duke Michigan State Auburn Connecticut 2000 Duke Michigan State Stanford Arizona 2001 Duke Illinois Michigan State Stanford 2002 Maryland Kansas Duke Cincinnati 2003 Oklahoma Kentucky Texas Arizona St. Joseph 's Kentucky Duke Stanford 2005 North Carolina Illinois Duke Washington 2006 Connecticut Villanova Duke Memphis 2007 North Carolina Florida Ohio State Kansas 2008 North Carolina Kansas Memphis * UCLA 2009 Pittsburgh Louisville North Carolina Connecticut Kentucky Kansas Duke Syracuse 2011 Ohio State Kansas Pittsburgh Duke 2012 Syracuse North Carolina Kentucky † Michigan State 2013 Indiana Louisville † * Kansas Gonzaga 2014 Virginia Wichita State Florida † Arizona 2015 Villanova Kentucky † Duke Wisconsin 2016 North Carolina Virginia Kansas † Oregon 2017 Villanova † Kansas North Carolina Gonzaga * Vacated. † Overall # 1 Seed starting in 2012. Only Kentucky and Virginia have had a # 1 Seed in each of the four regions Number of # 1 Seeds by school # 1 Seeds School 16 North Carolina 13 Duke, Kansas 12 Kentucky 6 Arizona 5 Connecticut, Georgetown, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Virginia DePaul, Ohio State, UCLA Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, St. John 's, Stanford, Syracuse, UNLV, Villanova Arkansas, Florida, Gonzaga, Louisville *, LSU, Pittsburgh Auburn, Cincinnati, Houston, Indiana State, Maryland, Memphis *, Michigan *, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, St. Joseph 's, Temple, Texas, Wake Forest, Washington, Wichita State, Wisconsin * Excludes vacated. Last updated through 2017 tournament. Venues For a list of all the cities and arenas that have hosted the Final Four, go to Host cities, below. Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri hosted the Final Four nine times followed by the third Madison Square Garden in New York City which hosted seven times, and Louisville 's Freedom Hall which hosted six times. Additionally, Indianapolis has hosted the Final Four seven times, across three venues. Stadium size and domes From 1997 to 2013, the NCAA required that all Final Four sessions take place in domed stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000, usually having only half of the dome in use. The Metrodome in Minneapolis, which usually hosted baseball and football, had one of the long ends of the court along the first base line with temporary stands surrounding the court so that much of the outfield is isolated from the action. The same was true of football stadiums like the Alamodome in San Antonio and the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The last NBA arena to host the Final Four was the Meadowlands Arena, then known as Continental Airlines Arena, in 1996. As of 2009, the minimum was increased to 70,000, by adding additional seating on the floor of the dome, and raising the court on a platform three feet above the dome 's floor, which is usually crowned for football, like the setup at Ford Field in Detroit which hosted the 2009 Final Four. In September 2012, the NCAA began preliminary discussions on the possibility of returning occasional Final Fours to basketball - specific arenas in major metropolitan areas. According to ESPN.com writer Andy Katz, when Mark Lewis was hired as NCAA executive vice president for championships during 2012, `` he took out a United States map and saw that both coasts are largely left off from hosting the Final Four. '' Lewis added in an interview with Katz, I do n't know where this will lead, if anywhere, but the right thing is to sit down and have these conversations and see if we want our championship in more than eight cities or do we like playing exclusively in domes. None of the cities where we play our championship is named New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago or Miami. We do n't play on a campus. We play in professional football arenas. Under then - current criteria, only nine stadiums, all but one of which are current NFL venues, could be considered as Final Four locations : AT&T Stadium, Arlington AT&T Stadium, originally known as Cowboys Stadium, holds the world record basketball attendance when 108,713 attended the 2010 NBA All - Star Game. The Dome at America 's Center, St. Louis Ford Field, Detroit Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis Mercedes - Benz Stadium, Atlanta Mercedes - Benz Superdome, New Orleans NRG Stadium, Houston University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis Two domed stadiums that have hosted past Final Fours -- the Alamodome ( 1998, 2004, 2008, 2018 ( future ) ) and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida ( 1999 ) -- were considered too small to be eligible to host, despite the Alamodome being a college football stadium and having a permanent seating capacity of 65,000. The basketball setup at the Alamodome uses only half of the stadium and has a capacity of 39,500. The first instance of a domed stadium being used for a NCAA Tournament Final Four was the Houston Astrodome in 1971, but the Final Four would not return to a dome until 1982, when the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans hosted the event for the first time. The 2017 NCAA Final Four in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale On June 12, 2013, Katz reported that the NCAA had changed its policy. In July 2013, the NCAA had a portal available on its website for venues to make Final Four proposals in the 2017 -- 2020 period, and there were no restrictions on proposals based on venue size. Also, the NCAA decided that future regionals will no longer be held in domes. In Katz ' report, Lewis indicated that the use of domes for regionals was intended as a dry run for future Final Four venues, but this particular policy was no longer necessary because all of the Final Four sites from 2014 to 2016 had already hosted regionals. At least one other report indicated that the new policy would still allow a completely new domed stadium, or an existing dome that has never hosted a Final Four ( such as University of Phoenix Stadium ), to receive a regional if it is awarded a future Final Four. In November 2014, reflecting the new policy 's effect, the NCAA announced that University of Phoenix Stadium would host the Final Four in 2017. Other changes Bids per conferences Prior to 1975, only one team per conference could be in the NCAA tournament. However, after several highly ranked teams in the country were denied entrance into the tournament ( e.g., South Carolina, which was 14 - 0 in conference play during 1970, Southern Cal, which was ranked # 2 in the nation during 1971, and Maryland, which was ranked # 3 in the nation in 1974 ), the NCAA began to place at - large teams in the tournament, instead of just conference champions. At times during the pre-at - large era, the NIT tournament competed for prestige with the NCAA tournament. However, in the 1950s the NCAA ruled that no team could compete in both tournaments. But when 8th ranked Marquette declined invitation in 1970, and instead went to the NIT, the NCAA changed the rule to forbid a team the declines an NCAA Tournament bid from participating in any post-season tournament. Since then, the NCAA tournament has clearly been the major one, with conference champions and the majority of the top - ranked teams participating in it. Consolation games A third - place game from 1946 to 1981. Additionally, when the tournament was first held in 1939 with only two regionals ( East and West ), the West held a third - place game, but the East did not. The East began holding its own third - place game in 1941, and from then on every regional held a third - place game through the 1975 tournament. Play - in games Beginning during 2001, the field was expanded from 64 to 65 teams, adding to the tournament what was informally known as the `` play - in game. '' This was in response to the creation of the Mountain West Conference during 1999. Originally, the winner of the Mountain West 's tournament did not receive an automatic bid, and doing so would mean the elimination of one of the at - large bids. As an alternative to eliminating an at - large bid, the NCAA expanded the tournament to 65 teams. The # 64 and # 65 seeds were seeded in a regional bracket as the 16a / 16b seeds, and then played the NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Opening Round Game ( the `` play - in game '' ) on the Tuesday preceding the first weekend of the tournament. This game was always played at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. During 2011, the tournament expanded to 68 teams. Four `` play - in '' games are now played, officially known as the `` First Four ''. However, the teams playing in the First Four are not automatically seeded # 16 ; their seeding is determined by the committee on Selection Sunday. Explaining the reasoning for this format, selection committee chairman Dan Guerrero said, `` We felt if we were going to expand the field it would create better drama for the tournament if the First Four was much more exciting. They could all be on the 10 line or the 12 line or the 11 line. '' Play - in round naming From 1985 to 2010, the round consisting of 64 teams and 32 games was called the `` first round '', while the round consisting of 32 teams and 16 games was called the `` second round ''. From 2011 to 2015, the `` First Four '' became the first round. The round after the `` First Four '', the round of 64 played on Thursday and Friday, was called the `` second round '' ; the round of 32 was then called the `` third round '', consisting of games played on Saturday and Sunday. In 2016, the naming reverted to the round of 64 being the `` first round '' once again, and the round of 32 being the `` second round ''. Pod system For the 1985 to 2001 tournaments, all teams playing at a first - or second - round site fed into the same regional site. Since 2002, the tournament has used the `` pod system '' designed to limit the early - round travel of as many teams as possible. In the pod system, each regional bracket is divided into four - team pods. The possible pods by seeding are : Pod # 1 : 1v16, 8v9 Pod # 2 : 2v15, 7v10 Pod # 3 : 3v14, 6v11 Pod # 4 : 4v13, 5v12 Each of the eight first - and second - round sites is assigned two pods, where each group of four teams play each other. A host site 's pods may be from different regions, and thus the winners of each pod would advance into separate regional tournaments. Semifinal seeding Since 2004, the semi-final matches during the first day of the Final Four weekend have been determined by a procedure based upon the original seeding of the full field. Prior to 2004, the pitting of regional champions in the semi-finals was on a rotational basis. Other notes Home court advantage On several occasions NCAA tournament teams played their games in their home arena. In 1959, Louisville played at its regular home of Freedom Hall ; however, the Cardinals lost to West Virginia in the semifinals. In 1984, Kentucky defeated Illinois, 54 - 51 in the Elite Eight on its home court of Rupp Arena. In 1985, Dayton played its first - round game against Villanova ( it lost 51 - 49 ) on its home floor. In 1986 ( beating Brown before losing to Navy ) and ' 87 ( beating Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky ), Syracuse played the first 2 rounds of the NCAA tournament in the Carrier Dome. Also in 1986, LSU played in Baton Rouge on its home floor for the first 2 rounds despite being an 11th seed ( beating Purdue and Memphis State ). In 1987, Arizona lost to UTEP on its home floor in the first round. In 2015, Dayton played at its regular home of UD Arena, and the Flyers beat Boise State in the First Four. Since the inception of the modern Final Four in 1952, only once has a team played a Final Four on its actual home court -- Louisville in 1959. But through the 2015 tournament, three other teams have played the Final Four in their home cities, one other team has played in its metropolitan area, and six additional teams have played the Final Four in their home states through the 2015 tournament. Kentucky ( 1958 in Louisville ), UCLA ( 1968 and 1972 in Los Angeles, 1975 in San Diego ), and North Carolina State ( 1974 in Greensboro ) won the national title ; Louisville ( 1959 at its home arena, Freedom Hall ) ; Purdue ( 1980 in Indianapolis ) lost in the Final Four ; and California ( 1960 in suburban San Francisco ), Duke ( 1994 in Charlotte ), Michigan State ( 2009 in Detroit ), and Butler ( 2010 in Indianapolis ) lost in the final. In 1960, Cal had nearly as large an edge as Louisville had the previous year, only having to cross the San Francisco Bay to play in the Final Four at the Cow Palace in Daly City ; the Golden Bears lost in the championship game to Ohio State. UCLA had a similar advantage in 1968 and 1972 when it advanced to the Final Four at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, not many miles from the Bruins ' homecourt of Pauley Pavilion ( also UCLA 's home arena before the latter venue opened in 1965, and again during the 2011 - 12 season while Pauley was closed for renovations ) ; unlike Louisville and Cal, the Bruins won the national title on both occasions. Butler lost the 2010 title 6 miles ( 9.7 km ) from its Indianapolis campus and was regarded as the host school, as it is most times whenever the NCAA holds a tournament in Indianapolis ( in the 2013 tournament, Butler 's former conference, the Horizon League, was considered the host for the Midwest Regional rather than Butler ). Before the Final Four was established, the East and West regionals were held at separate sites, with the winners advancing to the title game. During that era, three New York City teams, all from Manhattan, played in the East Regional at Madison Square Garden -- frequently used as a `` big - game '' venue by each team -- and advanced at least to the national semifinals. NYU won the East Regional in 1945 but lost in the title game, also held at the Garden, to Oklahoma A&M. CCNY played in the East Regional in both 1947 and 1950 ; the Beavers lost in the 1947 East final to eventual champion Holy Cross but won the 1950 East Regional and national titles at the Garden. In 1974, North Carolina State won the NCAA tournament without leaving its home state of North Carolina. The team was put in the East Region, and played its regional games at its home arena Reynolds Coliseum. NC State played the final four and national championship games at nearby Greensboro Coliseum. While not its home state, Kansas has played in the championship game in Kansas City, Missouri, only 45 minutes from the campus in Lawrence, Kansas, not just once, but four times. In 1940, 1953, and 1957 the Jayhawks lost the championship game each time at Municipal Auditorium. In 1988, playing at Kansas City 's Kemper Arena, Kansas won the championship, over Big Eight -- rival Oklahoma. Similarly, in 2005, Illinois played in St. Louis, Missouri, where it enjoyed a noticeable homecourt advantage, yet still lost in the championship game to North Carolina. Flag controversy The NCAA had banned the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, originally known as Bi-Lo Center, and Colonial Life Arena, originally Colonial Center, in South Carolina from hosting tournament games, despite their sizes ( 16,000 and 18,000 seats, respectively ) because of an NAACP protest at the Bi-Lo Center during the 2002 first and second round tournament games over that state 's refusal to completely remove the Confederate Battle Flag from the state capitol grounds, although it had already been relocated from atop the capitol dome to a less prominent place in 2000. Following requests by the NAACP and Black Coaches Association, the Bi-Lo Center, and the newly built Colonial Center, which was built for purposes of hosting the tournament, were banned from hosting any future tournament events. As a result of the removal of the battle flag from the South Carolina State Capitol, the NCAA lifted its ban on South Carolina hosting games in 2015, and it was able to host in 2017 due to House Bill 2 ( see next section ). House Bill 2 On September 12, 2016, the NCAA stripped the State of North Carolina of hosting rights for seven upcoming college sports tournaments and championships held by the association, including early round games of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament scheduled for the Greensboro Coliseum. The NCAA argued that House Bill 2 made it `` challenging to guarantee that host communities can help deliver ( an inclusive atmosphere ) ''. Bon Secours Wellness Arena was able to secure the bid to be the replacement site. Rituals and influence The NABC Championship Trophy NCAA - style trophies for various sports as seen at UCLA. Cutting down the nets As a tournament ritual, the winning team cuts down the nets at the end of regional championship games as well as the national championship game. Starting with the seniors, and moving down by classes, players each cut a single strand off of each net ; the head coach cuts the last strand connecting the net to the hoop, claiming the net itself. An exception to the head coach cutting the last strand came in 2013, when Louisville head coach Rick Pitino gave that honor to Kevin Ware, who had suffered a catastrophic leg injury during the tournament. This tradition is credited to Everett Case, the coach of North Carolina State, who stood on his players ' shoulders to accomplish the feat after the Wolfpack won the Southern Conference tournament in 1947. CBS, since 1987, in the odd - numbered years, and TBS, since 2016, the even - numbered years, close out the tournament with `` One Shining Moment, '' performed by Luther Vandross. Team awards Just as the Olympics awards gold, silver, and bronze medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, respectively, the NCAA awards the National Champions a gold - plated Wooden NCAA National Championship trophy. The loser of the championship game receives a silver - plated National Runner - Up trophy for second place. Since 2006, all four Final Four teams receive a bronze plated NCAA Regional Championship trophy ; prior to 2006, only the teams who did not make the title game received bronze plated trophies for third place. The champions also receive a commemorative gold championship ring, and the other three Final Four teams receive Final Four rings. The National Association of Basketball Coaches also presents a more elaborate marble / crystal trophy to the winning team. Ostensibly, this award is given for taking the top position in the NABC 's end - of - season poll, but this is invariably the same as the NCAA championship game winner. In 2005, Siemens AG acquired naming rights to the NABC trophy, which is now called the Siemens Trophy. Formerly, the NABC trophy was presented right after the standard NCAA championship trophy, but this caused some confusion. Since 2006, the Siemens / NABC Trophy has been presented separately at a press conference the day after the game. Most Outstanding player After the championship trophy is awarded, one player is selected and then awarded the Most Outstanding Player award ( which almost always comes from the championship team ). It is not intended to be the same as a Most Valuable Player award although it is sometimes informally referred to as such. Influence on the NBA draft Because the National Basketball Association Draft takes place just three months after the NCAA tournament, NBA executives have to decide how players ' performances in a maximum of seven games, from the First Four to the championship game, should affect their draft decisions. A 2012 study for the National Bureau of Economic Research explores how the March tournament affects the way that professional teams behave in the June draft. The study is based on data from 1997 to 2010 that looks at how college tournament standouts performed at the NBA level. The researchers determined that a player who outperforms his regular season averages or who is on a team that wins more games than its seed would indicate will be drafted higher than he otherwise would have been. At the same time, the study indicated that professional teams do n't take college tournament performance into consideration as much as they should, as success in the tournament correlates with elite professional accomplishment, particularly top - level success, where a player makes the NBA All - Star Team three or more times. `` If anything, NBA teams undervalue the signal provided by unexpected performance in the NCAA March Madness tournament as a predictor of future NBA success. '' Television coverage and revenues Current television contracts Main articles : NCAA March Madness ( CBS / Turner ) and College Basketball on CBS Since 2010, the NCAA has had a joint contract with CBS and Turner Sports, a division of Time Warner ( which co-owns the CW Television Network with CBS ). The coverage of the tournament is split between CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV. Broadcasters from CBS, TBS, and TNT 's sports coverage are shared across all four networks, with CBS ' college basketball teams supplemented with Turner 's NBA teams, while studio segments take place at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City and Turner 's studios in Atlanta. In the New York - based studio shows, CBS ' Greg Gumbel and Clark Kellogg are joined by Ernie Johnson, Jr., Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley of TNT 's Inside the NBA while Seth Davis of CBS assists with Matt Winer and various NBA TV personalities. While Turner 's primary NBA voices, Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan, are already employed by CBS in other capacities, they also lend analysts Chris Webber, Grant Hill, and Reggie Miller and secondary play - by - play man Brian Anderson to CBS. In turn, CBS announcers Jim Nantz, Brad Nessler, Spero Dedes, and Andrew Catalon appear on Turner network broadcasts along with analysts Len Elmore, Bill Raftery, Dan Bonner, Mike Gminski, and Doug Gottlieb. The current contract runs through 2024 and, for the first time in history, provides for the nationwide broadcast each year of all games of the tournament. All First Four games air on truTV. A featured first - or second - round game in each time `` window '' is broadcast on CBS, while all other games are shown either on TBS, TNT or truTV. The regional semifinals, better known as the Sweet Sixteen, are split between CBS and TBS. CBS had the exclusive rights to the regional finals, also known as the Elite Eight, through 2014. That exclusivity extended to the entire Final Four as well, but after the 2013 tournament Turner Sports elected to exercise a contractual option for 2014 and 2015 giving TBS broadcast rights to the national semifinal matchups. CBS kept its national championship game rights. Since 2015, CBS and TBS split coverage of the Elite Eight. Since 2016 CBS and TBS alternate coverage of the Final Four and national championship game, with TBS getting the final two rounds in even - numbered years, and CBS getting the games in odd - numbered years. March Madness On Demand would remain unchanged, although Turner was allowed to develop their own service. The CBS broadcast provides the NCAA with over $500 million annually, and makes up over 90 % of the NCAA 's annual revenue. The revenues from the multibillion - dollar television contract are divided among the Division I basketball playing schools and conferences as follows : 1 / 6 of the money goes directly to the schools based on how many sports they play ( one `` share '' for each sport starting with 14, which is the minimum needed for Division I membership ). 1 / 3 of the money goes directly to the schools based on how many scholarships they give out ( one share for each of the first 50, two for each of the next 50, ten for each of the next 50, and 20 for each scholarship above 150 ). 1 / 2 of the money goes to the conferences based on how well they did in the six previous men 's basketball tournaments ( counting each year separately, one share for each team getting in, and one share for each win except in the Final Four and, prior to the 2008 tournament, the Play - in game ). In 2007, based on the 2001 through 2006 tournaments, the Big East received over $14.85 million, while the eight conferences that did not win a first - round game in those six years received slightly more than $1 million each. Most conferences distribute most of the revenue evenly to its member institutions, regardless of performance. The Division I Men 's Basketball tournament is the only NCAA championship tournament where the NCAA does not keep the profits. History of television coverage CBS has been the major partner of the NCAA in televising the tournament since 1982, but there have been many changes in coverage since the tournament was first broadcast in 1969. Early broadcast coverage From 1969 to 1981, the NCAA tournament aired on NBC, but not all games were televised. The early rounds, in particular, were not always seen on TV. In 1982, CBS obtained broadcast television rights to the NCAA tournament. ESPN & CBS share coverage The same year as CBS obtained rights to the Big Dance, ESPN began showing the opening rounds of the tournament. This was the network 's first contract signed with the NCAA for a major sport, and helped to establish ESPN 's following among college basketball fans. ESPN showed six first - round games on Thursday and again on Friday, with CBS then picking up a seventh game at 11 : 30 pm ET. Thus, 14 of 32 first - round games were televised. ESPN also re-ran games overnight. At the time, there was only one ESPN network, with no ability to split its signal regionally, so ESPN showed only the most competitive games. During the 1980s, the tournament 's popularity on television soared. CBS takes over However, ESPN became a victim of its own success, as CBS was awarded the rights to cover all games of the NCAA tournament, starting in 1991. Only with the introduction of the so - called `` play - in '' game ( between the 64 seed and the 65 seed ) in the 2000s, did ESPN get back in the game ( and actually, the first time this `` play - in '' game was played in 2001, the game was aired on TNN, using CBS graphics and announcers. CBS and TNN were both owned by Viacom at the time ). Through 2010, CBS broadcast the remaining 63 games of the NCAA tournament proper. Most areas saw only eight of 32 first - round games, seven of 16 second - round games, and four of eight regional semifinal games ( out of the possible 56 games during these rounds ; there would be some exceptions to this rule in the 2000s ). Coverage preempted regular programming on the network, except during a 2 - hour window from about 5 ET until 7 ET when the local affiliates could show programming. The CBS format resulted in far fewer hours of first - round coverage than under the old ESPN format but allowed the games to reach a much larger audience than ESPN was able to reach. During this period of near - exclusivity by CBS, the network provided to its local affiliates three types of feeds from each venue : constant feed, swing feed, and flex feed. Constant feeds remained primarily on a given game, and were used primarily by stations with a clear local interest in a particular game. Despite its name, a constant feed occasionally veered away to other games for brief updates ( as is typical in most American sports coverage ), but coverage generally remained with the initial game. A swing feed tended to stay on games believed to be of natural interest to the locality, such as teams from local conferences, but may leave that game to go to other games that during their progress become close matches. On a flex feed, coverage bounced around from one venue to another, depending on action at the various games in progress. If one game was a blowout, coverage could switch to a more competitive game. A flex feed was provided when there were no games with a significant natural local interest for the stations carrying them, which allowed the flex game to be the best game in progress. Station feeds were planned in advance and stations had the option of requesting either constant or flex feed for various games. Viewing options emerge In 1999, DirecTV began broadcasting all games otherwise not shown on local television with its Mega March Madness premium package. The DirecTV system used the subscriber 's ZIP code to black out games which could be seen on broadcast television. Prior to that, all games were available on C - Band satellite and were picked up by sports bars. In 2003, CBS struck a deal with Yahoo ! to offer live streaming of the first three rounds of games under its Yahoo ! Platinum service, for $16.95 a month. In 2004, CBS began selling viewers access to March Madness On Demand, which provided games not otherwise shown on broadcast television ; the service was free for AOL subscribers. In 2006, March Madness On Demand was made free, and continued to be so to online users through the 2011 tournament. For 2012, it once again became a pay service, with a single payment of $3.99 providing access to all 67 tournament games. In 2013, the service, now renamed March Madness Live, was again made free, but uses Turner 's rights and infrastructure for TV Everywhere, which requires sign - in though the password of a customer 's cable or satellite provider to watch games, both via PC / Mac and mobile devices. Those that do not have a cable or satellite service or one not participating in Turner 's TV Everywhere are restricted to games carried on the CBS national feed, the national semifinals and final ( regardless of the broadcaster ), and three hours ( originally four ) of other games without sign - in, or coverage via Westwood One 's radio coverage. In addition, CBS Sports Network ( formerly CBS College Sports Network ) had broadcast two `` late early '' games that would not otherwise be broadcast nationally. These were the second games in the daytime session in the Pacific Time Zone, to avoid starting games before 10 AM. These games are also available via March Madness Live and on CBS affiliates in the market areas of the team playing. In other markets, newscasts, local programming or preempted CBS morning programming are aired. CBSSN is scheduled to continue broadcasting the official pregame and postgame shows and press conferences from the teams involved, along with overnight replays. HDTV coverage The Final Four has been broadcast in HDTV since 1999. From 2000 to 2004, only one first / second round site and one regional site were designated as HDTV sites. In 2005, all regional games were broadcast in HDTV, and four first and second round sites were designated for HDTV coverage. Local stations broadcasting in both digital and analog had the option of airing separate games on their HD and SD channels, to take advantage of the available high definition coverage. Beginning in 2007, all games in the tournament ( including all first and second - round games ) were available in high definition, and local stations were required to air the same game on both their analog and digital channels. However, due to satellite limitations, first round `` constant '' feeds were only available in standard definition. Moreover, some digital television stations, such as WRAL - TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, choose to not participate in HDTV broadcasts of the first and second rounds and the regional semifinals, and used their available bandwidth to split their signal into digital subchannels to show all games going on simultaneously. By 2008, upgrades at the CBS broadcast center allowed all feeds, flex and constant, to be in HD for the tournament. International broadcasts See also : List of NCAA Final Four Broadcasters As of 2011, ESPN International holds international broadcast rights to the tournament, distributing coverage to its co-owned networks and other broadcasters. ESPN produces the world feed for broadcasts of the Final Four and championship game, produced using ESPN College Basketball staff and commentators. Tournament statistics See also : NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament records Low seeded teams See also : NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament upsets Most successful low seeds Best outcomes for low seeds since expansion to 64 teams in 1985 : Seed Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Championship Game National Champion No. 16 - - - - - No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast ( 2013 ) - - - - No. 14 Cleveland State ( 1986 ) Chattanooga ( 1997 ) - - - - No. 13 Richmond ( 1988 ) Valparaiso ( 1998 ) Oklahoma ( 1999 ) Bradley ( 2006 ) Ohio ( 2012 ) La Salle ( 2013 ) - - - - No. 12 numerous ( 20 teams ) Missouri ( 2002 ) - - - No. 11 numerous ( 20 teams ) Loyola Marymount ( 1990 ) Temple ( 2001 ) Dayton ( 2014 ) Xavier ( 2017 ) LSU ( 1986 ) George Mason ( 2006 ) VCU ( 2011 ) - - No. 10 numerous ( 23 teams ) LSU ( 1987 ) Texas ( 1990 ) Temple ( 1991 ) Providence ( 1997 ) Gonzaga ( 1999 ) Kent State ( 2002 ) Davidson ( 2008 ) Syracuse ( 2016 ) - - No. 9 UTEP ( 1992 ) UAB ( 2004 ) Northern Iowa ( 2010 ) Boston College ( 1994 ) Wichita State ( 2013 ) - - No. 8 North Carolina ( 1990 ) Georgia ( 1996 ) UCLA ( 2002 ) NC State ( 2015 ) Wisconsin ( 2017 ) Auburn ( 1986 ) Rhode Island ( 1998 ) Alabama ( 2004 ) North Carolina ( 2000 ) Wisconsin ( 2000 ) Butler ( 2011 ) Kentucky ( 2014 ) Villanova ( 1985 ) No. 7 numerous ( 25 teams ) Navy ( 1986 ) Temple ( 1993 ) Tulsa ( 2000 ) Michigan State ( 2003 ) Xavier ( 2004 ) West Virginia ( 2005 ) Florida ( 2012 ) Michigan State ( 2015 ) South Carolina ( 2017 ) Connecticut ( 2014 ) Best performances by No. 16 seeds No team as a No. 16 seed has never defeated a No. 1 seed since the field was expanded to 64 or more teams, though on five occasions, a No. 16 seed has come within 4 or fewer points of winning : While ultimately Murray State lost to Michigan State by 4 points ( 75 -- 71 ) in 1990, it was the only No. 16 team to ever take a game into overtime. East Tennessee State lost to Oklahoma in 1989 ( 1 point, 72 -- 71 ) Princeton lost to Georgetown in 1989 ( 1 point, 50 -- 49 ) Western Carolina lost to Purdue in 1996 ( 2 points, 73 -- 71 ) Fairleigh Dickinson lost to Michigan in 1985 ( 4 points, 59 -- 55 ) Additional low - seed stats Villanova in 1985, a No. 8 seed, was the lowest seeded team to win the tournament. The lowest - seeded combination ever in the national championship game is the 2014 pairing of No. 7 seed Connecticut and No. 8 seed Kentucky. Connecticut won, to become the second - lowest - seeded team to win the tournament. The pairing of No. 8 seed Butler and No. 11 seed VCU in the 2011 National Semifinals game had the lowest seeded combination ( No. 8 v. No. 11 ) ever to play in a National Semifinals game. Penn 's 1979 Final Four appearance is also notable as they made it as a No. 9 seed -- out of 10 teams in their region -- making them the lowest seed to make the Final Four in the pre-64 - team era. Butler is the only team to make consecutive Final Fours ( let alone Championship Games ) while not being a No. 1 or No. 2 seed either time ( No. 5 in 2010, No. 8 in 2011 ). 1991, 2013, and 2016 were the only years where at least one team of every seed ( other than the winless No. 16s ) advanced to the Round of 32. Richmond is the only team to win first - round games ranked as a No. 15, No. 14, No. 13, and No. 12 seed. 2012 was the only tournament to feature two upsets by No. 15 seeds over No. 2 seeds in the round of 64 ( there have been eight all - time ). 1986, 1995, and 2015 were the only tournaments to feature two upsets by No. 14 seeds over No. 3 seeds in the round of 64. 2014 produced the highest total seed differential in an NCAA Tournament, with 111 across all the rounds of play. That is, the aggregate seed difference among the 22 games won by lower - seeded teams ( e.g., No. 14 Mercer over No. 3 Duke, No. 8 Kentucky over No. 1 Wichita State ) was 111. 2013 was the only tournament to have three teams seeded No. 12 or lower in the Sweet Sixteen : No. 12 Oregon, No. 13 La Salle, and No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast. 2017, South Carolina entering as a 7th seed in their region, beat Duke a No. 2 seed, Baylor, a No. 3 seed and Florida, a No. 4 seed to reach the Final Four. Georgetown is the only team to ever lose in five consecutive tournament appearances against a team seeded at least five spots lower : 2008 ( Round of 32 ) : No. 10 Davidson 74, No. 2 Georgetown 70. 2010 ( Round of 64 ) : No. 14 Ohio 97, No. 3 Georgetown 83. 2011 ( Round of 64 ) : No. 11 VCU 74, No. 6 Georgetown 56. 2012 ( Round of 32 ) : No. 11 NC State 66, No. 3 Georgetown 63. 2013 ( Round of 64 ) : No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast 78, No. 2 Georgetown 68. Notable point spread upsets As noted above, despite numerous instances of early - round tournament upsets, no No. 1 seed has ever lost in the first round to a No. 16 seed. However, while seeding is one way of measuring the impact of an upset, prior to the implementation of seeding, point spread was the better determinant of an upset, and a loss by a highly favored team remains for many the definition of `` upset ''. Biggest point - spread upsets since expansion to 64 teams in 1985 : Norfolk State + 21.5 over Missouri 86 -- 84 in 2012 Santa Clara + 19.5 over Arizona 64 -- 61 in 1993 Coppin State + 18.5 over South Carolina 78 -- 65 in 1997 Hampton + 17.5 over Iowa State 58 -- 57 in 2001 Middle Tennessee + 16.5 over Michigan State 90 -- 81 in 2016 Biggest point - spread upsets in NCAA Championship Game history : Connecticut + 9.5 over Duke, 77 -- 74, in 1999 Villanova + 9 over Georgetown, 66 -- 64, in 1985 Kansas + 8 over Oklahoma, 83 -- 79, in 1988 North Carolina State + 7.5 over Houston, 54 -- 52 in 1983 Texas Western + 6.5 over Kentucky, 72 -- 65 in 1966 Highly seeded teams All No. 1 seeds in the Final Four Rank # 1 vs. other ranks It has happened only once that all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four : 2008 -- Kansas ( champion ), North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis Final Fours without a No. 1 seed Three times ( twice since the field expanded to 64 teams ) the Final Four has been without a No. 1 seed : 1980 -- No. 2 Louisville ( champion ), No. 5 Iowa, No. 6 Purdue, No. 8 UCLA 2006 -- No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Florida ( champion ), No. 4 LSU, No. 11 George Mason 2011 -- No. 3 Connecticut ( champion ), No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler, No. 11 VCU Since 1985, there have been 4 instances of three No. 1 seeds reaching the Final Four ; 11 instances of two No. 1 seeds making it ; and 14 instances of just one No. 1 seed reaching the Final Four. No. 1 seeds in the championship game It has happened eight times ( seven times since the field expanded to 64 ) that the championship game has been played between two No. 1 seeds : 1982 -- North Carolina beat Georgetown 1993 -- North Carolina beat Michigan 1999 -- Connecticut beat Duke 2005 -- North Carolina beat Illinois 2007 -- Florida beat Ohio State 2008 -- Kansas beat Memphis 2015 -- Duke beat Wisconsin 2017 -- North Carolina beat Gonzaga Since 1985, there have been 17 instances of one No. 1 seed reaching the Championship Game ( No. 1 seeds are 13 - 4 against other seeds in the title game ), and eight instances where no No. 1 seed made it to the title game. In total, since 1985, No. 1 seeds are 19 - 10 in the championship game. Additional No. 1 seed stats In 1997, Arizona achieved a record when it became the only team to beat three No. 1 seeds in a single tournament. Arizona ( No. 4 seed ) beat Kansas in its own Southeast region, then beat North Carolina in the Final Four and finally Kentucky in the Championship game. The most No. 1 seeds any team can face in the tournament is three ( provided that the team itself is not a No. 1 seed, in which case it can only face two No. 1 seeds in the tournament ). In 2011, the highest seed to advance to the Final Four was No. 3 seed Connecticut, making the 2011 tournament the only time that neither a No. 1 seed nor a No. 2 seed advanced into the final weekend of play. In the same tournament, Butler made history as the first program to make consecutive Final Fours while not being seeded No. 1 or No. 2 in either season. There have been 16 teams that have entered the tournament unbeaten. Four of those teams were from UCLA, and all those Bruin teams won each of those tournaments. However, of the other 12 teams entering the tournament unbeaten, just three went on to win the tournament. For details, see table below In 1980, 1981, and 1982, when the tournament was 48 teams, DePaul was seeded No. 1 but was defeated in the first round. Theoretically, a No. 1 seed 's most difficult six - game path to win the tournament is to defeat a No. 16, a No. 8, a No. 4, a No. 2, a No. 1, and a No. 1 - the highest possible opposing seeds in successive rounds. No No. 1 seed has ever won all six such games, though two teams have won the first five. In the 2002 tournament, Maryland reached the final after defeating teams seeded 16 / 8 / 4 / 2 / 1 ; they won the tournament after defeating No. 5 Indiana in the final. In the 2015 tournament, Wisconsin reached the final after defeating teams seeded 16 / 8 / 4 / 2 / 1. In the final, they faced No. 1 Duke with a chance to complete the full six - game path. However, Wisconsin lost the final. Teams No. 1 in national polls The following teams entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in at least one of the AP, UPI, or USA Today polls and won the tournament : 1949 : Kentucky ( AP ) 1951 : Kentucky ( AP / UPI ) 1953 : Indiana ( AP / UPI ) 1955 : San Francisco ( AP / UPI ) 1956 : San Francisco ( AP / UPI ) 1957 : North Carolina ( AP / UPI ) 1964 : UCLA ( AP / UPI ) 1967 : UCLA ( AP / UPI ) 1969 : UCLA ( AP / UPI ) 1971 : UCLA ( AP / UPI ) 1972 : UCLA ( AP / UPI ) 1973 : UCLA ( AP / UPI ) 1974 : NC State ( AP / UPI ) 1976 : Indiana ( AP / UPI ) 1978 : Kentucky ( AP / UPI ) 1982 : North Carolina ( AP / UPI ) 1992 : Duke ( AP / UPI ) 1994 : Arkansas ( USA Today ) 1995 : UCLA ( AP / USA Today ) 2001 : Duke ( AP / USA Today ) 2012 : Kentucky ( AP / USA Today ) Performance of undefeated teams The team 's record here refers to their record before the first game of the NCAA tournament. Year Team Record Result 1951 Columbia 21 -- 0 Lost Sweet 16 game to Illinois 1956 San Francisco 24 -- 0 Won the tournament, beat Iowa 1957 North Carolina 27 -- 0 Won the tournament, beat Kansas 1961 Ohio State 24 -- 0 Lost in championship game to Cincinnati 1964 UCLA 26 -- 0 Won the tournament, beat Duke 1967 UCLA 26 -- 0 Won the tournament, beat Dayton 1968 Houston 28 -- 0 Lost in national semifinal game to UCLA 1968 St. Bonaventure 22 -- 0 Lost Sweet 16 game to North Carolina 1971 Pennsylvania 26 -- 0 Lost Elite 8 game to Villanova 1971 Marquette 26 -- 0 Lost Sweet 16 game to Ohio State 1972 UCLA 26 -- 0 Won the tournament, beat Florida State 1973 UCLA 26 -- 0 Won the tournament, beat Memphis State Indiana 29 -- 0 Lost Elite 8 game to Kentucky 1976 Indiana 27 -- 0 Won the tournament, beat Michigan 1976 Rutgers 27 -- 0 Lost in national semifinal game to Michigan 1979 Indiana State 28 -- 0 Lost in championship game to Michigan State 1991 UNLV 30 -- 0 Lost in national semifinal game to Duke 2014 Wichita State 34 -- 0 Lost in Round of 32 to Kentucky 2015 Kentucky 34 -- 0 Lost in national semifinal game to Wisconsin Undefeated teams not in the tournament The NCAA tournament has undergone dramatic expansion since 1975, and since the tournament was expanded to 48 teams in 1980, no unbeaten teams have failed to qualify. ( As, by definition, a team would have to win its conference tournament, and thus secure an automatic bid to the tournament, to be undefeated in a season, the only way a team could finish undefeated and not reach the tournament is if the team is banned from postseason play ; as of 2016, no team banned from postseason play has finished undefeated since 1980. ) Before that, there were occasions on which a team achieved perfection in the regular season, yet did not appear in the NCAA tournament. During 1939, Long Island University finished the regular season unbeaten but decided to accept instead an invitation to the second NIT ( which they won ) instead of the first and only NABC tournament ( later called the NCAA tournament ), as the NIT was more prestigious at the time. It was n't until the mid-1950s that the NCAA required that its tournament would have `` first choice '' in determining teams for their field. Before then, many of the more successful teams during the regular season chose to play in the NIT instead of the NCAA tournament. During 1940, Seton Hall finished the regular season 19 -- 0, but their record had been built largely against weak teams and thus did not earn them an invitation to the postseason tournament. During 1941, Milwaukee State finished the regular season 16 -- 0, but their record had been built largely against weak teams and thus did not earn them an invitation to the postseason tournament. During 1944, Army finished the regular season unbeaten. But owing to World War II, the Cadets did not accept an invitation to postseason play. During 1954, Kentucky finished 25 -- 0 and were invited to the tournament, but declined the invitation. During 1973 the North Carolina State Wolfpack finished the regular season 27 -- 0 and ranked # 2 ( behind undefeated and eventual tournament champion UCLA ) but were barred from participating in the NCAA tournament while on probation for recruiting violations. During 1979, the Alcorn State Braves finished the regular season 27 -- 0, but did not receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Braves accepted a bid to the NIT, where they lost in the second round to eventual NIT champion Indiana. Champions absent the next year There have been nine times in which the tournament did not include the reigning champion ( the previous year 's winner ) : 1978 champion Kentucky went 19 -- 12 in 1979. The Wildcats accepted an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, losing their first - round game in overtime to Clemson, 68 -- 67. Both 1979 champion Michigan State ( 12 -- 15 ) and 1979 runner up Indiana State ( 16 -- 11 ) failed to qualify for the 1980 NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, neither was invited to the National Invitation Tournament, and Michigan State is the only team to finish the subsequent season with a losing record. Following the 1979 NCAA tournament, Indiana State lost Larry Bird to graduation, and Magic Johnson left Michigan State after his sophomore season to enter the NBA draft. 1983 champion North Carolina State went 19 -- 13 in 1984. The Wolfpack accepted an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, losing their first - round game to Florida State, 74 -- 71 in Reynolds Coliseum. 1986 champion Louisville went 18 -- 14 in 1987. The team declined an invitation to the postseason National Invitation Tournament. 1988 champion Kansas went 19 -- 12 in 1989. However, the team was ineligible for participation in the 1989 NCAA Tournament due to NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations. 2007 ( and 2006 ) champion Florida and 2007 runner up Ohio State both failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Both accepted invitations to that year 's postseason National Invitation Tournament, and both made it to the semifinals. Florida fell to Massachusetts in the semifinals, and Ohio State beat UMass in the NIT Championship Game to win the tournament. 2009 champion North Carolina went 20 -- 17 in 2010. The Tar Heels accepted an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, and reached the finals, losing to Dayton. 2012 champion Kentucky went 21 -- 11 in 2013 and failed to make that tournament. The Wildcats were invited to the National Invitation Tournament, where they lost to Robert Morris in the first round of the tournament. 2014 champion Connecticut went 20 -- 14 in 2015 and failed to make that tournament. The Huskies were invited to the National Invitation Tournament and lost to Arizona State in the first round. Coaches Most national championships 10 National Championships John Wooden ( 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 ) 5 National Championships Mike Krzyzewski ( 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 ) 4 National Championships Adolph Rupp ( 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958 ) 3 National Championships Jim Calhoun ( 1999, 2004, 2011 ) Bob Knight ( 1976, 1981, 1987 ) Roy Williams ( 2005, 2009, 2017 ) 2 National Championships Denny Crum ( 1980, 1986 ) Billy Donovan ( 2006, 2007 ) Henry Iba ( 1945, 1946 ) Ed Jucker ( 1961, 1962 ) Branch McCracken ( 1940, 1953 ) Dean Smith ( 1982, 1993 ) Phil Woolpert ( 1955, 1956 ) 1 National Championship Phog Allen ( 1952 ) Jim Boeheim ( 2003 ) Larry Brown ( 1988 ) John Calipari ( 2012 ) Everett Dean ( 1942 ) Steve Fisher ( 1989 ) Bud Foster ( 1941 ) Joe B. Hall ( 1978 ) Jim Harrick ( 1995 ) Don Haskins ( 1966 ) Jud Heathcote ( 1979 ) Howard Hobson ( 1939 ) Nat Holman ( 1950 ) George Ireland ( 1963 ) Tom Izzo ( 2000 ) Doggie Julian ( 1947 ) Ken Loeffler ( 1954 ) Rollie Massimino ( 1985 ) Al McGuire ( 1977 ) Frank McGuire ( 1957 ) Pete Newell ( 1959 ) Kevin Ollie ( 2014 ) Lute Olson ( 1997 ) Vadal Peterson ( 1944 ) Rick Pitino ( 1996, 2013 ( vacated ) ) Nolan Richardson ( 1994 ) Bill Self ( 2008 ) Everett Shelton ( 1943 ) Norm Sloan ( 1974 ) Tubby Smith ( 1998 ) Jerry Tarkanian ( 1990 ) Fred Taylor ( 1960 ) John Thompson ( 1984 ) Jim Valvano ( 1983 ) Gary Williams ( 2002 ) Jay Wright ( 2016 ) National championships among active coaches 5 Mike Krzyzewski ( 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 ) 3 Roy Williams ( 2005, 2009, 2017 ) 1 Jim Boeheim ( 2003 ) 1 John Calipari ( 2012 ) 1 Tom Izzo ( 2000 ) 1 Kevin Ollie ( 2014 ) 1 Bill Self ( 2008 ) 1 Tubby Smith ( 1998 ) 1 Jay Wright ( 2016 ) Schools winning a national championship under multiple coaches Five coaches Kentucky : Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, and John Calipari Three coaches Kansas : Phog Allen, Larry Brown, and Bill Self North Carolina : Frank McGuire, Dean Smith, and Roy Williams Two coaches Connecticut : Jim Calhoun, and Kevin Ollie Indiana : Branch McCracken, and Bob Knight Michigan State : Jud Heathcote, and Tom Izzo North Carolina State : Norm Sloan, and Jim Valvano UCLA : John Wooden, and Jim Harrick Villanova : Rollie Massimino, and Jay Wright Most teams from different schools taken to the Final Four Rick Pitino is the only coach to have officially taken three different teams to the Final Four : Providence ( 1987 ), Kentucky ( 1993, 1996, 1997 ) and Louisville ( 2005 ). John Calipari has also taken three teams to the Final Four, but has had his runs with UMass and Memphis vacated due to NCAA violations. There are 12 coaches who have officially coached two different schools to the Final Four -- Roy Williams, Eddie Sutton, Frank McGuire, Lon Kruger, Hugh Durham, Jack Gardner, Lute Olson, Gene Bartow, Forddy Anderson, Lee Rose, Bob Huggins, and Lou Henson. Larry Brown took UCLA to the Final Four in 1980, but it was vacated due to NCAA violations. He also took Kansas in 1986 and 1988. Point differentials Point differentials, or margin of victory, can be viewed either by the championship game, or by a team 's performance over the whole tournament. Championship victory margins Largest margin of victory in a championship game 30 points, by UNLV in 1990 ( 103 -- 73, over Duke ) Overtime games in a championship game Seven times the championship game has been tied at the end of regulation. On one of those occasions ( 1957 ) the game went into double and then triple overtime. North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 / 3OT ( 1957 ) Utah 42, Dartmouth 40 ( 1944 ) Cincinnati 65, Ohio St. 60 ( 1961 ) Loyola 60, Cincinnati 58 ( 1963 ) Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 ( 1989 ) Arizona 84, Kentucky 79 ( 1997 ) Kansas 75, Memphis 68 ( 2008 ) Smallest margin of victory in a championship game 1 point, on six occasions Indiana 69, Kansas 68 ( 1953 ) North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 / 3OT ( 1957 ) California 71, West Virginia 70 ( 1959 ) North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62 ( 1982 ) Indiana 74, Syracuse 73 ( 1987 ) Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 / OT ( 1989 ) Accumulated victory margins Largest point differential accumulated over the entire tournament by championship teams Teams that played 6 games + 129 Kentucky 1996 + 124 Villanova 2016 + 121 North Carolina 2009 + 112 UNLV 1990 + 101 Duke 2001 Teams that played 5 games + 115 Loyola of Chicago 1963 + 113 Indiana 1981 + 104 Michigan State 1979 + 69 San Francisco 1955 + 66 Indiana 1976 Teams that played 4 games + 95 UCLA 1967 + 85 UCLA 1968 + 78 Ohio State 1960 + 76 UCLA 1969 + 72 UCLA 1970 + 72 UCLA 1972 Teams that played 3 games + 56 Oklahoma A&M 1945 + 52 Kentucky 1949 + 51 Indiana 1940 + 47 Kentucky 1948 + 46 Oregon 1939 Teams winning the championship and obtaining a margin of 10 points in every game of the tournament Achieved twelve times by nine different schools Oregon ( 1939 ) Kentucky ( 1949 ) San Francisco ( 1956 ) Ohio State ( 1960 ) UCLA ( 1967, 1970 and 1973 ) Michigan State ( 1979 and 2000 ) Indiana ( 1981 ) Duke ( 2001 ) North Carolina ( 2009 ) Seed pairing results NCAA Tournament % Wins per rank Since the inception of the 64 - team tournament in 1985, through 2017 each seed - pairing has played 132 games in the Round of 64, with the following results : Round of 64 results The No. 1 seed is 132 -- 0 against the No. 16 seed ( 1.000 ) The No. 2 seed is 124 -- 8 against the No. 15 seed (. 939 ) The No. 3 seed is 111 -- 21 against the No. 14 seed (. 841 ) The No. 4 seed is 106 -- 26 against the No. 13 seed (. 803 ) The No. 5 seed is 85 -- 47 against the No. 12 seed (. 644 ) The No. 6 seed is 83 -- 49 against the No. 11 seed (. 629 ) The No. 7 seed is 81 -- 51 against the No. 10 seed (. 614 ) The No. 8 seed is 67 -- 65 against the No. 9 seed (. 508 ) Round of 32 results In the 1 / 16 vs. 8 / 9 bracket : vs. No. 8 vs. No. 9 Total No. 1 54 -- 13 (. 806 ) 60 -- 5 (. 923 ) 114 -- 18 (. 864 ) No. 16 -- -- -- Total 13 -- 54 (. 194 ) 5 -- 60 (. 077 ) In the 2 / 15 vs. 7 / 10 bracket : vs. No. 7 vs. No. 10 Total No. 2 55 -- 23 (. 705 ) 28 -- 18 (. 609 ) 83 -- 41 (. 669 ) No. 15 1 -- 2 (. 333 ) 0 -- 5 (. 000 ) 1 -- 7 (. 125 ) Total 25 -- 56 (. 309 ) 23 -- 28 (. 451 ) In the 3 / 14 vs. 6 / 11 bracket : vs. No. 6 vs. No. 11 Total No. 3 39 -- 28 (. 582 ) 29 -- 15 (. 659 ) 68 -- 43 (. 613 ) No. 14 2 -- 14 (. 125 ) 0 -- 5 (. 000 ) 2 -- 19 (. 095 ) Total 42 -- 41 (. 506 ) 20 -- 29 (. 408 ) In the 4 / 13 vs. 5 / 12 bracket : vs. No. 5 vs. No. 12 Total No. 4 39 - 31 (. 557 ) 24 -- 12 (. 667 ) 63 -- 43 (. 594 ) No. 13 3 -- 12 (. 200 ) 3 -- 8 (. 273 ) 6 -- 20 (. 231 ) Total 43 -- 42 (. 506 ) 20 -- 27 (. 426 ) Round of 16 results In the 1 / 8 / 9 / 16 vs. 4 / 5 / 12 / 13 bracket : vs. No. 4 vs. No. 5 vs. No. 12 vs. No. 13 Total No. 1 37 -- 15 (. 712 ) 32 -- 7 (. 821 ) 19 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 4 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 92 -- 22 (. 807 ) No. 8 5 -- 4 (. 556 ) 2 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 0 -- 1 (. 000 ) 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 8 -- 5 (. 615 ) No. 9 0 -- 2 (. 000 ) 1 -- 1 (. 500 ) -- 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 2 -- 3 (. 400 ) No. 16 -- -- -- -- -- Total 21 -- 42 (. 333 ) 8 -- 35 (. 186 ) 1 -- 19 (. 050 ) 0 -- 6 (. 000 ) In the 2 / 7 / 10 / 15 vs. 3 / 6 / 11 / 14 bracket : vs. No. 3 vs. No. 6 vs. No. 11 vs. No. 14 Total No. 2 26 -- 14 (. 650 ) 23 -- 6 (. 793 ) 12 -- 2 (. 857 ) -- 61 -- 22 (. 735 ) No. 7 6 -- 8 (. 429 ) 3 -- 4 (. 429 ) 0 -- 3 (. 000 ) 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 10 -- 15 (. 400 ) No. 10 4 -- 9 (. 308 ) 2 -- 4 (. 333 ) 1 -- 2 (. 333 ) 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 8 -- 15 (. 348 ) No. 15 0 -- 1 (. 000 ) -- -- -- 0 -- 1 (. 000 ) Total 32 -- 36 (. 471 ) 14 -- 28 (. 333 ) 7 -- 13 (. 350 ) 0 -- 2 (. 000 ) Regional finals results vs. No. 2 vs. No. 3 vs. No. 6 vs. No. 7 vs. No. 10 vs. No. 11 vs. No. 14 vs. No. 15 Total No. 1 22 -- 23 (. 489 ) 13 -- 9 (. 591 ) 7 -- 2 (. 778 ) 4 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 4 -- 1 (. 800 ) 4 -- 3 (. 571 ) -- -- 54 -- 38 (. 587 ) No. 4 4 -- 2 (. 667 ) 3 -- 2 (. 600 ) 2 -- 1 (. 667 ) 2 -- 3 (. 400 ) 2 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) -- -- -- 13 -- 8 (. 619 ) No. 5 3 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 1 -- 2 (. 333 ) 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) -- 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) -- -- -- 6 -- 2 (. 750 ) No. 8 3 -- 2 (. 600 ) 0 -- 1 (. 000 ) 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) -- -- -- -- 5 -- 3 (. 625 ) No. 9 1 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) 0 -- 1 (. 000 ) -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 1 (. 500 ) No. 12 0 -- 1 (. 000 ) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0 -- 1 (. 000 ) No. 13 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- No. 16 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Total 28 -- 33 (. 459 ) 15 -- 17 (. 469 ) 3 -- 11 (. 214 ) 3 -- 7 (. 300 ) 1 -- 7 (. 125 ) 3 -- 4 (. 429 ) -- -- Host cities This table lists all the cities that have hosted or will host the Final Four, as well as the venues in which the Final Four was or will be played. For additional information about a particular year 's tournament, click on the year to go directly to that year 's NCAA Men 's Basketball Tournament or go to the main article. Year City Venue Champion 1939 Evanston, Illinois Patten Gymnasium Oregon 1940 Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Auditorium Indiana 1941 Wisconsin 1942 Stanford 1943 New York City Madison Square Garden Wyoming 1944 Utah 1945 Oklahoma A&M 1946 1947 Holy Cross 1948 Kentucky 1949 Seattle Hec Edmundson Pavilion 1950 New York City Madison Square Garden CCNY 1951 Minneapolis Williams Arena Kentucky 1952 Seattle Hec Edmundson Pavilion Kansas 1953 Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Auditorium Indiana 1954 La Salle 1955 San Francisco 1956 Evanston, Illinois McGaw Hall 1957 Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Auditorium North Carolina 1958 Louisville, Kentucky Freedom Hall Kentucky 1959 California 1960 Daly City, California Cow Palace Ohio State 1961 Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Auditorium Cincinnati 1962 Louisville, Kentucky Freedom Hall 1963 Loyola ( Chicago ) 1964 Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Auditorium UCLA 1965 Portland, Oregon Memorial Coliseum 1966 College Park, Maryland Cole Field House Texas Western 1967 Louisville, Kentucky Freedom Hall UCLA 1968 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 1969 Louisville, Kentucky Freedom Hall 1970 College Park, Maryland Cole Field House 1971 Houston Astrodome 1972 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 1973 St. Louis St. Louis Arena Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro Coliseum NC State San Diego San Diego Sports Arena UCLA 1976 Philadelphia The Spectrum Indiana 1977 Atlanta The Omni Marquette 1978 St. Louis The Checkerdome Kentucky 1979 Salt Lake City, Utah Special Events Center Michigan State 1980 Indianapolis Market Square Arena Louisville 1981 Philadelphia The Spectrum Indiana 1982 New Orleans Louisiana Superdome North Carolina Albuquerque, New Mexico University Arena NC State 1984 Seattle Kingdome Georgetown 1985 Lexington, Kentucky Rupp Arena Villanova 1986 Dallas Reunion Arena Louisville New Orleans Louisiana Superdome Indiana 1988 Kansas City, Missouri Kemper Arena Kansas 1989 Seattle Kingdome Michigan 1990 Denver McNichols Sports Arena UNLV 1991 Indianapolis Hoosier Dome Duke 1992 Minneapolis HHH Metrodome 1993 New Orleans Louisiana Superdome North Carolina 1994 Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte Coliseum Arkansas 1995 Seattle Kingdome UCLA East Rutherford, New Jersey Continental Airlines Arena Kentucky 1997 Indianapolis RCA Dome Arizona 1998 San Antonio Alamodome Kentucky 1999 St. Petersburg, Florida Tropicana Field Connecticut 2000 Indianapolis RCA Dome Michigan State 2001 Minneapolis HHH Metrodome Duke 2002 Atlanta Georgia Dome Maryland 2003 New Orleans Louisiana Superdome Syracuse San Antonio Alamodome Connecticut 2005 St. Louis Edward Jones Dome North Carolina 2006 Indianapolis RCA Dome Florida 2007 Atlanta Georgia Dome 2008 San Antonio Alamodome Kansas 2009 Detroit Ford Field North Carolina Indianapolis Lucas Oil Stadium Duke 2011 Houston Reliant Stadium Connecticut 2012 New Orleans Mercedes - Benz Superdome Kentucky 2013 Atlanta Georgia Dome Louisville ( vacated ) 2014 Arlington, Texas AT&T Stadium Connecticut 2015 Indianapolis Lucas Oil Stadium Duke 2016 Houston NRG Stadium Villanova 2017 Glendale, Arizona University of Phoenix Stadium North Carolina 2018 San Antonio Alamodome 2019 Minneapolis U.S. Bank Stadium 2020 Atlanta Mercedes - Benz Stadium 2021 Indianapolis Lucas Oil Stadium 2022 New Orleans Mercedes - Benz Superdome 2023 TBA Popular culture Bracketology and pools Main articles : Bracketology and March Madness pools There are pools or private gambling - related contests as to who can predict the tournament most correctly. The filling out of a tournament bracket has been referred to as a `` national pastime. '' Filling out a tournament bracket with predictions is called the practice of `` bracketology '' and sports programming during the tournament is rife with commentators comparing the accuracy of their predictions. On The Dan Patrick Show, a wide variety of celebrities from various fields ( such as Darius Rucker, Charlie Sheen, Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen DeGeneres, Dave Grohl, and Brooklyn Decker ) have posted full brackets with predictions. Former President Barack Obama 's bracket, is posted on the White House website. There are many different tournament prediction scoring systems. Most award points for correctly picking the winning team in a particular match up, with increasingly more points being given for correctly predicting later round winners. Some provide bonus points for correctly predicting upsets, the amount of the bonus varying based on the degree of upset. Some just provide points for wins by correctly picked teams in the brackets. There are 2 ^ 63 or 9.2 quintillion possibilities for the possible winners in a 64 - team NCAA bracket, making the odds of randomly picking a perfect bracket ( i.e. without weighting for seed number ) 9.2 quintillion to 1. With the expansion of the tournament field to 68 teams in 2011, there are now 2 ^ 67 or 147.57 quintillion possibilities if one includes the first four opening round games. There are numerous awards and prizes given by companies for anyone who can make the perfect bracket. One of the largest was done by a partnership between Quicken Loans and Berkshire Hathaway, which was backed by Warren Buffett, with a $1 billion prize to any person ( s ) who could correctly predict the outcome of the 2014 tournament. No one was able to complete the challenge and win the $1 billion prize. Tournament associated terms As indicated below, none of these phrases are exclusively used in regard to the NCAA tournament. Nonetheless, they are associated widely with the tournament, sometimes for legal reasons, sometimes just because it 's become part of the American sports vernacular. March Madness March Madness is a popular on - ending basketball tournaments played in March. March Madness is also a registered trademark currently owned exclusively by the NCAA. H.V. Porter, an official with the Illinois High School Association ( and later a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame ), was the first person to use March Madness to describe a basketball tournament. Porter published an essay named March Madness during 1939, and during 1942, he used the phrase in a poem, Basketball Ides of March. Through the years the use of March Madness was increased, especially in Illinois, Indiana, and other parts of the Midwest. During this period the term was used almost exclusively in reference to state high school tournaments. During 1977, Jim Enright published a book about the Illinois tournament entitled March Madness. Fans began associating the term with the NCAA tournament during the early 1980s. Evidence suggests that CBS sportscaster Brent Musburger, who had worked for many years in Chicago before joining CBS, popularized the term during the annual tournament broadcasts. The NCAA has credited Bob Walsh of the Seattle Organizing Committee for starting the March Madness celebration in 1984. Only during the 1990s did either the IHSA or the NCAA think about trademarking the term, and by that time a small television production company named Intersport had already trademarked it. IHSA eventually bought the trademark rights from Intersport, and then went to court to establish its primacy. IHSA sued GTE Vantage, an NCAA licensee that used the name March Madness for a computer game based on the college tournament. During 1996, in a historic ruling, Illinois High School Association v. GTE Vantage, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit created the concept of a `` dual - use trademark '', granting both the IHSA and NCAA the right to trademark the term for their own purposes. After the ruling, the NCAA and IHSA joined forces and created the March Madness Athletic Association to coordinate the licensing of the trademark and investigate possible trademark infringement. One such case involved a company that had obtained the internet domain name marchmadness.com and was using it to post information about the NCAA tournament. During 2003, by March Madness Athletic Association v. Netfire, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided that March Madness was not a generic term, and ordered Netfire to relinquish the domain name to the NCAA. Later during the 2000s, the IHSA relinquished its ownership share in the trademark, although it retained the right to use the term in association with high school championships. During October 2010, the NCAA reached a settlement with Intersport, paying $17.2 million for the latter company 's license to use the trademark. Sweet Sixteen This is a popular term for the regional semifinal round of the tournament, consisting of the final 16 teams. As in the case of `` March Madness '', this was first used by a high school federation -- in this case, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association ( KHSAA ), which has used the term for decades to describe its own season - ending tournaments. It officially registered the trademark in 1988. Unlike the situation with `` March Madness '', the KHSAA has retained sole ownership of the `` Sweet Sixteen '' trademark ; it licenses the term to the NCAA for use in collegiate tournaments. Final Four The term Final Four refers to the last four teams remaining in the playoff tournament. These are the champions of the tournament 's four regional brackets, and are the only teams remaining on the tournament 's final weekend. ( While the term `` Final Four '' was not used during the early decades of the tournament, the term has been applied retroactively to include the last four teams in tournaments from earlier years, even when only two brackets existed. ) Some claim that the phrase Final Four was first used to describe the final games of Indiana 's annual high school basketball tournament. But the NCAA, which has a trademark on the term, says Final Four was originated by a Plain Dealer sportswriter, Ed Chay, in a 1975 article that appeared in the Official Collegiate Basketball Guide. The article stated that Marquette University `` was one of the final four '' of the 1974 tournament. The NCAA started capitalizing the term during 1978 and converting it to a trademark several years later. During recent years, the term Final Four has been used for other sports besides basketball. Tournaments which use Final Four include the Euroleague in basketball, national basketball competitions in several European countries, and the now - defunct European Hockey League. Together with the name Final Four, these tournaments have adopted an NCAA - style format in which the four surviving teams compete in a single - elimination tournament held in one place, typically, during one weekend. The derivative term `` Frozen Four '' is used by the NCAA to refer to the final rounds of the Division I men 's and women 's ice hockey tournaments. Until 1999, it was just a popular nickname for the last two rounds of the hockey tournament ; officially, it was also known as the Final Four. Cinderella team Although there is not any official definition of what constitutes a Cinderella team, there does seem to be a consensus that such teams represent small schools, are usually low - seeded in the tournament, and achieves at least one unexpected win in the tournament. A recent example of this is Florida Gulf Coast University, a relatively new school that held its first classes in 1997 and became Division I postseason eligible in 2011. They made their first ever appearance in the 2013 tournament, winning two games to become the first ever # 15 seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The term was popularized as a result of City College of New York 's successful run in the 1950 tournament. See also College basketball portal NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament records NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament bids by school NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament bids by school and conference College Basketball Invitational CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament National Invitation Tournament NCAA Division II Men 's Basketball Tournament NCAA Division III Men 's Basketball Tournament NCAA Division I Women 's Basketball Tournament NCAA Division II Women 's Basketball Tournament NCAA Division III Women 's Basketball Tournament NAIA Men 's Basketball Championships NAIA Women 's Basketball Championships References Jump up ^ `` Key Dates in NABC History ''. National Association of Basketball Coaches. Retrieved February 27, 2017. Jump up ^ `` TV coverage history of the NCAA Tournament ( 1969 - present ) ''. Classic Sports TV and Media. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013. Jump up ^ Shear, Michael D. ( March 19, 2011 ). `` Obama 's N.C.A.A. 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NCAA BB ( CBS Sports ). CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved 20 November 2016. Jump up ^ Gluskin, Michael ( March 23, 2005 ). `` The tournament trim ''. USA Today. Jump up ^ O'Neil, Dana ( April 9, 2013 ). `` Louisville 's song finishes in glory ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2013. And at one end of the court, there was Kevin Ware on his crutches, the net lowered to accommodate him and his crutches, making the final snip on the only nets Louisville has cut all season. Jump up ^ `` Why do NCAA teams cut down the nets ? ''. CNN. April 5, 2011. Jump up ^ NCAA Men 's Basketball Trophy Visits UT Medical Center, University of Tennessee press release, January 15, 2007 Jump up ^ NABC Basic Info Archived 2009 - 02 - 22 at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : `` Does March Madness Lead to Irrational Exuberance in the NBA Draft ? ''. JournalistsResource.org, retrieved April 13, 2012 ^ Jump up to : Ichniowski, Casey ; Preston, Anne E. ( 2012 ). `` Does March Madness Lead to Irrational Exuberance in the NBA Draft ? High - Value Employee Selection Decisions and Decision - Making Bias ''. National Bureau of Economic Research. Jump up ^ `` CBS Sports, Turner Broadcasting, NCAA Reach 14 - Year Agreement '' ( Press release ). National Collegiate Athletic Association. April 22, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011. ^ Jump up to : DeCourcy, Mike ( May 7, 2013 ). `` Putting Final Four games on cable saved college hoops from 96 - team mess ''. Sporting News. Retrieved May 13, 2013. Jump up ^ `` CBS, Turner win TV rights to tourney ''. ESPN. Retrieved 22 April 2010. Jump up ^ `` NCAA, TV talk about bigger men 's tourney ''. Jump up ^ `` NCAA 2006 -- 07 Revenue Distribution Plan ''. NCAA. 2007. Jump up ^ `` Distribution of Basketball - Related Funds According to Number of Units by Conference, 2001 -- 2006 ''. NCAA. 2007. Jump up ^ `` Yahoo unveils Platinum paid service ''. CNET News.com. Retrieved 2007 - 03 - 17. Jump up ^ CSTV.com : # 1 in College Sports -- Men 's Basketball Jump up ^ Why we did n't get Stanford in HDTV ( but the rest of the country did ) -- Morning Buzz Jump up ^ WRAL Digital Airs Entire NCAA Basketball Tournament Jump up ^ Dowbiggin, Bruce ( February 24, 2011 ). `` TSN catches March Madness ''. Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011. Jump up ^ chappelll ( 2011 - 03 - 10 ). `` ESPN Europe '' ESPN America Tipping Off Exclusive Coverage of NCAA ® March Madness ® ``. Espnmediazone3.com. Archived from the original on 2011 - 09 - 09. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Dick Vitale, finally, to call NCAA Final Four action ''. USA Today. Retrieved 24 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` NCAA Final Four Tournament Seeds ''. Retrieved 30 March 2011. Jump up ^ `` Gold Sheet College Basketball Log ''. Archived from the original on 2010 - 04 - 10. Jump up ^ Final Four Record Book Jump up ^ MacMullan, Jackie ( March 7, 2004 ). `` Undefeated and unnoticed ''. The Boston Globe. Jump up ^ `` 2009 -- 2010 North Carolina Tar Heels Men 's Basketball '' ( PDF ). Goheels.com. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 19. Jump up ^ `` 2009 -- 2010 North Carolina Tar Heels Men 's Basketball '' ( PDF ). ESPN.com. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 19. ^ Jump up to : Garcia, Marlen ( March 24, 2011 ). `` Duke 's Mike Krzyzewski looks golden in chase for fifth title ''. USA Today. Jump up ^ Garcia, Marlen. ( 2009 - 08 - 24 ) Two vacated Final Four runs put on stain Calipari 's career -- USATODAY.com. Usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ Ask Dr. Math, The Math Forum @ Drexel ; March 14, 2001 ; accessed March 7, 2010 Jump up ^ Ogul, David. `` Perfect NCAA Bracket Could Win You $1 B Thanks to Warren Buffett ''. Moneynews.com. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 22. Jump up ^ James Enright : Shaping the Game From Inside and Out. Nbra.net ( 2006 - 06 - 01 ). Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ Quote from Jim Host, former Radio and Television and Marketing Director, NCAA ISBN 1 - 883697 - 67 - 0 Page 103 Jump up ^ Baker Botts L.L.P. Newsroom Resources The Trademark `` March Madness '' Withstands a Genericness Attack. Bakerbotts.com. Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ Weiberg, Steve ( May 10, 2011 ). `` NCAA paid $17 M to protect ' March Madness ' term ''. USA Today. Retrieved May 13, 2011. Jump up ^ Garmon, Jay ( April 6, 2004 ). `` Geek Trivia : Basket cases ''. TechRepublic.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013. Jump up ^ `` NCAA March Madness Directory Sportslynx.com/march-madness.html ''. sportslynx.com. Retrieved March 1, 2013. Jump up ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia : The Complete History of the Men 's Game -- Google Boeken. Books.google.com. Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 17. External links NCAA Men 's Basketball NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament Tournaments 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Structure Selection process Opening Round Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game Venues Venues Champions & awards Champions Most Outstanding Player Media & culture Bracketology Broadcasting Tournament Final Four March Madness pools `` One Shining Moment '' Records & statistics All - time team records Bids by school Bids by school and conference Consecutive appearances Final Four appearances by school Final Four participants Final Four appearances by coach Upsets NCAA men 's college basketball tournaments Division I Pre-season 2K Sports Classic Puerto Rico Tip - Off Charleston Classic The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase Paradise Jam Hall of Fame Tip Off Legends Classic CBE Hall of Fame Classic Maui Invitational MGM Resorts Main Event Cayman Islands Classic Gulf Coast Showcase Cancún Challenge Battle 4 Atlantis Great Alaska Shootout Savannah Invitational NIT Season Tip - Off Las Vegas Invitational AdvoCare Invitational Phil Knight Invitational Wooden Legacy Emerald Coast Classic Barclays Center Classic Jimmy V Classic Las Vegas Classic Diamond Head Classic Vancouver Showcase Conference postseason ACC America East The American American South American West Atlantic 10 Atlantic Sun Big 12 Big East Big Eight Big Sky Big South Big Ten Big West CAA Conference USA East Coast Great Midwest Great West Horizon Ivy League MAAC MEAC Metro Mid-American Missouri Valley Mountain West Northeast Ohio Valley Pac - 12 Patriot SEC Southern Southland Southwest SWAC Sun Belt Summit WAC West Coast Postseason NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament National Invitation Tournament Vegas 16 College Basketball Invitational CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament National Commissioners Invitational Tournament 1922 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament Division II Conference postseason CCAA Carolinas East Coast GLIAC GLVC G - MAC Great Northwest Gulf South Heartland Lone Star Mountain East Northeast - 10 Northern Sun Pacific West Peach Belt PSAC RMAC South Atlantic Sunshine State Postseason NCAA Men 's Division II Basketball Championship Division III Conference postseason Allegheny Mountain American Southwest Capital Centennial Landmark NEWMAC Northwest ODAC SAA SCIAC USA South WIAC Postseason NCAA Men 's Division III Basketball Championship ECAC Tournaments National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Awards Hall of Champions Conferences Division I Institutions Athletic directors Baseball Championship CWS Basketball Men Women Cross Country Men Women Field hockey Championship Football FBS FCS Golf Men Women Ice hockey Men Women Lacrosse Men Women Rowing Women Soccer Men Women Softball Championship WCWS Swimming & Diving Men Women Tennis Men Women Track and Field Men 's indoor and outdoor Women 's indoor and outdoor Volleyball Men Women Wrestling Championship Division II Institutions Baseball Championship Basketball Men Women Cross Country Men Women Field hockey Championship Football Championship Golf Men Women Gymnastics Men Women Ice hockey Men Lacrosse Men Women Rowing Women Soccer Men Women Softball Championship / WCWS Swimming & Diving Men Women Tennis Men Women Track and Field Men 's indoor and outdoor Women 's indoor and outdoor Volleyball Women Wrestling Championship Division III Institutions Baseball Championship Basketball Men Women Cross Country Men Women Field hockey Championship Football Championship Golf Men Women Ice hockey Men Women Lacrosse Men Women Rowing Women Soccer Men Women Softball Championship / WCWS Swimming & Diving Men Women Tennis Men Women Track and Field Men 's indoor and outdoor Women 's indoor and outdoor Volleyball Men Women Wrestling Championship Single - division sports and championships Beach volleyball Women Bowling Women Boxing Championship Fencing Championships Gymnastics Men Women Rifle Championship Skiing Championships Trampoline Championship Water polo Men Women Events listed in italics have been discontinued. 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Question: who has the most national championships in basketball
Answer: UCLA