College basketball teams with the most national titles: Does UConn hold bragging rights?

Head coach Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies are entering the 2025 NCAA tournament with a chance to put themselves in rarified air. The two-time defending champions can achieve the second-ever three-peat in men's college basketball history.

Unless UConn does it this season, UCLA is the first and only men's program to win three consecutive titles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Led by late and great head coach John Wooden, the Bruins claimed seven straight, an astounding anomaly and unfathomable feat.

Hurley and Co.'s 2024 championship marked their sixth in the men's bracket. We know UCLA had more over a near-decade stretch, but where do the two illustrious programs rank on the all-time list? And have their women's teams fared as well in March Madness?

Let's see which universities have enjoyed the most success in the Big Dance ahead of this year's tourney.

Which school has the most national championships for women’s college basketball?

Only 16 schools have won a national title since the first women's NCAA tournament in 1982, with eight having more than one to their name. Leading the way is UConn, who's collected a whopping 11.

UConn's women's program is the closest thing we have to a modern-day college hoops dynasty. They've had an utterly dominant four-decade run under legendary head coach Geno Auriemma, who's positioned them to collect trophy No. 12 in 2025.

As the UCLA men's squad did back in the day, Auriemma's Huskies didn't just accomplish a triple crown; they went above and beyond. UConn three-peated from 2002-04 before a run of four in a row from 2013-16.

Tennessee comes in next as the only school with more than three championships. All eight of the Lady Volunteers' titles came under Hall of Famer and Naismith Basketball Coach of the Century, Pat Summitt.

Which school has the most national championships for men's college basketball?

As mentioned, UCLA was in a class of its own when Wooden was at the helm. However, their most recent title came 30 years ago, which has allowed blue blood programs like Kentucky, UConn and North Carolina to gain ground.

Fittingly, the Tar Heels and Duke are neck-and-neck on the list. The longtime ACC foes have one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports, though North Carolina currently has bragging rights. Nonetheless, Blue Devils freshman superstar Cooper Flagg has the talent to change that single-handedly, assuming his ankle injury isn't a nagging issue.

Which school has the most national championships for men’s and women’s combined

No school has had more joint success than UConn. They're among the cream of the crop on the men's and women's side, and it's not particularly close. The Huskies and March go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Meanwhile, other programs like UCLA, Tennessee, Duke and Indiana have experienced lopsided success. Their title counts are buoyed by either the men's or women's team, while the other has yet to climb the highest mountaintop.

Notably, Baylor is the only school that didn't crack the men's or women's list but managed to crash the party of combined championships. The Lady Bears have three titles, while the gents raised their inaugural banner in 2021.