| SEASON | FINAL | MVP |
| 2025 | Florida 65, Houston 63 | Walter Clayton Jr, Florida |
| 2024 | UConn 75, Purdue 60 | Tristen Newton, UConn |
| 2023 | UConn 76, San Diego St 59 | Adama Sanogo, UConn |
| 2022 | Kansas 72, North Carolina 69 | Ochai Agbaji, Kansas |
| 2021 | Baylor 86, Gonzaga 70 | Jared Butler, Baylor |
| 2019 | Virginia 85, Texas Tech 77 (OT) | Kyle Guy, Virginia |
| 2018 | Villanova 79, Michigan 62 | Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova |
| 2017 | North Carolina 71, Gonzaga 65 | Joel Berry, North Carolina |
| 2016 | Villanova 77, North Carolina 74 | Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova |
| 2015 | Duke 68, Wisconsin 63 | Tyus Jones, Duke |
| 2014 | UConn 60, Kentucky 54 | Shabazz Napier, UConn |
| 2013 | Louisville 82, Michigan 76 | Luke Hancock, Louisville |
| 2012 | Kentucky 67, Kansas 59 | Anthony Davis, Kentucky |
| 2011 | UConn 53, Butler 41 | Kemba Walker, UConn |
| 2010 | Duke 61, Butler 59 | Kyle Singler, Duke |
| 2009 | North Carolina 89, Michigan St 72 | Wayne Ellington, North Carolina |
| 2008 | Kansas 75, Memphis 68 (OT) | Mario Chalmers, Kansas |
| 2007 | Florida 84, Ohio St 75 | Corey Brewer, Florida |
| 2006 | Florida 73, UCLA 57 | Joakim Noah, Florida |
| 2005 | North Carolina 75, Illinois 70 | Sean May, North Carolina |
| 2004 | UConn 82, Georgia Tech 73 | Emeka Okefor, UConn |
| 2003 | Syracuse 81, Kansas 78 | Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse |
| 2002 | Maryland 64, Indiana 52 | Juan Dixon, Maryland |
| 2001 | Duke 82, Arizona 72 | Shane Battier, Duke |
| 2000 | Michigan St 89, Florida 76 | Mateen Cleaves, Michigan St |
| 1999 | UConn 77, Duke 74 | Richard Hamilton, UConn |
| 1998 | Kentucky 78, Utah 69 | Jeff Shepherd, Kentucky |
| 1997 | Arizona 84, Kentucky 79 (OT) | Miles Simon, Arizona |
| 1996 | Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67 | Tony Delk, Kentucky |
| 1995 | UCLA 89, Arkansas 78 | Ed O'Bannon, UCLA |
| 1994 | Arkansas 76, Duke 72 | Corliss Williamson, Arkansas |
| 1993 | North Carolina 77, Michigan 71 | Donald Williams, North Carolina |
| 1992 | Duke 71, Michigan 51 | Bobby Hurley, Duke |
| 1991 | Duke 72, Kansas 65 | Christian Laettner, Duke |
| 1990 | UNLV 103, Duke 73 | Anderson Hunt, UNLV |
| 1989 | Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 (OT) | Glen Rice, Michigan |
| 1988 | Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79 | Danny Manning, Kansas |
| 1987 | Indiana 74, Syracuse 73 | Keith Smart, Indiana |
| 1986 | Louisville 72, Duke 69 | Pervis Ellison, Louisville |
| 1985 | Villanova 66, Georgetown 64 | Ed Pinckney, Villanova |
| 1984 | Georgetown 84, Houston 75 | Patrick Ewing, Georgetown |
| 1983 | North Carolina St 54, Houston 52 | Akeem Olajuwon, Houston |
| 1982 | North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62 | James Worthy, North Carolina |
| 1981 | Indiana 63, North Carolina 50 | Isiah Thomas, Indiana |
| 1980 | Louisville 59, UCLA 54 | Darrell Griffith, Louisville |
| 1979 | Michigan St 75, Indiana St 64 | Magic Johnson, Michigan St |
| 1978 | Kentucky 94, Duke 88 | Jack Givens, Kentucky |
| 1977 | Marquette 67, North Carolina 59 | Butch Lee, Marquette |
| 1976 | Indiana 86, Michigan 68 | Kent Benson, Indiana |
| 1975 | UCLA 92, Kentucky 85 | Richard Washington, UCLA |
| 1974 | North Carolina St 76, Marquette 64 | David Thompson, North Carolina St |
| 1973 | UCLA 87, Memphis 66 | Bill Walton, UCLA |
| 1972 | UCLA 81, Florida St 76 | Bill Walton, UCLA |
| 1971 | UCLA 68, Villanova 62 | Howard Porter, Vill - later ineligible |
| 1970 | UCLA 80, Jacksonville 69 | Sidney Wicks, UCLA |
| 1969 | UCLA 92, Purdue 72 | Lew Alcindor, UCLA |
| 1968 | UCLA 78, North Carolina 55 | Lew Alcindor, UCLA |
| 1967 | UCLA 79, Dayton 64 | Lew Alcindor, UCLA |
| 1966 | UTEP 72, Kentucky 65 | Jerry Chambers, Utah |
| 1965 | UCLA 91, Michigan 80 | Bill Bradley, Princeton |
| 1964 | UCLA 98, Duke 83 | Walt Hazzard, UCLA |
| 1963 | Loyola-IL 60, Cincinnati 58 (OT) | Art Heyman, Duke |
| 1962 | Cincinnati 71, Ohio St 59 | Paul Hogue, Cincinnati |
| 1961 | Cincinnati 70, Ohio St 65 (OT) | Jerry Lucas, Ohio St |
| 1960 | Ohio St 75, California 55 | Jerry Lucas, Ohio St |
| 1959 | California 71, West Virginia 70 | Jerry West, West Virginia |
| 1958 | Kentucky 84, Seattle 72 | Elgin Baylor, Seattle |
| 1957 | North Carolina 54, Michigan St 53 (3OT) | Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas |
| 1956 | San Francisco 83, Iowa 71 | Hal Lear, Temple |
| 1955 | San Francisco 77, La Salle 63 | Bill Russell, San Francisco |
| 1954 | La Salle 92, Bradley 76 | Tom Gola, La Salle |
| 1953 | Indiana 69, Kansas 68 | B.H. Horn, Kansas |
| 1952 | Kansas 80, St Johns 63 | Clyde Lovelette, Kansas |
| 1951 | Kentucky 68, Kansas St 58 | None |
| 1950 | CCNY 71, Bradley 68 | Irwin Dambrot, CCNY |
| 1949 | Kentucky 46, Oklahoma St 36 | Alex Groza, Kentucky |
| 1948 | Kentucky 58, Baylor 42 | Alex Groza, Kentucky |
| 1947 | Holy Cross 58, Oklahoma 47 | George Kaftan, Holy Cross |
| 1946 | Oklahoma St 43, North Carolina 40 | Bob Kurland, Oklahoma St |
| 1945 | Oklahoma St 49, New York U 45 | Bob Kurland, Oklahoma St |
| 1944 | Utah 42, Dartmouth 40 (OT) | Arnold Ferrin, Utah |
| 1943 | Wyoming 46, Georgetown 34 | Ken Sailors, Wyoming |
| 1942 | Stanford 53, Dartmouth 38 | Howard Dallmar, Stanford |
| 1941 | Wisconsin 39, Washington St 34 | John Kotz, Wisconsin |
| 1940 | Indiana 60, Kansas 42 | Marvin Huffman, Indiana |
| 1939 | Oregon 46, Ohio St 33 | None |