NCAA Tournament history
| Year |
Champion |
Score |
Runner-up |
MVP |
Semifinal losers |
| 1999 | UConn | 77-74 | Duke | Richard Hamilton, UConn | Michigan State, Ohio State |
| 1998 | Kentucky | 78-69 | Utah | Jeff Shepherd, Kentucky | North Carolina, Stanford |
| 1997 | Arizona | 84-79 (OT) | Kentucky | Miles Simon, Arizona | North Carolina, Minnesota |
| 1996 | Kentucky | 76-67 | Syracuse | Tony Delk, Kentucky | Massachusetts, Mississippi St. |
| 1995 | UCLA | 89-78 | Arkansas | Ed O'Bannon, UCLA | North Carolina, Oklahoma St. |
| 1994 | Arkansas | 76-72 | Duke | Corliss Williamson, Arkansas | Arizona, Florida |
| 1993 | North Carolina | 77-71 | Michigan | Donald Williams, North Carolina | Kansas, Kentucky |
| 1992 | Duke | 71-51 | Michigan | Bobby Hurley, Duke | Indiana, Cincinnati |
| 1991 | Duke | 72-65 | Kansas | Christian Laettner, Duke | UNLV, North Carolina |
| 1990 | UNLV | 103-73 | Duke | Anderson Hunt, UNLV | Georgia Tech, Arkansas |
| 1989 | Michigan | 80-79 (OT) | Seton Hall | Glen Rice, Michigan | Duke, Illinois |
| 1988 | Kansas | 83-79 | Oklahoma | Danny Manning, Kansas | Arizona, Duke |
| 1987 | Indiana | 74-73 | Syracuse | Keith Smart, Indiana | UNLV, Providence |
| 1986 | Louisville | 72-69 | Duke | Pervis Ellison, Louisville | Kansas, LSU |
| 1985 | Villanova | 66-64 | Georgetown | Ed Pinckney, Villanova | St. John's, Memphis St. |
| 1984 | Georgetown | 84-75 | Houston | Patrick Ewing, Georgetown | Kentucky, Virginia |
| 1983 | N.C. State | 54-52 | Houston | Akeem Olajuwon, Houston | Georgia, Louisville |
| 1982 | North Carolina | 63-62 | Georgetown | James Worthy, North Carolina | Houston, Louisville |
| 1981 | Indiana | 63-50 | North Carolina | Isiah Thomas, Indiana | Virginia, Louisiana St. |
| 1980 | Louisville | 59-54 | UCLA | Darrell Griffith, Louisville | Purdue, Iowa |
| 1979 | Michigan St. | 75-64 | Indiana St. | Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michigan St. | DePaul, Penn |
| 1978 | Kentucky | 94-88 | Duke | Jack Givens, Kentucky | Arkansas, Notre Dame |
| 1977 | Marquette | 67-59 | North Carolina | Butch Lee, Marquette | UNLV, N.C.-Charlotte |
| 1976 | Indiana | 86-68 | Michigan | Kent Benson, Indiana | UCLA, Rutgers |
| 1975 | UCLA | 92-85 | Kentucky | Richard Washington, UCLA | Louisville, Syracuse |
| 1974 | N.C. State | 76-64 | Marquette | David Thompson, N.C. State | UCLA, Kansas |
| 1973 | UCLA | 87-66 | Memphis St. | Bill Walton, UCLA | Indiana, Providence |
| 1972 | UCLA | 81-76 | Florida St. | Bill Walton, UCLA | North Carolina, Louisville |
| 1971 | UCLA | 68-62 | Villanova | Vacated (see note) | Western Kentucky, Kansas |
| 1970 | UCLA | 80-69 | Jacksonville | Sidney Wicks, UCLA | New Mexico St.,
St. Bonaventure |
| 1969 | UCLA | 92-72 | Purdue | Lew Alcindor, UCLA | Drake, North Carolina |
| 1968 | UCLA | 78-55 | North Carolina | Lew Alcindor, UCLA | Ohio St., Houston |
| 1967 | UCLA | 79-64 | Dayton | Lew Alcindor, UCLA | Houston, North Carolina |
| 1966 | Texas-El Paso | 72-65 | Kentucky | Jerry Chambers, Utah | Duke, Utah |
| 1965 | UCLA | 91-80 | Michigan | Bill Bradley, Princeton | Princeton, Wichita St. |
| 1964 | UCLA | 98-83 | Duke | Walt Hazzard, UCLA | Michigan, Kansas St. |
| 1963 | Loyola (Ill) | 60-58 (OT) | Cincinnati | Art Heyman, Duke | Duke, Oregon St. |
| 1962 | Cincinnati | 71-59 | Ohio St. | Paul Hogue, Cincinnati | Wake Forest, UCLA |
| 1961 | Cincinnati | 70-65 (OT) | Ohio St. | Jerry Lucas, Ohio St. | St Joseph's, Utah |
| 1960 | Ohio St. | 75-55 | California | Jerry Lucas, Ohio St. | Cincinnati, NYU |
| 1959 | California | 71-70 | West Virginia | Jerry West, West Virginia | Cincinnati, Louisville |
| 1958 | Kentucky | 84-72 | Seattle | Elgin Baylor, Seattle | Temple, Kansas St. |
| 1957 | North Carolina | 54-53 (3OT) | Kansas | Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas | San Francisco, Michigan St. |
| 1956 | San Francisco | 83-71 | Iowa | Hal Lear, Temple | Temple, Southern Methodist |
| 1955 | San Francisco | 77-63 | La Salle | Bill Russell, San Francisco | Colorado, Iowa |
| 1954 | La Salle | 92-76 | Bradley | Tom Gola, La Salle | Penn State, Southern Cal |
| 1953 | Indiana | 69-68 | Kansas | B.H. Horn, Kansas | Washington, Louisiana St. |
| 1952 | Kansas | 80-63 | St. John's | Clyde Lovelette, Kansas | Illinois, Santa Clara |
| 1951 | Kentucky | 68-58 | Kansas St. | none selected | Illinois, Oklahoma St. |
| 1950 | City College of New York | 71-68 | Bradley | Irwin Dambrot, CCNY | N.C. State, Baylor |
| 1949 | Kentucky | 46-36 | Oklahoma St. | Alex Groza, Kentucky | Illinois, Oregon St. |
| 1948 | Kentucky | 58-42 | Baylor | Alex Groza, Kentucky | Holy Cross, Kansas St. |
| 1947 | Holy Cross | 58-47 | Oklahoma | George Kaftan, Holy Cross | Texas, CCNY |
| 1946 | Oklahoma St. | 43-40 | North Carolina | Bob Kurland, Oklahoma St. | Ohio St., California |
| 1945 | Oklahoma St. | 49-45 | NYU | Bob Kurland, Oklahoma St. | Arkansas, Ohio St. |
| 1944 | Utah | 42-40 (OT) | Dartmouth | Arnold Ferrin, Utah | Iowa St., Ohio St. |
| 1943 | Wyoming | 46-34 | Georgetown | Ken Sailors, Wyoming | Texas, DePaul |
| 1942 | Stanford | 53-38 | Dartmouth | Howard Dallmar, Stanford | Colorado, Kentucky |
| 1941 | Wisconsin | 39-34 | Washington St. | John Kotz, Wisconsin | Pittsburgh, Arkansas |
| 1940 | Indiana | 60-42 | Kansas | Marvin Huffman, Indiana | Duquesne, Southern Cal |
| 1939 | Oregon | 46-33 | Ohio St. | none selected | Oklahoma, Villanova |
| Note: Howard Porter of Villanova earned the award in 1971, but was declared ineligible after the tournament. |
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