Which schools have the most Final Four appearances of all-time?

Fox Sports

26-03-2025

The Final Four looms in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and it's possible for a few of the top programs in college basketball history to move up the standings for the all-time Final Four appearances list this weekend.
Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State are among a few of the programs that are top 10 all-time in Final Four appearances that can make it back to the final two rounds of the tournament again this spring. Arkansas and Houston also loom as possibilities to join the top 10 if each can make it through the Elite Eight this weekend.
As history is on the line in the next few weeks, let's take a look at which programs have the most Final Four appearances of all-time, excluding vacated appearances. Top 10 schools with most Final Four appearances 10. UConn: 7
The Huskies' sudden emergence as a college basketball power placed them in the top 10 of this list following the 2023-24 season. All seven of UConn's Final Four appearances have come since its national championship season in 1998-99. It's won the championship six times over its seven Final Four appearances, becoming the first program to win back-to-back titles in nearly 20 years in 2024. If you exclude the 2019-20 season, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the tournament being canceled, UConn arguably had the best 25-year run in the history of the sport, holding a 28% Final Four rate and a 24% championship rate. T-8. Indiana: 8
While UConn has soared in the 21st century, a lot of Indiana's success came before 2000. Seven of the Hoosiers' eight Final Four appearances occurred prior to the turn of the century, becoming one of college basketball's first powers. It won two national championships prior to 1970 before reaching the Final Four five times in Bob Knight's 29-year tenure as head coach. Three of those Final Four trips resulted in a national championship, including the 1976 tournament, where Indiana capped off a 32-0 season. That's the last time a team went undefeated in a college basketball season. Knight led the Hoosiers to titles again in 1981 (with Isiah Thomas) and 1987 (with Steve Alford). Indiana's last Final Four run came in 2002, making a surprise trip to the national championship game as a No. 4 seed. T-8. Louisville: 8
Louisville could actually be higher on this list, but two of its Final Four trips were vacated. Its 2012 Final Four appearance and 2013 title were vacated after an NCAA investigation found that it gave improper benefits to players during those seasons. But before those two trips, Louisville made it to the Final Four eight times, winning the title twice. Denny Crum coached both of those title-winning squads (1980, 1986) and was responsible for six of the eight non-vacated Final Four appearances in program history. Louisville's last non-vacated Final Four appearance came in 2005, when it reached the national semifinals as a No. 4 seed before losing to Illinois. T-6. Ohio State: 10
The vast majority of Ohio State's Final Four appearances came prior to 1970, making it to the final two rounds of the tournament six times between 1939-68. Fred Taylor was the head coach for four of those trips, helping the program win its only national championship in 1960. Ohio State didn't make it to the Final Four again until 1999, but that trip was later vacated. Thad Matta helped the Buckeyes regain national prominence over his 13-year tenure in Columbus, reaching the Final Four twice (2007, 2012). It lost the national championship game to Florida in 2007, running into a Gators squad that won back-to-back titles. T-6. Michigan State: 10
The Spartans had the amount of success many programs would dream of before Tom Izzo became their head coach in 1995, winning a national championship in 1979 and reaching the Final Four on another occasion. But the program has frequently appeared in the Final Four since Izzo took over, making it to the national semifinals eight times since 1999. And most of those Final Four trips have been spread out, with 26 of Izzo's first 29 recruiting classes of four-year players having experienced a trip to the Final Four. Michigan State has won the title once with Izzo, cutting down the nets in 2000. 5. Kansas: 15
Not many programs have been as consistent for a long period of time as Kansas. The Jayhawks have reached the Final Four in each decade since the 1970s, with the 1960s being the only decade that they've missed the Final Four since 1940. Kansas has won four national championships, doing so in 1952, 1988, 2008 and 2022. While Roy Williams didn't win a national championship at Kansas, he coached the Jayhawks to four Final Fours in his 15 seasons at the helm, making it in each of his final two years. Bill Self has helped Kansas reach the Final Four three times, winning the national title twice. He could've had four Final Four appearances, but Kansas' 2018 Final Four trip was later vacated. T-3. Kentucky: 17
One of the true signs of a blue blood is its ability to sustain success over several head coaches. That's what Kentucky has done for decades, with five of its last seven coaches helping the Wildcats reach the Final Four. That number excludes Mark Pope, who could improve that mark to six of their last eight coaches as early as this spring. All five of those aforementioned coaches won a national championship during their time in Lexington as well, with each making multiple Final Four trips. Since the 1990s, Kentucky has also had two stretches where it made the Final Four four times in a six-year span. T-3 Duke: 17
Mike Krzyzewski turned Duke into a blueblood, but the program had some success before he took over the reins in Durham. Duke reached the Final Four on four occasions between 1963-78 before Krzyzewski became its head coach in 1980. Krzyzewski took the program to new heights, though. It made the Final Four in five straight tournaments (1988-92) and six times in seven years, winning two national championships in the early 1990s. While the Blue Devils didn't have a run like that again under Krzyzewski, they made it to the Final Four once every six tournaments between 1995-2022, which was Krzyzewski's last year as head coach. They won the national championship three times over that stretch. 2. UCLA: 18
Thanks to John Wooden, UCLA was able to run it up in the all-time Final Four appearances list. They made it to the Final Four 12 times in his final 14 seasons as head coach, which included a stretch where they won seven straight national championships. They also won the title on three other occasions with Wooden. UCLA hasn't had as much in the 50 years since Wooden left, but it has remained one of college basketball's top programs. It's reached the Final Four six more times, winning the title again in 1995. It also reached the Final Four in 1980, but that appearance was later vacated. 1. North Carolina: 22
While UCLA has more national championships, North Carolina might have the greatest longevity of any program in the history of college basketball. It's made the Final Four at least once every decade since the 1940s, making it to the Final Four twice in each decade since the 1960s (excluding the 2020s). Dean Smith was responsible for half of UNC's Final Four trips as five of the Tar Heels' last six head coaches have coached them to the Final Four. Hubert Davis is among them, doing so in his first year as coach in the 2021-22 season. But he hasn't won a national championship, something Roy Williams did three times as their head coach with Smith leading them to two titles. Frank McGuire is the other coach to have led UNC to a national championship.
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