Inside the Big Ten’s losing streak in national championship games: What went wrong in 8 losses since 2000

Inside the Big Ten’s losing streak in national championship games: What went wrong in 8 losses since 2000 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Big Ten has a chance to break a national championship drought in men’s basketball that extends back to the 1999-2000 college basketball season.

No. 1 Michigan gets that opportunity against No. 2 UConn on Monday in the 2026 Men’s Basketball Tournament national championship game. The Wolverines beat No. 1 Arizona 91-73 on Monday to earn that shot.

Will the ninth time be the charm?

The Big Ten is 0-8 in national championship games since Michigan State won the national championship in 2000. Michigan has lost in the national championship game twice, and Illinois has one title-game loss. Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin also had opportunities.

Is the statistic fair? All eight losses were against a No. 1 seed. The Big Ten representative was favored in only one of those eight games. The Big Ten team also had more NBA Draft picks on the roster in only one of those games. You still have to break through at some point, right? Here is a look inside the Big Ten’s national championship drought.

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When did the Big Ten last win a national championship?

No. 1 Michigan State beat No. 5 Florida 89-76 in the 2000 national championship game on April 3, 2000. It marked the first national championship for Spartans coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans (32-7) pulled away in the second half behind Mateen Cleaves, who played through a foot injury in the second half. Cleaves had 18 points and four assists, and Morris Peterson added 21 points for Michigan State against the Gators (29-8).

BENDER: Why Michigan will roll past UConn

Big Ten national championship game losses since 2000

No. 1 UConn 75, No. 1 Purdue 60 (2024)

Final records: UConn (37-3), Purdue (34-5)

Spread: UConn -6.5

NBA Draft picks: UConn 4 (Tristen Newton, Donovan Clingan, Cam Spencer, Stephon Castle), Purdue 1 (Zach Edey)

Why the Big Ten lost: Edey had 37 points on 15 of 25 shooting for Purdue, but the Huskies stuck to the defensive game plan and limited the Boilermakers to just 1 of 7 shooting from 3-point range in the game. The Boilermakers ranked second in the nation that season with a 40.4% percentage from 3-point range. UConn coach Dan Hurley’s strategy worked, however, and Tristen Newton had 20 points and seven assists for the Huskies.

No. 1 Villanova 79, No. 4 Michigan 62 (2018)

Final records: Villanova (36-4), Michigan (33-8)

Spread: Villanova -6.5

NBA Draft picks: Villanova 6 (Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall); Michigan 3 (Moritz Wagner, Jordan Poole, Isaiah Livers)

How it played out: DiVincenzo lit the Wolverines up off the bench. The sophomore scored 31 points – including 5 of 7 from 3-point range – to lead the Wildcats to the national championship. Villanova led by nine at halftime and pulled away in the second half for the victory. Muhammed-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had 23 points in the loss for Michigan, which shot 3 of 23 from 3-point range.

No. 1 Duke 68, No. 1 Wisconsin 63 (2015)

Final records: Duke (35-4), Wisconsin (36-4)

Spread: Wisconsin -1

NBA Draft picks: Duke 4 (Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones, Semi Ojeleye); Wisconsin 2 (Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker)

How it played out: The Badgers were a slight favorite after beating No. 1 Kentucky, which had a 38-0 record heading into the Final Four, in the national semifinal. Wisconsin also had a 48-39 lead with 13:23 remaining in the game. Duke rallied behind Jones – who scored a game-high 23 points, and Jahlil Okafor turned up the defense on the Badgers. Kaminsky had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Wisconsin. Duke won its fifth national championship under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

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No. 1 Louisville 82, No. 4 Michigan 76 (2013)

Final records: Louisville (35-5); Michigan (31-8)

Spread: Louisville -4

NBA Draft picks: Louisville 4 (Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Gorgui Dieng, Montrezl Harrell); Michigan 6 (Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson, Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert)

How it played out: Burke picked up two quick fouls, but Spike Albrecht had 17 first-half points and Michigan led 35-34 at halftime. The Wolverines, however, could not slow down Luke Hancock, who hit 5 of 5 from 3-point range and scored 22 points. Michigan trailed 67-64 when Burke was called for a foul on Peyton Siva’s layup attempt with 5:09 remaining. Was the block clean? Michigan never recovered, and the Cardinals won the national championship under Rick Pitino, a title that was later vacated because of NCAA sanctions.

No. 1 North Carolina 89, No. 2 Michigan State 72 (2009)

Final records: North Carolina (34-4), Michigan State (31-7)

Spread: North Carolina -7.5

NBA Draft picks: North Carolina 5 (Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, Danny Green, Tyler Zeller); Michigan State 1 (Draymond Green)

How it played out:The Spartans beat No. 3 Kansas, No. 1 UConn and No. 1 Louisville to reach the championship game, where they ran into a North Carolina buzzsaw. The Tar Heels jumped out to a 55-34 lead at halftime. Lawson had seven steals in the first half, and tied the NCAA tournament record with eight for the game. He finished with 21 points and six assists. The Spartans had 21 turnovers in the loss, which remains Izzo’s last national championship game appearance.

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No. 1 Florida 84, No. 1 Ohio State 72 (2007)

Final records: Florida (35-5), Ohio State (34-5)

Spread: Florida -4.5

NBA Draft picks: Florida 6 (Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights, Chris Richard); Ohio State 3 (Mike Conley, Greg Oden, Daequan Cook)

How it played out: Florida opted not to double team Oden – a 7-foot-2 freshman who had 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. The Gators still won the rebounding battle 38-28 with Horford finishing with 12 rebounds. Ohio State pulled within 66-60 in the second half, but Green hit a 3-pointer with 4:37 remaining to help Florida pull away. Lee Humphrey hit four 3-pointers, and the Buckeyes shot 4 of 23 from 3-point range in the loss.

No. 1 North Carolina 75, No. 1 Illinois 70 (2005)

Final records: North Carolina (33-4), Illinois (37-2)

Spread: North Carolina -2

NBA Draft picks: North Carolina 5 (Sean May, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Marvin Williams, David Noel); Illinois 4 (Luther Head, Dee Brown, Deron Williams, James Augustine)

How it played out:Illinois had its perfect season spoiled in a 65-64 loss to Ohio State in the regular-season finale but still advanced to the national championship game after a dramatic 90-89 overtime victory against Arizona in the Elite Eight. McCants scored 14 first-half points to help the Tar Heels build a 40-27 lead, and Augustine – Illinois’ center – was in foul trouble. Illinois tied the score at 70 with 2:40 remaining in the game on a 3-pointer by Head, but Williams scored on a tip-in, Felton had a clutch steal and the Illini would not score again. May had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels.

No. 1 Maryland 64, No. 5 Indiana 52 (2002)

Final records: Maryland (32-4), Indiana (25-12)

Spread: Maryland -8

NBA Draft picks: Maryland 4 (Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, Chris Wilcox, Steve Blake); Indiana 1 (Jared Jeffries)

How it played out: This was the biggest mismatch of the eight championship games involving the Big Ten. Indiana – in its second season with coach Mike Davis – made a Final Four run after upsetting No. 1 Duke 74-73 in the Sweet 16. Dixon – who had a game-high 18 points – keyed an 11-0 run in the second half that allowed the Terrapins to take control and win the program’s first national championship under Gary Williams for the ACC. Maryland later joined the Big Ten in 2014-15.

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