Which School Has the Most Final Four Appearances? (Men’s & Women’s)

Nate Cunningham | Dec 6, 2024

Geno Auriemma has led 23 teams to the Final Four, a record for Division I head coaches. / Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Getting through the NCAA Tournament is no easy task. There’s a reason it’s called March Madness, after all. But some programs have found more success than others, routinely sending a team to the Final Four. 

For some, the men have led the way. For others, women’s basketball has been the standard bearer. And for a select few universities, both programs have found tremendous success. 

These are the schools with the most Final Four appearances. 

The Schools That Dominate NCAA Final Four History

Some programs are called “bluebloods” for a reason. Because they’ve dominated the college basketball landscape. Legendary coaches, future NBA players, daunting home court advantages … these schools have it all throughout their storied history. 

North Carolina, Duke, UConn, Indiana, UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Villanova are the nine schools widely considered to be blueblood programs. These programs have combined to win 50 men’s national championships. 

On the women’s side, Tennessee and UConn (and occasionally Stanford) are considered blueblood programs. The Lady Vols and Huskies have won a combined 19 championships. 

Which Men’s Basketball Program Has the Most Final Four Appearances?

North Carolina is the only program to appear in more than 20 Final Fours, doing so 21 times. UCLA, Kentucky, Duke and Kansas are the only other programs to appear in at least 15 Final Fours. 

Schools with the Most Men’s Final Four Appearances:

Team	Number of Final Four Appearances
North Carolina	21
UCLA	18
Kentucky	17
Duke	17
Kansas	15
Ohio State	10
Michigan State	10
Indiana	8
Louisville	8
UConn	7

Which Women’s Basketball Program Has the Most Final Four Appearances?

When it comes to women’s college basketball, UConn (23) and Tennessee (18) are in a class of their own. Stanford has made a comparable number of Final Fours (15), but drastically trails in championships won. 

Louisiana Tech is the only other program with 10 appearances, making the Final Four in seven of nine years between 1982 and 1990. 

Schools with the Most Women’s Final Four Appearances:

Team	Number of Final Four Appearances
UConn	23
Tennessee	18
Stanford	15
Louisiana Tech	10
Notre Dame	9
LSU	6
South Carolina	6
Georgia	5
Maryland	5
Duke	4
Baylor	4
Louisville	4

Which School Has the Most Combined Final Four Appearances?

Among universities that have at least one men’s and women’s Final Four appearance, UConn leads the way with 30. Geno Auriemma has led the women’s team to 11 titles and 23 Final Fours over the last 35 years.

On the men’s side, three different coaches have won a championship with the Huskies: Jim Calhoun (3), Kevin Ollie and Dan Hurley (2). Those three have a combined seven trips to the Final Four with the Huskies. The only season in which UConn made the Final Four but didn’t win the championship was 2009. 

North Carolina (24), Duke (21) and UCLA (20) are the only other programs with at least 20 combined appearances.

Schools with the Most Combined Final Four Appearances:

Team	Men's Final Fours Appearances	Women's Final Fours Appearances	Total Final Four Appearances
UConn	7	23	30
North Carolina	21	3	24
Duke	17	4	21
UCLA	18	2	20
Stanford	2	15	17

Coaches Who Have Led Teams to the Most Final Fours

Auriemma leads all Division I head coaches with 23 appearances. Tennessee women’s head coach Pat Summitt is second, having coached the Lady Vols to 18 Final Fours in her 38-year career. Stanford women’s head coach Tara Vanderveer—who is one of just 10 D-I head coaches to win 1,000 games—is third with 15 appearances.

For men’s coaches, the recently retired Mike Krzyzewski led Duke to 13 Final Fours. UCLA legend John Wooden coached the Bruins to 12 over a 13-year stretch. Dean Smith is the only other coach in double figures, leading the Tar Heels to 11 during his 36-year career in Chapel Hill. 

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