The NCAA tournament has been around since 1939. There have been thousands and thousands of games since then, so it stands to reason that there would have been a few rematches in those years.
So which teams have played each other in the tournament the most? Let's take a look.
Kentucky vs. Marquette — 10 times
Though the Wildcats and Golden Eagles haven't met in March Madness since 2008, these two have met the most in NCAA tournament history. It's never come at the Final Four, however, as the 2003 showdown in the Elite Eight is the latest the two have squared off.
Marquette leads the series 6-4 when looking at tournament games, including that '03 Elite Eight game where Dwyane Wade had a triple-double with 29 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a 83-69 Marquette victory.
Duke vs. Michigan State — 7 times
The Duke-Michigan State series continued in the 2022 NCAA tournament, marking the teams' seventh March Madness meeting in 30 years — the first tournament meeting was in 1994.
Duke leads the series 5-2 in the NCAA tournament. Duke has twice beaten the Spartans in the Final Four (1999 and 2015), though the Spartans stopped the Blue Devils' run at the 2019 Elite Eight.
Kansas vs. North Carolina — 7 times
These two have a rich history of tournament madness. In the first meeting in 1957, UNC won a 54-53 3OT thriller, holding off Wilt Chamberlain and the Jayhawks.
But Kansas has won five of the last six March Madness showdowns, including the 2022 National Championship Game.
North Carolina vs. Villanova — 7 times
The two powerhouses played in the very first modern NCAA tournament — in 1985 — where No. 8 seed Villanova beat No. 2 UNC in the Elite Eight before the Wildcats shocked Georgetown for the Wildcats' first-ever title.
But the latest edition of this matchup takes the cake; a game that is arguably the most exciting in March Madness history — the 2016 national championship game.
Even though the Wildcats got the edge in both of those games, UNC holds a 5-2 advantage in the series. Here's a surprising fact: Five of the seven winners of UNC-Villanova tournament matchups have gone on to win the national championship.
San Francisco vs. UCLA — 7 times
UCLA ruled the sport for years — and the Bruins still have the most DI men's titles with 11 — but the Dons were a dominant force in the middle of the last century.
Led by basketball legend Bill Russell, San Francisco won consecutive national titles in 1955 and 1956. The Dons met UCLA in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1956, with San Francisco winning in the Sweet 16. San Francisco also won the next matchup in 1963, but UCLA has won the last five meetings (1964, 1965, 1973, 1974 and 1979). The Bruins won the national championship three of those seasons.
Here are the most common NCAA tournament matchups, going back to the first tournament in 1939:
| MATCHUPS | TEAMS | FIRST MEETING | LAST MEETING |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Kentucky vs. Marquette | Marquette, 79-71, in 1955 Sweet 16 | Kentucky, 74-66 in 2008 First Round |
| 7 | Duke vs. Michigan State | Duke, 85-74, in 1994 Second Round | Duke, 85-76, in 2022 Second Round |
| 7 | Kansas vs. North Carolina | North Carolina, 54-53 (3OT) in the 1957 National Championship | Kansas, 72-69, in the 2022 National Championship |
| 7 | North Carolina vs. Villanova | North Carolina, 70-60, in the 1982 Elite Eight | Villanova, 77-74, in the 2016 National Championship |
| 7 | San Francisco vs. UCLA | San Francisco, 72-61, in the 1956 regional semifinals | UCLA, 99-81, in the 1979 Sweet 16 |
| 6 | Arkansas vs. North Carolina | Arkansas, 96-73, in the 1990 Sweet 16 | North Carolina, 72-65, in the 2017 Second Round |
| 6 | Kentucky vs. Ohio State | Ohio State, 45-37, in the 1945 First Round | Kentucky, 62-60, in the 2011 Sweet 16 |
| 6 | Kentucky vs. Utah | Kentucky, 83-62, in the 1993 Second Round | Kentucky, 62-52, in the 2005 Sweet 16 |
| 6 | Michigan State vs. North Carolina | North Carolina, 74-70 (3OT) in the 1957 Final Four | North Carolina, 85-69, in the 2024 Second Round |
| 5# | Duke vs. Kansas | Duke, 71-67, in the 1986 Final Four | Kansas, 69-65, in the 2003 Sweet 16 |
| 5 | Duke vs. Kentucky | Kentucky, 83-79, in the 1966 Final Four | Kentucky, 86-84, in the 1998 Elite Eight |
| 5 | Duke vs. UConn | Duke, 101-54, in the 1964 Elite Eight | UConn, 79-78 in the 2004 Final Four |
| 5 | Indiana vs. Kentucky | Indiana, 72-65, in the 1973 Elite Eight | Indiana, 73-67 in the 2016 Second Round |
| 5 | Indiana vs. LSU | Indiana, 80-67, in the 1953 Final Four | Indiana, 89-79, in the 1992 Second Round |
| 5 | Kansas vs. UCLA | UCLA, 68-60, in the 1971 Final Four | UCLA, 68-55, in the 2007 Elite Eight |
| 5 | Louisville vs. UCLA | UCLA, 96-77, in the 1972 Final Four | UCLA, 85-69, in the 1992 Second Round |
#Duke and Kansas have met six times between 1986 and 2018. The 2018 appearance by Kansas was later vacated by the IARP.
Note: Kentucky and Louisville have met six times between 1951-2014. The 2012 and 2014 appearances by Louisville were later vacated by the Committee on Infractions
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