Unfinished Business: Bama, BYU, Mizzou & USU Remain Haunted by Final 4
March 28th, 2021 - 20:57
Weep On It/Think On It/Sleep On It/Drink On It. That could be the motto for Alabama, Brigham Young, Missouri and Utah State after they remained "Susan Lucci" schools in Division I by failing to advance again to the Promised Land. BYU, Missouri and Xavier are the only three schools participating in more than 25 NCAA Tournaments but never advancing to a Final Four.
Missouri has reached a regional final on four occasions but fell short in advancing to the Final Four. Three years ago, Xavier joined Mizzou (1994) as the only schools never reaching the national semifinals despite earning a #1 seed at some point during their NCAA playoff participation. Boston College is another bridesmaid multiple times comparable to Xavier, losing three regional finals (1967, 1982 and 1994) in 18 tourney appearances (22-19 record) since the field expanded beyond eight teams in 1950.
The following "Low Five" frustrated institutions remain in quagmire because they've made more than 20 appearances without reaching the Final Four:
School Tourney Appearances (Playoff Record Through 2021) Regional Final Losses Utah State 22 (6-24 mark, .200) 1970 Brigham Young 30 (15-33, .313) 1951 and 1981 Missouri 28 (22-28, .440) 1976, 1994, 2002 and 2009 Alabama 22 (23-22, .511) 2004 Xavier 28 (28-28, .500) 2004, 2008 and 2017