Here's what March Madness looked like the year you were born.
1939 - Oregon (29-5)
1940 - Indiana (20-3)
Marv Huffman (34) was named most outstanding player for 1940. The Hoosiers defeated Kansas, 60-42, for the NCAA title in Kansas City, Missouri.
NCAA photo archives
1941 - Wisconsin (20-3)
1942 - Stanford (28-4)
1943 - Wyoming (31-2)
1944 - Utah (21-4)
1945 and 1946 - Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State's Henry Iba gives a chalk talk to his 1946 NCAA Champions.
1947 - Holy Cross
George Kaftan of Holy Cross is carried off the court after defeating Oklahoma, 58-47, for the title.
1948 - Kentucky
Fans celebrate UK's championship with a street parade. Kentucky defeated Baylor 58-42.
1949 - Kentucky
Kentucky defeated Oklahoma State, 46-36, in 1949.
1950 - CCNY (24-5)
1951 - Kentucky (32-2)
Kentucky’s 7-foot center Bill Spivey scored 22 points in the title game
University of Kentucky/UK Athletics
1952 - Kansas (28-3)
Kansas head coach Phog Allen gives MVP Clyde Lovellette a hand shake for a job well done in the 1952 Championship game at Seattle, WA. Kansas beat St. John's for the title 80-63.
1953 - Indiana (23-3)
Indiana coach Branch McCracken argues with the scorer over the amount of fouls on Kansas center B.H. Born during the title game held in Kansas City, MO. at the Municipal Auditorium. Indiana defeated Kansas 69-68 to win the title.
1954 - La Salle (26-4)
La Salle’s Tom Gola was named the tournament's most outstanding player in 1954.
La Salle/YouTube
1955 - San Francisco (28-1)
Bill Russell gets a ride off the court after San Francisco won the 1955 title game.
1956 - San Francisco (29-0)
San Francisco beat Iowa in 1956 to win consecutive titles.
NCAA Archives
1957 - North Carolina (32-0)
1958 - Kentucky (23-6)
The photo corps at the 1958 title game in Louisville at Freedom Hall.
1959 - California (25-4)
California coach Pete Newell rides on the shoulders of this team after defeating West Virginia 71-70.
1960 - Ohio State (25-3)
The Buckeyes celebrate winning the championship.
Ohio State University/Cantonrep.com
1961 & 1962 - Cincinnati
Cincinnati coach Ed Jucker celebrates after the Bearcats beat Ohio State in the 1961 title game.
NCAA Archives
1963 - Loyola Chicago (29-2)
George Ireland and Loyola Chicago beat Cincinnati for the program's only national championship.
1964 - UCLA (30-0)
UCLA coach John Wooden and his championship team after winning their first NCAA basketball title.
1965 - UCLA (28-2)
UCLA's Gail Goodrich (center) and teammates run on to the court after the victory.
1966 - UTEP (28-1)
Texas Western beat Kentucky at the 1966 NCAA Championship.
1967 - UCLA (30-0)
A UCLA team member tears down the net following UCLA defeating Dayton 79-64 for the national title.
1968 - UCLA (29-1)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar skies during the 1968 Final Four.
1969 - UCLA (29-1)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his father.
1970 - UCLA (28-2)
UCLA defeated Jacksonville, 80-69.
1971 - UCLA (29-1)
1972 - UCLA (30-0)
UCLA's Bill Walton (center) led the Bruins to the national title in Los Angeles at the Sports Arena.
1973 - UCLA (30-0)
UCLA coach John Wooden talks to his team at the Final Four. The Bruins beat Memphis State to win another championship.
1974 - NC State (30-1)
North Carolina State defeated Marquette for the national crown in 1974.
1975 - UCLA (28-3)
UCLA returned to the top after a year off.
1976 - Indiana (32-0)
The Hoosiers finished a perfect season over Michigan in the national championship game.
1977 - Marquette (25-7)
1978 - Kentucky (30-2)
Kentucky won the national championship game against Duke.
1979 - Michigan St. (26-6)
1980 - Louisville (33-3)
1981 - Indiana (26-9)
1982 - North Carolina (32-2)
1983 - NC State (26-10)
1984 - Georgetown (34-3)
1985 - Villanova (25-10)
1986 - Louisville (32-7)
1987 - Indiana (30-4)
1988 - Kansas (27-11)
1989 - Michigan (30-7)
1990 - UNLV (35-5)
Jerry Tarkanian's Runnin' Rebels crushed Duke to take the 1990 national championship.
NCAA Archives
1991 & 1992 - Duke
1993 - North Carolina (34-4)
1994 - Arkansas (31-3)
1995 - UCLA (31-2)
1996 - Kentucky (34-2)
1997 - Arizona (25-9)
1998 - Kentucky (35-4)
1999 - UConn (34-2)
2000 - Michigan St. (32-7)
2001 - Duke (35-4)
2002 - Maryland (32-4)
2003 - Syracuse (30-5)
2004 - UConn (33-6)
2005 - North Carolina (33-4)
2006 & 2007 - Florida
2008 - Kansas (37-3)
2009 - North Carolina (34-4)
2010 - Duke (35-5)
2011 - UConn (32-9)
2012 - Kentucky (38-2)
2013 - Louisville (35-5)
2014 - UConn (32-8)
2015 - Duke (35-4)
2016 - Villanova (35-5)
2017 - North Carolina (33-7)
2018 - Villanova (36-4)
2019 – Virginia (35-3)
2020
The COVID-19 pandemic caused arenas across the nation to empty, including Bankers Life Fieldhouse (seen above), which played host to the canceled Big Ten tournament. As a result, the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled.
USA Today Sports Images
2021 – Baylor (28-2)
The Bears won their first national title, denying Gonzaga a perfect season with the 86-70 win. Baylor won all of its NCAA tournament games by double digits except one — a nine-point win against No. 3 Arkansas in the Elite Eight.
2022 - Kansas (34-6)
The Jayhawks won their fourth championship in program history — and second under coach Bill Self — by completing the largest comeback in national title game history, rallying from a 16-point deficit to defeat North Carolina, 72-69.
2023 - UConn (31-8)
The Huskies won their fifth title since 1999 behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Tristen Newton. Adama Sanogo was named tournament Most Outstanding Player; he contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds in the title game. UConn won all six of their tournament games by more than 10 points, becoming the first team to accomplish this feat since 2018 Villanova.
2024 - UConn (37-3)
The Huskies became the first team to claim back-to-back national titles since Florida in 2006-2007 bringing their tally to six NCAA championship trophies since first winning in 1999. The 75-60 win over Purdue, and 7-foot-3 Naismith winner Zach Edey, continued a two-year winning streak in the NCAA tournament, all 12 of which were won my double digits. UConn won the six 2024 tournament games by a margin of 23.33 per game — the highest on record since the field went to 64 teams in 1985. Tristan Newton was named tournament Most Outstanding Player and led the Huskies with 20 points and seven assists in the final game.
