‘Big Ten Dominance’: Which NCAA championships have conference teams won this school year?

TL;DR

Michigan's victory over Connecticut secured the Big Ten's first men's basketball title in 26 years, marking a historic achievement for the conference. This year, the Big Ten became the first conference to have three different schools win national titles in football and both men's and women's basketball in the same season.

Key points

Michigan won the men's basketball national championship
Big Ten ended its 26-year title drought in men's basketball
Big Ten teams won titles in football and both basketballs this year
First conference with three different schools winning titles in one year
SEC achieved similar success in the 2006-07 season

MichiganNCAABig TenSEC

As Michigan wrapped up its 69-63 win over Connecticut on April 6 in Indianapolis, CBS Sports announcer Ian Eagle made the final call of the men’s basketball season.

“And it’s over,” Eagle said. “Hail to the champions. Hail to Michigan.”

He could have added, “Hail to the Big Ten,” too.

With Michigan’s national championship victory, the Big Ten didn’t just end its 26-year men’s basketball title drought.

It also became the first conference to have three different schools win a national title in football and men’s and women’s basketball in the same school year since the NCAA started a women’s basketball tournament in 1982. The SEC is the only other conference to win all three titles in the same school year, with Florida winning in football and men’s basketball and Tennessee in women’s basketball in 2006-07.

The Big Ten is reveling in the success.

On its website, the conference sells a T-shirt for $39.99 that declares “Big Ten Dominance” and spells out the details of the national championships for Indiana football, Michigan men’s basketball and UCLA women’s basketball.

And that’s not all. Across social media after Michigan’s win, the conference touted that Big Ten institutions had won nine national championships this school year, though two of those — Wisconsin women’s ice hockey and UCLA men’s water polo — were in sports the Big Ten doesn’t sponsor and another, Ohio State pistol, was in a non-NCAA-sanctioned sport. USC women’s water polo, another sport not sponsored by the conference, has since won a 10th national championship by a Big Ten school.

The current conditions of college sports in the transfer portal era undoubtedly have a hand in the success. This is the second year of the 18-team Big Ten with the addition of four West Coast schools, three of which have won four of the national titles. It’s also the first year of revenue sharing with athletes, and many of the massive Big Ten schools with passionate alumni bases and big athletic department staffs are set up to succeed in these circumstances.

With spring sports championships ahead, the conference has the opportunity to add to its haul. UCLA baseball is ranked No. 1, Nebraska softball is No. 2 and Northwestern and Maryland women’s lacrosse are Nos. 1 and 3 in rankings through April 27.

In the middle of a banner school year, here’s a look at the NCAA championships that Big Ten schools have won and how they fit within conference history.

Q&A

What NCAA championships did Big Ten teams win this school year?

Big Ten teams won national titles in football and both men's and women's basketball this school year.

How long was the Big Ten's men's basketball title drought?

The Big Ten's men's basketball title drought lasted 26 years before Michigan's victory.

Which other conference has achieved similar NCAA championship success?

The SEC is the only other conference to have three different schools win national titles in football and both men's and women's basketball in the same school year.

When did the NCAA start the women's basketball tournament?

The NCAA started the women's basketball tournament in 1982.