March Madness Final Four

The Final Four is every basketball player, coach and team’s dream.

UConn has won back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and is trying to become the first program to win at least 3 consecutive national championships since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty won the NCAA Tournament 7 consecutive times from 1967-73.

Here’s our FAQ to explain everything that matters about the Final Four:

What Is The Final Four

The Final Four is composed of 2 semifinal games and a national championship game to crown the winner of March Madness.

The Final Four is the culmination of the NCAA Tournament, which is divided into 4 Regions. The winners of those Regions advance to the Final Four, where they continue their single-elimination tournament with a pair of semifinal games. The winners of those semifinal games advance to the national championship game.

When Was The first Final Four?

It depends on how you define “Final Four.”

Every NCAA Tournament eventually produced a “Final Four” semifinal round. Getting there has changed dramatically over the years.

The NCAA Tournament began in 1939, but it only featured 8 teams, meaning a team only had to win 1 game to advance to the “Final Four.” The 8-team format stayed that way until 1951, when the tournament expanded to 16 teams.

UCLA fans don’t like to hear this, but the Bruins only had to win 2 games to reach the “Final Four” during its 7-year championship run.

The first 32-team NCAA Tournament field debuted in 1975.

The modern, 64-team NCAA Tournament field debuted in 1985. That was the first year a team had to win 4 games to reach the Final Four. March Madness expanded to 68 teams in 2011 and introduced a First Four round that features the 4 lowest automatic qualifiers and 4 lowest at-large teams. (Those groups play each other, guaranteeing 2 automatic qualifiers and 2 at-large teams advance.) The 4 winners advance into the 64-team bracket. Only 2 teams — 2011 VCU and 2021 UCLA — started in the First Four and won 5 games to reach the Final Four.

Where Is The 2025 Final Four?

San Antonio is the host city for the 2025 Final Four (April 5, 7).

The next 6 Final Fours have been assigned to these cities:

• 2026: Indianapolis (April 4, 6)
• 2027: Detroit (April 3, 5)
• 2028: Las Vegas (April 1, 3)
• 2029: Indianapolis (March 31, April 2)
• 2030: Dallas (April 6, 8)
• 2031: Atlanta (April 5, 7)

Who Has Been to The Most Final Fours?

Again, the NCAA counts everything since 1939, even those the paths to the Final Four were significantly easier from 1939-1985. UCLA, for instance, only had to win 2 games to reach the Final Four in each of the 7 consecutive years in won the NCAA Tournament.

These 7 teams have made the at least 10 appearances in the Final Four:

• 21: North Carolina (1947-2022)
• 19*: UCLA (1962-2021)
• 17: Duke (1963-2022)
• 17: Kentucky (1942-2015)
• 16*: Kansas (1940-2022)
• 11*: Ohio State (1939-2012)
• 10: Michigan State (1957-2019)

* – Total includes 1 Final Four appearance that the NCAA vacated

Which Team Has The Longest Active Final Four Streak?

UCLA made the Final Four 10 consecutive years from 1967-1976. That record is untouchable.

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Duke holds the record with 5 consecutive Final Four trips (1988-1992).

UConn has the longest active streak at 2 years (2023-24). Since expansion, only 4 teams have made the Final Four 3 consecutive years — and nobody has done it since UCLA (2006-08).

Who Scored The Most Points in a Final Four Game?

Princeton’s Bill Bradley is the only player to score more than 50 points in a Final Four game. Bradley scored 58 against Wichita State in the 1965 Final Four.

• 58: Bill Bradley (Princeton) vs. Wichita State, 1965
• 48: Hal Lear (Temple) vs. SMU, 1956
• 44: Bill Walton (UCLA) vs. Memphis, 1973 (championship game record)
• 42: Bob Houbregs (Washington) vs. LSU, 1953
• 42: Gail Goodrich (UCLA) vs. Michigan 1965 (championship game)
• 41: Jack Givens (Kentucky) vs. Duke, 1978 (championship game)

When Is Selection Sunday?

Selection Sunday for the 2025 NCAA Tournament is March 16. The March Madness bracket will be revealed at 6 pm (ET) on CBS.

What Are The Key Dates for March Madness?

March 16: Selection Sunday

March 18-19: First Four games

March 20-21: First Round games

March 22-23: Second Round games (winners advance to Sweet 16)

March 26-27: Sweet 16 games

March 28-29: Elite 8 games (winners advance to Final Four)

April 5: Final Four semifinals in San Antonio

April 7: Championship game in San Antonio

Chris Wright

Managing Editor

A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.