The 9 Biggest Blowouts In The History Of The Final Four

From Ohio State's 26-point win over St. Joseph's to Villanova's 44-point thrashing of Oklahoma, these are the most lopsided games in Final Four history.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 2:06pm

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The Final Four features the best teams in the country, but there have been several instances where one school has handed its opponent a blowout loss. This article takes a deep dive into the college basketball history books to uncover the biggest blowouts that have occurred during the Final Four stage of the NCAA Tournament.

Why it matters

Watching a team dominate its opponent in the Final Four can be entertaining for fans of the winning team, but most neutral observers prefer close, competitive games. These lopsided results provide insight into the occasional imbalance of power at the highest level of college basketball.

The details

The article covers the 9 biggest blowouts in Final Four history, starting with Ohio State's 95-69 win over St. Joseph's in 1961 (a 26-point margin) and ending with Villanova's historic 95-51 thrashing of Oklahoma in 2016 (a 44-point blowout). In between, the list includes Kansas' 79-53 victory over Washington in 1953, Purdue's 92-65 rout of North Carolina in 1969, UNLV's 103-73 demolition of Duke in the 1990 national championship game, and several other decisive wins.

  • The NCAA Tournament was first played in 1939, but the 'Final Four' was not introduced until 1951.
  • The article focuses on blowouts that occurred from 1951 onward, excluding earlier lopsided games like Kentucky's 29-point win over Illinois in 1949 and Oklahoma A&M's 68-41 defeat of Arkansas in 1945.

The players

Ohio State

The Buckeyes earned a spot in the 1961 national championship game after routing St. Joseph's by 26 points in the Final Four.

Kansas

The Jayhawks have appeared on this list twice, first with a 79-53 win over Washington in 1953 and again with a 94-61 thrashing of Marquette in 2003.

Purdue

The Boilermakers handed North Carolina a 27-point loss in the 1969 Final Four before falling to UCLA in the championship game.

UNLV

The Runnin' Rebels delivered the biggest blowout in national championship game history, defeating Duke by 30 points (103-73) in 1990.

Villanova

The Wildcats hold the record for the largest margin of victory in a Final Four game, routing Oklahoma by 44 points (95-51) in 2016 before winning the national title.

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What they’re saying

“Watching one team wipe the floor with the one they're facing off against in the Final Four can be an entertaining experience if you root for the victor, despise the loser, or had a non-busted bracket that relied on the winning team to come out on top to keep your hopes of winning a pool alive.”

— Connor Toole, Author

“However, I think most neutral fans would prefer to be treated to some nailbiters while watching the last four teams in the running compete for a national championship. Unfortunately, that can't be the case every single time.”

— Connor Toole, Author

The takeaway

These lopsided Final Four results highlight the occasional imbalance of power at the highest level of college basketball, where one team can completely dominate its opponent on the sport's biggest stage. While blowouts can be entertaining for fans of the winning team, most neutral observers prefer close, competitive games that go down to the wire.