We Shall Return: Each Final Four School Recently Reached Playoff Pinnacle
Try, try again! History repeats itself but can take longer than anyone wants or expects. For instance, the hoop-obsessed triangle including Indiana, Kentucky and Louisville is absent from the NCAA Final Four nine consecutive tournaments for the first time in history since UK was there in 2015. Nonetheless, it isn't anywhere close to a source of tourney frustration between Final Four appearances for this year's participants. Duke (three years ago), Houston (four), Auburn (six) and Florida (11) each returned to the national semifinals in a timely fashion (total of 22 years if discard COVID-condemned 2020).
Four seasons ago, Baylor participated in the Final Four for the first time since 1950. The Bears' 71-year absence between national semifinal appearances is exceeded only by Oregon (78). Houston is among the following 15 institutions going more than 35 years before returning to the Promised Land at some point in their history:
| Final Four School | Famine Years | Coaches Between Final Fours | NCAA Tournament Appearances During Lapse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 78 | Howard Hobson (1939) to Dana Altman (2017) | 13: 1945-60-61-95-00-02-03-07-08-13-14-15-16 |
| Baylor | 71 | Bill Henderson (1950) to Scott Drew (2021) | nine: 1988-08-10-12-14-15-16-17-19 |
| Wisconsin | 59 | Bud Foster (1941) to Dick Bennett (2000) | four: 1947-94-97-99 |
| Stanford | 56 | Everett Dean (1942) to Mike Montgomery (1998) | five: 1989-92-95-96-97 |
| Texas | 56 | Jack Gray (1947) to Rick Barnes (2003) | 17: 1960-63-72-74-79-89-90-91-92-94-95-96-97-99-00-01-02 |
| Loyola of Chicago | 54 | George Ireland (1964) to Porter Moser (2017) | four: 1964-66-68-85 |
| Wichita State | 48 | Gary Thompson (1965) to Gregg Marshall (2013) | seven: 1976-81-85-87-88-06-12 |
| Oklahoma State | 44 | Hank Iba (1951) to Eddie Sutton (1995) | nine: 1953-54-58-65-83-91-92-93-94 |
| Purdue | 43 | Lee Rose (1980) to Matt Painter (2024) | 31: 1983-84-85-86-87-88-90-91-93-94-95-96-97-98-99 and 2000-03-07-08-09-10-11-12-15-16-17-18-19-21-22-23 |
| Oklahoma | 41 | Bruce Drake (1947) to Billy Tubbs (1988) | six: 1979-83-84-85-86-87 |
| North Carolina State | 40 | Jim Valvano (1983) to Kevin Keatts (2024) | 17: 1985-86-87-88-89-91 and 2002-03-04-05-06-12-13-14-15-18-23 |
| Georgetown | 39 | Elmer Ripley (1943) to John Thompson Jr. (1982) | five: 1975-76-79-80-81 |
| Houston | 37 | Guy Lewis (1984) to Kelvin Sampson (2021) | six: 1987-90-92-10-18-19 |
| Illinois | 37 | Harry Combes (1952) to Lou Henson (1989) | eight: 1963-81-83-84-85-86-87-88 |
| DePaul | 36 | Ray Meyer (1943) to Ray Meyer (1979) | seven: 1953-56-59-60-65-76-78 |