The Thrill is Gone: Marquee Schools Go From NCAA Headlines to Heartaches

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, eight former Final Four participants - Holy Cross, Houston, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Princeton, San Francisco, Southern Methodist and Texas-El Paso - combined to go winless in the past 16 years.

DePaul, Oregon State and San Francisco each have won more than 20 NCAA tourney games but collaborated for only one win in the last 25 years (DePaul over Dayton in double overtime in 2004). With B.B. King "The Thrill is Gone" lyrics in the background, 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
Charlotte (11)	no appearance last 9 years; winless last 13 years
Clemson (11)	one victory last 17 years
DePaul (22)	appeared once last 14 years; one victory last 25 years
George Washington (11)	one victory last 20 years
Georgia (11)	one victory last 18 years
Holy Cross (12)	winless since 1953
Houston (19)	winless last 30 years
Idaho State (11)	winless last 37 years
Iowa (23)	one victory last 15 years
Minnesota (12)	one victory last 17 years
New Mexico State (19)	winless last 21 years
Old Dominion (11)	one victory last 19 years
Oregon State (16)	winless last 32 years
Penn (23)	one victory last 34 years
Pepperdine (13)	one victory last 32 years
Princeton (24)	winless last 16 years
San Francisco (16)	appeared once last 32 years
Santa Clara (11)	no appearance last 18 years
Seattle (11)	winless since 1964
Southern Methodist (10)	no appearance last 21 years; winless last 26 years
Texas-El Paso (17)	winless last 22 years
Utah State (20)	one victory last 44 years
Weber State (14)	winless last 15 years
Wyoming (14)	one victory last 27 years