There is a lot on the line in the 2024 men’s Final Four. UConn is looking to go back-to-back as champions while the other teams are looking for their first win, or first win in over four decades.
March Madness is the best time of the year for college basketball, but sometimes the excitement can’t be contained to a single month.
April action has become as much of a tradition as March matchups, even though zero April games were played over the first 44 years of NCAA Tournament history. The 1983 tourney was the first to feature contests past March 31, with Final Four games on April 2 and the national championship on April 4. Since then, only five NCAA Tournaments have wrapped up before April.
April doesn’t get just any games, either – it gets the biggest games. Every NCAA Tournament tilt played in April has either been in the Final Four or a national championship. Among the 35 national title games and 50 Final Four tilts that have transpired in April are some of the most iconic moments in college basketball history.
Jimmy Valvano’s celebration, Chris Webber’s timeout call, Gordon Hayward’s near-buzzer-beater and Kris Jenkins’ game-winner all took place in April. In 2021, Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer against UCLA to preserve a perfect season and send the Bulldogs to the title game. In 2022, North Carolina ended rival Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke career in the Final Four before falling to Kansas in the championship contest.
In 2023, April – and March, for that matter – belonged to UConn. The fourth-seeded Huskies dominated the tournament, picking up six double-digit wins en route to their fifth national championship. That run included a victory over Miami in the Final Four and a 17-point triumph over San Diego State in the national title game.
With the 2024 Final Four on the horizon, here’s a glance at all of the March Madness games that actually tipped off in April:
1983
- April 2, Final Four: Houston 94, Louisville 81
- April 2, Final Four: North Carolina State 67, Georgia 60
- April 4, National Championship: North Carolina State 54, Houston 52
1984
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- April 2, National Championship: Georgetown 84, Houston 75
1985
- April 1, National Championship: Villanova 64, Georgetown 62
1988
- April 2, Final Four: Kansas 66, Duke 59
- April 2, Final Four: Oklahoma 86, Arizona 78
- April 4, National Championship: Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79
1989
- April 1, Final Four: Seton Hall 95, Duke 79
- April 1, Final Four: Michigan 83, Illinois 81
- April 3, National Championship: Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79
1990
- April 2, National Championship: UNLV 103, Duke 73
1991
- April 1, National Championship: Duke 72, Kansas 65
1992
- April 4, Final Four: Michigan 76, Cincinnati 72
- April 4, Final Four: Duke 81, Indiana 78
- April 6, National Championship: Duke 71, Michigan 51
1993
- April 3, Final Four: Michigan 81, Kentucky 78
- April 3, Final Four: North Carolina 78, Kansas 68
- April 5, National Championship: North Carolina 77, Michigan 71
1994
- April 2, Final Four: Arkansas 91, Arizona 82
- April 2, Final Four: Duke 70, Florida 65
- April 4, National Championship: Arkansas 76, Duke 72
1995
- April 1, Final Four: Arkansas 75, North Carolina 68
- April 1, Final Four: UCLA 74, Oklahoma State 61
- April 3, National Championship: UCLA 89, Arkansas 78
1996
- April 1, National Championship: Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67
2000
- April 1, Final Four: Michigan State 53, Wisconsin 41
- April 1, Final Four: Florida 71, North Carolina 59
- April 3, National Championship: Michigan State 89, Florida 76
2001
- April 2, National Championship: Duke 82, Arizona 72
2002
- April 1, National Championship: Maryland 64, Indiana 52
2003
- April 5, Final Four: Kansas 94, Marquette 61
- April 5, Final Four: Syracuse 95, Texas 84
- April 7, National Championship: Syracuse 81, Kansas 78
2004
- April 3, Final Four: Georgia Tech 67, Oklahoma State 65
- April 3, Final Four: UConn 79, Duke 78
- April 5, National Championship: UConn 82, Georgia Tech 73
2005
- April 2, Final Four: Illinois 75, Louisville 58
- April 2, Final Four: North Carolina 87, Michigan State 71
- April 4, National Championship: North Carolina 75, Illinois 70
2006
- April 1, Final Four: UCLA 59, LSU 45
- April 1, Final Four: Florida 73, George Mason 58
- April 3, National Championship: Florida 73, UCLA 57
2007
- April 2, National Championship: Florida 84, Ohio State 75
2008
- April 5, Final Four: Kansas 84, North Carolina 66
- April 5, Final Four: Memphis 78, UCLA 63
- April 7, National Championship: Kansas 75, Memphis 68
2009
- April 4, Final Four: Michigan State 82, UConn 73
- April 4, Final Four: North Carolina 83, Villanova 69
- April 6, National Championship: North Carolina 89, Michigan State 72
2010
- April 3, Final Four: Butler 52, Michigan State 50
- April 3, Final Four: Duke 78, West Virginia 57
- April 5, National Championship: Duke 61, Butler 59
2011
- April 2, Final Four: UConn 56, Kentucky 55
- April 2, Final Four: Butler 70, VCU 62
- April 4, National Championship: UConn 53, Butler 41
2012
- April 2, National Championship: Kentucky 67, Kansas 59
2013
- April 6, Final Four: Louisville 72, Wichita State 68
- April 6, Final Four: Michigan 61, Syracuse 56
- April 8, National Championship: Louisville 82, Michigan 76
2014
- April 5, Final Four: Kentucky 74, Wisconsin 73
- April 5, Final Four: UConn 63, Florida 53
- April 7, National Championship: UConn 60, Kentucky 54
2015
- April 4, Final Four: Wisconsin 71, Kentucky 64
- April 4, Final Four: Duke 81, Michigan State 61
- April 6, National Championship: Duke 68, Wisconsin 63
2016
- April 2, Final Four: Villanova 95, Oklahoma 51
- April 2, Final Four: North Carolina 83, Syracuse 66
- April 4, National Championship: Villanova 77, North Carolina 74
2017
- April 1, Final Four: Gonzaga 77, South Carolina 73
- April 1, Final Four: North Carolina 77, Oregon 76
- April 3, National Championship: North Carolina 71, Gonzaga 65
2018
- April 2, National Championship: Villanova 79, Michigan 62
2019
- April 6, Final Four: Texas Tech 61, Michigan State 51
- April 6, Final Four: Virginia 63, Auburn 62
- April 8, National Championship: Virginia 85, Texas Tech 77
2021
- April 3, Final Four: Gonzaga 93, UCLA 90
- April 3, Final Four: Baylor 78, Houston 59
- April 5, National Championship: Baylor 86, Gonzaga 70
2022
- April 2, Final Four: Kansas 81, Villanova 65
- April 2, Final Four: North Carolina 81, Duke 77
- April 4, National Championship: Kansas 72, North Carolina 69
2023
- April 1, Final Four: San Diego State 72, Florida Atlantic 71
- April 1, Final Four: UConn 72, Miami 59
- April 3, National Championship: UConn 76, San Diego State 59
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was published in April 2022.
