Revenge of the Nerds: Harvard First School Earning Berth in NCAA Playoffs

March 7th, 2014 - 20:49

If your RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) isn't satisfactory, then it's time to R.I.P. (Rest in Peace). That certainly was the case for Harvard, the Rip Van Winkle of college basketball, until the Crimson woke up and secured its first NCAA playoff victory last year. It was only two years ago when Harvard secured its first NCAA berth since losing two games in 1946.

Harvard, which has supplied more U.S. presidents (seven) than NBA players (three), frequently is ranked #1 in U.S. News College Compass among the nation's best colleges. Amid all of the bubble bullspit, the Crimson became the first team earning a berth in the 2014 NCAA Tournament by capturing the Ivy League regular-season championship prior to winning an opening-round NCAA tourney game for the second year in a row.

Stanford and Wisconsin, a pair of relatively recent Final Four schools, tied with Brown for the longest dry spell in NCAA Tournament history for prior playoff participants before Harvard ended its long drought. Following are the 16 schools - with Iowa State, Saint Louis and Wisconsin joining Harvard in this year's event - participating in the tourney at least once before enduring playoff appearance droughts of at least 34 years (length of dry spells denoted in parentheses):

School Years Failing to Appear Years Without a Tourney Victory
Harvard 1947 through 2011 (65) Won first game in 2013
Brown 1940 through 1985 (46) Never won a playoff game
Stanford 1943 through 1988 (46) 1943 through 1994 (52)
Wisconsin 1948 through 1993 (46) 1948 through 1993 (46)
Air Force 1963 through 2003 (41) Never won a playoff game
Lafayette 1958 through 1998 (41) Never won a playoff game
Iowa State 1945 through 1984 (40) 1945 through 1985 (41)
Washington State 1942 through 1979 (38) 1942 through 1982 (41)
Baylor 1951 through 1987 (37) 1951 through 2009 (59)
Canisius 1958 through 1994 (37) Hasn't won since 1957
Miami (FL) 1961 through 1997 (37) Won first game in 1999
Drake 1972 through 2007 (36) Hasn't won since 1971
Saint Louis 1958 through 1993 (36) 1953 through 1994 (42)
Butler 1963 through 1996 (34) 1963 through 2000 (38)
Manhattan 1959 through 1992 (34) 1959 through 1994 (36)
Montana State 1952 through 1985 (34) Never won a playoff game

NOTES: Tulsa didn't win an NCAA playoff game from 1956 through 1993 (38 years). . . . Holy Cross (last victory in 1953) and Rice (1954) haven't won an NCAA Tournament game for extended periods. . . . Miami (Fla.) did not field a formal team from 1971-72 through 1984-85.