The 25 greatest college basketball teams that didn't win a national championship

To be fair, this was the Duke squad that initiated the program's status as an elite, perennial national basketball power. As the Blue Devils' basketball stock continued to rise during the 1980s under Mike Krzyzewski, the 1985-86 group had the makings of the school's first national title. With Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie, Jay Bilas, Tommy Amaker and Danny Ferry, Duke won both the ACC regular season and tournament crowns. After losing its first two games -- back to back -- against ranked North Carolina and Georgia Tech teams in January, the Blue Devils reeled off 21 straight wins. However, they were upset 72-69 by Pervis Ellison and Louisville in the 1986 national championship game.

When it comes to women's basketball greatness at Virginia, Debbie Ryan's '90-91 bunch is still the gold standard. The Cavaliers, who featured standout Tonya Cardoza and hot-shot Dawn Staley, went 31-3. They earned a No. 1 seed and reached the Final Four for the second time during a stretch of three straight such appearances. UVA eventually met powerhouse Tennessee for its first, and to date, only title-game appearance. The Cavaliers led by five in the final two minutes, but went cold from the field, and the Lady Vols, thanks to some key free throws from Dena Head, forced overtime. Tennessee controlled the extra session for a 70-67 victory.

Known as "The Untouchables," this 1996-97 Kentucky group featured several players who went on to enjoy various levels of NBA success—notably Ron Mercer (18.1 ppg), Scott Padgett and Nazr Mohammed. The Wildcats went 3-1 against top-10 opponents that season, and took a 35-4 record into their national championship contest against Arizona, which was the No. 4 seed and owner of nine losses. However, those pesky Wildcats, led by Mike Bibby and Miles Simon, would not go away, and eventually outlasted the favorites for an 84-79 overtime triumph.

One season after reaching the Final Four amid a surprise run, these Shockers looked poised to finish the job in 2014. With four players averaging double figures (most notably Fred VanVleet, Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker) and holding opponents to just under 60 points per game, Wichita State was 35-0 when it faced a 10-loss, but improving Kentucky squad in the Elite Eight. In what would become one of the great NCAA Tournament games of the decade, the Wildcats, who shot 54 percent, squeaked out a 78-76 victory to end Wichita State’s perfect season, despite the Shockers making 55.1 percent of their shots and going 10-of-21 from 3-point range.

The Bearcats were trying to make history by becoming the first team to win three straight national championships. Led by Tom Thacker and Ron Bonham, Cincinnati was 26-1 entering the national title game against a strong, and, what would become, historic Loyola, Chicago squad. The Bearcats led 29-21 at halftime, but despite holding Loyola to 27.4-percent shooting, they could not overcome 16 turnovers in falling 60-58 in overtime. In terms of historical significance, that meeting was important because seven African-American players had started the contest.

Nearly two decades in the making, Gonzaga finally reached the national championship game. After tapping into the transfer market for big-timers Nigel Williams-Goss (16.8 ppg), Jordan Mathews (10.6 ppg) and Johnathan Williams (10.2 ppg), the Zags averaged 82.6 points and suffered just one regular-season loss. Gonzaga, which tied the Division I record for wins in a season at 37, had a more challenging time during the NCAA tournament, with three wins by six points or fewer. It all finally caught up with the Bulldogs in a 71-65 loss to North Carolina. In what was a rather poorly played (each shot below 36 percent) national championship game.

The Lady Vols were poised to record a fourth national championship under legendary coach Pat Summitt. Following a third straight undefeated run during the SEC regular season, Tennessee eyed its first national championship since 1991. Led by the versatile Nikki McCray, the Lady Vols rolled through their first five games of the NCAA tournament, winning each by at least 20 points. However, Tennessee ran into an even hotter team in Connecticut in the national final. Paced by future legends Rebecca Lobo and Jennifer Rizzotti, UConn overcame a nine-point second-half lead to win 80-74 and cap a 35-0 campaign with its title — thus beginning the sport's most renowned dynasty. Tennessee, meanwhile, finished 34-3.

Winners of the inaugural women's NCAA Tournament in 1982, the Lady Techsters were runners-up in '83 (we'll get to that group soon). It was four years later, led by superstar Teresa Weatherspoon, that Louisiana Tech returned to the national final with a 30-2 record. After knocking off fellow top seed Texas, which had one loss and was playing that Final Four matchup on its home court, the party ended for Louisiana Tech. Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols avenged a nine-point regular season loss with a resounding 67-44 win for their first championship.

Behind Patrick Ewing (14.6 ppg, 9.2 rebounds per game), Georgetown looked poised to repeat as national champion in 1985. The Hoyas started 18-0, then following back-to-back losses in Big East play, took a 17-game winning streak into their national championship game matchup against upstart No. 8 seed Villanova, which they beat twice during the regular season. A big reason for Georgetown's success was a defense that held opponents to 57.3 points per game. However, it could not find a way to contain the Wildcats, who went a blistering 22-of-28 from the field and made all but five of their 27 free-throw attempts en route to a stunning 66-64 triumph. For good measure, the Hoyas, who finished 35-3, shot 54.7 percent in that contest.

In 1992, Michigan's vaunted Fab Five reached the national championship game after winning three straight NCAA Tournament contests by a combined 11 points. That run ended with a 20-point loss to Duke, but set the stage for some unfinished business in 1992-93. Though the achievements of that season were eventually erased through sanctions and penalties from the infamous Ed Martin scandal, the brash and boisterous Wolverines opened as the No. 1 team in the country. After finishing second in the Big Ten, Michigan set its sights on winning that national title. However, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Co., needed to work just to reach the title game, including an overtime win versus UCLA in the second round and against Kentucky in the national semifinals. The Wolverines' championship game tilt with North Carolina was one of the most entertaining finals in tournament history, but for Michigan fans, mostly remembered for Webber's timeout call when his team had none in the 77-71 defeat. They finished 31-5, thus ending the Fab Five's college career.

Anchored by stars Greg Oden (15.7 ppg, 9.6 rebounds per game) and Mike Conley (11.3 ppg, 6.1 assists per game), Ohio State boasted two of the best players in the nation. The Buckeyes won both the Big Ten's regular season and tournament titles, while losing just once against conference opponents all season. Ohio State (35-4) was also a stout defensive squad, allowing 62 points per game. However, there was one team better than the Buckeyes in 2006-07 — Florida, which repeated as national champion with its 84-75 victory over them in the NCAA final.

Another team whose accomplishments were erased by the NCAA due to various violations. In this case, testing issues involving star Derrick Rose. That said, the Tigers' now-unofficial 38-2 mark was the best on-court performance the school has ever seen. Though Rose (14.9 ppg, 4.7 apg) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (18.1 ppg) were two of the game's top offensive stars at the time, this Memphis squad played some stellar defense while allowing 61.9 points per game. However, Kansas shot 52.7 percent, and Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins hit big shots to help take down the Tigers, 75-68 in overtime of the national final.

The Hoosiers had to wait one more season to win the program’s third national championship. And, did so in grand fashion by going undefeated. However, many believe this 1974-75 squad was an overall better team with the same cast of stars in Scott May, Quinn Buckner and Kent Benson. Indiana took a 31-0 record into its Elite Eight contest versus Kentucky, where Benson had 33 points and 23 rebounds, but the Wildcats pulled off a 92-90 upset victory. Thus leaving the Hoosiers with some unfinished business to take care of the next season.

This 2009-10 Stanford group lost just two games both at the hands of Connecticut. The first came at Hartford just before Christmas. The other concluded the season, 53-47, in the national championship game. Aside from those setbacks, the Cardinal won a program-record 36 games. Jayne Appel, Jeanette Pohlen and Nnemkadi Ogwumike starred for a squad that produced Stanford's second national runner-up over a three-year span. During the season, Appel became the Pac-10's all-time leading rebounder by breaking Lisa Leslie's record of 1,214.

Looking to win the first two NCAA women's national championships, Louisiana Tech appeared to be in good shape by taking a 31-1 record into the season's third meeting with USC — with a national title on the line. The teams split the two regular-season matchups, and it would be the Trojans who handed the Lady Techsters their only other defeat of the 1982-83 season. Behind one of the all-time greats, Cheryl Miller, USC led late. Louisiana Tech had a final chance to tie the game, but a last-second shot by Kim Mulkey (the longtime Baylor coach now at LSU) missed for the 69-67 finish.

After falling short of the program's first national title in 2017, the Bulldogs were back in the tournament championship game one year later. Mississippi State carried a 37-1 record into its title matchup with a two-loss Notre Dame squad. That's after needing overtime to beat Louisville in the Final Four. In what might be considered the greatest final game in the history of the women's tournament, Teaira McCowan and Victoria Vivians (21 points in the final) helped the Bulldogs to a 30-17 halftime lead. However, the Irish fought back, and star Arike Ogunbowale dashed Mississippi State's dreams of that first title via her 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left in regulation for a 61-58 Notre Dame triumph.

Looking to become the first team since Indiana from 1975-76 to go undefeated, Gonzaga appeared in good shape to not only win its first national title, but make history, too. Drew Timme (19.0 ppg), Corey Kispert (18.6 ppg) and Jalen Suggs (14.4 ppg) were among college basketball's elite, and these Bulldogs were winning games by more than an average of 20.0 points. However, maybe it was an omen when the Bulldogs needed Suggs' shot from just in front of half court to bail them out in overtime versus UCLA in the Final Four. Gonzaga (31-1) was then roughed up 86-70 by a plucky Baylor group that made 10 3-pointers, held a 38-22 rebounding advantage and forced 14 turnovers in the national final. 

The hype surrounding the 2004-05 Illini began with a Sweet 16 loss Duke a season earlier And, this Illinois club, led by Deron Williams (12.5 ppg, 6.8 apg), Dee Brown (13.3 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Luther Head (15.9 ppg), ran out the same starting lineup every game, was ranked No. 1 most of the season and sat 29-0 before losing to Ohio State by a point in the regular-season finale. Illinois didn't lose again until the school's first national championship-game appearance, 75-70 to North Carolina to finish 37-2.

Karl-Anthony Towns (10.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) was the best player on this Kentucky team, and there might not have been a deeper group of talent than this bunch possessed (Devin Booker didn’t even start). It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Kentucky would win the national title as it entered the Final Four at 38-0. However, a two-point win over Notre Dame in the Elite Eight showed some vulnerability in the Wildcats. Then, they couldn’t keep Wisconsin from shooting 47.9-percent and going 18-of-22 from the free-throw line in their memorable 71-64 national semifinal defeat.

Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Michael Young, Benny Anders, Larry Micheaux. Phi Slama Jama. This was the most exciting team college hoops had ever seen, up to that point. High-flying, dunk after dunk, the Cougars seemed poised to win the school's first national title after reaching the Final Four a year earlier. After dropping back-to-back games following a 4-0 start, Houston won 26 straight games, starting in mid-December. And, when the Cougars drew a 10-loss North Carolina State squad in the national championship game, that title seemed like a foregone conclusion. However, Jim Valvano's "Cardiac Pack" was a destined group, and held the Cougars to 38.2 percent shooting, and Drexler, Micheaux and Young to a combined 14 points. Houston players could only watch as Lorenzo Charles turned Dereck Whittenburg's airball into a game-winning dunk for a 54-52 NC State victory.

By the early 2010s, there was a strong rivalry brewing between Notre Dame and Connecticut within the women's game. When the two powers met in the 2014 national final, and each without a loss, it marked the first time that happened in the history of the women's NCAA Tournament. In the end, the game proved anti-climatic as the Huskies rolled, 79-58, to win the second of four straight titles. But, that shouldn't take away from the season's accomplishments by the Irish, led by Kayla McBride and Jewell Loyd, who set a school record with 37 wins.

National Player of the Year Larry Bird averaged 28.6 points, but this was more than a one-man show for an Indiana State squad that reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Carl Nicks (19.3 ppg) was also an underrated star for the Sycamores, who carried a 33-0 record into their much-anticipated national-title matchup against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. Yet, in the most-watched college basketball game of all time, Johnson's Spartans were the true stars. Bird had 19 points with 13 rebounds, but Magic scored 24 and Michigan State shot 60.5 percent en route to a 75-64 victory.

Following a 5-0 start, Duke lost by two against Cincinnati. With studs like Elton Brand (17.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg), Trajan Langdon (17.3 ppg) and Corey Maggette (10.6 ppg), the Blue Devils won their next 32 games. A remarkable feat for any team, but seemingly commonplace for this group, which averaged 91.8 points, shot 51.4 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Duke won its first two NCAA Tournament games by 41 points each, and rolled over Temple to earn a spot in the Final Four. The Blue Devils then held off second-ranked Michigan State to set up another marquee matchup, this time with No. 3 Connecticut in the national final. UConn brought a 33-2 record into that contest, and thanks to 27 points from Richard Hamilton, a collective 52.5 percent shooting effort, and also a 38-27 rebounding advantage, it won 77-74 to end the mighty Blue Devils' season at 37-2 and without a title.

The mighty Gamecocks were a season removed from winning their second national championship, and rolled into the 2023 Final Four with a 36-0 record and riding a 42-game winning streak against Iowa. However, Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark proved too much for South Carolina to overcome, scoring a national semifinal-record 41 points and officially solidifying herself as women's basketball icon. In addition, the Gamecocks shot 39 percent overall, and 4-of-20 from 3-point range, while star Aliyah Boston had just eight points in the 77-73 loss.

The reigning national champions were once again loaded with marquee talent (Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Anderson Hunt and Greg Anthony), and expected to repeat as the kings of college basketball in 1991. UNLV finished the regular season 27-0, and was aiming to become the first team to go undefeated since that 1975-76 Indiana squad. However, there are no sure things, as the Rebels were upended 79-77 by Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley and Duke in the Final Four. Essentially the same Blue Devils squad that lost to UNLV 103-73 in the 1990 national final. While UNLV finished 34-1, that loss remains one of the most memorable upsets from any sport.