The 13 Longest Active March Madness Droughts

On Sunday, we learned which teams will be playing for a national championship when the bracket for this year’s NCAA Tournament was unveiled. There were a few surprises, but the announcement also sealed the fate of a number of schools that saw a lengthy March Madness drought officially extended by another year.

As things currently stand, there are more than 350 Division I schools competing for one of the 68 spots in the NCAA Tournament, and it goes without saying earning one is much easier said than done.

That’s especially true for the teams in the smaller conferences that are historically represented by whatever squad ends up earning the automatic bid that tends to be their only realistic chance at partaking in March Madness—including the ones that are responsible for the longest active droughts in the country.

To help you process just how long it’s been, I’ve also picked some notable events from the last time each team played in the tournament to really put things in perspective.

Dartmouth: 66 Years

1959, THE SAME YEAR THAT: Alaska and Hawaii became states

There are only eight teams in the Ivy League, but that hasn’t prevented a few of its members from becoming responsible for three of the longest active March Madness droughts.

The first is Dartmouth, which has the dubious distinction of being left on the outside looking in for longer than any other program in the country.

The Big Green did earn a spot in the national championship game in 1942 and 1944 (it’s worth noting the NIT was viewed as the most prestigious postseason tournament until the 1950s) but have not gotten an invite since losing in the first round in 1959.

Tennessee Tech: 62 Years

1963, THE SAME YEAR THAT: John F. Kennedy was assassinated

Tennessee Tech has only played in the NCAA Tournament two times since the program was founded: one-and-done appearances in 1958 and 1963.

The Golden Eagles have had the best record in the Ohio Valley Conference four times since then (including three regular season titles in the span of five years at the start of the millennium), but they’ve been unable to get the tournament win required to get an automatic bid.

Bowling Green: 57 Years

1968, THE SAME YEAR THAT: Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated

Bowling Green had four NCAA Tournament appearances between 1959 and 1968, and the last one saw them head home after a single game after Bill Fitch coached them to an 18-7 record in his first and only year as head coach.

It’s been largely downhill from there, as nine different coaches have been unable to get over the hump during their time with the Falcons; Bowling Green has had the best record in the MAC five times since then but has also come up empty in its conference tournament all 32 times it’s played in it.

Columbia: 57 Years

1968, THE SAME YEAR THAT: The first interracial kiss aired on television

We’ve got our second Ivy League team on the list courtesy of Columbia (it’s worth noting Harvard and Yale also had lengthy droughts they were eventually able to snap; the Crimson ended a 66-year streak in 2012, while, the Bulldogs returned after a 54-year absence in 2016).

1968 marked the third time the Lions competed in the NCAA Tournament, and their win in the third-place game marked their best result to date.

Unfortunately, they haven’t gotten the chance to improve on it by virtue of their inability to make it back to March Madness since then.

 

Seattle: 56 Years

1969, THE SAME YEAR THAT: Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon

This one comes with an asterisk, as financial issues led to Seattle leaving the NCAA for the NAIA in 1980 before making their grand return to the Division I level in 2008.

Elgin Baylor is the most notable of the many NBA players who played for the team now known as the Redhawks in the 1950s and 1960s, and they made the NCAA Tournament 11 times in 17 seasons starting in 1953 (peaking with a loss to Kentucky in the championship game in 1958).

However, they fell off the map in the wake of their final appearance in 1969 and have struggled to reappear since joining the WAC in 2012.

 

Rice: 55 Years

1970, THE SAME YEAR THAT: The AFL merged with the NFL

Rice played in the NCAA tournament four times between 1940 and 1970 but didn’t manage to win a single game in any of those appearances.

Those performances may have left a lot to be desired, but it’s certainly better than missing it every single year since 1970—which is also the last time the Owls were the regular season champions in any of the conferences they’ve been a member of.

More than 50 years of history is not on their side, as Rice has not only failed to win a conference tournament but has never made it to a championship game.

 

VMI: 48 Years

1977, THE SAME YEAR THAT: The first Star Wars movie came out 

The Virginia Military Institute played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1964 but lost in the first round before returning in 1976 to kick off a run that saw the Keydets make it all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to Rutgers.

They had the chance to improve on that performance when they returned in 1977 but were sent packing with a loss to Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen (which was the second round at the time).

VMI has spent close to 50 years attempting to recapture that magic to no avail.

Toledo: 45 Years

1980, THE SAME YEAR THAT: Mount St. Helens erupted

Holy Toledo, it’s been a long time!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Anyway, Toledo first played in the NCAA Tournament in 1954, which marked the first of four straight decades where it had exactly one appearance.

That included back-to-back nods in 1979 and 1980, but that momentum was quickly extinguished as it kicked off the drought it’s been unable to snap despite winning the regular season MAC crown seven times (including a four-year run between 2021 and 2024 that failed to translate into any conference tournament wins).

Houston Christian: 41 Years

1984, THE SAME YEAR THAT: The MPAA introduced the PG-13 rating 

This is another one with an asterisk, as Houston Christian made its first (and only) NCAA Tournament in 1984—five years before the program took a two-year hiatus prior to dropping down to the NAIA level in 1991.

They returned to Division I in the 2008 season but haven’t even come close to March Madness since then; the 17-14 record they posted during the 2016-17 campaign is the only time they’ve been above .500 since coming back.

Brown: 39 Years

1986, THE SAME YEAR THAT: The Chernobyl disaster unfolded

We’ve got our third and final Ivy League team courtesy of Brown (if you’re wondering, Princeton and Penn have historically been the conference’s juggernauts with 50 combined appearances compared to the 30 the rest of the pack is responsible for).

The Bears are dead last on the list of NCAA Tournament appearances with two, and they actually had to wait 47 years before their first in 1939 and most recent one in 1986.

Jacksonville: 39 Years

1986, THE SAME YEAR THAT: Top Gun came out

Jacksonville had a pretty good run in the 1970s, as the Dolphins earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament four times during the decade (including a loss to UCLA in the national championship in 1970) before making the fifth appearance in school history in 1986.

Unfortunately, they’re still in search of their sixth.

They did have back-to-back ASUN regular season title wins starting in 2009, but they ultimately fell short in the conference tournament (they’ve lost three times in the championship game since joining in 1998).

Idaho State: 38 Years

1987, THE SAME YEAR THAT: Ronald Reagan called for the Berlin Wall to be torn down

Idaho State made the NCAA Tournament for eight consecutive years beginning in 1953, but they had to wait a while before returning a couple of times in the 1970s.

It’s been a pretty rough stretch for the Bengals since their last invite in 1987, as they’ve only finished above .500 five times while appearing (and losing) in the Big Sky championship game a single time in 1994.

Marist: 38 Years

1987, THE SAME YEAR THAT: Smoking was banned inside federal buildings in the United States

We’re capping things off with Marist, who got their first taste of March Madness in 1986 before making it back to the tourney the following year.

Unfortunately, that marked the peak for the Red Foxes.

They currently play in the MAAC and had the chance to snap the streak with a win over Iona in the conference championship game in 2023 before Iona blew them out with a 76-55 victory.