College basketball fans often talk about the teams that have never made an NCAA Tournament, but spare a thought for those schools that haven’t qualified for a single March Madness bracket in decades.
Fortunately, hope springs eternal. Every season, long-suffering programs have a chance to remove themselves from this list by winning their conference tournament.
In 2024, this was best exemplified by the Duquesne Dukes, who won the Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament and ended an NCAA Tournament drought that dated all the way back to 1977.
Longest NCAA Tournament Droughts
| Team | Last Tournament Appearance | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho State | 1987 | Big Sky |
| Marist | 1987 | MAAC |
| Jacksonville | 1986 | Atlantic Sun |
| Brown | 1986 | Ivy |
| Houston Christian | 1984 | Southland |
| Toledo | 1980 | MAC |
| VMI | 1977 | SoCon |
| Rice | 1970 | C-USA |
| Seattle | 1969 | WAC |
| Bowling Green | 1968 | MAC |
| Columbia | 1968 | Ivy |
| Tennessee Tech | 1963 | Ohio Valley |
| Dartmouth | 1959 | Ivy |
March Madness Tournament Droughts
Last season, Furman ended its 42-year drought by winning the SoCon Basketball Tournament. The Paladins defeated Chattanooga in the 2023 championship game to earn their first tournament berth since 1980.
Also in 2023, Toledo nearly ended its 42-year drought. Though the Rockets did earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, they ultimately lost to Kent State in the championship game.
History repeated itself this year when Toledo clinched the No. 1 seed in the MAC basketball tournament but lost to the Golden Flashes in the quarterfinals.
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