Undefeated NCAA basketball national champions: Full list of men's, women's teams to finish perfect seasons

Sara Tidwell

Undefeated NCAA basketball national champions: Full list of men's, women's teams to finish perfect seasons image

The NCAA Tournament has been an annual extravaganza for decades. It is one of the greatest challenges in college basketball. Only 16 teams have managed to come out of it unscathed for a full season.

Seven men's teams and nine women's teams have won a national championship with a perfect win-loss record since the birth of the tournaments in 1939 and 1982, respectively.

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South Carolina's women's team is trying to become No. 17 this year. It will take a 36-0 record into its Final Four game Friday against Iowa.

Here's what you need to know about each of those historic teams:

Who was the first undefeated men's national champion?

San Francisco in the 1955-56 season was the first men's team to win a national championship while going undefeated.

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Led by Bill Russell, the Dons went 29-0 to win their second title in a row. Russell averaged 20.6 points and 21 rebounds per game that season.

Who was the first undefeated women's national champion?

Thirty years later, during the 1985-86 season, Texas became not only the fifth national champion in Division I women's basketball, but also the first women's team to win the title while going undefeated.

The Longhorns went 34-0 that year, averaging 83.9 points per game without the women's 3-point line — that was added the next season.

After they had the rings, head coach Jody Conradt spoke about her team's historic accomplishment, according to the NCAA:

"The first thought was perfection. There will be a champion crowned every year, but the undefeated champions will form an elite group," Conradt said.

List of undefeated men's basketball national champions

UCLA has recorded the most undefeated seasons as men's national champion, with four of the seven below:

Season School Record Head coach Players who went on to the NBA
1955-56 San Francisco 29-0 Phil Woolpert Bill Russell, K.C. Jones
1956-57 North Carolina 32-0 Frank McGuire Lennie Rosenbluth, Pete Brennan
1963-64 UCLA 30-0 John Wooden Gail Goodrich, Walt Hazzard, Keith Erickson
1966-67 UCLA 30-0 John Wooden Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lucius Allen
1971-72 UCLA 30-0 John Wooden Bill Walton, Henry Bibby, Jamaal Wilkes, Greg Lee, Swen Nater
1972-73 UCLA 30-0 John Wooden Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes, Dave Meyers. Greg Lee, Swen Nater
1975-76 Indiana 32-0 Bob Knight Scott May, Kent Benson, Quinn Buckner, Tom Abernethy, Bob Wilkerson, Wayne Radford

List of undefeated women's basketball national champions

UConn has recorded the most undefeated seasons as women's national champion, with six of the nine below:

Season School Record Head coach Players who went on to the WNBA
1985-86 Texas 34-0 Jody Conradt N/A
1994-95 UConn 35-0 Geno Auriemma Rebecca Lobo
1997-98 Tennessee 39-0 Pat Summitt Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings
2001-02  UConn 30-0 Geno Auriemma Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones, Ashley Battle, Jessica Moore
2008-09 UConn 30-0 Geno Auriemma Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Tiffany Hayes
2009-10 UConn 30-0 Geno Auriemma Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Kalana Greene, Tiffany Hayes, Kelly Faris
2011-12 Baylor 40-0 Kim Mulkey Brittney Griner, Odyssey Sims
2013-14 UConn 40-0 Geno Auriemma Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Stefanie Dolson, Breanna Stewart, Kelly Faris, Bria Hartley, Moriah Jefferson, Saniya Chong, Kiah Stokes, Morgan Tuck
2015-16 UConn 38-0 Geno Auriemma Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck, Katie Lou Samuelson, Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams, Naphessa Collier, Saniya Chong

Sara Tidwell

Sara Tidwell Photo

Sara Tidwell is an editorial intern with The Sporting News. A native to Michigan's Thumb region, she received her Bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University. Previous bylines include the Detroit News, Cincinnati Enquirer, Hartford Courant and The State News.