Unfinished Business: Xavier Still Seeking First Final Four Appearance
March 24th, 2017 - 7:41
Weep On It/Think On It/Sleep On It/Drink On It. That could be the motto for Xavier after the Musketeers remained a "Susan Lucci" school in Division I by losing to Gonzaga in NCAA Tournament West Regional final, preventing them from reaching the Promised Land. Brigham Young, 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. 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 list of five frustrated institutions are in a quagmire because they've made a minimum of 20 appearances without reaching the Final Four:
School Tourney Appearances (Playoff Record Through 2017) Regional Final Losses Utah State 20 (6-22 mark, .214) 1970 Brigham Young 29 (15-32, .319) 1951 and 1981 Missouri 26 (22-26, .458) 1976, 1994, 2002 and 2009 Alabama 20 (20-20, .500) 2004 Xavier 27 (27-27, .500) 2004, 2008 and 2017