March Madness

Looking at March Madness Games That Were Played in April

The 2023 national title game added to the list of NCAA Tournament contests that took place in April

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Looking at March Madness games that were played in April originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

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 best 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. Last year, 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 2023 tournament complete, 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

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 68

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

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