Tourney Tumult: Undefeated Regular-Season Titlists Bow in Postseason Event

March 15th, 2019 - 22:43

The "Road to the Final Four" is a highway lined with daydreamers and potholes. Ten teams from mid-major conferences - Lafayette '78, American '81, Temple '82, William & Mary '83, Coppin State '94, Davidson '96, Austin Peay '04, Davidson '05, NCCU '15 and Murray State '15 - went undefeated in league round-robin regular-season competition but didn't participate in the NCAA playoffs after losing by a single-digit margin in their conference tournament since at-large bids were issued to schools other than conference champions in 1975.

Such shunning won't happen to Gonzaga this season. But the Zags joined the following striking number of schools to go undefeated in conference competition before losing in an NCAA playoff-automatic qualifying league postseason tournament:

Year Undefeated Team (Conference) League Tourney Defeat
1951 Kentucky (14-0 in SEC) Vanderbilt, 61-57
1965 Davidson (12-0 in Southern) #4 West Virginia, 74-72 (OT)
1970 South Carolina (14-0 in ACC) #3 North Carolina State, 42-39
1978 Lafayette (10-0/East Coast/West) Temple, 71-70
1979 South Alabama (10-0 in Sun Belt) #4 Jacksonville, 85-77
1981 American University (11-0 in East Coast/East) St. Joseph's, 63-60
1982 Temple (11-0 in East Coast/East) Drexel, 61-55
1983 William & Mary (9-0 in ECAC South) #2 James Madison, 41-38
1984 North Carolina (14-0 in ACC) #4 Duke, 77-75
1984 Temple (18-0 in Atlantic 10) #5 West Virginia, 67-65
1986 Bradley (16-0 in Missouri Valley) #2 Tulsa, 74-58
1987 North Carolina (14-0 in ACC) #6 North Carolina State, 68-67
1993 New Orleans (18-0 in Sun Belt) #2 Western Kentucky, 72-63
1994 Coppin State (16-0 in Mid-Eastern Athletic) #8 Morgan State, 61-60
1994 Missouri (14-0 in Big Eight) #4 Nebraska, 98-91
1995 Xavier (14-0 in Midwestern Collegiate) #8 Wright State, 71-70
1996 Davidson (14-0 in Southern/North) #1S Western Carolina, 69-60
1996 Kentucky (16-0 in SEC/Eastern) #1W Mississippi State, 84-73
1998 Texas Christian (14-0 in Western Athletic/Pacific) #2M New Mexico, 80-73
2000 Cincinnati (16-0 in C-USA/American) #9 Saint Louis, 68-58
2002 Kansas (16-0 in Big 12) #2 Oklahoma, 64-55
2004 Austin Peay (16-0 in Ohio Valley) #2 Murray State, 66-60
2004 St. Joseph's (16-0 in Atlantic 10/East) #4W Xavier, 87-67
2005 Pacific (18-0 in Big West) #2 Utah State, 65-52
2005 Davidson (16-0 in Southern/South) UNC Greensboro, 73-68
2006 George Washington (16-0 in Atlantic 10) #9 Temple, 68-53
2012 Kentucky (16-0 in SEC) #2 Vanderbilt, 71-64
2015 North Carolina Central (16-0 in Mid-Eastern Athletic) #5 Delaware State, 63-57
2015 Murray State (16-0 in Ohio Valley/West) #3 Belmont, 88-87
2019 Gonzaga (16-0 in West Coast) #2 Saint Mary's, 60-47

NOTE: UNLV was 18-0 in the Big West in 1991-92 but ineligible to participate in postseason competition.