Worst of Times: Been Worse For Power-League Members in Midst of Bad Year

What goes around comes around. Among the power-conference teams struggling mightily of late are Boston College (bound for 15th season in a row with at least 16 defeats overall and losing record in ACC), Florida State (fifth straight season posting non-winning mark in ACC), Georgetown (11th consecutive non-winning record in Big East Conference play), Marquette (headed for lowest winning percentage in 38 years after needing pair of one-point victories to avoid 12-game losing streak), Maryland (third losing overall worksheet in last five campaigns after dropping eight of first nine Big Ten Conference contests by double digits) and Penn State (17th non-winning ledger in last 18 seasons in Big Ten competition). Nevertheless, it's been worse for them.

For instance, Patrick Ewing was unable to come anywhere close to duplicating as coach his All-American success with Georgetown in the mid-1980s. In fact, the Hoyas set an all-time school record of 21 defeats after bowing in 2022 Big East Conference Tournament (only four of setbacks by fewer than seven points). At least they didn't match or surpass the all-time longest losing streak by a current power-conference member - 27 by Syracuse in the early 1960s. Hoya Paranoia reached 29 consecutive Big East competition reversals until GU prevailed against DePaul. Ewing's longest losing streak while manning the middle four seasons for GU was three setbacks in a row midway through his freshman season in 1981-82 (at Syracuse/home game vs. Connecticut/at Providence).

Jim O'Brien was the only individual to coach two current power-league members (Boston College and Ohio State) when they incurred their longest existing losing streak until BC dropped 20 in a row extending to the opener several seasons ago. Former Big East Conference rival Rutgers incurred 15 consecutive reversals to end the 2014-15 season before St. John's bowed in 16 straight decisions in 2015-16. In the middle of previous decade, Missouri wasn't the only Tigers' program in SEC sidelined by tranquilizing-inducing losing streak (13). LSU dropped 15 consecutive contests when former Tigers coach Johnny Jones frequently looked as strategically befuddled as a chief recruiter losing a satchel full of cash on a recruiting trip. Mizzou broke its all-time losing mark in 2023-24 by dropping all 18 of the Tigers' SEC regular-season outings.

Miserable season six years ago for North Carolina (14-19) included seven straight ACC setbacks en route to registering 12 reversals in a 14-game span. But at least the Tar Heels didn't set a school standard for most defeats in a row. Utah also set a new mark for futility three years ago, leaving the following list of elite basketball schools such as Creighton, Duke, Iowa, Kentucky, Carolina, Purdue, UNLV and West Virginia never reaching double figures in consecutive setbacks: