At long last, we’ve reached the 2026 national championship game. UConn and Michigan will meet in Indianapolis with a chance to etch their programs into the annals of history.
Sports Illustrated looks back at the past 25 seasons from 2000–01 to ’24–25 in men’s college basketball to rank all of the other national championship games and project where this year’s game will land by the time the final buzzer sounds on Monday night.
1. 2016: No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 1 North Carolina
The most iconic shot of the past 25 years in college hoops capped an all-time classic between two of the sport’s most deeply entrenched blue bloods. A late flurry by North Carolina set the stage and Marcus Paige double-pumped on a circus three-pointer to tie the game at 74 with 4.7 seconds remaining. That proved to be too much time for Villanova though, as Ryan Arcidiacono dribbled the ball down and shoveled a pass back to Kris Jenkins, who buried the 25-footer and was instantly mobbed by his teammates underneath piles of falling confetti.
2. 2008: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 1 Memphis, 2008
Freshman point guard and soon-to-be No. 1 pick Derrick Rose had made 13 straight free throws until the front-end of his two shots with 10.8 seconds remaining rattled out. The miss opened the door for Sherron Collins to scamper up the court and scoop the ball over to Mario Chalmers before falling over as Chalmers drained a contested three to send the game to overtime. The Jayhawks had all the momentum going into the extra period after a back-and-forth 40 minutes of regulation. Kansas, led by 20 points and 10 rebounds from Darrell Arthur, scored the first three buckets of overtime and went on to win its first national title since 1988.
3. 2010: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Butler
The first two entries on our list featured iconic shots in the final seconds that changed the outcome of their respective matchups and so did the 2010 game—except for the fact that this one didn’t go in. Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave clanked off the backboard, then off the front of the rim and finally out, result in devastation for Butler fans and jubilation for the Blue Devils. The game was a war of attrition, which kept it close, but Kyle Singler (19 points, nine rebounds) solidified his place as a Duke great with his performance. Also, both Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Ronald Nored (Butler) started in this game and have gone on to become head coaches at their alma maters.
4. 2005: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 1 Illinois
The Tar Heels led by 13 at the half and seemed poised to cruise to a fourth national championship and the first under Roy Williams. But Illinois, led by 21 points from Luther Head, went on multiple runs in the second half, including a 10–0 spurt to tie the game at 65. Ultimately, the Illini just couldn’t hit enough shots, going 12-of-40 from beyond the arc, and Raymond Felton was able to ice the game for UNC with a pair of free throws. Williams won his first of three titles and Illinois came up one win short of matching the single-season wins record, solidifying the team’s place as one of the best to not win a national championship.
5. 2019: No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 3 Texas Tech
One year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to get upset by a No. 16, Virginia stormed back to the national championship game and avenged its loss the prior season to UMBC. Led by Tony Bennett and a trio of returnees from the previous letdown in De’Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, the Cavaliers also needed a last-second save to force overtime in the Elite Eight against Purdue. It was Hunter that played hero in the title game, draining three of his 27 points with 12 seconds left to force OT where UVA ran away the win.
6. 2003: No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 2 Kansas
Another meeting of two legendary coaches, Jim Boheim took down Roy Williams to win his first championship Kansas may have had the better roster, but Syracuse had the better player: freshman Carmelo Anthony, who ended an all-time tournament run with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals. Anthony, got help from another Cuse hero in the title game too. Gerry McNamara, recently named as successor to Adrian Autry at Syracuse, drained six first-half threes to give the Orange a double-digit advantage at the half.
7. 2013: No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Michigan
A lights-out shooting performance off the bench from Luke Hancock, including four critical threes right before the halftime buzzer, lifted Louisville to a victory over Trey Burke, Spike Albrecht and the Wolverines. The win came after an emotional two weeks for the Cardinals, who witnessed one of the most gruesome injuries on a basketball court to backup guard Kevin Ware in the Elite Eight win over Duke. Though the title was later vacated and Rick Pitino’s image tarnished due to the Louisville escort scandal, the title game was thrilling and a culmination of the Cardinals' brief stint in the Big East.
8. 2025: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 1 Houston
The Gators led for just 1:04 of gametime, but managed to rally back from 12 points down early in the second half behind 18 points from Will Richard to win their first title since 2007. A tough physical game between two teams who had been at the top of the pack for much of the season went back and forth in the final five minutes. Houston had an opportunity, down two, on the final possession, but an aggressive closeout on Emmanuel Sharp resulted in no shot from the Cougars as the ball slowly bounced up and down on the floor as Houston’s title hopes evaporated.
9. 2001: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 Arizona
Tons of future NBA talent dotted the floor for this matchup with Richard Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas for the Wildcats and Carlos Boozer and Shane Battier, along with All-American Jay Williams on the floor for the Blue Devils. But it was Mike Dunleavy Jr. who led the way for Duke with a team-high 21 points and five threes that opened up the game in the second half. Mike Krzyzewski would win his first championship of the decade and get elected into the Naismith Hall of Fame after the season—a decision that aged like fine wine.
10. 2015 No. 1 Duke vs. No. 1 Wisconsin
Just two days after dashing Kentucky’s perfect season, Frank Kaminsky and the Badgers tried to take down another blueblood and were plenty talented to do so. The first half featured 13 lead changes and was the first national championship to be tied at the half since 1988. With star bigs Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow in foul trouble it was the tandem of Tyus Jones (23 points) and Grayson Allen (16) who helped Duke pull away and dash Wisconsin’s hopes for its first title in over 70 years.
11. 2022 No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 North Carolina
An ice-cold start for Kansas and 16 straight points to close the half for a “Cinderella” UNC team resulted in a 15-point deficit for the Jayhawks with 20 minutes to play. What transpired was the largest comeback in men’s championship game history to prevent Hubert Davis from winning a title in his first season as the head coach in Chapel Hill. Five different Jayhawks scored in double figures and Kansas, which still had seven players from the COVID-impacted tournament year, got the chance to hoist a trophy just two seasons later.
12. 2007: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 1 Ohio State
Three months after playing for the BCS national championship game, the gridiron powers met on the hardwood for a rematch. And again, the Gators got the better of the Buckeyes. Despite 25 points and 12 rebounds from star center Greg Oden, Ohio State couldn't keep up with the depth from Florida, which didn’t even get a major contribution from reigning Most Outstanding Player Joakim Noah due to early foul trouble. Al Horford, Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey and 2007 MOP Corey Brewer picked up the slack and held off a massive Buckeyes’ second half to claim a second straight title.
13. 2017: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
A year after Kris Jenkins broke the hearts of Tar Heels everywhere, a retooled UNC team stormed its way to a third championship under Roy Williams. Despite just four made three-pointers on 27 attempts, all from Joel Berry II, North Carolina forced turnovers and generated second-chance opportunities to rally and get the win. Neither team shot the ball well and the game was over-officiated (featuring 52 total free-throw attempts), but the redemption story for Williams & Co. plus the close game keeps the game in the middle of the rankings.
14. 2024: No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 1 Purdue
Much like Virginia a few years prior, Purdue was looking to overcome a devastating loss to a No. 16 seed (Fairleigh Dickinson) and hoist a national championship trophy the next season. Unfortunately, the Boilermakers ran into the buzzsaw Huskies, who didn’t win a game by less than 14 points in their six NCAA tournament games. National Player of the Year Zach Edey dropped 37, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with the likes of Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan as UConn completed the back-to-back.
15. 2012: No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Kansas
Anthony Davis may have been the best player in the country, but Kansas kept him scoreless in the first half in New Orleans. No matter for the 38-win Wildcats. Doron Lamb scored 22 and Davis impacted the game in a myriad of other ways (16 rebounds, five assists, three steals, six blocks) and Kentucky coasted, giving John Calipari the first and only championship victory of his career.
16. 2006: No. 3 Florida vs. No. 2 UCLA
The first of two straight titles for the Gators was far more unexpected and required some late heroics from Corey Brewer in the Sweet 16 and then an upset of a loaded No. 1 seed Villanova. Jordan Farmar, Aaron Afflalo and Luc Mbah a Moute awaited in the final, but the Florida defense suffocated the Bruins and held a middling offense to 36% from the field. Joakim Noah posted 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks—setting the stage for another championship run the following season.
17. 2023: No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 San Diego State
San Diego State used up all of its Cinderella juice in the Final Four on Lamont Butler’s buzzer beater, leaving very little in the tank for the Aztecs against a UConn team that had finally reached the peak of its powers. Despite five losses in January, the Huskies gelled in the NCAA tournament, with Adama Sanogo or Jordan Hawkins scoring at least 20 points in every game until the championship. Dan Hurley established himself as one of college basketball’s most innovative offense coaches with his first championship and set the stage for this prolonged run of success.
18. 2002: No. 1 Maryland vs. No. 5 Indiana
A glimpse into a future Big Ten rivalry pitted a powerhouse Maryland team against the 11-loss Hoosiers. Juan Dixon scored 18 points and Lonny Baxter chipped in 15 points and 14 boards as the Terps led almost the entire game. A second-half flourish briefly saw Indiana take the lead, but a 22–8 run over the final 10 minutes gave Maryland its first and only men’s hoops championship. As hard as it is to believe, neither program has made it past the Sweet 16 since.
19. 2021: No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
Playing for the first undefeated season since 1976, Gonzaga sure picked a horrible time to have an off night—or at least an off first half. A barrage of Baylor threes gave the Bears a 19-point lead that the Bulldogs were never able to claw fully back into. Gonzaga never led, Baylor dashed the perfect season behind 22 points from Jared Butler and Scott Drew ruined perhaps Mark Few’s best chance to capture an elusive title.
20. 2014: No. 7 UConn vs. No. 8 Kentucky
The matchup with the lowest-combined seeds of the century, this championship game certainly didn’t feel like it featured the two best teams of the year. Kentucky, led by Julius Randle, James Young and the Harrison brothers was a year too early (though the following season didn’t end any differently). UConn’s offense was erratic all season long and yet the Huskies never trailed in a low-scoring battle. Shabazz Napier scored 22 points and UConn became the lowest seed to win the tournament since 1985.
21: 2018: No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 3 Michigan
The Donte DiVincenzo game saw Villanova return to the mountaintop just two seasons after the heroics of Kris Jenkins. Coming off the bench and flanked by stars like Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, “Big Ragu” kept the Cats in the mix with 18 of Villanova’s 32 first-half points and then completely opened up the game early in the second half, ending with 31 points. Michigan again came up short of a championship—its fourth straight loss in a title game after winning in 1989.
22. 2009: North Carolina vs. Michigan State
A mammoth first half for the Tar Heels quickly made this game uncompetitive, as UNC led by 23 with 9:46 left in the first half. North Carolina forced 21 turnovers and rode the dominance of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington to one of the most carefree NCAA tournament runs of the century. North Carolina didn’t lose a game by more than seven points all season long and won every March Madness contest by double digits.
23. 2004: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Georgia Tech
As refreshing as it was to see a new face playing for a national championship game, Georgia Tech never stood a chance against yet another supercharged UConn team. Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon (24 points combined) nearly outscored the Yellow Jackets (26) in the first half and nullified any potential comeback early. The final score looked a lot better than this game actually was—and Jim Calhoun established that the Huskies would be a force to come in the next decade.
24. 2011: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 8 Butler
The worst of the worst featured a runner-up that scored just 41 points in the most important game of the season. Butler was back in the final for the second straight year, but didn’t have enough firepower without Gordon Hayward to keep pace with Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb. This UConn team wasn’t really that great either frankly, finishing ninth in the Big East the regular season before peaking at the right time to win the conference tourney and the Big Dance.
Honorable Mention: Kansas vs. Dayton, 2020 … Hypothetically …
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was cut short and we experienced a March without madness. But had we gotten a championship game, it had the potential to be great. Kansas ran through the regular season with the All-American duo of Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike—and future Most Outstanding Player Ochai Agbaji as the third most consequential player on the roster. Yet Dayton, with its best team in nearly 50 years, would’ve given the Jayhawks all they could handle with Wooden Award winner and high-flying dunker Obi Toppin leading the way.
More March Madness From Sports Illustrated
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking Every Men’s College Basketball National Championship Game of the Past 25 Years.
