In 2020, after the cancellation of the NCAA tournament, I used the time I typically spend watching the tournament to conduct several historical analyses of past tournaments. Aside from determining the greatest game of every NCAA tournament which was recently posted on this blog, I also ranked every NCAA tournament from best to worst by creating a ranking for every round of the NCAA tournament by year and then cumulatively ranking every NCAA tournament based on the average of those round-by-round rankings..

Here is the general criteria and guidelines I used for ranking each round:  for the first four rounds, every game of each tournament was assigned a point value from 0-3.   A game could earn one point if it was an “upset” which was I considered any game where the winner had at least a four line seed disadvantage over the loser or was otherwise considered a large underdog.  A second point could be earned if the game was decided by 3 points or less or was otherwise deemed “very close”.  Finally, a wildcard point could also be given for any game that was decided by a buzzer beater or was particularly memorable or exhilarating.  For instance, Valpo’s first round win over Mississippi in 1998 earned 3 points because it was decided by 1 point, was a 9 seed line upset, and contained a particularly memorable buzzer beater to earn a wildcard point.  If a game contained none of these elements, then they were considered 0 point games.  The points for all the games in a particular round of a tournament were then added together to give each year a raw score for each round.  When multiple tournaments had the same raw score for a particular round, the brackets were analyzed region by region to determine which tourney should be ranked higher than the other.

For the Final Four round, I assigned each game a 1-5 rating based on the overall quality of play, the unexpectedness of the ultimate result, and the amount of excitement each game produced.  The ratings for both games were then added together to give each tournament a Final Four raw score.  Finally, for the national title game, I simply ranked the games from best to worst.   The rankings of every round for each tournament were then averaged and ordered based on the tourney’s cumulative ranking.

One other caveat that had to be considered is the fact that older NCAA tournaments had less rounds than the six that we currently see.  For the eight team tournaments that existed from 1939 to 1951, only the last 3 rounds of the tournament were used in determining each year’s cumulative average.  For the 16-team tournament of 1952, the last four rounds were used in determining that tourney’s average.  From all the tournaments that contained five rounds, which were from 1953-1978, the last four rounds and the first round were included in this analysis.  All post-1978 tourneys were analyzed by averaging all six rounds of the tournament, excluding all First Four/play-in games.

Without further ado, here is my ranking of every NCAA tournament from first to worst, which has now been updated to include the 2023 edition of March Madness.  This year’s tournament was on pace to be the best ever but was spoiled by a terrible final two games. The six numbers to the right of each year represent that tournament’s ranking for each round starting with the first round and ending with the title game.  The seventh number on the far right is that tournament’s average round ranking used for the final ordering of these events.  Also, the asteriks next to some of the title game scores indicates the game went into overtime.

	Year	First Round	Second Round	Sweet 16	Elite 8	Final Four	Final Raw	Final	Average
1	2014	11	20	15	4	14	UConn 60, Kentucky 54	32	16.00

The key to this tournament’s # 1 ranking is that it didn’t produce a single bad round.

Top Moments:

• The greatest NCAA tournament upset I ever attended featured 14th seeded Mercer beating 3rd seeded Duke in Raleigh (postgame celebration pictured below)
• This tournament featured a big-name Cinderella title game involving 7th seeded UConn Huskies and the 8th seeded Kentucky Wildcats.  It was the first national title game featuring two teams that had failed to make the tourney in the year prior.  UConn became the first 7 seed to win a national championship.
• Kemba Walker ended up getting the last laugh, but Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison was really the hero of this tournament based on his three different game winning three pointers to get the Wildcats of Kentucky to the national title game.

2

1950

NR

NR

NR

12

12

CCNY 71, Bradley 68

25

16.33

This is a surprise selection as no one really remembers this being an historically epic tourney.

Top Moments:

• This was the only national championship won by a current non-Division 1 program (City College of New York, pictured below).  Though, their title has been marred in controversy due to the revelation of a Mafia-inspired points shaving scandal.
• The seven game tournament featured five games decided by five point or less, which percentage wise is a record for close games.

3

2017

34

17

6

7

9

UNC 71, Gonzaga 65

31

17.33

Top Moments:

• South Carolina makes shocking run to the Final Four as a 7 seed that was playing terribly leading up to the tournament. (pictured below)
• North Carolina’s Luke Maye hits epic (or heartbreaking from my point of view) game winning shot to lift UNC over Kentucky in the Elite 8, en route to a national title.

4

1986

18

5

14

26

32

Louisville 72, Duke 69

27

20.33

Top Moments:

• This tournament featured the first two 14 over 3 upsets in NCAA tourney history with Cleveland State knocking off Indiana and Arkansas-Little Rock beating Notre Dame.  Cleveland State would win their second round game as well and become the first of only two 14 seeds to reach the Sweet 16.
• Dale Brown’s LSU squad became the first 11 seed ever to make a Final Four, and still the only 11 seed from a major conference to do so (pictured below)

4

2011

8

16

2

2

26

Uconn 53, Butler 41

68

20.33

Despite an ugly and disappointing national title game, this tourney featured two historic Cinderella runs by Butler and VCU.

Top Moments:

• Butler makes improbable march to their second consecutive national title game with buzzer beating wins in both the first and second rounds (pictured below).
• VCU makes shocking run from the First Four to the Final Four culminating in a stunning upset of top-seeded Kansas in the Elite Eight.
• Fourth-seeded Kentucky stuns Ohio State, the overall top seed in the tournament, in the Sweet 16.

6

1983

30

36

17

3

37

NC State 54, Houston 52

1

20.67

• Jim Valvano’s Cardiac Pack make incredible national title run as a 6 seed, thanks to several nail-biting victories.  This team was the ultimate team of destiny.
• Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma dominates the field en route to a heartbreaking finals loss.

7

1984

36

14

5

14

19

Georgetown 84, Houston 75

38

21.00

Top Moments:

• Georgetown wins its only national title in school history by beating Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston squad.
• Kentucky has the worst shooting game in tournament history by going 3 for 33 from the field (9.1%) in the second half in their blowout loss to the aforementioned Hoyas.
• Wake Forest upsets DePaul in overtime in the Sweet 16 (pictured below) to send legendary Blue Demons coach Ray Meyer into retirement.  Delaney Ruud had to hit a 25 footer at the buzzer in regulation to even get the Deacs to the overtime period.

8

2019

40

39

29

1

4

Virginia 85, Texas Tech 77*

15

21.33

Top Moments:

• Virginia wins first national championship in school history thanks to three miracle victories in the final three rounds of their tournament run (the first of these wins is pictured below).
• Cassius Winston leads Michigan State to stunning Elite 8 win over # 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils.

9

1978

27

NR

19

22

13

Kentucky 94, Duke 88

26

21.40

Top Moments:

• Miami of Ohio upsets defending national champion Marquette in one of the biggest first round upsets prior to the 64 team bracket.
• Kentucky gives Magic Johnson his only NCAA tournament loss (pictured below) with a 3 point upset over Michigan State in the Elite 8.  The Cats would later win the title with a victory over Duke.

10

1985

21

4

33

27

52

Villanova 66, Georgetown 64

3

23.33

Top Moments:

• Villanova becomes the first and only # 8 seed to win a national championship by playing a near perfect game to beat Georgetown in the final.
• David Robinson leads the Midshipmen of Navy to the first ever 13 over 4 upset in tourney history with 23 point win over LSU.

T-11

2022

4

12

8

81

21

Kansas 72, UNC 69

16

23.67

Top Moments:

• St. Peter’s makes magical Cinderella run to the Elite 8 as a 15 seed that includes wins over Purdue and Kentucky.
• North Carolina beats Duke in the Final Four to end Coach K’s career and become just the third 8 seed to reach the national title game.
• Kansas overcomes 15 point second half deficit to pull off greatest comeback victory in National title game history.

T-11

2013

15

23

28

37

6

Louisville 82, Mich 76

33

23.67

Top Moments:

• The First Final Four I ever attended personally produces three great games culminating in a three point shootout between two unsung heroes: Louisville’s Luke Hancock and Michigan’s Spike Albrecht.
• Wichita State makes Cinderella Final Four run led by future pros Cleanthony Early, Ron Baker and Fred Van Vleet.
• Florida Gulf Coast becomes first and only 15 seed ever to reach the Sweet 16. (pictured below)

13

2023

2

7

3

17

43

UConn 76, San Diego St. 59

71

23.83

Top Moments:

• Fairleigh Dickinson (pictured below) pulls off second 16 over 1 victory in tourney history by beating Purdue in largest point spread upset in the history of the tournament (23.5 point underdogs)
• Mitch Henderson’s Princeton squad becomes third consecutive 15 seed to reach Sweet 16 with wins over Arizona and Missouri.
• For the first time ever, all 1-3 seeds fail to reach Final Four.
• Florida Atlantic almost first team seeded on the bottom half of the bracket (9 or lower) to make national title game. They end up losing final four game to San Diego State on a buzzer beater.

14

1998

6

31

66

9

10

Kentucky 78, Utah 69

23

24.17

Top Moments:

• The Comeback Cats of Kentucky overcome double digit second half deficits in their final three tourney games to win a surprise national title. (comeback Elite 8 victory over Duke pictured below)
• Bryce Drew hits incredible running three pointer at the buzzer to lead 13th seeded Valpo to upset victory over 4th seeded Ole Miss.  The Crusaders followed that win with a second round victory over Florida State to reach the Sweet 16 for the only time in school history.

15

1987

28

13

49

5

49

Indiana 74, Syracuse 73

9

25.50

Top Moments:

• Keith Smart hits game winner in the final seconds (pictured below) to lift Indiana to national championship with victory over Syracuse.  This was the fourth of six 1980’s title games which are still considered all time classics (’82, ’83, ’85, ’87, ’88, ’89).
• The legendary Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino team up in a player/coach capacity to lead Providence to a Cinderella Final Four appearance.

16

2010

7

11

52

39

39

Duke 61, Butler 59

10

26.33

Top Moments:

• The basketball world is introduced to future superstars Gordon Hayward and Brad Stevens as Butler makes Cinderella run to the national title game in their hometown of Indianapolis.  Hayward’s rim out in the national championship game (pictured below) is one of the most iconic missed shots in sports history.
• Wake Forest’s Ish Smith leads Deacons to a miracle overtime victory over Texas with pull up game winner in the final seconds.  It was the school’s last NCAA tournament win.

17

1966

68

NR

20

19

15

Texas Western 72, KY 65

18

28.00

Top Moments:

• Texas Western wins one of the most famous basketball games of all-time as their all black starting lineup knocks off Adolph Rupp’s all-white Kentucky team in the tournament final.

18

1975

46

NR

35

21

8

UCLA 92, Kentucky 85

37

29.40

Top Moments:

• John Wooden wins the last of his ten national championships with a narrow victory over Kentucky.
• Kentucky upsets rival Indiana in the Elite 8 to give the Hoosiers their only loss in a two and a half year span from 1974-76.

19

1971

61

NR

18

11

17

UCLA 68, Villanova 62

41

29.60

Top Moments:

• UCLA wins its fifth straight national title and 7th overall, but not without surviving a major scare from Jerry Tarkanian’s Long Beach State squad in the Elite 8 (game pictured below).
• Western Kentucky knocks off intra-state rival Kentucky as well as Ohio State to make surprise run to the Final Four.

T-20

1996

29

37

16

38

20

Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67

40

30.00

Top Moments:

• A loaded Kentucky team (pictured below) nicknamed “The Dazzling Dozen” gives the program its first national championship in 18 years.  This was arguably the greatest college basketball team in the modern era.
• 13-seeded Princeton shocks the defending national champs of UCLA with a back door cut, game-winning layup.

T-20

2004

31

8

63

30

1

UConn 82, Georgia Tech 73

47

30.00

Top Moments:

• UConn pulls off historic Final Four comeback win (pictured below) with late 12-0 run to knock off Duke.
• UAB stuns the # 1 overall seed Kentucky Wildcats with second round upset victory.

22

1999

13

22

39

42

59

UConn 77, Duke 74

8

30.50

Top Moments:

• UConn pulls off the greatest title game upset of the 90’s with a thrilling upset over a nearly unbeatable Duke squad (pictured below).
• 14th seeded Weber State hands North Carolina its worst first round NCAA tournament loss in school history with a 76-74 upset.

T-23

2018

9

2

25

18

54

Villanova 79, Mich 62

79

31.17

An epic tournament that would have been much higher on this list if not for a disappointing Final Four and national championship game.

Top Moments:

• UMBC becomes the only 16 seed ever to beat a 1 with a shocking twenty point win over Virginia.  This was arguably the biggest upset in the history of sports.
•  Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean (pictured below) become the greatest Cinderella story in the history of the tournament with their improbable run to the Final Four as an 11 seed.

T-23

2006

17

21

7

13

63

Florida 73, UCLA 57

66

31.17

Top Moments:

• Loyola-Chicago (mentioned/pictured above) may be the greatest Cinderella story in the history of the tournament but George Mason in 2006 is a close second (pictured below).  These guys knocked off Michigan State, North Carolina, and a loaded UConn team en route to a miracle Final Four run.
• The Bradley Braves also made a little Cinderella run by making the Sweet 16 as a 13 seed.

25

1997

47

9

31

67

22

Arizona 84, Kentucky 79*

14

31.67

Top Moments:

• “Simon says championship!” was the famous call by Jim Nantz as Arizona pulled off an overtime victory over the defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats to win the school’s only national title (pictured above).  This was also the only four seed to win a national championship since the tournament expanded to 64 teams and was the last national title won by the Pac-10/Pac-12.
• Chattanooga becomes only the second 14 seed to reach the Sweet 16.

26

2021

3

6

47

41

16

Baylor 86, Gonzaga 70

78

31.83

Top Moments:

• Tourney tied record for highest seed to reach Sweet 16 (Oral Roberts- 15), Elite 8 (Oregon State- 12), and Final Four (UCLA- 11)
• First time in tournament history that four teams seeded 13 or lower won first round games: Ohio (13), North Texas (13), Abilene Christian (14), Oral Roberts (15)
• UCLA and Gonzaga play epic Final Four game decided by Jalen Suggs 40 foot bank shot (pictured below)

T-27

1982

45

10

26

77

27

UNC 63, Georgetown 62

7

32.00

Top Moments:

• Dean Smith wins his first national championship thanks to corner jumper from a little known freshman named Michael Jordan (pictured below).
• Georgetown narrowly missed out on its first national title when point guard Fred Brown follows up Jordan’s jumper by throwing the ball directly to Tar Heel star James Worthy.

T-27

1943

NR

NR

NR

43

5

Wyoming 46, Georgetown 34

48

32.00

Top Moments:

• Wyoming (pictured below) wins the school and region’s only national championship thanks largely due to Illinois declining a tourney bid after three of its starters were drafted into the army.
• Future basketball powerhouses: DePaul, Georgetown, and Texas all made their first final four appearances in ’43.

29

1990

19

1

1

15

73

UNLV 103, Duke 73

84

32.17

Talk about an up and down tournament.  1990’s March Madness featured my top ranked second round and Sweet 16 but my worst ranked title game!

Top Moments:

• Bo Kimble leads Loyola Marymount on Cinderella run to the Elite Eight in honor of fallen superstar Hank Gathers.  If the 11 seeded Lions had managed to win one more game and make the Final Four, it would likely have outranked Loyola Chicago for greatest Cinderella run in the modern NCAA tournament.
• Christian Laettner hits the first of his two iconic Elite 8 buzzer beaters (we all know about the one two years later) to pull off upset of UConn (pictured below).

30

2012

10

18

27

58

42

Kentucky 67, Kansas 59

42

32.83

Top Moments

• Two 15 seeds beat 2 seeds within a few hours of each other as Norfolk State pulled off the biggest point spread upset in tourney history (pictured below) and C.J. McCollum’s Lehigh team stunned Duke.
• Anthony Davis gives John Calipari his only national championship, as Kentucky claimed their first title since the late 90’s.

31

1989

14

44

37

63

36

Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79*

5

33.17

Top Moments:

• Wolverines win first and only national title in school history with clutch free throws by Rumeal Robinson (pictured below) in the final seconds of overtime.
• Princeton comes within a shot of pulling the first 16/1 upset in tournament history against Georgetown.

32

1992

54

35

30

6

11

Duke 71, Michigan 51

67

33.83

Top Moments:

• Duke wins the greatest game ever played with 104-103 victory over Kentucky (Laettner game-winner pictured below) in overtime en route to a second consecutive national title.
• Michigan’s Fab Five makes first of two consecutive title game runs by knocking off their arch rival Ohio State in the Elite 8 and then the Bearcats of Cincinnati in the Final Four.

33

1980

52

19

4

54

44

Louisville 59, UCLA 54

34

34.50

Top Moments:

• Denny Crum leads Louisville to the school’s first national championship with a 59-54 victory over UCLA in the title game (pictured below).
• 4th seeded Duke beats top-seeded Kentucky in a Sweet 16 classic that was decided by a missed Kyle Macy buzzer beater.

34

1991

12

42

48

59

3

Duke 72, Kansas 65

45

34.83

Top Moments:

• Richmond Spiders become the first 15 seed to beat a 2 seed with first round victory over Syracuse (pictured below).
• Duke wins their first national championship in school history by avenging their 30 point title game loss to UNLV from the previous year in the Final Four.

35

1979

65

25

50

10

41

Michigan St 75, Indiana St 64

19

35.00

Top Moments:

• One of the most famous title games ever played occurs when Magic Johnson’s Michigan State squad knocks off Larry Bird and Indiana State. (pictured below)
• 9th seeded Penn makes Cinderella Final Four run thanks to a shocking 2nd Round victory over top seeded North Carolina.  The Quakers are the last Ivy League team to make a Final Four.

36

1988

38

24

40

73

30

Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79

12

36.17

Top Moments:

• Danny (Manning) and the Miracles give Kansas their first national championship in 36 years with a Cinderella run culminating in a title game victory over conference rival Oklahoma. (pictured below)

37

1977

58

NR

13

66

2

Marquette 67, UNC 59

44

36.60

Top Moments:

• Al McGuire leads Marquette to school’s first and only national title thanks to an incredible length of court catch and layup at the buzzer by Jerome Whitehead in the national semis. (pictured below)
• Idaho State stuns  UCLA in the regional semis marking the first time the Bruins made the tournament and failed to make the Final Four since 1963.

T-38

2002

20

27

11

76

34

Maryland 64, Indiana 52

53

36.83

Top Moments:

• Gary Williams leads Maryland to first and only national title in school history.
• Indiana makes surprise run to the title game thanks to a stunning Sweet 16 upset of top-seeded Duke in the Sweet 16 (pictured below).  Blue Devils’ Jay Williams chokes game away with key missed free throws down the stretch.

T–38

2016

5

41

71

25

77

Nova 77, UNC 74

2

36.83

Top Moments:

• In the greatest live sporting event I ever attended, Kris Jenkins wins the national title for Villanova with a buzzer beating three-pointer. (pictured below)
• Northern Iowa pulls off the most improbable NCAA tourney buzzer beater in their first round win over Texas, and then followed it up with the most improbable NCAA tourney collapse against Texas A & M two days later.

40

2003

22

30

55

28

71

Syracuse 81, Kansas 78

17

37.17

Top Moments:

• Jim Boheim finally breaks through and wins first national championship for Syracuse. (see game-sealing block in title game pictured below)
• Dwayne Wade leads Marquette on Final Four run with several dominant performances including a triple double against Kentucky in the Elite 8.

41

1947

NR

NR

NR

24

33

Holy Cross 58, Oklahoma 47

55

37.33

Top Moments:

• Holy Cross becomes the only member of the modern Patriot League to win a national championship.
• Oklahoma beats arch rival Texas 55-54 in a thrilling national semifinal. (Ken Pryor’s game winning jumper pictured below)

T-42

1993

33

38

64

62

18

UNC 77, Michigan 71

13

38.00

Top Moments:

• The Badgers of Wisconsin win the school’s first and only men’s basketball national title (team pictured below).
• Washington State makes school’s only Elite 8, Final Four, and national title game thanks to a 24-5 regular season and tourney wins over Creighton and Arkansas.

T–42

1941

NR

NR

NR

31

48

Wisky 39, Wazzu 34

36

38.33

Top Moments:

• The Badgers of Wisconsin win the school’s first and only men’s basketball national title (team pictured below).
• Washington State makes school’s only Elite 8, Final Four, and national title game thanks to a 24-5 regular season and tourney wins over Creighton and Arkansas.

44

1974

62

NR

32

35

7

NC State 76, Marquette 64

59

39.00

Top Moments:

• NC State ends UCLA’s seven year reign of terror (pictured above) with double overtime upset of the Bruins in the in Final Four.
• Al McGuire leads Marquette to school’s first final four, setting the framework for their national title run three years later.

45

2005

37

29

38

8

80

UNC 75, Illinois 70

43

39.17

Top Moments:

• Bucknell shocks Kansas in arguably the biggest 14 over 3 upset in tourney history.
• Illinois makes shocking elite 8 comeback to knock off Arizona 90-89 in overtime.  The Illini trailed by 14 points with 3:30 to go but then end the second half on a 17-3 run to force overtime.
• Michigan State wins an epic two overtime Elite 8 thriller over Kentucky in a game featuring a stunning buzzer beater in regulation by Patrick Sparks to force the extra periods (pictured below).

46

2015

16

34

70

29

53

Duke 68, Wisky 63

35

39.50

Top Moments:

• Georgia State pulls off miraculous 14 over 3 upset of Baylor thanks to R.J. Hunter’s deep three in the final seconds (pictured below).  His dad’s (Head Coach Ron Hunter) subsequent broken leg celebration is an all-time great moment in tournament history.
• Of the sixteen games played on March 19 (the first day of the tourney), five were decided by one point, a single-day record.
• Kentucky’s run at becoming the first unbeaten national champion since 1976 ends with a dramatic loss to Wisconsin in the second national semifinal.

47

2008

24

32

51

46

81

Kansas 75, Memphis 68*

4

39.67

Top Moments:

• Mario Chalmers hits one of the tournament’s most iconic shots (pictured below) to send Kansas to overtime in the national title game against Memphis.  The Jayhawks took over from there to win their first national championship in twenty years.
• Steph Curry leads Davidson on a Cinderella run to the Elite 8 with wins over 7th seeded Gonzaga, 2nd seeded Georgetown, and 3rd seeded Wisconsin.

48

1954

50

NR

10

32

47

La Salle 92, Bradley 76

65

40.80

Top Moments:

• Tom Gola leads La Salle to school’s only national championship (team pictured below).  Fran O’Malley is the early round hero when he hit a first round buzzer beater against Fordham to ignite the tourney run.
• Penn State makes only Final Four run in school history.

49

1994

39

28

54

74

29

Arkansas 76, Duke 72

22

41.00

Top Moments:

• The Razorbacks of Arkansas wins school’s first national championship with President and alumnus Bill Clinton in attendance.
• The defending champion and tournament favorite Tar Heels get sent home in the second round by Bill Curley’s Boston College squad.

50

1957

69

NR

43

65

25

UNC 54, Kansas 53***

6

41.60

Top Moments:

• UNC unbelievably wins back-to-back TRIPLE overtime games, the latter of which was against Wilt Chamberlain’s (pictured below) Jayhawks squad, to clinch the school’s first national title.
• Michigan State made their first of ten Final Four runs with wins over Notre Dame and Kentucky.

51

1962

41

NR

22

53

35

Cincy 71, Ohio State 59

58

41.80

Top Moments:

• Coach Bones McKinney leads Billy Packer’s Wake Forest squad to school’s only Final Four in school history.
• Cincinnati wins second consecutive national title with a narrow victory over UCLA in the Final Four followed by a dominating victory over intrastate rival Ohio State in the title game. (team pictured below)

52

1958

60

NR

24

52

23

Kentucky 84, Seattle 72

51

42.00

Top Moments:

• Kentucky survives Final Four scare against Temple and then defeat Elgin Baylor’s Seattle squad in the title game to win fourth national title.

53

1995

23

15

53

57

64

UCLA 89, Arkansas 78

54

44.33

Top Moments:

• UCLA’s Tyus Edney goes coast-to-coast for buzzer-beating layup (pictured below) in second round win over Missouri.  Bruins go on to win their only national title in the post-John Wooden era.
• Defending champion Arkansas makes an improbable run to the title game thanks to a miraculous second round victory over Syracuse that featured a Chris Webber-style technical foul for taking too many timeouts in the final five seconds of regulation.

T-54

1945

NR

NR

NR

47

58

OK A & M 49, NYU 45

30

45.00

Top Moments:

• Coach Henry Iba leads Cowboys of Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State) to their first national title in school history. (team pictured below)
• National runner-up NYU erases a 10 point Final Four deficit in the final two minutes of regulation to knock off Ohio State in overtime.

T-54

2001

1

40

65

56

56

Duke 82, Zona 72

52

45.00

I ranked the first round of this tourney # 1 all-time thanks to a slew of upsets and tight games.

Top Moments:

• Hampton becomes the fourth 15 seed to beat a 2 when they upset Iowa State with a layup in the game’s final seconds. (see celebration below)
• Duke overcomes 22 point deficit to stun Gary Williams’ Maryland squad en route to school’s third national title.

56

1970

70

NR

21

23

67

UCLA 80, Jacksonville 69

46

45.40

In direct contrast to the tournament above, I ranked this first round dead last due to the dearth of upsets and close games (no game decided by fewer than seven points).

Top Moments:

• Artis Gilmore (pictured below) leads Jacksonville on stunning run to the national title game featuring wins over Iowa and Kentucky.
• New Mexico State and St. Bonaventure join the Dolphins of Jacksonville as other Cinderella, first-time Final Four participants.

T-57

1946

NR

NR

NR

71

38

OK A & M 43, UNC 40

28

45.67

Top Moments:

• Oklahoma A & M center Bob Kurland executed the first two dunks in NCAA tourney history en route to a second consecutive national title. (team pictured below)
• The Tar Heels of North Carolina make their first of a recond twenty final four appearances and the first of eleven title game appearances with victories over NYU and Ohio State.

T-57

1942

NR

NR

NR

16

57

Stanford 53, Dartmouth 38

64

45.67

Top Moments:

• The Stanford Indians, as they were called at at the time, won their first and only national title by knocking off Rice, Colorado, and then Dartmouth.  Interestingly enough, Stanford’s coach Everett Dean is the only coach in college basketball history to be unbeaten for his career in the NCAA tournament, as this was his only appearance in the Big Dance. (starting five pictured below)
• The Kentucky Wildcats make their first of seventeen Final Four appearances thanks to a nail-biting victory over Illinois in the elite eight.

59

1959

55

NR

60

33

65

Cal 71, West Virginia 70

20

46.60

Interestingly, we’re following up the tournament where Stanford won its only national title with the tourney that arch rival Cal won its only national title.

Top Moments:

• West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Louisville all made their first final four appearances in school history during this tournament.
• The Cal Golden Bears win their first and only national championship with a game-winning tip-in with 17 seconds left to go. (celebration pictured below)

60

1963

57

NR

44

50

72

Loyola 60, Cincy 58

11

46.80

Top Moments:

• Loyola of Chicago makes the first of their two legendary NCAA tournament runs (2016 being the other) en route to a surprise national title.  The Ramblers win their final game over Cincinnati by overcoming a 15 point second half deficit and winning the game with a tip-in during game’s final seconds. (see team picture below)
• The Duke Blue Devils make their first of sixteen final four appearances with wins over NYU and St. Joseph’s.

61

1955

64

NR

23

48

31

San Francisco 77, La Salle 63

69

47.00

Top Moments:

• Bill Russell wins the first of his many championships by leading San Francisco to the school’s first national title. (team pictured below)
• The first NCAA tournament games to be played in the state of Kentucky took place when Marquette matched up with Miami of Ohio and Penn State played Memphis State.

62

1981

53

3

12

84

69

Indiana 63, UNC 50

63

47.33

The 2nd and 3rd rounds of this tournament were epic, but the Elite Eight was the worst in tourney history in my judgment, as all games were won by favorites with no contest being decided by less than 11 points.

Top Moments:

• Isiah Thomas leads Indiana to its second national title under coach Bobby Knight.
• March Madness sees one of its first iconic days as three second round upsets were all decided by last-second baskets on March 14.  St. Joe’s beat # 1 seeded DePaul with a layup, Arkansas dethrones defending national champion Louisville with a U.S. Reed half court heave (pictured below), and Kansas State beats Oregon State with a fade away 17 footer.
• Danny Ainge pulls off the most famous coast to coast buzzer beater in  tourney history to give BYU a 51-50 victory over Notre Dame in the Sweet 16.

63

1944

NR

NR

NR

78

45

Utah 42, Dartmouth 40

21

48.00

Top Moments:

• The Utes of Utah (pictured below) win their only national title in school history by pulling off major upset in title game victory over Dartmouth.  The Utes were an eight point underdog going into the game and were able to take home the crown thanks to Herb Wilkinson’s game winner.  The only reason Utah even got to play in that year’s tourney was that Arkansas had to withdraw its invitation because two  players were seriously injured in a car accident just before the tourney was set to begin.

64

2000

24

25

35

54

78

Michigan St. 89, Florida 76

70

48.50

This tournament ranks the third worst in the 64 team era (post-1984) thanks to a first round that didn’t see a 12 seed or higher win and three snoozefest games in the Final Four.

Top Moments:

• Two eight seeds make it to the Final Four for the first time in tournament history as North Carolina and Wisconsin make surprise runs to Indianapolis.
• Florida makes run to first-ever national title game thanks to Mike Miller’s buzzer beating runner in their first round overtime victory over Butler. (see celebration below)

T-65

1967

63

NR

9

44

55

UCLA 79, Dayton 64

72

48.60

Top Moments:

• UCLA (team pictured below) wins the first of their record seven straight national championships thanks largely to the play of sophomore center Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabar)
• Dayton and Houston became first-time final four participants by winning the Mideast and Midwest regions respectively.  Dayton fans stormed the court in Evanson’s McGaw Memorial Hall after team’s Elite Eight come from behind overtime win over Virginia Tech.

T-65

1969

43

NR

34

45

40

UCLA 92, Purdue 72

81

48.60

Top Moments:

• Drake and Purdue both made their inaugural final four appearances, and the Bulldogs of Drake gave UCLA all they could handle in their national semifinal meeting (pictured below).  Unfortunately, Purdue, who lost their starting center in their Elite Eight game against Miami of Ohio, did not fare as well against the Bruins the lopsided national title game.

67

1956

26

NR

67

34

60

San Francisco 83, Iowa 71

61

49.60

Top Moments:

• Hal Lear (pictured below) sends the Owls of Temple to their first Final Four in school history by sinking two free throws with two second left in their Elite Eight win over Canisius.  Interestingly, Lear became the first of only four players to win the tournament’s most outstanding player award without playing in the title game.

68

2007

48

33

41

61

62

Florida 84, Ohio State 75

56

50.17

The second worst NCAA tournament in the 64-team era (post 1984) thanks to a lack of upsets/cinderella stories, a dearth of buzzer beaters/iconic moments, and a predictable final outcome.

Top Moments:

• Georgetown beats Vandy in the Sweet 16 with controversial drop step layup by Jeff Green that could have been called a travel.
•  Duke loses its first round game for the first time since 1996 thanks to Eric Maynor’s game winner with 1.8 seconds left. (see celebration below)

69

1948

NR

NR

NR

49

46

Kentucky 58, Baylor 42

60

51.67

Top Moments:

• Kentucky wins the first of its eight national titles in program history.  (team pictured below)
• Baylor wins the only close game of the entire tournament in their first round game again Washington and then proceed to make a run to the school’s first and only national title game.

70

1951

NR

NR

61

75

24

Kentucky 68, K-State 58

49

52.25

Top Moments:

• Kentucky wins the third of its eight national titles by narrowly beating Illinois in the national semifinal.  The Cats overcame 7 point halftime deficit in that game to comeback and win on Shelby Linville’s game-winner. (team pictured below)
• The UConn Huskies make their first of thirty-three NCAA tournament appearances.

71

1952

NR

NR

69

20

50

Kansas 80, St. John’s 63

75

53.50

Top Moments:

• Kansas wins its first national championship in school history with legendary coach Phog Allen at the helm.
• St. John’s pulls off possibly the greatest NCAA tournament upset of the decade by beating defending national champion Kentucky in the Elite Eight (pictured below).  Amazingly, the Cats beat the Johnnies by 41 points in their earlier regular season meeting.

72

1972

42

NR

68

69

51

UCLA 81, Florida St 76

39

53.80

Top Moments:

• Southwest Louisiana becomes the first and only team to win an NCAA tournament game in its first year of postseason eligibility.
• Florida State makes Cinderella run to the national title game where they put up a valiant effort against a dominant UCLA team.  Surprisingly, this is still FSU’s only trip to a Final Four. (team pictured below)

73

2009

32

43

72

40

66

UNC 89, Michigan State 72

74

54.50

The worst NCAA tournament of the modern era was plagued by a lack of upsets, the worst Sweet 16 in tourney history (no close games and only one upset), and a dull and predictable Final Four and national title game.  In fact, the ’09 national championship game is the only title game since 1995 that I didn’t watch live.

Top Moments:

• Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds gives the Wildcats its first Final Four berth under Jay Wright with a game-winning runner in the lane to deny Pitt its first Final Four trip since 1941. (pictured below)
• North Carolina completes one of the most dominant NCAA tournament runs in history by beating all six of their opponents by at least twelve points.

74

1940

NR

NR

NR

64

28

Indiana 60, Kansas 42

76

56.00

Despite being the 11th worst tourney in NCAA history, this second NCAA tournament was considerably better than the inaugural event that you will read about below.

Top Moments:

• Indiana wins the first of its five national titles thanks to three dominant victories, two of which were played in front of a home crowd in nearby Indianapolis. (team pictured below)
• Phog Allen’s Jayhawks win the first close game in the history of the Final Four with one point victory over Southern Cal.
• Duquesne and Western Kentucky play in the first close game in the history of the NCAA tournament when the Dukes win their first round game over Western Kentucky by a single point.

75

1953

67

NR

45

72

83

Indiana 69, Kansas 68

24

58.20

Coincidentally, the only two tournaments featuring national championship games pairing Indiana and Kansas are ranked right next to one another!

Top Moments:

• Indiana wins the second of its five national titles with Bobby Leonard’s game winning free throw in the final 30 seconds of their one point title game victory.

76

1976

35

NR

42

68

74

Indiana 86, Michigan 68

77

59.20

Three of the five NCAA tournaments that Indiana won are ranked consecutively!

Top Moments:

• Indiana (pictured below) becomes the last team undefeated national champion by beating Michigan in the first title game that paired two teams from the same conference.
• Rutgers dodges a bullet in their first round game against Princeton to preserve their undefeated Final Four run, which is by far the best tourney finish in school history.

77

1961

56

NR

58

70

84

Cincy 70, Ohio State 65*

29

59.40

Despite a quality national title game, this tournament is ranked near the bottom of the all-time list because of an absolutely dreadful Final Four round featuring two blowouts where the total margin of victory for the pair of games was 51 points!

Top Moments:

• Cincinnati wins its first national championship by pulling huge overtime upset against intrastate rival Ohio State in the title game. (team pictured below)
• St. Joseph’s and Utah play a four overtime third place game which is the last NCAA tournament game to go beyond three extra periods.

78

1965

49

NR

59

51

82

UCLA 91, Michigan 80

57

59.60

Top Moments:

• Bill Bradley leads Princeton (pictured below) to its first and only final four appearance by virtue of convincing wins over NC State and Providence.
• Wichita State earns its first final four berth as well by ending Henry Iba’s coaching career with Elite Eight win over Oklahoma State.  The Shockers wouldn’t return to the national semifinals until 2013.

T-79

1968

59

NR

57

36

75

UCLA 78, UNC 55

83

62.00

Several of these UCLA championship tournaments are ranked near the bottom because of their lack of intrigue as to who was going to win the title.

Top Moments:

• UCLA avenged their regular season “game of the century” loss to Houston two months prior with a 31 point drubbing of the Cougars in the Final Four.  The Bruins would take care of UNC in the title game to win their fourth overall title and second in a string of seven straight.
• Ohio State’s Sunshine Sorenson (pictured below) hits game winner to knock off third ranked Kentucky in an epic Elite Eight game.

T-79

1949

NR

NR

NR

60

76

Kentucky 46, OK A & M 36

50

62.00

Top Moments:

• Illinois and Oregon State both make their inaugural trips to the Final Four.  The Illini would go on to play in four more.  The Beavers would make one more in 1963.
• Oklahoma A & M wins a first round thriller over Wyoming with a Jack Shelton (pictured below) game winning tip-in.  Henry Iba’s Cowboys would use this victory to propel them on a run to the national title game.
• Kentucky (pictured below) becomes the first team to win consecutive national titles with a dominating run through their three tournament games.

81

1964

51

NR

62

83

61

UCLA 98, Duke 83

73

66.00

Top Moments:

• The Bruins of UCLA (pictured below) win their first national championship with narrow victories over Seattle, San Francisco, and Kansas State followed by a dominant win over Duke.  The K-State game was particularly memorable, as the Bruins made a late game comeback with the help of their cheerleaders who arrived in the final seven minutes of regulation due to a flight delay.
• Michigan makes its first final four appearance in school history.

82

1973

44

NR

56

80

78

UCLA 87, Memphis St. 66

82

68.00

Top Moments:

• Indiana makes its first NCAA tournament appearance with Bob Knight at helm.
• UCLA wins the last of its seven straight national titles.  Bill Walton is the most outstanding player.
• James “Fly” Williams leads the Governors of Austin Peay into the Sweet 16 for an epic clash with Kentucky.  The Wildcats win this high scoring classic in overtime. (pictured below)

83

1960

66

NR

46

82

68

Ohio State 75, Cal 55

80

68.40

Top Moments:

• The seldom used Jim Reiss hits game winner for NYU in their overtime upset of West Virginia in the Sweet 16.
• Ohio State wins the school’s only national championship with four dominant tournament victories in which they won by a total of 80 points.

84

1939

NR

NR

NR

78

69

Oregon 46, Ohio State 33

62

69.67

The first-ever NCAA tournament ended up being the worst!  Not a single game was decided by less than 12 points. Thank goodness they decided to keep playing this thing!

Top Moments:

• The Oregon Webfoots, as they were called at the time, won the first ever NCAA title (pictured below) with three convincing tournament victories.  Not only has Oregon failed to win another title, but they didn’t even make it back to the Final Four again until 2017!

Finally, here is my complete ranking of every NCAA tournaments without the illustrations or descriptions above.  I thought some of you may want to look at this to more easily be able to compare different seasons over time.  Again, the six numbers to the right of each year represent that tournament’s ranking for each round starting with the first round and ending with the title game.  The seventh number on the far right is that tournament’s average round ranking used for the final ordering of these events.  Thanks everyone for reading, and please feel free to comment or debate.

Ranking	Year	First Round	Second Round	Sweet 16	Elite 8	Final Four	Final Raw	Final	Average
1	2014	11	20	15	4	14	UConn 60, Kentucky 54	32	16.00
2	1950	NR	NR	NR	12	12	CCNY 71, Bradley 68	25	16.33
3	2017	34	17	6	7	9	UNC 71, Gonzaga 65	31	17.33
4	1986	18	5	14	26	32	Louisville 72, Duke 69	27	20.33
4	2011	8	16	2	2	26	UConn 53, Butler 41	68	20.33
6	1983	30	36	17	3	37	NC State 54, Houston 52	1	20.67
7	1984	36	14	5	14	19	Georgetown 84, Houston 75	38	21.00
8	2019	40	39	29	1	4	Virginia 85, Texas Tech 77*	15	21.33
9	1978	27	NR	19	22	13	Kentucky 94, Duke 88	26	21.40
10	1985	21	4	33	27	52	Villanova 66, Georgetown 64	3	23.33
11	2022	4	12	8	81	21	Kansas 72, UNC 69	16	23.67
11	2013	15	23	28	37	6	Louisville 82, Mich 76	33	23.67
13	2023	2	7	3	17	43	UConn 76, San Diego St. 59	71	23.83
14	1998	6	31	66	9	10	Kentucky 78, Utah 69	23	24.17
15	1987	28	13	49	5	49	Indiana 74, Syracuse 73	9	25.50
16	2010	7	11	52	39	39	Duke 61, Butler 59	10	26.33
17	1966	68	NR	20	19	15	Texas Western 72, KY 65	18	28.00
18	1975	46	NR	35	21	8	UCLA 92, Kentucky 85	37	29.40
19	1971	61	NR	18	11	17	UCLA 68, Villanova 62	41	29.60
20	1996	29	37	16	38	20	Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67	40	30.00
20	2004	31	8	63	30	1	UConn 82, Georgia Tech 73	47	30.00
22	1999	13	22	39	42	59	UConn 77, Duke 74	8	30.50
23	2006	17	21	7	13	63	Florida 73, UCLA 57	66	31.17
23	2018	9	2	25	18	54	Villanova 79, Michigan 62	79	31.17
25	1997	47	9	31	67	22	Arizona 84, Kentucky 79*	14	31.67
26	2021	3	6	47	41	16	Baylor 86, Gonzaga 70	78	31.83
27	1982	45	10	26	77	27	UNC 63, Georgetown 62	7	32.00
27	1943	NR	NR	NR	43	5	Wyoming 46, Georgetown 34	48	32.00
29	1990	19	1	1	15	73	UNLV 103, Duke 73	84	32.17
30	2012	10	18	27	58	42	Kentucky 67, Kansas 59	42	32.83
31	1989	14	44	37	63	36	Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79*	5	33.17
32	1992	54	35	30	6	11	Duke 71, Michigan 51	67	33.83
33	1980	52	19	4	54	44	Louisville 59, UCLA 54	34	34.50
34	1991	12	42	48	59	3	Duke 72, Kansas 65	45	34.83
35	1979	65	25	50	10	41	Mich St 75, Indiana St 64	19	35.00
36	1988	38	24	40	73	30	Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79	12	36.17
37	1977	58	NR	13	66	2	Marquette 67, UNC 59	44	36.60
38	2016	5	41	71	25	77	Nova 77, UNC 74	2	36.83
38	2002	20	27	11	76	34	Maryland 64, Indiana 52	53	36.83
40	2003	22	30	55	28	71	Syracuse 81, Kansas 78	17	37.17
41	1947	NR	NR	NR	24	33	Holy Cross 58, Oklahoma 47	55	37.33
42	1993	33	38	64	62	18	UNC 77, Michigan 71	13	38.00
42	1941	NR	NR	NR	31	48	Wisky 39, Wazzu 34	36	38.33
44	1974	62	NR	32	35	7	NC State 76, Marquette 64	59	39.00
45	2005	37	29	38	8	80	UNC 75, Illinois 70	43	39.17
46	2015	16	34	70	29	53	Duke 68, Wisky 63	35	39.50
47	2008	24	32	51	46	81	Kansas 75, Memphis 68*	4	39.67
48	1954	50	NR	10	32	47	La Salle 92, Bradley 76	65	40.80
49	1994	39	28	54	74	29	Arkansas 76, Duke 72	22	41.00
50	1957	69	NR	43	65	25	UNC 54, Kansas 53***	6	41.60
51	1962	41	NR	22	53	35	Cincy 71, Ohio State 59	58	41.80
52	1958	60	NR	24	52	23	Kentucky 84, Seattle 72	51	42.00
53	1995	23	15	53	57	64	UCLA 89, Arkansas 78	54	44.33
54	1945	NR	NR	NR	47	58	OK A & M 49, NYU 45	30	45.00
54	2001	1	40	65	56	56	Duke 82, Zona 72	52	45.00
56	1970	70	NR	21	23	67	UCLA 80, Jacksonville 69	46	45.40
57	1946	NR	NR	NR	71	38	OK A & M 43, UNC 40	28	45.67
57	1942	NR	NR	NR	16	57	Stanford 53, Dartmouth 38	64	45.67
59	1959	55	NR	60	33	65	Cal 71, West Virginia 70	20	46.60
60	1963	57	NR	44	50	72	Loyola 60, Cincy 58	11	46.80
61	1955	64	NR	23	48	31	San Francisco 77, La Salle 63	69	47.00
62	1981	53	3	12	84	69	Indiana 63, UNC 50	63	47.33
63	1944	NR	NR	NR	78	45	Utah 42, Dartmouth 40	21	48.00
64	2000	25	26	36	55	79	Michigan St. 89, Florida 76	70	48.50
65	1967	63	NR	9	44	55	UCLA 79, Dayton 64	72	48.60
65	1969	43	NR	34	45	40	UCLA 92, Purdue 72	81	48.60
67	1956	26	NR	67	34	60	San Francisco 83, Iowa 71	61	49.60
68	2007	48	33	41	61	62	Florida 84, Ohio State 75	56	50.17
69	1948	NR	NR	NR	49	46	Kentucky 58, Baylor 42	60	51.67
70	1951	NR	NR	61	75	24	Kentucky 68, K-State 58	49	52.25
71	1952	NR	NR	69	20	50	Kansas 80, St. John’s 63	75	53.50
72	1972	42	NR	68	69	51	UCLA 81, Florida St 76	39	53.80
73	2009	32	43	72	40	66	UNC 89, Michigan State 72	74	54.50
74	1940	NR	NR	NR	64	28	Indiana 60, Kansas 42	76	56.00
75	1953	67	NR	45	72	83	Indiana 69, Kansas 68	24	58.20
76	1976	35	NR	42	68	74	Indiana 86, Michigan 68	77	59.20
77	1961	56	NR	58	70	84	Cincy 70, Ohio State 65*	29	59.40
78	1965	49	NR	59	51	82	UCLA 91, Michigan 80	57	59.60
79	1949	NR	NR	NR	60	76	Kentucky 46, OK A & M 36	50	62.00
79	1968	59	NR	57	36	75	UCLA 78, UNC 55	83	62.00
81	1964	51	NR	62	83	61	UCLA 98, Duke 83	73	66.00
82	1973	44	NR	56	80	78	UCLA 87, Memphis St. 66	82	68.00
83	1960	66	NR	46	82	68	Ohio State 75, Cal 55	80	68.40
84	1939	NR	NR	NR	79	70	Oregon 46, Ohio State 33	62	70.33

Be on the lookout for tomorrow’s column which systematically answers the questions of which NCAA tournament has produced the most upsets and which has produced the biggest upsets.