Despite the recent droughts, Indiana has a record-setting NCAA Tournament history. Relive the five national championships, 42 appearances, and legendary wins etched in tournament history.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For the third straight year, Indiana has failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, getting the bad news on Sunday that they won't be a part of the 2026 event.
The Hoosiers have been there 42 times before though, including twice in Mike Woodson's first two years as a head coach in 2022 and 2023. Woodson also played in the tournament as a player while at Indiana, in 1978 and 1980.
Indiana has won five national championships, and have been to eight Final Fours. During that time, they've won 69 NCAA games, all ranking in the top-10 in college basketball history.
Here is a complete list of every Indiana game in the NCAA Tournament, dating all the way back to 1940, the year the Hoosiers won their first NCAA crown.
1940
- Eastern Regional, Indianapolis, Ind. March 20: Indiana 48, Springfield 24 March 21: Indiana 39, Duquesne 30
- NCAA Championship Game, Kansas City, Mo. March 30 Indiana 60, Kansas 42
- Notes: Indiana wins first NCAA championship under coach Branch McCracken. Purdue won the Big Ten title that year but declined the NCAA Tournament bid, so Indiana went instead.
1953
- East Regional, Chicago, Ill. March 13: Indiana 92, DePaul 80 March 14: Indiana 79, Notre Dame 66
- NCAA Final Four, Kansas City, Mo. March 17: Indiana 80, LSU 67 March 18: Indiana 69, Kansas 68
- Notes: Indiana wins second NCAA championship under coach Branch McCracken.
1954
- East Regional, Iowa City, Iowa March 12: Notre Dame 65, Indiana 64 March 13: Indiana 73, LSU 62 (consolation game)
1958
- Mideast Regional, Lexington, Ky. March 14: Notre Dame 94, Indiana 87 March 15: Indiana 98, Miami of Ohio 91 (consolation game)
1967
- Mideast Regional, Evanston, Ill. March 17: Virginia Tech 79, Indiana 70 March 18: Indiana 51, Tennessee 44 (consolation game)
1973
- Mideast Regional, Nashville, Tenn. March 15: Indiana 75, Marquette 69 March 17: Indiana 72, Kentucky 65
- NCAA Final Four, St. Louis, Mo. March 24: UCLA 70, Indiana 59 March 25: Indiana 97, Providence 79 (consolation game)
- Notes: Indiana appears in third Final Four, the first for second-year coach Bob Knight.
1975
- Mideast Region First Round, Lexington, Ky. March 15: Indiana 78, UTEP 53
- Mideast Regional, Dayton, Ohio March 20: Indiana 81, Oregon State 71 March 22: Kentucky 92, Indiana 90
- Notes: Indiana stormed through the regular season undefeated despite losing star Scott May to a broken arm for more than a month, but lost to Kentucky to end their dream season.
1976
- Mideast Region First Round, South Bend, Ind. March 13: Indiana 90, St. John's 70
- Mideast Regional, Baton Rouge, La. March 18: Indiana 74, Alabama 69 March 20: Indiana 65, Marquette 56
- NCAA Final Four, Philadelphia, Pa. March 27: Indiana 65, UCLA 51 March 29: Indiana 86, Michigan 68.
- Notes: Indiana wins third NCAA title, the first for coach Bob Knight, and appears in fourth Final Four. It was Knight's second Final Four in four years.
1978
- East Regional First Round, Charlotte, N.C. March 12: Indiana 63, Furman 62
- East Regional, Providence, R.I. March 17: Villanova 61, Indiana 60
- Notes: These were Mike Woodson's first NCAA Tournament games as a player at Indiana. During his sophomore year, he had 26 points in the win over Furman, and 24 in the last-second loss to Villanova.
1980
- Mideast Regional Second Round, Bowling Green, Ky. March 9: Indiana 63, Virginia Tech 62
- Mideast Regional, Lexington, Ky. March 13: Purdue 76, Indiana 69
- Notes: It is the only time Indiana has played Purdue in the NCAA Tournament, and it was Mike Woodson's final game as a player at Indiana.
1981
- Mideast Regional Second Round, Dayton, Ohio March 14: Indiana 99, Maryland 64
- Mideast Regional, Bloomington, Ind. March 20: Indiana 87, UAB 72 March 22: Indiana 78, St. Joseph's 46
- NCAA Final Four, Philadelphia, Pa. March 28: Indiana 67, LSU 49 March 30: Indiana 63, North Carolina 50
- Notes: Indiana wins its fourth NCAA title, and Bob Knight wins his second as coach at Indiana. Isiah Thomas is named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
1982
- Mideast Regional First/Second Rounds, Nashville, Tenn. March 11: Indiana 94, Robert Morris 62 March 13: UAB 80, Indiana 70.
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 5 seed that season as lost as the lower seed to No. 4 UAB.
1983
- Mideast Regional Second Round, Evansville, Ind. March 20: Indiana 63, Oklahoma 49 March 22: Kentucky 64, Indiana 59
- Notes: Indiana was the No. 2 seed in the regional and got a first-round bye. The Hoosiers lost to Kentucky for the second time in eight years in the NCAA, then tied for the most NCAA losses to one team with Notre Dame.
1984
- East Regional Second Round, Charlotte, N.C. March 17: Indiana 75, Richmond 67
- East Regionals, Atlanta Ga. March 22: Indiana 72, North Carolina 68 March 24: Virginia 50, Indiana 48
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 4 seed and got a break when No. 5 Auburn led by Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was upset by Richmond. The Hoosiers advanced to take on No. 1-ranked North Carolina, and this was the famous Dan Dakich. game, where he led the Hoosiers' defensive effort in shutting down the goat, Michael Jordan. Indiana lost in the regional final to No. 7 seed Virginia.
1986
- East Regional First Round, Syracuse, N.Y. March 14: Cleveland State 83, Indiana 79
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 3 seed and lost to No. 14 seed Cleveland State. It was the lowest seed to ever beat an Indiana team. This was the year that journalist John Feinstein spent at Indiana and wrote the best-selling book "Season on the Brink.''
1987
- Midwest Regionals First/Second Rounds, Indianapolis, Ind. March 12: Indiana 92, Fairfield 58 March 14: Indiana 107, Auburn 90
- Midwest Regional, Cincinnati, Ohio March 20: Indiana 88, Duke 82 March 22: Indiana 77, LSU 76
- NCAA Final Four, New Orleans, La. March 28: Indiana 97, UNLV 93 March 30, Indiana 74, Syracuse 73
- Notes: The Hoosiers were a No. 1 seed and got to play their first four games close to home with thousands of IU fans in the stands. Steve Alford was the team MVP, and Keith Smart hit the game-winning shot over Syracuse to win the title. It was Bob Knight's third national championship, and the Hoosiers' fifth title overall.
1988
- East Regional, First Round, Hartford, Conn. March 18: Richmond 72, Indiana 69
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 4 seed that season, and the loss to No. 13 Richmond was their second loss to a double-digit seed in three years.
1989
- West Regional First/Second Rounds, Tucson, Ariz. March 17: Indiana 99, George Mason 85 March 19: Indiana 92, Texas-El Paso 69
- West Regional, Denver, Colo. March 23: Seton Hall 78, Indiana 65
- Notes: Indiana was the No. 2 seed in the West, and lost to No. 3 seed Seton Hall in the regional semifinals.
1990
- East Regional, First Round, Hartford, Conn. March 15: California 65, Indiana 63
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 8 seed and lost to No. 9 seed California.
1991
- Southeast Regional, First/Second Rounds, Louisville, Ky. March 14: Indiana 79, Coastal Carolina 69 March 16: Indiana 82, Florida State 60
- Southeast Regional, Charlotte, N.C. March 21: Kansas 83, Indiana 65
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 2 seed and lost to No. 3-seed Kansas in the regional semifinals.
1992
- West Regional First/Second Rounds, Boise, Idaho March 19: Indiana 94, Eastern Illinois 55 March 21: Indiana 89, LSU 79
- West Regional, Albuquerque, N.M. March 26: Indiana 85, Florida State 74 March 28: Indiana 106, UCLA 79
- NCAA Final Four, Minneapolis, Minn. April 4: Duke 81, Indiana 78
- Notes: Indiana was the No. 2 seed in the West, and beat No. 1 UCLA in the regional final. Indiana lost to Duke in the national semifinals, and to this day, many Indiana fans blame referee Teddy Valentine for the loss. It was Bob Knight's fifth Final Four, and his first loss in the NCAAs to former player Mike Krzyzewski.
1993
- Midwest Regional First/Second Rounds, Indianapolis, Ind. March 19: Indiana 97, Wright State 54 March 21: Indiana 73, Xavier 70
- Midwest Regional, St. Louis, Mo. March 25: Indiana 82, Louisville 69 March 27: Kansas 83, Indiana 77
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 1 seed in the region and lost to No. 2 seed Kansas in the regional final. That was the year Indiana won the Big Ten with a 17-1 record but lost Alan Henderson late in the season to a knee injury.
1994
- East Regional First/Second Rounds, Landover, Md. March 18: Indiana 84, Ohio 72 March 20: Indiana 67, Temple 58
- East Regional, Miami, Fla. March 25: Boston College 77, Indiana 68
- Notes: Indiana was the No. 5 seed and got to the Sweet 16 with an upset win over No. 4 Temple. They got a break after No. 9 Boston College upset No. 1 North Carolina, but the Hoosiers played poorly in the regional semifinals and were upset by Boston College.
1995
- West Regional First Round, Boise, Idaho March 17, Missouri 65, Indiana 60
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 9 seed that year and lost to No. 8 seed Missouri.
1996
- Southeast Regional First Round, Orlando, Fla. March 15: Boston College 64, Indiana 51
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 6 seed, and lost to No. 11 Boston College. It was the third time that Bob Knight had lost to a double-digit seed in the first round.
1997
- East Regional First Round, Winston-Salem, N.C. March 13: Colorado 80, Indiana 62
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 9 seed and lost to No. 8 Colorado. It was the third straight year that a Bob Knight team had lost in the first round.
1998
- East Regional First/Second Round, Washington, D.C. March 12: Indiana 94, Oklahoma 87 March 14: Connecticut 78, Indiana 61
- Notes: Indiana entered the tournament as a No. 7 seed and lost to No. 2 seed Connecticut in the second round.
1999
- South Regional First/Second Round, Orlando, Fla. March 11: Indiana 108, George Washington 88 March 13: St. John's 86, Indiana 61
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 6 seed and lost to No. 3 St. John 's in the second round.
2000
- East Regional First Round, Buffalo, N.Y. March 17: Pepperdine 77, Indiana 57
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 6 seed and lost to No. 11 Pepperdine. It was the fourth time that Bob Knight had lost to a double-digit seed in the first round. It was his final NCAA Tournament game at Indiana. He would be fired six months later.
2001
- West Regional First Round, San Diego, Calif. March 15: Kent State 77, Indiana 73.
- Notes: Indiana entered as a No. 4 seed in Mike Davis' first season as head coach and were upset by No. 13 Kent State.
2002
- South Regional First/Second Rounds, Sacramento, Calif. March 14: Indiana 75, Utah 56 March 16: Indiana 76, UNC-Wilmington 67
- South Regional, Lexington, Ky. March 21: Indiana 74, Duke 73 March 23: Indiana 81, Kent State 69
- NCAA Final Four, Atlanta, Ga. March 30: Indiana 73, Oklahoma 64 April 1: Maryland 64, Indiana 52
- Notes: Indiana entered the tournament as a No. 5 seed and knocked off No. 1 Duke in the regional semifinals and avenged the 2001 loss to Kent State to advance to the Final Four, the eighth in school history, and the first for Mike Davis. They lost in the final to Maryland, a fellow Big Ten team now that was still in the ACC in 2002.
2003
- Midwest Regional First/Second Rounds, Boston, Mass. March 21: Indiana 67, Alabama 62 March 23: Pittsburgh 74, Indiana 52
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 7 seed in the Midwest and lost to No. 2 seed Pittsburgh in the second round.
2006
- Oakland Regional First/Second Rounds, Salt Lake City, Utah March 16: Indiana 87, San Diego State 83 March 18: Gonzaga 90, Indiana 80
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 6 seed and lost to No. 3 seed Gonzaga in the second round. It was Mike Davis' final game as head coach at Indiana.
2007
- West Regional First/Second Rounds, Sacramento, Calif. March 15: Indiana 70, Gonzaga 57 March 17: UCLA 54, Indiana 49
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 7 seed and lost to No. 2 seed UCLA in the second round in Kelvin Sampson's first season as the Hoosiers' head coach.
2008
- East Regional First Round, Raleigh, N.C. March 21: Arkansas 86, Indiana 72
- Notes: Indiana was coached by Dan Dakich in this game as an interim coach after Kelvin Sampson was fired late in the season. Indiana was a No. 8 seed, Arkansas No. 9.
2012
- South Regional, First/Second Round, Portland, Ore. March 15: Indiana 79, New Mexico State 66 March 17: Indiana 63, VCU 61
- South Regional, Atlanta, Ga. Kentucky 102, Indiana 90
- Notes: Indiana entered as a No. 4 seed in Tom Crean's first NCAA Tournament as Indiana's coach. They beat double-digit seeds in the first week, but lost to No. 1-seed Kentucky in the regional semifinals. Indiana had beaten Kentucky in Bloomington earlier that year on Christian Watford's game-winning shot at the buzzer.
2013
- East Regional First/Second Rounds, Dayton, Ohio March 22: Indiana 83, James Madison 62 March 24: Indiana 58, Temple 52
- East Regional, Washington, D.C. March 28: Syracuse 61, Indiana 50
- Notes: Indiana was the No. 1 seed in the East after winning the Big Ten, but lost to No. 4 seed in the regional semifinals, struggling to score against its zone defense. Tom Crean's team was ranked No. 1 in the country for 10 weeks that season, the first time holding the top spot since 1993.
2015
- Midwest Regional First Round, Omaha, Neb. March 20: Wichita State 81, Indiana 76
- Notes: Indiana was a No. 10 seed and lost to No. 7 seed Wichita State.
2016
- East Regional First/Second Round, Des Moines, Iowa March 17: Indiana 99, Chattanooga 74 March 19: Indiana 73, Kentucky 67
- East Regional, Philadelphia, Pa. March 25: North Carolina 101, Indiana 86
- Notes: Indiana upset No. 4 seed Kentucky to get to the second week, but lost to top seed North Carolina in what would be Tom Crean's final NCAA Tournament game at Indiana.
2022
- First Four, Dayton Ohio March 15: Indiana 66, Wyoming 58
- East Regional First Round, Portland, Ore. March 17: Saint Mary's 82, Indiana 53
- Notes: Indiana made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years in the first year with Mike Woodson at the helm, and won a game in Dayton in front of a huge home crowd. They were a No. 12 seed, and lost to No. 5 Saint Mary's.
2023
- Midwest Regional First/Second Rounds, Albany, N.Y. March 17: Indiana 71, Kent State 60 March 19: Miami 85, Indiana 69
- Notes: Indiana made its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Mike Woodson, and earned a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Regional after finishing tied for second in the Big Ten. They were upset by No. 5 seed Miami, who made it all the way to the Final Four
Indiana NCAA Tournament history by the numbers
- Years in tournament: 42 (sixth all-time)
- Overall record: 69-36 (seventh all-time in wins)
- National championships: 5 (tied for fourth all-time)
- Title game appearances: 6 (sixth all-time)
- Final Four appearances: 8 (tied eighth all-time)
- Record in national championship games: 5-1
- Record in Final Four games: 11-3
- Record in regional finals: 8-3
- Consolation games record: 4-0
- Losses to higher seeds: 21
- Losses to lower seeds: 15
- Losses to double-digit seeds: 5 (No. 14 Cleveland State 1986, No. 13 Richmond 1988, No. 11 Boston College 1996, No. 11 Pepperdine 2000, No. 13 Kent State 2001)
- Losses as a No. 1 to a No. 2: Kansas 1993
- Losses as a No. 1 to a No. 4: Syracuse 2013
- Losses as a No. 2 to a No. 3: Kentucky 1983, Seton Hall 1989, Kansas 1991
- Losses as a No. 3 to a No. 14: Cleveland State 1986
- Losses as No. 4 to a No. 5: Miami 2023
- Losses as No. 4 to a No. 7: Virginia 1984
- Losses as No. 4 to a No. 13: Richmond 1988, Kent State 2001
- Losses as No. 5 to a No. 9: Boston College 1994
- Losses as No. 6 to a No. 11: Boston College 1996, Pepperdine 2000)
- Losses as a No. 8 to a No. 9: California 1990, Arkansas 2008