| Year-by-Year Tournament History | ||
| Year | Championship game | Score |
| 2011 Results | Bracket | Connecticut def. Butler | 53-41 |
| 2010 Results | Bracket | Duke def. Butler | 61-59 |
| 2009 Results | Bracket | North Carolina def. Michigan State | 89-72 |
| 2008 Results | Bracket | Kansas def. Memphis | 75-68 (OT) |
| 2007 Results | Bracket | Florida def. Ohio State | 84-75 |
| 2006 Results | Bracket | Florida def. UCLA | 73-57 |
| 2005 Results | Bracket | North Carolina def. Illinois | 75-70 |
| 2004 Results | Bracket | Connecticut def. Georgia Tech | 82-73 |
| 2003 Results | Bracket | Syracuse def. Kansas | 81-78 |
| 2002 Results | Bracket | Maryland def. Indiana | 64-52 |
| 2001 Results | Bracket | Duke def. Arizona | 82-72 |
| 2000 Results | Bracket | Michigan State def. Florida | 89-76 |
| 1999 Results | Bracket | Connecticut def. Duke | 77-74 |
| 1998 Results | Bracket | Kentucky def. Utah | 78-69 |
| 1997 Results | Bracket | Arizona def. Kentucky | 84-79 (OT) |
| 1996 Results | Bracket | Kentucky def. Syracuse | 76-67 |
| 1995 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Arkansas | 89-78 |
| 1994 Results | Bracket | Arkansas def. Duke | 76-72 |
| 1993 Results | Bracket | North Carolina def Michigan | 77-71 |
| 1992 Results | Bracket | Duke def. Michigan | 71-51 |
| 1991 Results | Bracket | Duke def. Kansas | 72-65 |
| 1990 Results | Bracket | UNLV def. Duke | 103-73 |
| 1989 Results | Bracket | Michigan def. Seton Hall | 80-79 (OT) |
| 1988 Results | Bracket | Kansas def. Oklahoma | 83-79 |
| 1987 Results | Bracket | Indiana def. Syracuse | 74-73 |
| 1986 Results | Bracket | Louisville def. Duke | 72-69 |
| 1985 Results | Bracket | Villanova def. Georgetown | 66-64 |
| 1984 Results | Bracket | Georgetown def. Houston | 84-75 |
| 1983 Results | Bracket | NC State def. Houston | 54-52 |
| 1982 Results | Bracket | North Carolina def. Georgetown | 63-62 |
| 1981 Results | Bracket | Indiana def. North Carolina | 63-50 |
| 1980 Results | Bracket | Louisville def. UCLA | 59-54 |
| 1979 Results | Bracket | Michigan State def. Indiana State | 75-64 |
| 1978 Results | Bracket | Kentucky def. Duke | 94-88 |
| 1977 Results | Bracket | Marquette def. North Carolina | 67-59 |
| 1976 Results | Bracket | Indiana def. Michigan | 86-68 |
| 1975 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Kentucky | 92-85 |
| 1974 Results | Bracket | NC State def. Marquette | 76-64 |
| 1973 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Memphis | 87-66 |
| 1972 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Florida State | 81-76 |
| 1971 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Villanova* | 68-62 |
| 1970 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Jacksonville | 80-69 |
| 1969 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Purdue | 92-72 |
| 1968 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. North Carolina | 78-55 |
| 1967 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Dayton | 79-64 |
| 1966 Results | Bracket | UTEP def. Kentucky | 72-65 |
| 1965 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Michigan | 91-80 |
| 1964 Results | Bracket | UCLA def. Duke | 98-83 |
| 1963 Results | Bracket | Loyola (Ill.) def. Cincinnati | 60-58 (OT) |
| 1962 Results | Bracket | Cincinnati def. Ohio State | 71-59 |
| 1961 Results | Bracket | Cincinnati def. Ohio State | 70-65 (OT) |
| 1960 Results | Bracket | Ohio State def. California | 75-55 |
| 1959 Results | Bracket | California def. West Virginia | 71-70 |
| 1958 Results | Bracket | Kentucky def. Seattle | 84-72 |
| 1957 Results | Bracket | North Carolina def. Kansas | 54-53 (3 OT) |
| 1956 Results | Bracket | San Francisco def. Iowa | 83-71 |
| 1955 Results | Bracket | San Francisco def. La Salle | 76-73 |
| 1954 Results | Bracket | La Salle def. Bradley | 92-76 |
| 1953 Results | Bracket | Indiana def. Kansas | 69-68 |
| 1952 Results | Bracket | Kansas def. St. John's | 80-63 |
| 1951 Results | Bracket | Kentucky def. Kansas State | 68-58 |
| 1950 Results | Bracket | CCNY def. Bradley | 71-68 |
| 1949 Results | Bracket | Kentucky def. Oklahoma State | 46-36 |
| 1948 Results | Bracket | Kentucky def. Baylor | 58-42 |
| 1947 Results | Bracket | Holy Cross def. Oklahoma | 58-47 |
| 1946 Results | Bracket | Oklahoma A&M def. North Carolina | 43-40 |
| 1945 Results | Bracket | Oklahoma A&M def. NYU | 49-45 |
| 1944 Results | Bracket | Utah def. Dartmouth | 42-40 (OT) |
| 1943 Results | Bracket | Wyoming def. Georgetown | 46-34 |
| 1942 Results | Bracket | Stanford def. Dartmouth | 53-38 |
| 1941 Results | Bracket | Wisconsin def. Washington State | 39-34 |
| 1940 Results | Bracket | Indiana def. Kansas | 60-42 |
| 1939 Results | Bracket | Oregon def. Ohio State | 46-33 |