Fall-Americans: NCAA Consensus First-Teamers Failing to Reach Sweet 16
This year marks the first time four available NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans - three from Big Ten Conference - failed to reach the national tournament Sweet 16 since 1975 when field expanded to 32 teams and every entrant had to win at least one game before advancing to regional semifinals. Hopefully, none of the dearly departed will cross over to women's tourney to try to be hoops version of Lia Thomas. The only first-teamer boasting a regional final playoff pulse was Kansas' Ochai Agbaji.
Four consensus first-teamers didn't reach Sweet 16 in 2000 but one of them was injured (Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin broke his right leg in C-USA Tournament). There has been only one year (2006) when every consensus first-teamer appeared in Sweet 16 since seeding was introduced in 1979.
Creighton's Doug McDermott is the only first-teamer in that span failing to play in second weekend three straight seasons (2012 through 2014) and DePaul's Mark Aguirre is lone first-teamer to be eliminated in opening round in back-to-back years (1980 and 1981). Following in reverse order is list of NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans failing to appear in Sweet 16 since 1975:
| Year | NCAA Consensus First-Team All-Americans Failing to Reach Sweet 16 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin), Keegan Murray (Iowa) and Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky^) |
| 2021 | Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State), Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois) and Luka Garza (Iowa) |
| 2020 | tourney cancelled |
| 2019 | Ja Morant (Murray State) |
| 2018 | Deandre Ayton (Arizona^) and Trae Young (Oklahoma^) |
| 2017 | Josh Hart (Villanova) |
| 2016 | Ben Simmons (Louisiana State/dnp), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky) and Denzel Valentine (Michigan State^) |
| 2015 | D'Angelo Russell (Ohio State) |
| 2014 | Doug McDermott (Creighton) and Jabari Parker (Duke^) |
| 2013 | Doug McDermott (Creighton), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga) and Otto Porter (Georgetown^) |
| 2012 | Doug McDermott (Creighton) |
| 2011 | JaJuan Johnson (Purdue) |
| 2010 | Sherron Collins (Kansas) and Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) |
| 2009 | Stephen Curry (Davidson/dnp) and James Harden (Arizona State) |
| 2008 | Michael Beasley (Kansas State) |
| 2007 | Kevin Durant (Texas) and Alando Tucker (Wisconsin) |
| 2006 | none |
| 2005 | Chris Paul (Wake Forest), Wayne Simien (Kansas^) and Hakim Warrick (Syracuse^) |
| 2004 | Andre Emmett (Texas Tech), Ryan Gomes (Providence^) and Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State) |
| 2003 | Josh Howard (Wake Forest) and David West (Xavier) |
| 2002 | Dan Dickau (Gonzaga^) and Steve Logan (Cincinnati) |
| 2001 | Joseph Forte (North Carolina) and Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) |
| 2000 | A.J. Guyton (Indiana^), Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati), Chris Mihm (Texas) and Troy Murphy (Notre Dame/dnp) |
| 1999 | Andre Miller (Utah) and Jason Terry (Arizona^) |
| 1998 | Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce (Kansas) |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan (Wake Forest) and Danny Fortson (Cincinnati) |
| 1996 | Kerry Kittles (Villanova) |
| 1995 | Shawn Respert (Michigan State^) and Damon Stoudamire (Arizona^) |
| 1994 | Jason Kidd (California^) |
| 1993 | Penny Hardaway (Memphis State^) and Bobby Hurley (Duke) |
| 1992 | Harold Miner (Southern California), Alonzo Mourning (Georgetown) and Shaquille O'Neal (Louisiana State) |
| 1991 | Kenny Anderson (Georgia Tech), Shaquille O'Neal (Louisiana State^) and Billy Owens (Syracuse^) |
| 1990 | Chris Jackson (Louisiana State), Gary Payton Sr. (Oregon State^) and Lionel Simmons (La Salle) |
| 1989 | Chris Jackson (Louisiana State^) |
| 1988 | Hersey Hawkins (Bradley^) |
| 1987 | David Robinson (Navy^) |
| 1986 | Steve Alford (Indiana^), Walter Berry (St. John's) and Len Bias (Maryland) |
| 1985 | Johnny Dawkins (Duke) and Xavier McDaniel (Wichita State^) |
| 1984 | Wayman Tisdale (Oklahoma^) |
| 1983 | Dale Ellis (Tennessee), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) and Wayman Tisdale (Oklahoma) |
| 1982 | Terry Cummings (DePaul^) and Quintin Dailey (San Francisco^) |
| 1981 | Mark Aguirre (DePaul^) and Steve Johnson (Oregon State^) |
| 1980 | Mark Aguirre (DePaul^) and Michael Brooks (La Salle^) |
| 1979 | Mike Gminski (Duke^) |
| 1978 | Larry Bird (Indiana State/dnp), Phil Ford (North Carolina^), Butch Lee (Marquette^) and Mychal Thompson (Minnesota/dnp) |
| 1977 | Kent Benson (Indiana/dnp), Otis Birdsong (Houston/dnp) and Bernard King (Tennessee^) |
| 1976 | John Lucas (Maryland/dnp) |
| 1975 | David Thompson (North Carolina State/dnp due to probation) |
^Lost opening-round game.
NOTE: Martin was injured (broke his right leg in C-USA Tournament).