BetMGM analyzed 85 years of data to determine which states have had the greatest impact on the history of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
This was measured by combining several factors, including the number of schools in each state that have won national championships, as well as the number of Final Four Most Outstanding Players and championship-winning coaches born in each state.
Our research found that California, New York, and Indiana were the top three states overall for having the greatest impact on the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments from 1939 to 2024.
3 States With the Greatest Overall Impact on the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament
1. California
- California has the highest number of NCAA Tournament winners, Final Four Most Outstanding Players and NCAA Tournament-winning coaches across men’s and women’s tournaments since 1939, totalling 37.
- California also has the most national championships for men and women combined, totaling 20.
- California colleges have won 15 NCAA tournaments.
2. New York
- New York has the second-most NCAA Tournament winners, Final Four Most Outstanding Players, and NCAA Tournament-winning coaches, totaling 30.
- New York has the highest number of Final Four Most Outstanding men’s players (11).
3. Indiana
- Indiana has the third-most NCAA Tournament winners, Final Four Most Outstanding players, and winning coaches, totalling 26.
- The majority of men’s national championship-winning coaches were born in Indiana (14).
States With Greatest Impact on the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament
Key Findings:
- New York and Indiana are tied for the greatest impact on the men’s NCAA Tournament. New York has the most Final Four Most Outstanding Players (11), national championship winning coaches (10) and NCAA Tournament winners (2). Indiana contributed four Final Four Most Outstanding players, 14 national championship winning coaches, and five men’s NCAA Tournament winners.
- California ranks third contributing the second-highest combined total, followed by North Carolina (No. 4), Kentucky (No. 5), and Ohio and Pennsylvania (No. 6).
- New York has the most men’s Final Four Most Outstanding players (11).
- Indiana has the most national championship-winning coaches (14).
- California has the most men’s NCAA Tournament winners (15).
| State | Championships | Final Four Outstanding Players | Championship Coaches | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 5 | 4 | 14 | 23 |
| New York | 2 | 11 | 10 | 23 |
| California | 15 | 5 | 2 | 22 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
| Kentucky | 11 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Ohio | 3 | 5 | 7 | 15 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
| Illinois | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 |
| Kansas | 4 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| Michigan | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Missouri | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Connecticut | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Florida | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Texas | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Oregon | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Washington D.C. | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Louisiana | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Maryland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Utah | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Delaware | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Georgia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| North Dakota | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Virginia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| West Virginia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Alaska | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mississippi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nebraska | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1. New York
Only two New York schools have won a national championship — CCNY and Syracuse with one apiece — but the state is home to 11 Most Outstanding Final Four Players, including Lew Alcindor (3), Christian Laettner, Kemba Walker, and Carmelo Anthony.
Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino, and Billy Donovan are among the championship coaches born in New York.
2. Indiana
Indiana is tied with New York at the top of the list, largely thanks to John Wooden’s 10 titles. Indiana has also won the NCAA Tournament five times.
3. California
Wooden is also largely responsible for California’s spot at No. 3. In addition to Wooden’s 10 championships, Jim Harrick led the Bruins to the title in 1995, the most recent of 11 total for the program.
Five Final Four Most Outstanding Players were also born in the state, including Bill Walton, who won the award twice.
States With the Greatest Impact on the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Since 1982
Key Findings:
- Tennessee has made the overall greatest impact on the women’s NCAA Tournament since its inception in 1982, contributing the highest combined total number of Final Four Most Outstanding Players (1), national championship-winning coaches (9), and NCAA Tournament winners (8).
- California ranks second, followed by Connecticut and Texas (No. 3), Pennsylvania (No. 5), and New York (No. 6).
- New York has the most Final Four Most Outstanding Players for women (7).
- Tennessee has the most NCAA Tournament-winning coaches (9).
- Connecticut has the most women’s championships (11).
| State | Championships | Final Four Outstanding Players | Championship Coaches | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 8 | 1 | 9 | 18 |
| California | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Connecticut | 11 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| Texas | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Pennsylvania | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| New York | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Missouri | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Indiana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Maryland | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Massachusetts | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Iowa | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Arkansas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Florida | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kansas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mississippi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Washington | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| West Virginia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
1. Tennessee
Tennessee tops the list, thanks to the Volunteers’ eight championships. The state is also home to nine NCAA Tournament-winning coaches, led by Pat Summit’s eight.
2. California
California has produced five championship teams — with Stanford and USC accounting for all five — and Kim Mulkey, who has five total championships at Baylor and LSU.
3. Connecticut
Connecticut is No. 3 on the list thanks to UConn’s 11 titles. In addition, two Final Four Most Outstanding Players were born in the state, the last of which was Rebecca Lobo in 1995.
Methodology
BetMGM analyzed hundreds of pieces of NCAA basketball data from 1939-2024, focusing on men’s and women’s tournaments to determine which states have made the greatest impact in tournament history and for the categories of men and women.
First, we examined all-time winning colleges for men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, identifying which states produced the most titles.
Next, we analyzed every Most Outstanding Player in Final Four history, determining their birth state using ESPN and Basketballreference.com to find the data. We then repeated this process for winning coaches, mapping their birth states.
Finally, we aggregated all the data to rank the states with the most significant influence on NCAA Tournament history.
Note: Data for women’s NCAA Tournaments started in 1982.
Sources:
Used to Identify the Birth State of the NCAA Basketball Winning Coaches and Outstanding Players – ESPN.com
Used to Identify the Birth State of the NCAA Basketball Winning Coaches and Outstanding Players – Basketball-Reference.com
NCAA Men’s Basketball History – NCAA.com
List of NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions (1939–Present) – NCAA.com
Winningest Coaches in Men’s Division I College Basketball – NCAA.com
Winningest Coaches in Women’s College Basketball History – NCAA.com
NCAA Women’s Basketball History – NCAA.com
Women’s Final Four Most Outstanding Players (1982–Present) – NCAA.com
Men’s Final Four Most Outstanding Players (1939–Present) – NCAA.com
