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.
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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:
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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
