False Starts: BYU Atop List of Early Exits Marring NCAA Playoff Participation

The law of averages was with Brigham Young when it manufactured the greatest comeback in NCAA Tournament history, erasing a 25-point deficit to frustrate Iona, 78-72, in one of the First Four games. The rally prevented the Cougars from compiling their NCAA playoff-record 18th opening-round loss.

North Carolina A&T State has appeared in the NCAA playoffs the most times (nine) without winning a tournament game. Northeast Louisiana, now known as Louisiana-Monroe, is runner-up in this dubious category with an 0-7 record. But these winless universities still have a long way to go to join the ranks of the "quick exit" schools with more than a dozen opening-round defeats.

Connecticut, after absorbing nine opening-round losses in 17 years from 1951 through 1967, had the most opening-round setbacks for years. But the Huskies didn't incur an opening-round reversal for 28 years until suffering two in the last five seasons. St. John's suffered eight opening-round losses in a 20-year stretch from 1973 through 1992.

Maryland was the first school to incur at least 10 NCAA Tournament defeats but never absorb an opening-round setback until the Terrapins lost to Santa Clara in 1996. Missouri, Temple and West Virginia showed this year why they are on the following list of schools most prone to sustaining an opening-round defeat: