The men’s NCAA tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985 only after years of opposition. Then Villanova upset Georgetown in an iconic final and pretty much everyone loved the new format after all.
We call this the modern tournament era, which is perhaps a bit presumptuous. Even at this late date, there were more tournaments played before 1985 than have been contested since.
Still, “modern” makes descriptive sense. These brackets have shot clocks and three-point lines (starting in 1986 and 1987, respectively).
Expanding the field did away with byes, giving us a trusty measuring stick when teams accumulate tournament victories over the years. Yes, the NCAA muddied that up a bit by expanding past 64 teams starting in 2001, but we can adjust with a well-placed asterisk here and there.
UConn is moving up fast on the leaderboard for modern-era tournament victories. Winning two titles in the span of about 390 days vaulted the Huskies past Michigan State, Arizona, and Syracuse.
Winningest NCAA tournament teams, 1985-2024
Wins
1. Duke 105
2. North Carolina 98
3. Kansas 94
4. Kentucky 84
5. UConn 67
6. Michigan State 63
7. Arizona 58
8. Syracuse 57* 2018
9. UCLA 55* 2021
10. Michigan 51* 2016
11. Louisville 49
12. Florida 48
13. Villanova 47
14. Gonzaga 46
15. Purdue 40
16. Arkansas 38
17. Oklahoma 37
Indiana 37* 2022
19. Wisconsin 36
20. Ohio State 35
Maryland 35
* Round of 68 winsAs you might infer from a program that’s 6-0 in national championship games, UConn has really punched above its weight in terms of performance against seed expectations. The Huskies don’t get as many opportunities as a Duke, UNC, or Kansas, but when they make it into the bracket they really seize the day.
Conversely, Arizona fans share the curious experience of supporting a true blueblood and member of the ultra-snooty national championship club that nevertheless has on occasion fallen short in PASE terms.
PASE among winningest programs, 1985-2024
Performance against seed expectations
expected Ws actual PASE
1. UConn 46.49 67 +20.51
2. North Carolina 81.13 98 +16.87
3. Kentucky 69.19 84 +14.81
4. Duke 90.52 105 +14.48
5. Michigan State 49.79 63 +13.21
6. Michigan 37.76 50 +12.24
7. UCLA 42.90 54 +11.10
8. Syracuse 46.04 56 +9.96
9. Kansas 91.61 94 +2.39
10. Arizona 65.45 58 -7.45
Wins in and subsequent to round of 64 only
If you’re surprised by how good Kentucky looks here, bear in mind that until quite recently the Wildcats sported a UConn-like number of their own. Then 2022 and 2024 happened.
Here’s the full leaderboard for all 216 teams that have won a game in the modern tournament era.
NCAA tournament wins, 1985-2024
Wins
1. Duke 105
2. North Carolina 98
3. Kansas 94
4. Kentucky 84
5. UConn 67
6. Michigan State 63
7. Arizona 58
8. Syracuse 57* 2018
9. UCLA 55* 2021
10. Michigan 51* 2016
11. Louisville 49
12. Florida 48
13. Villanova 47
14. Gonzaga 46
15. Purdue 40
16. Arkansas 38
17. Oklahoma 37
Indiana 37* 2022
19. Wisconsin 36
20. Ohio State 35
Maryland 35
22. Texas 34
23. Georgetown 33
Illinois 33
25. Xavier 30
26. Memphis 28
27. Alabama 27
28. Cincinnati 26
29. Oklahoma State 24
Temple 24
UNLV 24
Virginia 24
33. NC State 23* 2014
Tennessee 23* 2014
35. Butler 22
Georgia Tech 22
Iowa State 22
Oregon 22
Utah 22
West Virginia 22
41. Pitt 21* 2023
42. Baylor 20
Stanford 20
44. Auburn 19
LSU 19
Marquette 19
Notre Dame 19* 2022
48. Florida State 18
Iowa 18
50. Missouri 17
Kansas State 17* 2017
52. Seton Hall 16
Texas Tech 16
Wake Forest 16
55. Miami 15
St. John's 15
57. Creighton 14
Houston 14
59. Boston College 13
San Diego State 13
61. Minnesota 12
USC 12* 2017
Wichita State 12* 2016
64. UMass 11
Texas A&M 11
Tulsa 11
Washington 11
Clemson 11* 2011
69. Mississippi State 10
Providence 10
VCU 10* 2011
72. Cal 9
Vanderbilt 9
Western Kentucky 9* 2012
75. Loyola Chicago 8
Rhode Island 8
Saint Joseph's 8
Dayton 8* 2015
79. DePaul 7
Richmond 7
BYU 7* 2012
Arizona State 7* 2019, 2023
83. Nevada 6
New Mexico 6
UAB 6
Saint Mary's 6* 2013
87. George Mason 5
Murray Sate 5
Northern Iowa 5
Saint Louis 5
Southern Illinois 5
UTEP 5
Colorado 5* 2024
Ole Miss 5* 2015
95. Charlotte 4
Florida Atlantic 4
George Washington 4
Georgia 4
Kent State 4
Loyola Marymount 4
Navy 4
New Mexico State 4
Ohio 4
Penn State 4
Princeton 4
South Carolina 4
Virginia Tech 4
Washington State 4
La Salle 4* 2013
Siena 4** 2002
111. Ball State 3
Bradley 3
Cleveland State 3
Davidson 3
Eastern Michigan 3
Louisiana Tech 3
Miami OH 3
Middle Tennessee 3
Milwaukee 3
Missouri State 3
Northwestern 3
Old Dominion 3
Oregon State 3
Saint Peter's 3
TCU 3
Tulane 3
Wyoming 3
Colorado State 3* 2024
Fairleigh Dickinson 3* 2019, 2023
Florida Gulf Coast 3* 2016
Texas Southern 3* 2018, 2021, 2022
132. Bucknell 2
Buffalo 2
Chattanooga 2
Cornell 2
Detroit 2
Georgia State 2
Harvard 2
Illinois State 2
Little Rock 2
Manhattan 2
Oral Roberts 2
Pacific 2
Santa Clara 2
SMU 2
Stephen F. Austin 2
Utah State 2
Valparaiso 2
Weber State 2
Yale 2
Hampton 2* 2015
James Madison 2* 2013
Morehead State 2** 2009
Mount St. Mary's 2** * 2008, 2017
Norfolk State 2* 2021
North Dakota State 2* 2019
Northwestern State 2** 2001
Oakland 2** 2005
South Florida 2* 2012
UNC Asheville 2** * 2003, 2011
Vermont 2* 2012
162. Abilene Christian 1
Austin Peay 1
Charleston 1
Coppin State 1
Drexel 1
Duquesne 1
East Tennessee State 1
Evansville 1
Fresno State 1
Furman 1
Grand Canyon 1
Green Bay 1
Hawaii 1
Indiana State 1
Lehigh 1
Liberty 1
Louisiana 1
Marshall 1
Mercer 1
Montana 1
New Orleans 1
North Texas 1
Penn 1
Pepperdine 1
Rutgers 1
San Diego 1
South Alabama 1
Southern 1
UC Irvine 1
UC Santa Barbara 1
UCF 1
UMBC 1
UNC Wilmington 1
Western Michigan 1
Winthrop 1
Wofford 1
Albany 1* 2014
Arkansas Pine Bluff 1** 2010
Belmont 1* 2019
Cal Poly 1* 2014
Florida A&M 1** 2004
Holy Cross 1* 2016
Monmouth 1** 2006
Niagara 1** 2007
North Carolina A&T 1* 2013
Radford 1* 2018
Robert Morris 1* 2015
St. Bonaventure 1* 2018
TAMU Corpus Christi 1* 2023
UC Davis 1* 2017
UTSA 1* 2011
Wagner 1* 2024
Wright State 1* 2022
* Round of 68 wins
** Round of 65 winsThere are 93 teams that have appeared at least once in the modern-era tournament without winning a game. Iona leads that list with 13 appearances since 1985, followed by Boise State (nine), Nebraska (eight), and Colgate and South Dakota State (seven apiece).
Long live the Madness.
John Gasaway 