In college basketball history, there have been 66 No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four, with 26 No. 1 seeds winning the National Championship. There have been 11 National Championships in college basketball featuring two No. 1 seeds. Check out those 11 matchups with the years they occurred in below.
1982: North Carolina vs. Georgetown
North Carolina beat Georgetown 63-62 to win the National Championship on November 29, 1982, and was led by two NBA Hall of Famers, James Worthy and Michael Jordan. With 14 seconds left, the freshman Jordan hit a mid-range jumper to take the lead.
1993: North Carolina vs. Michigan
On April 5 1983, North Carolina beat Michigan 77-71 to win another National Championship. Donald Williams led the Tar Heels in scoring with 25 points in this contest.
1999: Duke vs. UConn
Richard Hamilton’s 27 points led the UConn Huskies past the Duke Blue Devils, as the Huskies cut down the nets on March 29, 1999. Trajan Langdon for Duke scored 25 points in this contest.
2005: Illinois vs. North Carolina
Roy Williams won his first National Championship at North Carolina when the Tar Heels beat the Illinois Fighting Illini 75-70 on April 4, 2005. UNC center Sean May recorded a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the team to victory.
2007: Florida vs. Ohio State
On April 2, 2007, the Florida Gators won their second consecutive National Championship with Head Coach Billy Donovan. Florida beat Ohio State 84-75 in this contest while still allowing Greg Oden and Mike Conley to combine for 45 points.
2008: Memphis vs. Kansas
In the 2008 National Championship, Kansas outlasted Memphis in overtime. Mario Chalmers hit a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation after Derrick Rose previously took the lead.
2015: Duke vs. Wisconsin
Coach K won his fifth National Championship in 2015 when beating the Wisconsin Badgers 68-63. Freshman guard Tyus Jones led Duke to this win as he scored 23 points in the game.
2017: Gonzaga vs. North Carolina
In Glendale, Arizona, on April 3 2017, Joel Berry II’s 22 points led North Carolina past Gonzaga to win the National title. Three Tar Heels scored double-digit points in this game, while only two did for the Bulldogs.
2021: Gonzaga vs. Baylor
In 2021, the Baylor Bears beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs 86-70 to win the March Madness tournament. Baylor’s trio of Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, and MaCio Teague combined for 56 points in this contest to lead the Bears to a 16-point win.
2024: UConn vs. Purdue
Although UConn won its second straight National Championship in this game, Purdue’s star center Zach Edey put on a show with 37 points. Veteran guard Tristen Newton was the Huskies’ leading scorer in this game with 20 points.
2025: Florida vs. Houston
The latest battle of No. 1 seeds in the National Championship came last year when the Florida Gators beat the Houston Cougars 65-63. Will Richard 18 points led Florida to victory after Walter Clayton Jr. was their best player throughout the season.
