By Woodrow Carroll
After one week of action, the 2025 Men’s NCAA Championship Basketball Tournament has been reduced from a grand total of 68 entrants to, what many refer to as, the Sweet 16. And, when you take a good look at the teams still in the running, you will see a great many familiar names.
Given the schools still in the running for the crown, it’s interesting to see how many of the teams left contending have captured the championship(s) in the past.
In the first NCAA championship in 1939, Oregon defeated Ohio State. This year, however, Oregon did not make it to the Sweet 16 and lost to Arizona. Arizona, who last won the championship in 1997 by defeating Kentucky in overtime, will have a chance to give the Tucson school another championship trophy when they play Duke.
The Duke Blue Devils are the favorite to win it all in the men’s tournament, if you go by what one would call, the best bet. As talented as the Blue Devils may be, you would best not make Duke an odds on favorite to capture the crown. There are simply too many good teams out there.
Championships did not come the Blue Devils way with ease. The team’s first four appearances in the NCAA Championship games saw the Blue Devils finish in second.
In 1964, Duke lost to UCLA, 98-83, which gave the Bruins’ coach, John Wooden, his first National Championship. In 1978, Duke lost the title game to Kentucky. More of the same with title game losses to Louisville in 1986 and UNLV in 1990.
Duke lost the 1990 title game, 103-73, to UNLV, but the two schools faced each other in the semifinal of the 1991 tournament. Defending National Champion UNLV was on a 45-game winning streak. Only this time, the Blue Devils were ready. In a real shocker, Duke recorded a 79-77 upset. The championship game seemed almost anticlimactic with the Blue Devils beating Kansas, 72-65, for the school’s first championship.
The 1991 title opened the door for the Blue Devils who since have added championship trophies in 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015.
Indiana was the men’s victor in 1940, and the Hoosiers have had their moments in the past winning it all in 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, and 1987. Indiana was far and away the most successful of all the Big Ten Schools until UCLA joined the crowd. But, no Indiana in this season’s final run!
Big Ten newcomer UCLA has won the men’s title 11 times. The UCLA Bruins finished on top seven consecutive seasons starting in 1967 through 1973. Coach John Wooden’s name resonates when collegiate basketball is brought up. And, the 88-game winning streak of the Bruins’ men in the early-1970s stands out among the stats posted by the school.
The fates didn’t smile on UCLA last weekend, and were a bit cruel you might say.
UCLA was eliminated from tournament play last week falling to Tennessee, 67-58. And, where was contest between UCLA and Tennessee contested? At Rupp Arena the Home of the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington.
Before John Wooden started his run of championships at UCLA back in 1964, Adolph Rupp had four titles to his credit coaching the Wildcats, 1948, 1949, 1951, and 1958. Many regard Kentucky’s victory over a Seattle team featuring Elgin Baylor in the 1958 title game a masterwork of coaching.
Of all the schools still in the running for the 2025 men’s title, the earliest team to lay claim to the title was, Kentucky, with its 1948 championship.
Going with historical progression, we can speed up the time machine and pass over San Francisco, Ohio State, and Chicago Loyola among others. And, while we are at it, a tip of the hat to the 1966 Texas Western (University of Texas at El Paso, today) team, featuring an all black starting five, that beat Adolph Rupp’s all Caucasian Kentucky squad, 72-65, for the title.