Lords of No Rings: Painter Leaves Category of Top Coaches Failing to Reach F4

Purdue's Matt Painter has gotten the monkey off his back. The Final Four missing-in-action microscope in recent years focused on a pair of pilots from Indiana universities - Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Painter) - as the most prominent active power-league coaches participating in more than a dozen tourneys never to reach the national semifinals. Brey, prior to departing to the NBA as an assistant, and Painter were in same AWOL category with all-time greats John Chaney, Fran Dunphy, Lefty Driesell, Gene Keady and Norm Stewart - retired luminaries failing to advance to the national semifinals in a total of 81 NCAA Tournaments before Dunphy returned to coaching ranks at his alma mater (La Salle). "It's so difficult not being able to make that final step," said Chaney, who lost five regional finals with Temple.

Recently-deceased Driesell made 11 NCAA playoff appearances with Davidson and Maryland from 1966 through 1986. "I always wanted to get to the Final Four, but not as much as some people think," said Driesell, who lost four regional finals. "I'm not obsessed with it."

Only four schools - North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown and Syracuse - supplied more NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans from 1982 through 1992 than Stewart-coached Missouri (seven). It was particularly frustrating for Mizzou fans when the Tigers compiled a 4-8 NCAA tourney worksheet in that span.

Some mentors never will receive the accolades they deserve because of failing to reach the Promised Land. Exhibit A much of this century was Purdue, where Keady and Painter combined for 32 NCAA tourney appearances without advancing to national semifinals until Painter took care of business this year in his 15th trip to the playoffs with the Boilermakers. There were 100,000 reasons Sean Miller joined this dubious list after dismal first-round loss against Buffalo in 2018 despite bringing freshman phenom Deandre Ayton to Arizona in some form or fashion (cause or no cause). Miller needed a safe space on campus to curl up in fetal position stemming from eventual fallout from FBI probe prior to returning to Xavier, but the following "Generation Hex" list - with Painter exiting - includes prominent coaches without a Final Four berth on their resume despite more than 10 NCAA Tournament appearances: