The 8 Longest National Championship Games In College Basketball History

College basketball is the ultimate grind. Teams are asked to play more than 30 regular season games a year. Conference tournament matchups soon follow.

Many NCAA Tournament competitors have played nearly 35 times throughout a grueling five-month schedule before beginning their national title runs. They then have to rip off six straight wins in three weeks’ time in order to cut down the nets.

Nearly 90 March Madness champions have been crowned since the first Big Dance in 1939. Eight of those winners had to go the extra mile in securing that status.

8 College Basketball National Championship Games Decided In Overtime.

These eight games are the only that needed an overtime session to be determined. There is one that stands out among the rest.

Here, we’ll go through those games in order of overtimes needed. The first occurrence came in 1944.

Utah beats Dartmouth (1944)

Utah was a surprise contestant in the ’44 NCAA Tournament championship. The program was not initially expected to make the field after dropping three of its final seven regular season matchups.

Arkansas players were injured in a car accident prior to tipoff. The Razorbacks were replaced by Utah, who went onto win every game.

That included victories over Missouri and Iowa State. It set up a matchup with one-loss Dartmouth.

Utah trailed 18-17 at the halftime break. They tied things up in the second period before landing a 42-40 win on a national championship buzzer beater.

Cincinnati upsets Ohio State (1961)

The Buckeyes entered the ’61 NCAA Tournament with a No. 1 overall ranking. The Bearcats held the No. 2 spot. Each would roll through the field to meet in the title game.

For Ohio State, it represented a second of three straight finals appearances. They were attempting to repeat as national champions. Cincinnati had other plans.

The Bearcats overcame a first half deficit to force overtime. Cincy secured a 70-65 victory after the extra session. Ohio State would get a chance at revenge in 1962 but would lose again to the Bearcats. Overtime was not needed in that instance.

Loyola Chicago takes down Cincy (1963)

Two years later, Cincinnati wound up on the wrong end of an overtime national championship game result. Loyola Chicago erased an eight-point second half deficit to force the extra period.

The Ramblers then won in dramatic fashion. Vic Rouse’s tip-in fell through the hoop as time expired.

Cincinnati had been a two-time defending national champion. Loyola Chicago handed the Bearcats their second loss of the season, and just their fourth setback in 80 games.

Michigan escapes Seton Hall (1989)

The Wolverines jumped out to a first half lead in the ’89 NCAA Tournament title game but watched the Pirates storm back with a second half run.

Seton Hall forced overtime and appeared to have the game in check. It led in the final minutes before having victory snatched from its grasp.

Michigan scored the final four points of overtime, which included a pair of free throws on a controversial foul with under five seconds left to play. The Wolverines escaped with an 80-79 national championship win.

Arizona beats Kentucky (1997)

Kentucky appeared in three straight national championship games between 1996 and 1998. It won two of those titles. Arizona denied the Wildcats of a three-peat opportunity.

In doing so, the program won its first championship. The game was highly contested throughout.

Arizona trailed by a point at the half. It tied things up to force overtime. It was then able to double up Kentucky in the extra session to leave with an 84-79 victory.

Arizona lost five of 11 matchups before going on that NCAA Tournament run, which also included wins over Kansas and North Carolina.

Kansas denies Memphis (2008)

John Calipari led the Tigers to their second ever national title game in 2008. He would not be able to secure the program’s first championship.

Memphis lost two games all year by a combined 11 points. The last came in overtime, and it ended the team’s season.

Kansas jumped out to a 38-33 lead before the Tigers evened the score. The Jayhawks used a 12-5 overtime run to win the game. It allowed the program to cut down the nets for the third time in its history.

Virginia outlasts Texas Tech (2019)

Texas Tech and Virginia each made their first national title appearances in 2019. Only one would secure its first championship, though the teams were dead even after 40 minutes.

The Red Raiders rolled back after falling behind early. After finally grabbing a late lead, they watched the Cavaliers hit a game-tying three-pointer with under 15 seconds remaining in regulation.

Virginia then used an 11-0 overtime run to win the game, 85-77. It remains the most recent overtime national championship game in college basketball.

North Carolina survives Kansas (1957)

Each of the previously mentioned games on this list were decided after one overtime. There’s only one national championship game that needed multiple extra sessions.

North Carolina beat Kansas 54-53 in the 1957 NCAA Tournament final. It needed three overtime periods to do so.

The Tar Heels held a seven-point halftime lead but watched the Jayhawks storm back in the second half. The two traded buckets in the first overtime to keep the game tied. Neither team scored in overtime No. 2.

The scoring exploded in the third and final period with UNC outpacing Kansas, 6-5. The Tar Heels won on a pair of late free throws to secure the program’s first title.

North Carolina completed a perfect season with the win. Wilt Chamberlain was named game MVP despite Kansas’s loss after scoring a game-high 23 points.