The College Basketball Belt
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The belt vs. the champion

76 seasons with a postseason final

The belt doesn't care about brackets. But how often does it end the season in the same hands as the trophy? Here's the team that won each season's last postseason game next to the team holding the belt when the season's games ran out. Here the champion is the NCAA tournament winner.

51Seasons it matched
67%Match rate
25Seasons it didn't
44Current matching streak
SeasonChampionBelt at season's endMatch
2025–26MichiganMichiganSame team
2024–25FloridaFloridaSame team
2023–24UConnUConnSame team
2022–23UConnUConnSame team
2021–22KansasKansasSame team
2020–21BaylorBaylorSame team
2018–19VirginiaVirginiaSame team
2017–18VillanovaVillanovaSame team
2016–17North CarolinaNorth CarolinaSame team
2015–16VillanovaVillanovaSame team
2014–15DukeDukeSame team
2013–14UConnUConnSame team
2012–13LouisvilleLouisvilleSame team
2011–12KentuckyKentuckySame team
2010–11UConnUConnSame team
2009–10DukeDukeSame team
2008–09North CarolinaNorth CarolinaSame team
2007–08KansasKansasSame team
2006–07FloridaFloridaSame team
2005–06FloridaFloridaSame team
2004–05North CarolinaNorth CarolinaSame team
2003–04UConnUConnSame team
2002–03SyracuseSyracuseSame team
2001–02MarylandMarylandSame team
2000–01DukeDukeSame team
1999–00Michigan StateMichigan StateSame team
1998–99UConnUConnSame team
1997–98KentuckyKentuckySame team
1996–97ArizonaArizonaSame team
1995–96KentuckyKentuckySame team
1994–95UCLAUCLASame team
1993–94ArkansasArkansasSame team
1992–93North CarolinaNorth CarolinaSame team
1991–92DukeDukeSame team
1990–91DukeDukeSame team
1989–90UNLVUNLVSame team
1988–89MichiganMichiganSame team
1987–88KansasKansasSame team
1986–87IndianaIndianaSame team
1985–86LouisvilleLouisvilleSame team
1984–85VillanovaVillanovaSame team
1983–84GeorgetownGeorgetownSame team
1982–83NC StateNC StateSame team
1981–82North CarolinaNorth CarolinaSame team
1980–81IndianaCincinnati
1979–80PurdueLouisville
1978–79DePaulWisconsin
1977–78KentuckyKentuckySame team
1976–77MarquetteWashington
1975–76UCLAIndiana
1974–75LouisvilleUCLA
1973–74NC StateNC StateSame team
1972–73UCLAUCLASame team
1971–72North CarolinaUCLA
1970–71UCLAUCLASame team
1969–70New Mexico StateSan Francisco
1968–69UCLAUSC
1967–68UCLAUCLASame team
1966–67HoustonMarquette
1965–66UTEPUTEPSame team
1964–65PrincetonOhio State
1963–64MichiganUCLA
1962–63DukeDuquesne
1961–62Wake ForestCincinnati
1960–61Saint Joseph'sCincinnati
1959–60CincinnatiOhio State
1958–59CincinnatiCalifornia
1957–58KentuckyMississippi State
1956–57San FranciscoVanderbilt
1955–56TempleSan Francisco
1954–55San FranciscoSan FranciscoSame team
1953–54Penn StateSt. John's
1952–53WashingtonKansas State
1951–52KansasOklahoma State
1950–51KentuckyPennsylvania
1949–50City College of New YorkVillanova

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