UNC national championship history: How many times have Tar Heels won the NCAA Tournament?

Alyssa Sconzo

UNC national championship history: How many times have Tar Heels won the NCAA Tournament? image

The UNC Tar Heels have enjoyed a ton of success in school history as one of the top basketball programs in the country.

Frank McGuire led the team to its first NCAA championship in 1957. Legendary coach Dean Smith eventually took over and established the program as a perpetual powerhouse in college basketball. The Tar Heels secured two national championships under Smith and have won the national championships three times under current coach Roy Williams.

UNC is no stranger to the Big Dance.

Here's a look at the Tar Heels' NCAA Tournament history and how many national titles they've taken back to Chapel Hill. 

MORE: When did your team last win a national title in college basketball?

How many national championships has UNC won in basketball? 

UNC is no stranger to the Final Four and no stranger to winning the national title.

Out of its 20 Final Four appearances, the Tar Heels have won the national title six times. UNC's first title came in 1957, after three overtimes against Kansas under head coach Frank McGuire.

Three of UNC's titles were won under head coach Roy Williams, most recently in 2017 against Gonzaga. North Carolina was playing in its second consecutive title game, after losing to Villanova at the buzzer the previous year, and it was the eighth title game to be played between two No. 1 seeds. 

UNC's NCAA championship game appearences

YEAR FINAL SCORE
2017 UNC 71, Gonzaga 65
2016 Villanova 77, UNC 74
2009 UNC 89, Michigan State 72
2005 UNC 75, Illinois 70
1993 UNC 77, Michigan 71
1982 UNC 63, Georgetown 62
1981 Indiana 63, UNC 50
1977 Marquette 67, UNC 59
1968 UCLA 78, UNC 55
1957 UNC 54, Kansas 53 (3OT)
1946 Oklahoma State 43, UNC 40

MORE: Top 10 college basketball programs since 2010: Kentucky or Duke at No. 1?

UNC's NCAA Tournament record all time

UNC is 123-45 all time in NCAA Tournament games. The Tar Heels have made the Sweet 16 seven times, the Elite 8 eight times and have appeared in a record-high 20 Final Four games. UNC has taken home six national titles, three under current coach Roy Williams. 

Who has more national championships: Duke or UNC? 

UNC has more national championships than bitter rival Duke. Duke has appeared in 16 Final Fours and won five national championships. UNC has appeared in a record 20 Final Fours and won six national championships. Its most recent title came in 2017 by defeating Gonzaga, 71-65. 

MORE: 20 winningest coaches in March Madness history

When did UNC win its first national championship?

UNC's first national championship came against Kansas on March 23, 1957, when the Tar Heels beat the Jayhawks, 54-53, in a game that went to three overtimes. North Carolina went 32-0 that season under head coach Frank McGuire. Lennie Rosenbluth led UNC with 20 points, while Wilt Chamberlain scored 23 points for Kansas.  

Which school has won the most NCAA titles?

UCLA has won the most national championships. The Bruins have won 11 national titles, seven consecutively from 1967-1973. Its most recent national championship came in 1995 against Arkansas. 

School National titles Most recent
1. UCLA 11 1995
2. Kentucky 8 2012
3. North Carolina 6 2017
4. Duke 5 2015
5. Indiana 5 1987

Alyssa Sconzo