In the 86-year history of the NCAA tournament, only 20 teams have ever entered the tournament with a perfect record.
The first came in 1951, when Lou Rossini led Columbia to a 21-0 regular season and an Ivy League championship. But the Lions would fall to No. 5 Illinois, 79-71, in the first round of the tournament.
The most recent undefeated regular season was in 2021, when Gonzaga went 24-0. The Bulldogs drew a No. 1 seed and made it all the way to the national championship game. However, they were dominated by Baylor.
Only seven teams in the history of college basketball have won an NCAA tournament championship with a perfect record.
The first came in 1956, when Bill Russell averaged 20.6 points and 21 rebounds to lead San Francisco to its second straight championship, improving on the 28-1 record of 1955.
Bill Russell celebrates a perfect season and a national championship in 1956.
The feat was repeated in 1957, when North Carolina, coached by Frank McGuire and led by Lennie Rosenbluth, won 32 straight. The most impressive of those wins came in the national championship, when the Tar Heels survived three overtimes to beat Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas, 54-53.
Lenny Rosenbluth of North Carolina argues with a referee during the NCAA national championship game against Kansas in 1957.
Four of the undefeated titles unsurprisingly came from UCLA, which went 281-15 from 1964-1973, winning nine national championships and recording four perfect seasons.
And the most recent undefeated title came in 1976, with Indiana. Bob Knight was in his fifth year. In 1975, Knight’s fourth season with the Hoosiers, he coached the team to a perfect 29-0 regular season before falling to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament regional finals. But he and Indiana would not be denied the next year, going 32-0 and beating Michigan 86-68 for the school’s third championship.
Here is the full list of teams that have entered the NCAA tournament with a perfect record. Because regional and overall third place games existed until 1982, some teams finished with two losses on the season:
Team
Coach
Record
NCAAT record
FINAL RECORD
Result
1950-51 Columbia
Lou Rossini
21-0
0-1
21-1
Lost in first round
1955-56San Francisco
Phil Woolpert
25-0
4-0
29-0
Won championship
1956-57North Carolina
Frank McGuire
27-0
5-0
32-0
Won championship
1960-61Ohio State
Fred Taylor
24-0
3-1
27-1
Lost championship
1963-64UCLA
John Wooden
26-0
4-0
30-0
Won championship
1966-67UCLA
John Wooden
26-0
4-0
30-0
Won championship
1967-68Houston
Guy Lewis
28-0
3-2
31-2
Lost in Final Four
1967-68St. Bonaventure
Larry Weise
22-0
1-2
23-2
Lost in regional semifinals
1970-71Marquette
Al McGuire
26-0
2-1
28-1
Lost in regional semifinals
1970-71Penn
Dick Harter
26-0
2-1
28-1
Lost in regional finals
1971-72UCLA
John Wooden
26-0
4-0
30-0
Won championship
1972-73UCLA
John Wooden
26-0
4-0
30-0
Won championship
1974-75Indiana
Bob Knight
29-0
2-1
31-1
Lost in regional finals
1975-76Indiana
Bob Knight
27-0
5-0
32-0
Won championship
1975-76Rutgers
Tom Young
28-0
3-2
31-2
Lost in Final Four
1978-79Indiana State
Bill Hodges
29-0
4-1
33-1
Lost championship
1990-91UNLV
Jerry Tarkanian
30-0
4-1
34-1
Lost in Final Four
2013-14Wichita State
Gregg Marshall
34-0
1-1
35-1
Lost in second round
2014-15Kentucky
John Calipari
34-0
4-1
38-1
Lost in Final Four
2020-21Gonzaga
Mark Few
24-0
5-1
31-1
Lost championship
All records found in official NCAA record book
Daniel Wilco has worked at the AJC, Sports Illustrated, and SEC Country. His writing has also appeared on SI.com, Men’s Health, and The Cauldron.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
