Most March Madness appearances without an NCAA Tournament win
Getting to the NCAA Tournament is an impressive milestone for a college basketball program. Only 68 teams earn an invitation to March Madness during a given year, which makes the odds of winning an NCAA Tournament game even more difficult.
Those odds obviously increase if you hear your name called more often on Selection Sunday, giving a program plenty of bites at the apple if they can win their league enough or earn an at-large bid to March Madness. Which programs have gone to the NCAA Tournament the most without getting a victory?
Most NCAA Tournament appearances without a win
Team | Conference | NCAA Tournament Appearances | Most Recent Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
Iona | MAAC | 16 | 2023 |
Boise State | Mountain West | 9 | 2023 |
Eastern Kentucky | Atlantic Sun | 8 | 2014 |
Colgate | Patriot | 7 | 2024 |
LIU | NEC | 7 | 2018 |
Louisiana-Monroe | Sun Belt | 7 | 1996 |
Nebraska | Big Ten | 7 | 2014 |
South Dakota State | Summit | 7 | 2024 |
The program with the most NCAA Tournament appearances without a win is Iona, which has gone dancing 16 times out of the MAAC. This streak does have a bit of an asterisk as Iona did win an NCAA Tournament game in 1980 but had to vacate the win after learning that its star player, forward Jeff Ruland, had signed with an agent prior to the dance. The Gaels may lay claim to being March Madness' most snakebitten team with its first five losses coming by a combined 11 points, including a buzzer-beater by Syracuse in 1998, and blowing the largest lead in NCAA Tournament history when they fell to BYU in the 2012 First Four.
The next-longest drought belongs to Boise State, which has made nine unsuccessful trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Broncos appear well-situated to earn an at-large this year, giving them an opportunity to pick up their first victory in their tenth try.
Another mid-major on this list is Eastern Kentucky, which has gone winless in eight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Colonels haven't gone dancing since 2014 so they won't have a chance to get off the schneid this year.
Five other programs are tied with seven winless NCAA Tournament trips, including Nebraska and South Dakota State. The Cornhuskers may get a chance to get off this list if they earn an at-large trip to March Madness while the Jackrabbits punched their ticket to the dance by winning the Summit League Tournament earlier this week.
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