Thrill is Gone: DePaul, OSU & USF Combine For One NCAA Win Last 28 Years

March 17th, 2017 - 16:44

A significant number of schools turn sheepish at the mention of recent NCAA Tournament success. Among Division I institutions making at least 10 NCAA playoff appearances, seven former Final Four participants - Houston, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Princeton, San Francisco, Southern Methodist and Texas-El Paso - combined to go winless in the past 19 years.

DePaul, Oregon State and San Francisco each have won more than 20 NCAA tourney games but collaborated for only one win in the past 28 years (DePaul over Dayton in double overtime in 2004). With B.B. King "The Thrill is Gone" lyrics in the background for Minnesota, New Mexico State, Princeton and SMU after their opening-game setbacks this year, following is an alphabetical list of schools with at least 10 NCAA playoff appearances for which Sweet 16 is a distant memory:

School (Playoff Appearances) Recent NCAA Tournament Travails
Boston College (18) winless past 10 years with only one appearance
Charlotte (11) no appearance past 12 years; winless past 16 years
Clemson (11) one victory past 20 years
DePaul (22) appeared once past 17 years; one victory past 28 years
George Washington (11) one victory past 23 years
Georgia (12) one victory past 21 years
Holy Cross (13) posted first win since 1953 last season in play-in game
Houston (19) winless past 33 years
Idaho State (11) winless past 40 years
Minnesota (13) one victory past 20 years
New Mexico State (21) winless past 24 years
Old Dominion (11) one victory past 22 years
Oregon State (17) winless past 35 years
Penn (23) one victory past 37 years
Pepperdine (13) one victory past 35 years
Princeton (25) winless past 19 years
San Francisco (16) appeared once past 35 years
Santa Clara (11) no appearance past 21 years
Seattle (11) winless since 1964
Southern Methodist (12) winless past 29 years
Texas-El Paso (17) winless past 25 years
Utah State (20) one victory past 47 years
Weber State (15) winless past 18 years
Wyoming (15) one victory past 30 years