Total Points Tiebreaker Guess for March Madness Pool
The Tiebreaker
If you stumbled upon this page, you were probably filling out your March Madness Bracket and started wondering what you should guess for the total points scored in the championship game. We've compiled the data since the 1950 NCAA Tournament to see what total is most likely to occur.
Past Total Scores
The table at the bottom of this page lists the score from each championship game, and more importantly the Total Points scored in each game. The totals range from 94 points in the 2011 game to 182 in the 1978 game.
Best Tiebreaker Guess
To determine the best guess, we have taken the average total from every championship game since 1950. With this data we have determined the best total to guess is............drumroll please............ 144. Of course, if you have a crystal ball and know which two teams will make it to the big game, and whether they are high or low scoring teams, you can adjust this number accordingly.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Score | Total Points |
| 2022 | Kansas (1) | North Carolina (8) | 72-69 | 141 |
| 2021 | Baylor (1) | Gonzaga (1) | 86-70 | 156 |
| 2019 | Virginia (1) | Texas Tech (3) | 79-62 | 162 |
| 2018 | Villanova (1) | Michigan (1) | 79-62 | 141 |
| 2017 | North Carolina (1) | Gonzaga (1) | 71-65 | 136 |
| 2016 | Villanova (2) | North Carolina (1) | 77-74 | 151 |
| 2015 | Duke (1) | Wisconsin (1) | 68-63 | 131 |
| 2014 | Connecticut (7) | Kentucky (8) | 60-54 | 114 |
| 2013 | Louisville (1) | Michigan (4) | 82-76 | 158 |
| 2012 | Kentucky (1) | Kansas (2) | 67-59 | 126 |
| 2011 | Connecticut (3) | Butler (8) | 53-41 | 94 |
| 2010 | Duke (1) | Butler (5) | 61-59 | 120 |
| 2009 | North Carolina (1) | Michigan State (2) | 89-72 | 161 |
| 2008 | Kansas (1) | Memphis (1) | 75-68 (OT) | 143 |
| 2007 | Florida (1) | Ohio State (1) | 84-75 | 159 |
| 2006 | Florida (3) | UCLA (1) | 73-57 | 130 |
| 2005 | North Carolina (1) | Illinois (1) | 75-70 | 145 |
| 2004 | Connecticut (2) | Georgia Tech (3) | 82-73 | 155 |
| 2003 | Syracuse (3) | Kansas (2) | 81-78 | 159 |
| 2002 | Maryland (1) | Indiana (5) | 64-52 | 116 |
| 2001 | Duke (1) | Arizona (2) | 82-72 | 154 |
| 2000 | Michigan State (1) | Florida (5) | 89-76 | 165 |
| 1999 | Connecticut (1) | Duke (1) | 77-74 | 151 |
| 1998 | Kentucky (2) | Utah (3) | 78-69 | 147 |
| 1997 | Arizona (4) | Kentucky (1) | 84-79 (OT) | 163 |
| 1996 | Kentucky (1) | Syracuse (4) | 76-67 | 143 |
| 1995 | UCLA (1) | Arkansas (2) | 89-78 | 167 |
| 1994 | Arkansas (1) | Duke (2) | 76-72 | 148 |
| 1993 | North Carolina (1) | Michigan (1) | 77-71 | 148 |
| 1992 | Duke (1) | Michigan (6) | 71-51 | 122 |
| 1991 | Duke (2) | Kansas (3) | 72-65 | 137 |
| 1990 | UNLV (1) | Duke (3) | 103-73 | 176 |
| 1989 | Michigan (3) | Seton Hall (3) | 80-79 (OT) | 159 |
| 1988 | Kansas (6) | Oklahoma (1) | 83-79 | 162 |
| 1987 | Indiana (1) | Syracuse (2) | 74-73 | 147 |
| 1986 | Louisville (2) | Duke (1) | 72-69 | 141 |
| 1985 | Villanova (8) | Georgetown (1) | 66-64 | 130 |
| 1984 | Georgetown (1) | Houston (2) | 84-75 | 159 |
| 1983 | NC State (6) | Houston (1) | 54-52 | 106 |
| 1982 | North Carolina (1) | Georgetown (1) | 63-62 | 125 |
| 1981 | Indiana (3) | North Carolina (2) | 63-50 | 113 |
| 1980 | Louisville (2) | UCLA (8) | 59-54 | 113 |
| 1979 | Michigan St. (2) | Indiana St. (1) | 75-64 | 139 |
| 1978 | Kentucky | Duke | 94-88 | 182 |
| 1977 | Marquette | North Carolina | 67-59 | 126 |
| 1976 | Indiana | Michigan | 86-68 | 154 |
| 1975 | UCLA | Kentucky | 92-85 | 177 |
| 1974 | NC State | Marquette | 76-64 | 140 |
| 1973 | UCLA | Memphis | 87-66 | 153 |
| 1972 | UCLA | Florida St. | 81-76 | 157 |
| 1971 | UCLA | Villanova | 68-62 | 130 |
| 1970 | UCLA | Jacksonville | 80-69 | 149 |
| 1969 | UCLA | Purdue | 92-72 | 164 |
| 1968 | UCLA | North Carolina | 78-55 | 133 |
| 1967 | UCLA | Dayton | 79-64 | 143 |
| 1966 | UTEP | Kentucky | 72-65 | 137 |
| 1965 | UCLA | Michigan | 91-80 | 171 |
| 1964 | UCLA | Duke | 98-83 | 181 |
| 1963 | Loyola | Cincinnati | 60-58 (OT) | 118 |
| 1962 | Cincinnati | Ohio St. | 71-59 | 130 |
| 1961 | Cincinnati | Ohio St. | 70-65 (OT) | 135 |
| 1960 | Ohio St. | California | 75-55 | 130 |
| 1959 | California | West Virginia | 71-70 | 141 |
| 1958 | Kentucky | Seattle | 84-72 | 156 |
| 1957 | North Carolina | Kansas | 54-53 (3 OT) | 107 |
| 1956 | San Francisco | Iowa | 83-71 | 154 |
| 1955 | San Francisco | La Salle | 76-73 | 149 |
| 1954 | La Salle | Bradley | 92-76 | 168 |
| 1953 | Indiana | Kansas | 69-68 | 137 |
| 1952 | Kansas | St. John's | 80-63 | 143 |
| 1951 | Kentucky | Kansas St. | 68-58 | 126 |
| 1950 | CCNY | Bradley | 71-68 | 139 |