It’s that time of year when fans gear up for festive feuds and face-offs. Such is March Madness driving college ballers on extreme path and play. Teams would be looking to perform their best in the conference round to get an automatic bid. They would also be relying on the Selection Committee, hoping that their exceptional play grabs the eyeballs.

The March Madness was first played in 1939 and since then has evolved to include 68 teams. Essentially Sports looks at the programs that have marked the most appearances in the elimination contest.

5. Duke Blue Devils – 45

Duke Blue Devils stand at the fifth spot in marking most appearances in the March Madness. Dukes first made an appearance in 1955. Since then they’ve had 45 appearances. Their best era came under their head coach Mike Krzyzewski and now that his mentee John Scheyer has stepped in his shoes, fans are still hopeful of earning a call to the March Madness.

Duke have won 5 championship titles while making their presence felt in 11 Finals. Their most recent appearance came last year in 2023 when Devils won the ACC tournament. Duke advanced to the Round of 32 and had a 14-6 conference record. This year too fans would want Devils to enter the March Madness and win it with their exceptional play.

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4. UCLA Bruins – 50

UCLA Bruins occupy the fourth spot on the list with 50 tournament appearances. The March Madness is celebrated by their players and fans alike with zest and passion. They also have the highest championship wins with 11 titles to their name. Most of which came under the guidance of the legendary coach John Wooden. The interesting fact about the Bruins is that they have made it to the NCAA Finals 12 times and lost just once.

Their most recent appearance in the March Madness came last year when they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Bruins however haven’t performed up to the mark this season.

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They have an abysmal 14-13 record in the regular season and occupy the fourth spot in the Pac-12. It will be interesting to see how Bruins unsettle their opponents and qualify for the Madness this time.

3. Kansas Jayhawks – 51

Kansas Jayhawks are the oldest team in this list of March Madness. They first played in the single elimination tournament in 1940, just a year after it was first conceived. They have made it to the Finals 10 times, winning in 4 of those matches. Overall, they have qualified to play for the March Madness 51 times. Therefore, they are placed at the third spot in this list.

Their most recent appearance came in the year 2023 when they made it to the Round of 32. They had lost the game to Arkansas with a narrow margin of 71-72. The last time they had made it to the Sweet Sixteen was in the 2022 season. This year Jayhawks have a 21-6 tally and are placed at the third position in the Big 12. Fans would be expecting Jayhawks to have a splendid performance under Bill Self who is already revered for his exceptional coaching performance.

2. North Carolina Tar Heels – 52

The second last team in this list is North Carolina Tar Heels. They’ve made an appearance in the March Madness 52 times with their first coming in the year 1941. They have been crowned the champions 6 times with their Final appearances being in 12 games. Therefore they have had a 50% success rate in the Finals. Tar Heels last made it to the March Madness in 2021-22 season when they advanced to the Finals and finished as National Runner-ups.

The 2023 season was a major setback to Tar Heels since they started as the top-ranked team in the preseason polls but failed to qualify for the March Madness. They were also not selected by the Selection Committee last year. This is the only team in the top 5 programs in this list to not make it to the single elimination tournament in 2023. This year Tar Heels are performing great and are ranked at first place in the ACC. Therefore, fans would expect the team to qualify for the March Madness.

1. Kentucky Wildcats – 60

Kentucky Wildcats have qualified the most times for the March Madness with an astounding 60 appearances. They have won the coveted tournament title 8 times with their last championship title coming in the year 2012. Meanwhile, their last final appearance came in the year 2014. The Wildcats first entered the tournament in 1942. 

In the 2022-23 season, Wildcats won against Providence in the first round but were defeated in the second one by Kansas State. Kentucky Wildcats have an average performance so far this year with a 19-8 stat and occupy the fifth spot in the SEC. They would be trying their best to perform well in the upcoming games to get an automatic bid or if they don’t then the only option left for them would be to be selected by the at-large bid.