The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament also known as March Madness is a single-elimination tournament that is played between 68 teams, made up of the 32 DI conference champions and 36 other teams that are selected by a committee using the at-large (berth) system.
The best known conferences have the big favorites teams to win the championship game, among the schools with the greatest chances of winning the title are: UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, Uconn, Villanova, among others. But every now and then an underdog shows up, like Baylor University who won the 2021 Final Four, after playing and trying 14 times in the tournament (March Madness since 1941) and 3 games at the final four (1948, 1950, 2021).
After the winners of each of the 32 conferences are defined, Selection Sunday begins, a special selection of 36 teams by a committee called by the NCAA. That same committee will decide two important things for the 68 teams, one is where each team is seeded according to any of the four regions (East, South, Midwest, West) and the second is the place in the tournament bracket to avoid teams from the same conference play each other during the first phase of the tournament.
NCAA College Basketball 2022 Playoffs format: How does the championship work?
To play in the championship game, teams have to go through seven rounds, called: First Four, First Round (round of 64), Second Round (round of 32), Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen), Regional Finals (Elite Eight), National Semi-Finals (Final Four) and the last round is the championship game called The National Championship.
Since this is a single-elimination tournament, teams have only one chance to advance to the next round of the tournament, there are no second chances. All games are played in neutral arenas, it is very rare to see a team play at home against an opponent during March Madness.
At the end of the tournament, the NCAA names several players and teams for the awards, including a gold and wood trophy for the championship winners and a silver one for the runner-ups, and the champions receive a special award from the NBA for winning the tournament.
NCAA College Basketball 2022 Playoffs format: Division I schools with the most championship wins.
The list below shows the programs (schools) with the most NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament championships. The dominance of some schools in college basketball is evident, but it is not the same for those programs when they play college football, the difference is big.
| School / Program | Team Name | Conference | Championship wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Los Angeles | UCLABruins | Pac-12 | (11) 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 |
| University of Kentucky | Wildcats | SEC | (8) 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North CarolinaTar Heels | ACC | (6) 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 |
| Duke University | Blue Devils | ACC | (5) 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
| Indiana University Bloomington | IndianaHoosiers | Big Ten | (5) 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
| University of Connecticut | UConnHuskies | Big East | (4) 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 |
| Villanova University | Wildcats | Big East | (3) 1985, 2016, 2018 |
| University of Louisville | Cardinals | ACC | (3) 1980, 1986, 2013*vacated |
| University of Kansas | Jayhawks | Big 12 | (3) 1952, 1988, 2008 |
| University of Florida | Gators | SEC | (2) 2006, 2007 |
| Michigan State University | Spartans | Big Ten | (2) 1979, 2000 |
| North Carolina State University | NC StateWolfpack | ACC | (2) 1974, 1983 |
| University of Cincinnati | Bearcats | The American | (2) 1961, 1962 |
| University of San Francisco | Dons | West Coast | (2) 1955, 1956 |
| Oklahoma State University–Stillwater | Cowboys | Big 12 | (2) 1945, 1946 |
| Baylor University | Bears | Big 12 | (1) 2021 |
| University of Virginia | Cavaliers | ACC | (1) 2019 |
| Syracuse University | Orange | ACC | (1) 2003 |
| University of Maryland, College Park | MarylandTerrapins | Big Ten | (1) 2002 |
| University of Arizona | Wildcats | Pac-12 | (1) 1997 |
| University of Arkansas | Razorbacks | SEC | (1) 1994 |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLVRunnin’ Rebels | Mountain West | (1) 1990 |
| University of Michigan | Wolverines | Big Ten | (1) 1989 |
| Georgetown University | Hoyas | Big East | (1) 1984 |
| Marquette University | Golden Eagles | Big East | (1) 1977 |
| University of Texas at El Paso | UTEPMiners | Conference USA | (1) 1966 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Loyola–ChicagoRamblers | Missouri Valley | (1) 1963 |
| Ohio State University | Buckeyes | Big Ten | (1) 1960 |
| University of California, Berkeley | CaliforniaGolden Bears | Pac-12 | (1) 1959 |
| La Salle University | Explorers | A-10 | (1) 1954 |
| College of the Holy Cross | Crusaders | Patriot League | (1) 1947 |
| University of Utah | Utes | Pac-12 | (1) 1944 |
| University of Wyoming | Cowboys | Mountain West | (1) 1943 |
| Stanford University | Cardinal | Pac-12 | (1) 1942 |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | WisconsinBadgers | Big Ten | (1) 1941 |
| University of Oregon | Ducks | Pac-12 | (1) 1939 |