We Marred the Champion: Michigan State Never Has Defeated NCAA Titlist

Rather than celebrating a new champion last evening, we're simply assessing previous titlists. Notre Dame has a significant lead in compiling the most all-time victories against teams in a season the opponent went on to capture the NCAA championship. The Fighting Irish, boasting 14 such triumphs despite never winning a Final Four contest, are joined by Duke (nine), Kentucky (eight), Maryland (eight), St. John's (eight), Indiana (seven), Louisville (seven), Virginia (seven) and Wake Forest (seven) as the only schools defeating more than six eventual NCAA playoff titlists. Louisville leveled Connecticut a total of five times in 2011 and 2014.

St. John's (Georgetown '84/Villanova '85/Louisville '86) and Illinois (Indiana '87/Kansas '88/Michigan/'89) are the only schools to upend three different NCAA champions-to-be in as many years. Wake Forest knocked off four different North Carolina titlists in a 28-year span (1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009). Saint Louis, which kayoed four different national kingpins in a 13-year span from 1949 through 1961 (champions combining to win 94.3% of their other games those seasons), never has reached an NCAA tourney regional final.

In 2018, Butler and Creighton each collected their first-ever triumph against an NCAA titlist. Michigan State, despite advancing to eight Final Fours under coach Tom Izzo, never has beaten a school during the season the opponent eventually captured an NCAA championship. Other prominent universities with that dubious distinction include Arizona State, Baylor, Brigham Young, Colorado, Dayton, Penn State, Saint Joseph's, San Francisco, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Texas-El Paso, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech.

Surprisingly, Northwestern has notched three triumphs against NCAA titlists despite never participating in the national tourney until 2017. Additional schools with more wins against NCAA kingpins during the regular season than playoff victories include Bowling Green (one tourney triumph), Nebraska (winless), Niagara (two tourney wins), Texas-Pan American (never appeared) and Wright State (winless). DII Alaska-Anchorage is among more than 25 non-power league members on the following alphabetical list of schools defeating NCAA DI champions-to-be:

NOTE: During World War II, NCAA champions Stanford lost to the Athens Club in 1942, Wyoming lost at Denver Legion in 1943, Utah lost to Ft. Warren, Salt Lake AB and Dow Chemical in 1944 and Oklahoma A&M lost to NATTS Skyjackets in 1945.