RADIO
1. UCLA
National Championships: 11 (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995)
You read the above list correctly. Under head coach John Wooden, the Bruins won a whopping 10 NCAA titles in 12 seasons. That stretch included seven consecutive national championships. Three of Wooden’s championship teams featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Talk about a dominant run headlined by some basketball legends! UCLA’s most recent title came in 1995 under Jim Harrick.
2. Kentucky
National Championships: Eight (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012)
Moving onto the next blue blood program, enter Kentucky. Unlike UCLA, the Wildcats collected championship rings in several different eras, with its most recent title team in 2012 headlined by NBA great Anthony Davis. Kentucky is a factory for NBA talent, and the program will always be in the title picture as long as it stays on track.
t-3. North Carolina
National Championships: Six (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017)
Between Dean Smith and Roy Williams, the Tar Heels have one of the top pairs of coaches in college basketball history. The two combined to cut down the nets five times for the program with tons of Final Four and title game appearances mixed in. Here’s another program that has been pushing out NBA talent for decades.
t-3. UConn
National Championships: Six (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024)
Evidently, UConn is a great school for a coach to go to in search of an NCAA Tournament Championship. Each of Connecticut’s last three coaches has won at least one national title. Jim Calhoun and Dan Hurley each have multiple championship rings, but Kevin Ollie’s championship run as a seven-seed in 2014 is one of the most impressive and unexpected postseason performances of all time.
t-5. Duke
National Championships: Five (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)
Duke is the first team on this list that won all its national titles under one head coach. The recently retired Mike Krzyzewski led Duke to five NCAA Tournament Championships and 13 Final Fours in 42 seasons at the helm of the Blue Devils program. Duke is known for having villainous players that everyone loves to root against, which made the program a ton of fun to watch during Coach K’s tenure.
t-5. Indiana
National Championships: Five (1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987)
The Hoosiers captured two national titles under head coach Branch McCracken before a long title drought began. Controversial but legendary coach Bob Knight would establish Indiana as a blue-blood program in 29 seasons with IU. Knight notably won the 1981 NCAA Tournament with star point going Isiah Thomas and led Indiana to three titles and five Final Fours overall.
7. Kansas
National Championships: Four (1952, 1988, 2008, 2022)
Amazingly, the Jayhawks have had just eight head coaches since the program started playing basketball in 1898. Does the name James Naismith ring a bell? Kansas’ titles came under coaches Phog Allen, Larry Brown, and Bill Self. Self cut down the nets just a few years ago and at just age 62, he could have plenty of gas in the tank in search of another ring or two.
8. Villanova
National Championships: Three (1985, 2016, 2018)
Villanova is the only program in the country with exactly three National Championships. The school does not get much publicity outside of the college basketball world, but one thing is for sure — the Wildcats can win at a high level. Head coach Rollie Massimino led Nova to its first title in 1985 despite the team having 10 losses before the NCAA tournament began. Just in the last decade, the Wildcats have added two more titles to the trophy case under Jay Wright, who retired during his prime.
t-9. Louisville
National Championships: Two (1980, 1986) — 2013 title vacated
The Cardinals once had three national championships on its resume, but the 2013 title under Rick Pitino was vacated in 2017 following an off-the-court scandal. However, there’s no taking away the 1980 and 1986 titles from Louisville and the late Denny Crum.
t-9. Cincinnati
National Championships: Two (1961, 1962)
If you don’t closely follow basketball history, Cincinnati’s inclusion on this list likely comes as a surprise. The Bearcats won two straight titles in the first two seasons under Ed Jucker in 1961 and 1962. The program made another title game in 1963 but came up short by two points against Loyola-Chicago. 1992 was the only year Cincinnati has been back to the Final Four since then.
t-9. Florida
National Championships: Two (2006, 2007)
The Gators don’t have the richest history in college basketball, but Billy Donovan had Florida firmly as an elite program for most of his tenure in Gainesville. Florida lost the National Championship Game in 2000 but ultimately won two consecutive titles in 2006 and 2007 thanks to future NBA players Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer.
t-9. Michigan State
National Championships: Two (1979, 2000)
Tom Izzo is in his 30th season as the Michigan State head coach, and it feels like he has won more than one national title. However, his lone title came in his fifth season in East Lansing, but he does have eight Final Four trips to his name. The Spartan’s other title came under Jud Heathcote in 1979. That team had a point guard by the name of Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
t-9. NC State
National Championships: Two (1974, 1983)
The Wolfpack posted an incredible 30-1 record in 1974, with its only loss coming against John Wooden and UCLA. NC State got revenge in the Final Four before taking down Marquette in the NCAA Tournament final. 1983’s NCAA title came under Jim Valvano, best known for his speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards establishing the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
t-9. Oklahoma State
National Championships: Two (1945, 1946)
Henry Iba, known as the “Iron Duke of Defense,” led the Oklahoma A&M Aggies (now known as Oklahoma State) to consecutive titles in the middle of the 1940s. The Aggies held its opponents to under 40 points per game in the two NCAA tournament runs that ended in NCAA Tournament National Championships.
t-9. San Francisco
National Championships: Two (1955, 1956)
Led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, the San Francisco Dons dominated the 1955 and 1956 college basketball seasons. San Francisco went a combined 57-1 during those two seasons. Russell averaged 22.8 rebounds per game in his final NCAA tournament.
