Which NCAA Men’s Basketball Fanbases Have Suffered the Most?

Which NCAA men's basketball fanbases are the most long-suffering? RotoWire.com sought to find out, compiling a list of teams that frequently reach the NCAA Tournament but don't get far.

We ranked programs on how long it has been since they reached a Final Four, the Sweet 16 or the field of 68. We also gave each school one point per NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament win since they last made the Final Four (or wins overall if a school has zero Final Four appearances). This is part of our college basketball betting insight.

NCAA Men's Basketball Misery Index

The schools chosen for this story are the ones that have at least 10 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament wins all-time that haven't made a Final Four in the past decade. These schools span a wide range of conferences, both top-tier leagues and lower levels.

Check out the top college basketball promo codes at RotoWire as well.

Which CBB Teams Have Suffered The Most?

Programs who frequently show up in mid March but don't stick around long include Missouri, Boston College, Xavier and Creighton, (among others) that have never made a Final Four. Plus, it's hard to see March Madness regulars such as Tennessee and Arizona and not grimace a bit at their plight on the sport's biggest stage. That's because the Volunteers and Wildcats have regularly made it to the third round of the Big Dance of late.

Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 five times between 2014 and 2025, while making the Elite Eight twice in each of the last two years.

Out in Tucson, the story's much the same, as the Wildcats have reached the Sweet 16 six times between 2014 and 2025 and the Elite Eight twice (2014 and 2015) during that span but having zero National Semifinals appearances to show for their hardwood work.

Of the teams on our list, Arizona has the best national title odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, as of Nov. 20. The Wildcats are tied for fifth on the operator's board at +1500 to win it all.

March Madness Takeaways

Of the NCAA men's basketball programs that scored the most points across our metrics, Arizona (2001) had the most recent Final Four trip, speaking to the Wildcats' March Madness residency this century (and to the team's lack of ability to win a game in the Elite Eight or Sweet 16 rounds of the tournament itself).

Still, at least Arizona Wildcats fans can look at the school's four Final Four trips (and lone national title in 1997) and have something to hang their hats on.

Top online betting sites have odds on games, conference championships or making the Final Four.

Final Four Droughts in Men's College Basketball

Xavier is a Big East stalwart that has never made a Final Four, but the Ohio-based Catholic school can lay claim to nine Sweet 16 appearances between 1990 and 2023. The Musketeers reached the Elite Eight in 2004, 2008 and 2017 but have yet to make that last step into the final weekend of the college hoops season. They have 30 all-time NCAA Tournament game victories, the most for any school without a Final Four appearance.

For the Volunteers, it has been a case of NCAA Tournament recency bias. Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 just three times between 1967 and 2000 (1967, 1981 and 2000) but have been more consistent lately, getting to the second weekend three times in four years from 2007 and 2010.

Since arriving in Knoxville 10 years ago, Vols' head coach Rick Barnes has turned things around big time in Knoxville. The Vols have made back-to-back Elite Eight berths and four Sweet 16 appearances since the former Texas, Clemson and Rhode Island veteran came to town.

At bet365 Sportsbook, the Vols have +750 odds to be the regular-season SEC champions, tied for fourth on the operator's board with Arkansas.

For the top two teams on our list, Missouri and Boston College, in recent years they have missed The Dance entirely more often than they are accustomed to.

The Missouri Tigers have reached the Sweet 16 seven times, but not since 2009, when they got to the Elite Eight before falling short. Mizzou and Xavier both have made the NCAAs 30 times and never reached a Final Four; only BYU (32) has more.

In Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, the recent story is even bleaker. BC has only reached the Sweet 16 once this century, in 2006, and have not made the field at all since 2009. That's the longest NCAA Tournament drought of any school surveyed for this story.

Temple's glory days under legendary head coach John Chaney go by the wayside in Philly, with the American Conference member last reaching the Big Dance in 2019. Aside from that, the Owls have not made the Sweet 16 (and Elite Eight) since 2001. The school's last Final Four trip was way back in 1954.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Kansas State Wildcats haven't made a Final Four since the JFK administration, with the former doing so most recently in 1962, and the latter reaching a national semifinal in 1964.

Fans of those two programs can take solace in knowing their respective teams have experienced a fraction of the March Madness sadness that the nation's leaders in third-month misery have had over the years.

All of these schools will look to make history when the Final Four tips off next April. In the meantime, you can follow along with their college basketball odds at Rotowire.com all season.