Every March Madness MOP and National Championship Score in NCAA Tournament History

As the electrifying crescendo of March Madness looms closer, the spotlight intensifies on the prestigious MOP award, a beacon of recognition amidst the fervor of the national championship game featuring Purdue vs. UConn.

One player emerges annually as the epitome of excellence, immortalized in the annals of the sport for their unparalleled performance during the climactic showdown. Let's embark on a journey through time, tracing the lineage of the Most Outstanding Players all the way back to the tournament's inception in 1939.

While convention dictates that this honor typically goes to the star of the championship-winning squad, the story unfolds with twists and turns, revealing instances where destiny diverges from expectation and March Madness MOP odds don't always play out as expected. 

Past March Madness MOP award winners

Year	MOP	Team	Position
1939	Jimmy Hull	Ohio State Buckeyes	Forward
1940	Marvin Huffman	Indiana Hoosiers	Forward
1941	John Kotz	Wisconsin Badgers	Forward
1942	Howie Dallmar	Stanford Cardinal	Forward
1943	Ken Sailors	Wyoming Cowboys	Guard
1944	Arnold Ferrin	Utah Utes	Forward
1945	Bob Kurland	Oklahoma State Cowboys	Center
1946	Bob Kurland	Oklahoma State Cowboys	Center
1947	George Kaftan	Holy Cross Crusaders	Forward
1948	Alex Groza	Kentucky Wildcats	Center
1949	Alex Groza	Kentucky Wildcats	Center
1950	Irwin Dambrot	CCNY Beavers	Forward
1951	Bill Spivey	Kentucky Wildcats	Center
1952	Clyde Lovellette	Kansas Jayhawks	Center
1953	B.H. Born	Kansas Jayhawks	Center
1954	Tom Gola	La Salle Explorers	Forward
1955	Bill Russell	San Francisco Dons	Center
1956	Hal Lear	Temple Owls	Guard
1957	Wilt Chamberlain	Kansas Jayhawks	Center
1958	Elgin Baylor	Seattle Chieftains	Forward
1959	Jerry West	West Virginia Mountaineers	Guard
1960	Jerry Lucas	Ohio State Buckeyes	Forward
1961	Jerry Lucas	Ohio State Buckeyes	Forward
1962	Paul Hogue	Cincinnati Bearcats	Center
1963	Art Heyman	Duke Blue Devils	Forward
1964	Walt Hazzard	UCLA Bruins	Guard
1965	Bill Bradley	Princeton Tigers	Forward
1966	Jerry Chambers	Utah Utes	Forward
1967	Lew Alcindor	UCLA Bruins	Center
1968	Lew Alcindor	UCLA Bruins	Center
1969	Lew Alcindor	UCLA Bruins	Center
1970	Sidney Wicks	UCLA Bruins	Forward
1971	Austin Carr?	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	Guard
1972	Bill Walton	UCLA Bruins	Center
1973	Bill Walton	UCLA Bruins	Center
1974	David Thompson	NC State Wolfpack	Forward
1975	Richard Washington	UCLA Bruins	Forward
1976	Kent Benson	Indiana Hoosiers	Center
1977	Butch Lee	Marquette Golden Eagles	Guard
1978	Jack Givens	Kentucky Wildcats	Forward
1979	Earvin "Magic" Johnson	Michigan State Spartans	Guard
1980	Darrell Griffith	Louisville Cardinals	Guard
1981	Isiah Thomas	Indiana Hoosiers	Guard
1982	James Worthy	North Carolina Tar Heels	Forward
1983	Hakeem Olajuwon	Houston Cougars	Center
1984	Patrick Ewing	Georgetown Hoyas	Center
1985	Ed Pinckney	Villanova Wildcats	Forward
1986	Pervis Ellison	Louisville Cardinals	Center
1987	Keith Smart	Indiana Hoosiers	Guard
1988	Danny Manning	Kansas Jayhawks	Forward
1989	Glen Rice	Michigan Wolverine	Forward
1990	Anderson Hunt	UNLV Rebels	Guard
1991	Christian Laettner	Duke Blue Devils	Forward
1992	Bobby Hurley	Duke Blue Devils	Guard
1993	Donald Williams	North Carolina Tar Heels	Guard
1994	Corliss Williamson	Arkansas Razorbacks	Forward
1995	Ed O'Bannon	UCLA Bruins	Forward
1996	Tony Delk	Kentucky Wildcats	Guard
1997	Miles Simon	Arizona Wildcats	Guard
1998	Jeff Sheppard	Kentucky Wildcats	Guard
1999	Richard Hamilton	Connecticut Huskies	Forward
2000	Mateen Cleaves	Michigan State Spartans	Guard
2001	Shane Battier	Duke Blue Devils	Forward
2002	Juan Dixon	Maryland Terrapins	Guard
2003	Carmelo Anthony	Syracuse Orange	Forward
2004	Emeka Okafor	Connecticut Huskies	Center
2005	Sean May	North Carolina Tar Heels	Forward
2006	Joakim Noah	Florida Gators	Center
2007	Corey Brewer	Florida Gators	Forward
2008	Mario Chalmers	Kansas Jayhawks	Guard
2009	Wayne Ellington	North Carolina Tar Heels	Guard
2010	Kyle Singler	Duke Blue Devils	Forward
2011	Kemba Walker	Connecticut Huskies	Guard
2012	Anthony Davis	Kentucky Wildcats	Forward
2013	Luke Hancock	Louisville Cardinals	Forward
2014	Shabazz Napier	Connecticut Huskies	Guard
2015	Tyus Jones	Duke Blue Devils	Guard
2016	Ryan Arcidiacono	Villanova Wildcats	Guard
2017	Joel Berry II	North Carolina Tar Heels	Guard
2018	Donte DiVincenzo	Villanova Wildcats	Guard
2019	Kyle Guy	Virginia Cavaliers	Guard
2020	COVID-19	NA
2021	Jared Butler	Baylor Bears	Guard
2022	Jabari Smith	Auburn Tigers	Forward
2023	Adama Sanogo	Connecticut Huskies	Forward

Only 10 players have earned MOP honors despite not winning the championship. Hakeem Olajuwon was the most recent recipient in 1983 despite the fact his Houston Cougars were upset by NC State. 

One of the most memorable MOP selections of all time was Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who practically had MOP on speed dial. The UCLA icon is the only player in March Madness history to win Most Outstanding Player three years in a row, from 1967 to 1969. 

Anthony Davis was another noteworthy winner, although he did things a little differently than Kareem when he won MOP in 2012. The Kentucky star won the award despite a lackluster six-point performance in the championship game for the Wildcats. While his scoring and poor shooting raised eyebrows (and unibrows), he compensated with a stellar all-around effort, stuffing the stat sheet with 16 rebounds, six blocks, and five assists the same night.

As we reflect on those moments of madness, let's honor the MOPs who left a memorable mark on the annual tournament, reminding us that anything can happen during March Madness!

National Championship winner, runner-up, and score 

The time has come to turn our attention to the winners' circle, where champions are etched into history. The table below is a snapshot of basketball's highs and lows, where every triumph and defeat tells a tale of sweat, strategy, and sheer determination on the hardwood.

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Score
1939	Oregon Ducks	Ohio State Buckeyes	46-33
1940	Indiana Hoosiers	Kansas Jayhawks	60-42
1941	Wisconsin Badgers	Washington State Cougars	39-34
1942	Stanford Cardinal	Dartmouth Big Green	53-38
1943	Wyoming Cowboys	Georgetown Hoyas	46-34
1944	Utah Utes	Dartmouth Big Green	42-40
1945	Oklahoma State Cowboys	NYU Violets	49-45
1946	Oklahoma State Cowboys	North Carolina Tar Heels	43-40
1947	Holy Cross Crusaders	Oklahoma Sooners	58-47
1948	Kentucky Wildcats	Baylor Bears	58-42
1949	Kentucky Wildcats	Oklahoma State Cowboys	46-36
1950	CCNY Beavers	Bradley Braves	71-68
1951	Kentucky Wildcats	Kansas State Wildcats	68-58
1952	Kansas Jayhawks	St. John's Red Storm	80-63
1953	Indiana Hoosiers	Kansas Jayhawks	69-68
1954	La Salle Explorers	Bradley Braves	92-76
1955	San Francisco Dons	La Salle Explorers	76-73
1956	San Francisco Dons	Iowa Hawkeyes	83-71
1957	North Carolina Tar Heels	Kansas Jayhawks	54-53
1958	Kentucky Wildcats	Seattle Chieftains	84-72
1959	California Golden Bears	West Virginia Mountaineers	71-70
1960	Ohio State Buckeyes	California Golden Bears	75-55
1961	Cincinnati Bearcats	Ohio State Buckeyes	70-65
1962	Cincinnati Bearcats	Ohio State Buckeyes	71-59
1963	Loyola Ramblers	Cincinnati Bearcats	60-58
1964	UCLA Bruins	Duke Blue Devils	98-83
1965	UCLA Bruins	Michigan Wolverine	91-80
1966	Texas Western Miners	Kentucky Wildcats	72-65
1967	UCLA Bruins	Dayton Flyers	79-64
1968	UCLA Bruins	North Carolina Tar Heels	78-55
1969	UCLA Bruins	Purdue Boilermakers	92-72
1970	UCLA Bruins	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	80-69
1971	UCLA Bruins	Villanova Wildcats	68-62
1972	UCLA Bruins	Florida State Seminoles	81-76
1973	UCLA Bruins	Memphis Tigers	87-66
1974	NC State Wolfpack	Marquette Golden Eagles	76-64
1975	UCLA Bruins	Kentucky Wildcats	92-85
1976	Indiana Hoosiers	Michigan Wolverine	86-68
1977	Marquette Golden Eagles	North Carolina Tar Heels	67-59
1978	Kentucky Wildcats	Duke Blue Devils	94-88
1979	Michigan State Spartans	Indiana State Sycamores	75-64
1980	Louisville Cardinals	UCLA Bruins	59-54
1981	Indiana Hoosiers	North Carolina Tar Heels	63-50
1982	North Carolina Tar Heels	Georgetown Hoyas	63-62
1983	NC State Wolfpack	Houston Cougars	54-52
1984	Georgetown Hoyas	Houston Cougars	84-75
1985	Villanova Wildcats	Georgetown Hoyas	66-64
1986	Louisville Cardinals	Duke Blue Devils	72-69
1987	Indiana Hoosiers	Syracuse Orange	74-73
1988	Kansas Jayhawks	Oklahoma Sooners	83-79
1989	Michigan Wolverines	Seton Hall Pirates	80-79
1990	UNLV Rebels	Duke Blue Devils	103-73
1991	Duke Blue Devils	Kansas Jayhawks	72-65
1992	Duke Blue Devils	Michigan Wolverines	71-51
1993	North Carolina Tar Heels	Michigan Wolverines	77-71
1994	Arkansas Razorbacks	Duke Blue Devils	76-72
1995	UCLA Bruins	Arkansas Razorbacks	89-78
1996	Kentucky Wildcats	Syracuse Orange	76-67
1997	Arizona Wildcats	Kentucky Wildcats	84-79
1998	Kentucky Wildcats	Utah Utes	78-69
1999	Connecticut Huskies	Duke Blue Devils	77-74
2000	Michigan State Spartans	Florida Gators	89-76
2001	Duke Blue Devils	Arizona Wildcats	82-72
2002	Maryland Terrapins	Indiana Hoosiers	64-52
2003	Syracuse Orange	Kansas Jayhawks	81-78
2004	Connecticut Huskies	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	82-73
2005	North Carolina Tar Heels	Illinois Fighting Illini	75-70
2006	Florida Gators	UCLA Bruins	73-57
2007	Florida Gators	Ohio State Buckeyes	84-75
2008	Kansas Jayhawks	Memphis Tigers	75-68
2009	North Carolina Tar Heels	Michigan State Spartans	89-72
2010	Duke Blue Devils	Butler Bulldogs	61-59
2011	Connecticut Huskies	Butler Bulldogs	53-41
2012	Kentucky Wildcats	Kansas Jayhawks	67-59
2013	Louisville Cardinals	Michigan Wolverines	82-76
2014	Connecticut Huskies	Kentucky Wildcats	60-54
2015	Duke Blue Devils	Wisconsin Badgers	68-63
2016	Villanova Wildcats	North Carolina Tar Heels	77-74
2017	North Carolina Tar Heels	Gonzaga Bulldogs	71-65
2018	Villanova Wildcats	Michigan Wolverine	74-54
2019	Virginia Cavaliers	Texas Tech Red Raiders	85-77
2020	COVID-19	NA	NA
2021	Baylor Bears	Gonzaga Bulldogs	86-70
2022	Kansas Jayhawks	North Carolina Tar Heels	72-69
2023	Connecticut Huskies	San Diego State Aztecs	76-59

Picture this: It's 1939 and their are just eight participating teams playing for the championship. Among them were Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah State, Villanova, Brown, Wake Forest, and Ohio State.

The Oregon Ducks claimed a 46-33 victory that year against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Yet despite their early success, Oregon's winning streak was shorter than a timeout pep talk as it was their only title in March Madness history. 

Fast forward to the mid-20th century and the Oklahoma State Cowboys were the first team to win back-to-back titles in 1945 and 1946 with Bob Kurland as MOP both years. But real history was made from 1967 to 1973 when the UCLA Bruins dominated the court like they owned the place and won seven years in a row. Led by the one and only Lew Alcindor, UCLA had opponents feeling the pressure. 

Other powerhouses that have made frequent appearances in the winning circle are the Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Connecticut Huskies. In the recent 2023 season, MOP Adama Sanogo led the Huskies to a 76-59 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs. 

As we eagerly anticipate the tournament that awaits us this year, one burning question remains; Can the Connecticut Huskies defend their title without Sanogo or will the stage be set for an underdog to seize the spotlight?

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