2024 NCAA championship game: UConn vs. Purdue is 10th time No. 1 seeds meet with title on the line

Looking back at the previous times the NCAA Tournament came down to two No. 1 seeds

By Cameron Salerno Apr 7, 2024 at 5:40 pm ET• 4 min read

The matchup for the national championship game is set for Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, and it will feature No. 1 overall seed and reigning national champion UConn facing No. 1 seed Purdue. The last game of the 2023-24 college basketball season will mark the 10th matchup between No. 1 seeds for the national title.

UConn is looking to become the first time since Florida in 2006-07 to repeat as national champions. Purdue has never won a national title, and they're making its first national championship appearance since 1969 after knocking off NC State on Saturday in the Final Four.

This will mark the fourth instance of No. 1 seeds meeting for the title since 2015. The last matchup came in 2021 when No. 1 seed Baylor knocked off No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga 86-70 to claim its first national title in program history. The Bulldogs came into that game with a perfect 31-0 record before the Bears handed them their first and only loss of the season.

The third occurrence of No. 1 seeds facing off for the title was the same season UConn won its first national championship. The Huskies were a heavy betting underdog against Duke in the 1999 title game and pulled the upset behind a monster performance from former program great Richard Hamilton. Just over 25 years later, UConn is seeking its sixth title and could tie North Carolina for the third-most national championships all-time behind UCLA and Kentucky.