Who Has Won the Most NCAA Basketball Championships
The Dynasty Builders: A Look at the Most Dominant College Basketball Programs
March Madness Elite
College basketball is host to one of the greatest sports tournaments in the United States and even the world with some exciting NCAA basketball lines to bet on. The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the biggest events of the year annually, drawing tens of millions of viewers. The run of 68 (including the “first four” round) teams and six rounds of basketball over three weeks makes the NCAA tournament an unrivaled sporting event. When March Madness starts in late March, college basketball runs the sports world for the few weeks leading up to the championship. For those looking to get in on the action, betus.com.pa offers competitive odds and betting options throughout the tournament.
With 364 total Division I teams as of the 2024 season, winning an NCAA Championship is no simple task. However, over the years, the world has seen dominant runs from stacked teams of future NBA players that run through the tournament in style. The question remains: Who has the most NCAA basketball championships?
1. UCLA
Only one program holds the elite accolade of winning double-digit championships, and that is the UCLA Bruins. The UCLA Bruins have the most championships in NCAA basketball, and it’s not close. The Bruins hold 11 total championships and hold one of the most dominant runs in all of college basketball that I doubt will ever be replicated.
From 1964-1975, UCLA held a record of 335-22. They lost 22 NCAAB games…in twelve years. During that run, UCLA won ten championships. Regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, John Wooden coached UCLA to those ten titles during that run, becoming the coach with the most NCAA basketball championships.
UCLA won seven championships in a row during that stretch in the '60s and '70s, a feat that I would be my life savings won’t be beaten on. UCLA is one of the most legendary college basketball programs and holds a run that you should consider yourself lucky if you got the chance to witness it.
2. Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats are the winningest college basketball program of all time, and they are second in college basketball with eight national championships. Kentucky is 2,398-758 all-time with a 76% win rate, the highest of any program in the nation.
Kentucky has been a consistently dominant team throughout the decades, seemingly always having a chance to make a run for the title. The Wildcats most successful coach, Adolph Rupp, coached the team to four total championships, including a back-to-back run of championships in 1948 and 1949.
Most recently, the famous John Calipari coached the Wildcats to their most recent championship in 2012, led by now-successful NBA player Anthony Davis.
T3. North Carolina
One-half of the most famous college basketball rivalries in history, the North Carolina Tar Heels hold the tie for third-most NCAA basketball championships in history with six. North Carolina became the second team to ever have a perfect season ending with a championship in 1957.
The most famous championship came in 1982 when Michael Jordan played for the Tar Heels and won it all before going to the NBA. Since then, the Tar Heels have won four more championships.
UNC legend Roy Williams is fourth all-time with three championship wins as a coach. All three championships came in a five-year span from 2005-2009.
T3. Connecticut
A few years ago, this wouldn’t be a tie. However, with Dan Hurley leading the Connecticut Huskies to back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024, the Huskies are now tied in third place with the Tar Heels for the third-most NCAA basketball championships. The run could even continue, as Connecticut has a dominant team once again in the 2024-2025 season. If they were to win again, the Huskies would become just the second team to win three championships in a row.
The Huskies are also regarded as the most dominant program of the 21st century, as Connecticut holds the most championships since 2000 (5). Dan Hurley has made an impact on this Huskies team within just six seasons, and he will go down as one of the best coaches in program history.
T5. Duke
The other half of one of the greatest rivalries in college basketball with North Carolina, Duke is tied for fifth in the list of most national championships. Duke has one man to thank for all five of their championships, and that man is Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K is the second-winningest coach of all time when it comes to championships, as he is responsible for all five of Duke’s championship wins.
Taking over as head coach for the Duke Blue Devils in 1981, Coach K will go down as potentially the greatest basketball coach of all time, up there with John Wooden. Duke's first two championships came in back-to-back seasons in 1991 and 1992, which was just the start of Krzyzewski’s legendary coaching career.
T5. Indiana
Bob Knight is one of the most famous and influential college basketball coaches of all time, and he led the historic program of the Indiana Hoosiers to three national championships. In total, Indiana has five championships overall, tied with the Duke Blue Devils.
The Hoosiers have one of the most historic programs in college basketball, even having a movie made after them. The Hoosiers also hold the title of being the last national champion to have a perfect season, a 32-0 run to the title in 1976 under Bob Knight.