Final Four History
1980
Iowa, Purdue, UCLA and Louisville made the trip to Indy for the city’s first Final Four at Market Square Arena. The Cardinals defeated the Hawkeyes in the first game and Bruins beat the Boilermakers, making it a final matchup between Louisville and UCLA. The final game was close for the first half before Darrell Griffith and the Cardinals took over in the second. Griffith finished with 23 points to help bring Louisville their first national title.
1991
In 1991, all Final Four games in Indy were decided by a combined 15 points. Kansas defeated North Carolina in the first semifinal game. Tourney MVP Christian Laettner helped Duke beat UNLV by two points in the second semifinal game. As Duke and Kansas faced off in the final, the Blue Devils ultimately captured their first title in school history. It was the first of back-to-back titles for the Blue Devils as they became the first defending champs in nearly two decades.
1997
Three No. 1 seeds reached the 1997 Final Four, with Minnesota, Kentucky and North Carolina finding their way to Indy. The No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats emerged with their first national title. The 1997 event is still widely remembered as one of the greatest title games of all time. Arizona's trio of Miles Simon, Mike Bibby and Jason Terry led Arizona to the title after a terrific overtime fight with Kentucky.
2000
Two Big Ten foes battled in the first semifinal pitting Michigan State against Wisconsin. The Badgers ultimately couldn't contain the Spartans, falling 53-41 in the first semifinal. In the second semifinal, North Carolina fell to Florida, 71-58. The win sent Florida to their first ever national title game. Mateen Cleaves and the Spartans built a double-digit halftime lead to ultimately hold off the Gators for their second NCAA Tournament title in program history.
2006
After eliminating a number of college basketball blue bloods throughout the tournament, the No. 11 seed George Mason Patriots came to Indy as the fan favorite. George Mason lost to eventual national champion Florida by 15 points in the first semifinal and UCLA defeated LSU by 14 points in the second, setting up the Florida-UCLA title game. The Gators dominated the Bruins for their first of back-to-back titles.
2010
Indianapolis’ own Butler Bulldogs made their way down the road to Lucas Oil Stadium in their first Final Four appearance in school history. They knocked off semifinal opponent Michigan State while Duke beat West Virginia, setting up in true Hoosier fashion a David vs. Goliath national title game. The game came down to the final seconds as Gordon Hayward heaved a half-court shot that bounced off the backboard before missing by inches. This was Duke’s fourth national title.
2015
2015 saw the Kentucky Wildcats come into the Final Four looking to become the first undefeated champion since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. Ultimately, they fell to the Wisconsin Badgers in the first semifinal, 71-64. The second semifinal pitted Michigan State and Duke. Duke ran away with the game setting them up for a potential five national championships. In the championship, Tyus Jones led the Blue Devils to their 3rd national championship celebration in the Hoosier State.