Odds Boiling Over Against Purdue Reaching F4 Let Alone Winning NCAA Title
Someone has to be first but the odds will be stacked against Purdue if it loses again as the nation's top-ranked team. The Boilermakers, after losing at Northwestern and Nebraska while ranked #1 this season, face an uphill battle reaching the Final Four, let alone capturing their first NCAA championship. Last year, Purdue became the 22nd team to lose at least three times atop the national polls in the same campaign and subsequently fail to win the national title.
Did you know that Northwestern (defeating Vanderbilt in 2017 and Boise State in 2023) and Nebraska (winless in seven tourney contests) have combined for an anemic total of two NCAA playoff victories in their power-league histories? If Purdue succumbs again as a #1, the Boilers will be the first school to endure back-to-back campaigns losing three times as the nation's top-ranked club.
Only four of the first 22 squads in this category reached the Final Four (including Michigan '65 and Georgetown '85 succumbing in national final). Following is a chronological look at NCAA playoff progress for schools with at least three defeats as the nation's top-ranked team in a single season:
| Season | #1 Three-Time Loser | Opponents Beating Same #1 Team | What Happened to #1? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-52 | Kentucky | Minnesota/St. Louis/St. John's | UK lost in regional final |
| 1953-54 | Indiana | Oregon State/Northwestern/Notre Dame | IU lost in regional semifinals |
| 1964-65 | Michigan* | Nebraska/St. John's/Ohio State/UCLA | UM lost in national final |
| 1973-74 | UCLA | Notre Dame/Oregon State/Oregon | UCLA lost in national semifinals |
| 1983-84 | North Carolina | Arkansas/Duke/Indiana | UNC lost in regional semifinals |
| 1984-85 | Georgetown | St. John's/Syracuse/Villanova | Hoyas lost in national final |
| 1985-86 | North Carolina | Virginia/Maryland/North Carolina State | UNC lost in regional semifinals |
| 1989-90 | Kansas | Missouri (twice)/Oklahoma | KU lost in NCAA second round |
| 1992-93 | Indiana | Kansas (twice)/Ohio State | IU lost in regional final |
| 1993-94 | North Carolina* | UMass/Georgia Tech (twice)/Boston College | UNC lost in NCAA second round |
| 1997-98 | Duke | Michigan/North Carolina (twice) | Duke lost in regional final |
| 1997-98 | North Carolina | Maryland/North Carolina State/Utah | UNC lost in national semifinals |
| 1999-00 | Cincinnati | Xavier/Temple/Saint Louis | UC lost in NCAA second round |
| 2000-01 | Stanford | UCLA/Arizona/Maryland | Stanford lost in regional final |
| 2001-02 | Duke | Florida State/Maryland/Indiana | Duke lost in regional semifinals |
| 2002-03 | Arizona | Louisiana State/Stanford/UCLA | UA lost in regional final |
| 2005-06 | Duke | Georgetown/Florida State/North Carolina | Duke lost in regional semifinal |
| 2012-13 | Indiana | Butler/Illinois/Minnesota | IU lost in regional semifinal |
| 2016-17 | Villanova | Butler/Marquette/Wisconsin | Nova lost in NCAA second round |
| 2018-19 | Duke* | Gonzaga/Syracuse/north Carolina/Michigan State | Duke lost in regional final |
| 2021-22 | Gonzaga | Duke/Saint Mary's/Arkansas | GU lost in regional semifinal |
| 2022-23 | Purdue* | Rutgers/Indiana/Northwestern/Fairleigh Dickinson | Purdue lost in NCAA first round |
*Michigan '65, North Carolina '94, Duke '19 and Purdue '23 are the only teams to lose four times in a single season when ranked #1.