NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament (also known as March Madness) is a single-elimination (if you lose a game, you stop playing) college basketball tournament. It has 68 college teams in it. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) created it in 1939. When it was started in 1939, only eight teams played in the tournament. The tournament is played from mid-March to early April.

March Madness logo.svg
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
SportBasketball
Founded1939; 85 years ago (1939)
Inaugural season[[1939 in sports|1939]]
No. of teams64 (Tournament) 8 (First Four)
Country(ies)United States
Most championshipsUCLA (11)
Official websitencaa.com/basketball

32 of the teams in the tournament are the best teams in each Division I conference. 36 of the teams join the tournament by winning other basketball games. These teams are chosen by the NCAA to be in the tournament. For the tournament, there are four regions. Each team is put into a region. Each region has 16 teams. The tournament has seven rounds. It is three weeks long. The first round is called the First Four. It has eight teams in it. The four winning teams join the tournament.

Each team is given a number. It is from 1 to 16. In the tournament, the semifinals are known as the Sweet Sixteen. The finals are known as the Elite Eight. They are named for how many teams are in these rounds.

Thirty seven college basketball teams have won the tournament. As of 2023, UCLA has won it eleven times. The Kentucky Wildcats have won it eight times. The coach with the most wins is John Wooden. He coached UCLA. He has won it ten times.

Titles by school

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).

*Vacated title not included

Team # 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 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987
UConn 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023
Kansas 4 1952, 1988, 2008, 2022
Villanova 3 1985, 2016, 2018
Cincinnati 2 1961, 1962
Florida 2006, 2007
Louisville 1980, 1986, 2013*
Michigan State 1979, 2000
NC State 1974, 1983
Oklahoma State 1945, 1946
San Francisco 1955, 1956

Team # Year
Arizona 1 1997
Arkansas 1994
Baylor 2021
California 1959
CCNY 1950
Georgetown 1984
Holy Cross 1947
La Salle 1954
Loyola Chicago 1963
Marquette 1977
Maryland 2002
Michigan 1989
Ohio State 1960
Oregon 1939
UNLV 1990
Stanford 1942
Syracuse 2003
UTEP 1966
Utah 1944
Virginia 2019
Wisconsin 1941
Wyoming 1943

 
 
Arizona
 
Arkansas
 
Baylor
 
California
 
CCNY
 
Georgetown
 
Holy
Cross
 
La Salle
 
Loyola
 
Marquette
 
Maryland
 
Michigan
 
Ohio State
 
Oregon
 
Stanford
 
Syracuse
 
UNLV
 
Utah
 
UTEP
 
Virginia
 
Wisconsin
 
Wyoming
 
Cincinnati
 
Florida
 
Louisville
 
Michigan State
 
NC State
 
Oklahoma State
 
USF
 
Villanova
 
UConn
 
Kansas
 
Duke
 
Indiana
 
North
Carolina
 
Kentucky
 
UCLA
Schools that have won the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
  11,   8,   6,   5,   4,   3,   2,   1


NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Media