8 College Basketball Teams With The Most National Championship Losses

College basketball has one of the most grueling postseason setups in all of sports. Each March, more than 60 competitors duke it out for an opportunity to be crowned national champion.

Only one can survive. Most are eliminated from the race before the second round of games. The winner must dispose of six straight opponents in order to cut down the nets.

The large majority of college basketball programs have never reached a Final Four, let alone a national title matchup. It is difficult to navigate the tournament aptly dubbed March Madness.

With that said, there are some that have succeeded time and time again. A total of 15 programs can say they’ve won multiple national championships.

Often forgotten, however, are the runners-up.

Which college basketball teams have lost the most national championship games?

There is something to be said about reaching the title game, even if it ends in defeat. Again, it’s something most have never done.

There are eight schools to suffer heartbreak on at least three occasions. They’ve lost more national championships than anyone else in college basketball history.

Here, we’ll list those programs from least to most title letdowns starting with the 2025 runner-up.

Houston Cougars

National championship losses: 3

The Cougars have been to three NCAA Tournament finals in their college basketball history. They’ve lost all three of those championship opportunities, with two coming in heartbreaking fashion.

Houston fell to Florida in its most recent title chance by blowing a 14-point second half lead. The Cougars trailed for all of 64 seconds in that 2025 game.

The school also appeared in back-to-back title matchups in 1983 and 1984, the first of which ended with an iconic North Carolina State putback on the final play to sink Houston.

Georgetown Hoyas

National championship losses: 3

The Hoyas have played for four national championships, with three coming during a four-year stretch in the 1980s. Georgetown has gone 1-3 in those matchups.

The first loss came in 1943 when the school fell to Wyoming in Madison Square Garden. The Hoyas would get their second chance at a title almost four decades later.

In 1982, Michael Jordan ended those championship hopes with a clutch jump shot in the final moments of a one-point North Carolina win.

Two years later, Georgetown finally emerged victorious against the Houston program already mentioned on this list. The next season, the Hoyas tried to repeat as champs only to be upset by Villanova, 66-64.

Ohio State Buckeyes

National championship losses: 4

The Buckeyes have lost four of their five national championship opportunities, the first of which came all the way back in 1939. That was the very first NCAA Tournament. Ohio State was defeated by Oregon in the final game.

The program then returned three straight times between 1960-1962, winning its first ever title in ’60 before falling in back-to-back seasons to Cincinnati.

It would be more than 40 years before the school made its fifth and most recent appearance in 2007 when it lost to Florida.

Kentucky Wildcats

National championship losses: 4

Kentucky boasts eight national titles, ranking second all-time behind UCLA. The Wildcats have lost their fair share of championship contests, too.

In all, the program has made 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament final. It has gone a more than respectable 8-4 in those matchups.

The first loss came in 1966 to Texas Western’s (UTEP) historic national title team. They then dropped a 1975 contest with UCLA during John Wooden’s dynasty run.

In 1997, they narrowly missed out on a three-peat after back-to-back championship wins, falling in a close loss to Arizona. The latest finals defeat came in 2014 to UConn.

Michigan Wolverines

National championship losses: 6

Michigan may have the least amount of success of any team on this list. While previously mentioned Houston is 0-3 in title game opportunities, the Wolverines have doubled them up in losses.

UM has played in seven championship finals. They’ve lost six times.

The first setback came in 1965, a loss to John Wooden’s Bruins. A second came a decade later to Bob Knight and Indiana. The program won its first title in 1989 but has followed it up with four consecutive championship game defeats.

Those include Fab Five losses in ’92 and ’93, as well as more recent setbacks in 2013 and 2018.

Kansas Jayhawks

National championship losses: 6

Kansas has appeared in 10 championship games across its storied college basketball history. It has won 40% of those title bouts.

The Jayhawks are 4-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament final with the first coming in the second-ever March Madness field (1940).

Kansas fell to Indiana in each of its first two championship appearances. They’ve also lost to a pair of ACC powers soon to be mentioned on this list.

In all, the Jayhawks’ six title defeats came in 1940, 1953, 1957, 1991, 2003, and 2012.

Duke Blue Devils

National championship losses: 6

Duke has 11 championship appearances under its belt. The program has gone 5-6 in those title opportunities.

The Blue Devils played in and lost their first four NCAA Tournament finals in 1964, 1978, 1986, and 1990. The school finally broke through with back-to-back titles in ’91 and ’92.

Duke made a fourth trip to the championship game in a five-year span in 1994, only to lose to Arkansas. They lost again in ’99 to move to 2-6 all-time before cutting down the nets in each of their last three tries.

North Carolina Tar Heels

National championship losses: 6

North Carolina boasts an all-time record similar to its most hated rival in championship contests. Across 12 NCAA Tournament finals, the Tar Heels are an even 6-6.

The school dropped four of its first five title chances with a 1957 win sandwiched between losses in ’48, ’68, ’77, and ’81. Freshman guard Michael Jordan helped UNC stop the bleeding with a game-winner in ’82 to beat Georgetown, sparking a run of four successful championship trips.

In their three most recent tries, the Tar Heels have dropped two by a total of six points to Kansas and Villanova. The lone win came against Gonzaga in 2017.