The belt versus the bracket

Every NCAA tournament since 1950

Who carried the belt into each NCAA tournament, and how it ended. 6 holders took the belt into March and kept it all the way to the title; 21 times the holder wasn't in the NCAA field at all.

Season	Entered March with it	What happened	NCAA champion	Changes
2025–26	Arizona	Lost it in the Final Four to Michigan	Michigan	1
2024–25	Duke	Lost it in the Final Four to Houston	Florida	2
2023–24	Iowa State	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Illinois	UConn	2
2022–23	Arizona	Lost it in the first round to Princeton	UConn	4
2021–22	Tennessee	Lost it in the second round to Michigan	Kansas	3
2020–21	Georgetown	Lost it in the first round to Colorado	Baylor	6
2018–19	Michigan State	Lost it in the Final Four to Texas Tech	Virginia	2
2017–18	Michigan	Lost it in the title game to Villanova	Villanova	1
2016–17	Villanova	Lost it in the second round to Wisconsin	North Carolina	5
2015–16	North Carolina	Lost it in the title game to Villanova	Villanova	1
2014–15	Kentucky	Lost it in the Final Four to Wisconsin	Duke	2
2013–14	Saint Joseph's	Lost it in the second round to UConn	UConn	1
2012–13	Miami	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Marquette	Louisville	4
2011–12	Louisville	Lost it in the Final Four to Kentucky	Kentucky	1
2010–11	Duke	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Arizona	UConn	2
2009–10	West Virginia	Lost it in the Final Four to Duke	Duke	1
2008–09	Northern Iowa	Lost it in the first round to Purdue	North Carolina	4
2007–08	Drake	Lost it in the first round to Western Kentucky	Kansas	4
2006–07	VCU	Lost it in the ncaa tournament to Pittsburgh	Florida	3
2005–06	Iowa	Lost it in the ncaa tournament to Northwestern State	Florida	6
2004–05	Duke	Lost it in the ncaa tournament to Michigan State	North Carolina	2
2003–04	Xavier	Lost it in the ncaa tournament to Duke	UConn	2
2002–03	Louisville	Lost it in the ncaa tournament to Butler	Syracuse	3
2001–02	Duke	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Indiana	Maryland	2
2000–01	Iowa	Lost it in the second round to Kentucky	Duke	3
1999–00	St. John's	Lost it in the second round to Gonzaga	Michigan State	4
1998–99	Michigan State	Lost it in the Final Four to Duke	UConn	2
1997–98	Clemson	Lost it in the first round to Western Michigan	Kentucky	3
1996–97	South Carolina	Lost it in the first round to Coppin State	Arizona	5
1995–96	Temple	Lost it in the second round to Cincinnati	Kentucky	4
1994–95	St. John'snot in the NCAA field	Missed the NCAA field; lost it to South Florida (NIT)	UCLA	3
1993–94	Rhode Islandnot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Arkansas	0
1992–93	North Carolina	Kept it all the way: national champions	North Carolina	0
1991–92	Duke	Kept it all the way: national champions	Duke	0
1990–91	UNLV	Lost it in the Final Four to Duke	Duke	1
1989–90	Michigan State	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Georgia Tech	UNLV	2
1988–89	Stanford	Lost it in the first round to Siena	Michigan	5
1987–88	Temple	Lost it in the Elite Eight to Duke	Kansas	2
1986–87	Georgetown	Lost it in the Elite Eight to Providence	Indiana	3
1985–86	Duke	Lost it in the title game to Louisville	Louisville	1
1984–85	Michigan	Lost it in the second round to Villanova	Villanova	1
1983–84	The Citadelnot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Georgetown	0
1982–83	Louisville	Lost it in the Final Four to Houston	NC State	2
1981–82	LSUnot in the NCAA field	Missed the NCAA field; lost it to Tulane (NIT)	North Carolina	2
1980–81	Louisville	Lost it in the second round to Arkansas	Indiana	3
1979–80	Notre Dame	Lost it in the second round to Missouri	Louisville	3
1978–79	Wisconsinnot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Michigan State	0
1977–78	Indiana	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Villanova	Kentucky	3
1976–77	Ole Missnot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Marquette	0
1975–76	Indiana	Kept it all the way: national champions	Indiana	0
1974–75	Maryland	Lost it in the Elite Eight to Louisville	UCLA	2
1973–74	USCnot in the NCAA field	Missed the NCAA field; lost it to UCLA (Postseason)	NC State	2
1972–73	UCLA	Kept it all the way: national champions	UCLA	0
1971–72	Providence	Lost it in the first round to Pennsylvania	UCLA	4
1970–71	Austin Peaynot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	UCLA	0
1969–70	Washington Statenot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	UCLA	0
1968–69	Arizona Statenot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	UCLA	0
1967–68	NC Statenot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	UCLA	0
1966–67	Floridanot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	UCLA	0
1965–66	Richmondnot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	UTEP	0
1964–65	Vanderbilt	Lost it in the Elite Eight to Michigan	UCLA	2
1963–64	Miami (OH)not in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	UCLA	0
1962–63	Providencenot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Loyola Chicago	0
1961–62	Niagaranot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Cincinnati	0
1960–61	Ohio State	Lost it in the title game to Cincinnati	Cincinnati	1
1959–60	California	Lost it in the title game to Ohio State	Ohio State	1
1958–59	Kentucky	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Louisville	California	3
1957–58	Mississippi Statenot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Kentucky	0
1956–57	Vanderbiltnot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	North Carolina	0
1955–56	San Francisco	Kept it all the way: national champions	San Francisco	0
1954–55	Kentucky	Lost it in the Sweet 16 to Marquette	San Francisco	4
1953–54	Notre Dame	Lost it in the Elite Eight to Penn State	La Salle	2
1952–53	Valparaisonot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Indiana	0
1951–52	Boston Collegenot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Kansas	0
1950–51	Missourinot in the NCAA field	Kept it through the postseason	Kentucky	0
1949–50	City College of New York	Kept it all the way: national champions	City College of New York	0

The belt versus the bracket

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