How Has Indiana Done Against NCAA Title Bluebloods?

A look at Indiana’s legacy against elite NCAA champions such as UCLA, Friday’s opponent at Assembly Hall.

Todd Golden | Feb 14, 2025

Indiana's Steve Downing passes the ball around UCLA's Bill Walton during the 1973 Final Four semifinal between the Hoosiers and Bruins. UCLA won 70-59. / Indiana University Arbutus Yearbook

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana is justifiably proud of the five NCAA championship banners that hang from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. UCLA is equally proud of its record 11 championships.

Neither has won a title since 1995, but both programs are still undeniable NCAA title bluebloods.

With UCLA visiting Indiana at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Hoosiers On SI looked at how Indiana has fared against multiple NCAA champions. If a school wins more than one title, that school is a NCAA title blueblood.

UCLA

Indiana's Quinn Buckner (21) and UCLA's Bill Walton (32) walk off the court at the 1973 Final Four. / photo via Indiana University Archives, scanned from the March 26, 1973 edition of The Indiana Daily Student.

• NCAA titles: 11.
• Last title: 1995.
• Indiana history: Series is tied 6-6. UCLA last won in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Indiana last won in the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and UCLA met: Bob Knight’s first Final Four appearance in 1973 came against UCLA, which was in the final season of its seven consecutive titles from 1967-73. The Bruins won 70-59 in the semifinals of the 1973 Final Four in St. Louis.

Kentucky

• NCAA titles: 8.
• Last title: 2012.
• Indiana history: Kentucky leads 32-25. Indiana won the last meeting in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Kentucky met: The unbeaten Hoosiers and Wildcats hooked up in the Midwest Regional final in Dayton, Ohio in 1975. The Wildcats earned a 92-90 victory, a loss for Indiana that fueled their championship run a year later.

Connecticut

• NCAA titles: 6.
• Last title: 2024.
• Indiana history: UConn leads 7-4. UConn defeated Indiana in 2024 in the last meeting. Indiana last won in 2019.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and UConn met: They’ve only met once. Indiana fell 78-61 in a second round game in Washington, D.C., in 1998.

North Carolina

Indiana Hoosiers guard (11) Isiah Thomas in action against the North Carolina Tarheels during the 1981 Final Four. Indiana defeated North Carolina 63-50. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

• NCAA titles: 6.
• Last title: 2017.
• Indiana history: Indiana leads 10-6. Indiana won the last meeting in 2022.
• Furthest Indiana and North Carolina met in the NCAA Tournament: The Hoosiers and Tar Heels have met three times in the tournament, most recently in 2016, but the most famous was Indiana’s 1981 national championship game win as the Hoosiers won 63-50 in Philadelphia.

Duke

• NCAA titles: 5.
• Last title: 2015.
• Indiana history: Duke leads 7-3. Duke won the last meeting in 2018. Indiana last won in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Duke met: While Indiana famously beat No. 1 Duke to advance in the 2002 Tournament, it wasn’t the deepest into the tournament the Hoosiers and Blue Devils met. That came in 1992 when Duke defeated Indiana 81-78 in a Final Four semifinal in Minneapolis.

Kansas

• NCAA titles: 4.
• Last title: 2022.
• Indiana history: Tied 8-8. Kansas won the last meeting in 2023. Indiana last won in 2016.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Kansas met: Indiana won both its 1940 and 1953 championships against the Jayhawks. Indiana won 60-42 in 1940 and 69-68 in 1953. Both games were played at Kansas City’s Memorial Auditorium.

Villanova

• NCAA titles: 3.
• Last title: 2018.
• Indiana history: Villanova leads 3-2. The Wildcats won the last meeting in 1981. Indiana last won in 1939.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Villanova met: They only met once. Villanova won 61-60 in a 1978 East Regional semifinal in Providence, R.I.

Florida

• NCAA titles: 2.
• Last title: 2007.
• Indiana history: Indiana leads 3-0. Indiana last won in 1984.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Florida met: The Hoosiers and Gators have never played each other in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State

• NCAA titles: 2.
• Last title: 2000.
• Indiana history: Indiana leads 74-59. Indiana last won on Tuesday. Michigan State last won in 2023.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Michigan State met: The Hoosiers and Spartans have never played each other in the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville

Indiana Hoosiers guard Myles Rice (1) dribbles as Louisville Cardinals guard Terrence Edwards Jr. (5) defends during the second half at the Atlantis Resort. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

• NCAA titles: 2. (Third title in 2013 was vacated.)
• Last title: 1986.
• Indiana history: Indiana leads 12-10. Louisville last won in November. Indiana last won in 2023.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Louisville met: Indiana won the only meeting in 1993. The Hoosiers defeated the Cardinals 82-69 in a Midwest Regional semifinal in St. Louis.

North Carolina State

• NCAA titles: 2.
• Last title: 1983.
• Indiana history: Indiana leads 3-0. The Hoosiers last won in 2011.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and NC State met: The Hoosiers and Wolfpack have never met in the tournament.

Cincinnati

• NCAA titles: 2.
• Last title: 1962.
• Indiana history: Indiana leads 12-3. Indiana last won in 1992. The Bearcats last won in 1976.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and Cincinnati met: The Hoosiers and Bearcats have never met in the NCAA Tournament.

San Francisco

• NCAA titles: 2.
• Last title: 1956.
• Indiana history: Indiana leads 2-0. Indiana’s last win came in 1998.
• Furthest into the NCAA Tournament Indiana and USF met: The Hoosiers and Dons have not met in the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma State

• NCAA titles: 2.
• Last title: 1946.
• Indiana history: The Hoosiers and Cowboys have never met.