Champs Can Be Chumps: Ex-Kingpins UNLV & UTEP Aim to Rekindle Respect

March 17th, 2024 - 8:51

San Francisco made significant strides striving to keep up with gaudy Gonzaga in the WCC before stalling out. But USF, with the Dons' previous appearance occurring in 1998 after winning their first 11 playoff assignments in the 1950s, was the only one of total of 35 different current NCAA DI schools capturing a national championship never to appear in the playoffs in the 21st Century until securing an at-large bid two years ago. UNLV is out of the playoffs for the 11th consecutive campaign and UTEP is absent for the 14th straight season while 20 of the ex-NCAA titlists were absent from the NCAA playoffs at least 15 consecutive years when institutions were down in their doldrums.

Villanova is one of five different NCAA titlists never to be out of the playoffs at least 10 consecutive campaigns. The longest champ-to-chump stint was endured by Stanford, which captured the 1942 crown before missing the next 46 tournaments. Oklahoma, which has never won an NCAA title, boasts the most tourney losses this century in the tourney against national champion (six; 2003-07-09-13-16-19). The Sooners aren't on the following gory-years list of the longest tourney famines (shortest to longest) for former champions since the inaugural event in 1939:

Years MIA Previous Titlist NCAA Debut Longest NCAA Playoff Drought Coach(es) During Tournament Dry Spell
3 Kentucky 1942 1939 through 1941 Adolph Rupp
3 Kentucky 1942 1989 through 1991 Eddie Sutton and Rick Pitino
9 Kansas 1940 1943 through 1951 Phog Allen and Howard Engleman
9 Ohio State 1939 1951 through 1959 Floyd Stahl and Fred Taylor
9 Villanova 1939 1940 through 1948 Alex Severance
10 North Carolina 1941 1947 through 1956 Tom Scott and Frank McGuire
10 Utah 1944 1967 through 1976 Jack Gardner, Bill E. Foster and Jerry Pimm
11 North Carolina State 1950 1939 through 1949 Ray Sermon, Bob Warren, Leroy Jay and Everett Case
11 UCLA 1950 1939 through 1949 Caddy Works, Wilbur Johns and John Wooden
11 UNLV 1975 2014 through 2024 Dave Rice, Marvin Menzies, T.J. Otzelberger and Kevin Kruger
12 Connecticut 1951 1939 through 1950 Don White, Blair Gullion and Hugh Greer
12 Indiana 1940 1941 through 1952 Branch McCracken and Harry Good
12 Louisville 1951 1939 through 1950 Laurie Apitz, John Heldman, Harold Church/Walter Casey and Peck Hickman
13 Wyoming 1941 1968 through 1980 Bill Strannigan, Moe Radovich, Don DeVoe and Jim Brandenburg
13 Wyoming 1941 1989 through 2001 Benny Dees, Joby Wright, Larry Shyatt and Steve McClain
14 Texas-El Paso 1963 2011 through 2024 Tim Floyd, Rodney Terry and Joe Golding
15 Michigan 1948 1949 through 1963 Ernie McCoy, Bill Perigo and Dave Strack
16 Duke 1955 1939 through 1954 Eddie Cameron, Gerry Gerard and Harold Bradley
16 Marquette 1955 1939 through 1954 Bill Chandler, Tex Winter and Jack Nagle
17 Oklahoma State 1945 1966 through 1982 Hank Iba, Sam Aubrey, Guy Strong, Jim Killingsworth and Paul Hansen
18 Arkansas 1941 1959 through 1976 Glen Rose, Duddy Waller, Lanny Van Eman and Eddie Sutton
18 Michigan State 1957 1939 through 1956 Ben VanAlstyne, Alton Kircher, Pete Newell and Forddy Anderson
18 Michigan State 1957 1960 through 1977 Forddy Anderson, John Benington, Gus Ganakas and Jud Heathcote
18 Syracuse 1957 1939 through 1956 Lew Andreas and Marc Guley
19 Cincinnati 1958 1939 through 1957 Walter Van Winkle, Clark Ballard, Bob Reuss, Ray Famham, Socko Withe and George Smith
19 Maryland 1958 1939 through 1957 Howard Burton Shipley, Flucie Stewart and Bud Millikan
20 Holy Cross 1947 1957 through 1976 Roy Leenig, Frank Oftring, Jack Donohue and George Blaney
20 La Salle 1954 1993 through 2012 Speedy Morris, Billy Hahn and John Giannini
23 San Francisco 1955 1999 through 2021 Philip Mathews, Jessie Evans, Eddie Sutton, Rex Walters, Kyle Smith and Todd Golden
24 Arizona 1951 1952 through 1975 Fred A. Enke, Bruce Larson and Fred Snowden
29 California 1946 1961 through 1989 Rene Herrerias, Jim Padgett, Dick Edwards, Dick Kuchen and Lou Campanelli
31 Georgetown 1943 1944 through 1974 Ken Eagles, Elmer Ripley, Buddy O'Grady, Harry Jeannette, Tommy Nolan, Tom O'Keefe, Jack Magee and John Thompson Jr.
32 Loyola of Chicago 1963 1986 through 2017 Gene Sullivan, Will Rey, Ken Burmeister, Larry Farmer, Jim Whitesell and Porter Moser
33 Oregon 1939 1962 through 1994 Steve Belko, Dick Harter, Jim Haney, Don Monson and Jerry Green
37 Virginia 1976 1939 through 1975 Gus Tebell, Evan "Bus" Male, Billy McCann, Bill Gibson and Terry Holland
46 Stanford 1942 1943 through 1988 Everett Dean, Robert Burnett, Howie Dallmar, Dick DiBiaso, Tom Davis and Mike Montgomery
46 Wisconsin 1941 1948 through 1993 Bud Foster, John Erickson, John Powless, Bill Cofield, Steve Yoder and Stu Jackson
48 Florida 1987 1939 through 1986 Sam McAlister, Spurgeon Cherry, John Mauer, Norm Sloan, Tommy Bartlett and John Lotz

NOTE: UTEP moved up to major-college status in 1951 and UNLV moved up to major-college status in 1970.