Final Four (en castellano, los últimos cuatro) es el término que se utiliza para denominar a las semifinales y final del torneo final de la División I de Baloncesto Masculino de la NCAA. Por extensión, también se denomina así a los mismos partidos de otras competiciones, como la Euroliga. En la Liga Universitaria de Estados Unidos, tras la fase regular de los equipos, se realiza un torneo final entre las 65 mejores universidades de la División I, cuyos puestos en unas ocasiones vienen determinados por la clasificación de las conferencias más fuertes, y en otros casos acceden los equipos por invitación de la propia organización. Hay que tener en cuenta de que casi 300 universidades compiten en la división puntera, y que el sistema de elección sería muy complejo de otra manera.
Las semifinales y la final del campeonato se organizan como un torneo aparte, con una única sede (decidida con años de antelación), y con 4 equipos que han ganado sus fases regionales. En la última edición, en 2010, la Universidad de Duke se impuso a la sorprendente Universidad de Butler en la final por un apretado 61-59.
Campeones y finalistas de la NCAA [editar]
| Año |
Campeón |
Finalista |
Pabellón y ciudad |
| 1939 |
Oregon |
46 |
Ohio State |
33 |
Patten Gymnasium |
Evanston, Illinois |
| 1940 |
Indiana |
60 |
Kansas |
42 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri |
| 1941 |
Wisconsin |
39 |
Washington State |
34 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (2) |
| 1942 |
Stanford |
53 |
Dartmouth |
38 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (3) |
| 1943 |
Wyoming |
46 |
Georgetown |
34 |
Madison Square Garden |
New York City, New York |
| 1944† |
Utah |
42 |
Dartmouth |
40 |
Madison Square Garden |
New York City, New York (2) |
| 1945 |
Oklahoma A&M |
49 |
Nueva York |
45 |
Madison Square Garden |
New York City, New York (3) |
| 1946 |
Oklahoma A&M (2) |
43 |
North Carolina |
40 |
Madison Square Garden |
New York City, New York (4) |
| 1947 |
Holy Cross |
58 |
Oklahoma |
47 |
Madison Square Garden |
New York City, New York (5) |
| 1948 |
Kentucky |
58 |
Baylor |
42 |
Madison Square Garden |
New York City, New York (6) |
| 1949 |
Kentucky (2) |
46 |
Oklahoma A&M |
36 |
Hec Edmundson Pavilion |
Seattle, Washington |
| 1950 |
CCNY |
71 |
Bradley |
68 |
Madison Square Garden |
New York City, New York (7) |
| 1951 |
Kentucky (3) |
68 |
Kansas State |
58 |
Williams Arena |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| 1952 |
Kansas |
80 |
St. John's |
63 |
Hec Edmundson Pavilion |
Seattle, Washington (2) |
| 1953 |
Indiana (2) |
69 |
Kansas Jayhawks |
68 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (4) |
| 1954 |
La Salle |
92 |
Bradley |
76 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (5) |
| 1955 |
San Francisco |
76 |
La Salle |
73 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (6) |
| 1956 |
San Francisco (2) |
83 |
Iowa |
71 |
Welsh-Ryan Arena |
Evanston, Illinois (2) |
| 1957††† |
North Carolina |
54 |
Kansas |
53 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (7) |
| 1958 |
Kentucky (4) |
84 |
Seattle |
72 |
Freedom Hall |
Louisville, Kentucky |
| 1959 |
California |
71 |
West Virginia |
70 |
Freedom Hall |
Louisville, Kentucky (2) |
| 1960 |
Ohio State |
75 |
California |
55 |
Cow Palace |
Daly City, California |
| 1961† |
Cincinnati |
70 |
Ohio State |
65 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (8) |
| 1962 |
Cincinnati (2) |
71 |
Ohio State |
59 |
Freedom Hall |
Louisville, Kentucky (3) |
| 1963† |
Loyola (Chicago) |
60 |
Cincinnati |
58 |
Freedom Hall |
Louisville, Kentucky (4) |
| 1964 |
UCLA |
98 |
Duke |
83 |
Municipal Auditorium |
Kansas City, Missouri (9) |
| 1965 |
UCLA (2) |
91 |
Michigan |
80 |
Memorial Coliseum |
Portland, Oregon |
| 1966 |
Texas Western |
72 |
Kentucky |
65 |
Cole Field House |
College Park, Maryland |
| 1967 |
UCLA (3) |
79 |
Dayton |
64 |
Freedom Hall |
Louisville, Kentucky (5) |
| 1968 |
UCLA (4) |
78 |
North Carolina |
55 |
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena |
Los Angeles, California |
| 1969 |
UCLA (5) |
92 |
Purdue |
72 |
Freedom Hall |
Louisville, Kentucky (6) |
| 1970 |
UCLA (6) |
80 |
Jacksonville |
69 |
Cole Field House |
College Park, Maryland (2) |
| 1971 |
UCLA (7) |
68 |
Villanova |
62 |
Astrodome |
Houston, Texas |
| 1972 |
UCLA (8) |
81 |
Florida State |
76 |
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena |
Los Angeles, California (2) |
| 1973 |
UCLA (9) |
87 |
Memphis |
66 |
St. Louis Arena |
St. Louis, Missouri |
| 1974 |
North Carolina State |
76 |
Marquette |
64 |
Greensboro Coliseum |
Greensboro, North Carolina |
| 1975 |
UCLA (10) |
92 |
Kentucky |
85 |
San Diego Sports Arena |
San Diego, California |
| 1976 |
Indiana (3) |
86 |
Michigan |
68 |
Spectrum |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 1977 |
Marquette |
67 |
North Carolina |
59 |
Omni Coliseum |
Atlanta, Georgia |
| 1978 |
Kentucky (5) |
94 |
Duke |
88 |
The Checkerdome |
St. Louis, Missouri (2) |
| 1979 |
Michigan State |
75 |
Indiana State |
64 |
Jon M. Huntsman Center |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 1980 |
Louisville |
59 |
UCLA |
54 |
Market Square Arena |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 1981 |
Indiana (4) |
63 |
North Carolina |
50 |
The Spectrum |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2) |
| 1982 |
North Carolina (2) |
63 |
Georgetown |
62 |
Louisiana Superdome |
New Orleans, Louisiana |
| 1983 |
North Carolina State (2) |
54 |
Houston |
52 |
University Arena |
Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| 1984 |
Georgetown |
84 |
Houston |
75 |
The Kingdome |
Seattle, Washington (3) |
| 1985 |
Villanova |
66 |
Georgetown |
64 |
Rupp Arena |
Lexington, Kentucky |
| 1986 |
Louisville (2) |
72 |
Duke |
69 |
Reunion Arena |
Dallas, Texas |
| 1987 |
Indiana (5) |
74 |
Syracuse |
73 |
Louisiana Superdome |
New Orleans, Louisiana (2) |
| 1988 |
Kansas (2) |
83 |
Oklahoma |
79 |
Kemper Arena |
Kansas City, Missouri (10) |
| 1989† |
Michigan |
80 |
Seton Hall |
79 |
The Kingdome |
Seattle, Washington (4) |
| 1990 |
UNLV |
103 |
Duke |
73 |
McNichols Sports Arena |
Denver, Colorado |
| 1991 |
Duke |
72 |
Kansas |
65 |
Hoosier Dome |
Indianapolis, Indiana (2) |
| 1992 |
Duke (2) |
71 |
Michigan* |
51 |
Metrodome |
Minneapolis, Minnesota (2) |
| 1993 |
North Carolina (3) |
77 |
Michigan* |
71 |
Louisiana Superdome |
New Orleans, Louisiana (3) |
| 1994 |
Arkansas |
76 |
Duke |
72 |
Charlotte Coliseum |
Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 1995 |
UCLA (11) |
89 |
Arkansas |
78 |
The Kingdome |
Seattle, Washington (5) |
| 1996 |
Kentucky (6) |
76 |
Syracuse |
67 |
Continental Airlines Arena |
East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| 1997† |
Arizona |
84 |
Kentucky |
79 |
RCA Dome |
Indianapolis, Indiana (3) |
| 1998 |
Kentucky (7) |
78 |
Utah |
69 |
Alamodome |
San Antonio, Texas |
| 1999 |
Connecticut |
77 |
Duke |
74 |
Tropicana Field |
St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 2000 |
Michigan State (2) |
89 |
Florida |
76 |
RCA Dome |
Indianapolis, Indiana (4) |
| 2001 |
Duke (3) |
82 |
Arizona |
72 |
Metrodome |
Minneapolis, Minnesota (3) |
| 2002 |
Maryland |
64 |
Indiana |
52 |
Georgia Dome |
Atlanta, Georgia (2) |
| 2003 |
Syracuse |
81 |
Kansas |
78 |
Louisiana Superdome |
New Orleans, Louisiana (4) |
| 2004 |
Connecticut (2) |
82 |
Georgia Tech |
73 |
Alamodome |
San Antonio, Texas (2) |
| 2005 |
North Carolina (4) |
75 |
Illinois |
70 |
Edward Jones Dome |
St. Louis, Missouri (3) |
| 2006 |
Florida |
73 |
UCLA |
57 |
RCA Dome |
Indianapolis, Indiana (5) |
| 2007 |
Florida (2) |
84 |
Ohio State |
75 |
Georgia Dome |
Atlanta, Georgia (3) |
| 2008† |
Kansas (3) |
75 |
Memphis |
68 |
Alamodome |
San Antonio, Texas (3) |
| 2009 |
North Carolina (5) |
89 |
Michigan State |
72 |
Ford Field |
Detroit, Michigan |
| 2010 |
Duke (4) |
61 |
Butler |
59 |
Lucas Oil Stadium |
Indianapolis, Indiana (6) |
| 2011 |
Connecticut (3) |
53 |
Butler |
41 |
Reliant Stadium |
Houston, Texas (2) |
| 2012 |
Kentucky (8) |
67 |
Kansas |
59 |
Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
New Orleans, Louisiana (5) |
| 2013 |
Louisville (3) |
82 |
Michigan |
78 |
Georgia Dome |
Atlanta, Georgia (4) |
* Vacante debido a violaciones al reglamento de la NCAA
† denota partido con prórroga(s)
Entre paréntesis, ordinal del número de victorias
