Worst of Times: Detroit is Down in Dumps With Pair of 25-Plus Losing Streaks

You can't deny things could get any more demonstrably dismal in Detroit when the success-starved Lions squandered a 24-7 halftime lead in NFC Championship trying to reach their first-ever Super Bowl. As for basketball in the aftermath of the Pistons' historic NBA 28-game losing streak, it doesn't seem possible but the U of D Titans are closing in on matching such derisive descent with a school record for consecutive defeats in the same season. Don't tell denizens Dave DeBusschere, Spencer Haywood and Dick Vitale, but win deprivation can happen to the best among us.

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). Despite Ewing's departure, the Hoyas are bound for their ninth straight non-winning record in league competition. As for DePaul, the Blue Demons set a new losing streak record by the end of the regular season this campaign.

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. Thus, DePaul and Missouri have an entire offseason sizing up what to do to avoid catching up to Syracuse.

Miserable season four 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 two 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: