The 10 Worst High Major College Basketball Programs Of The Last 20 Years

College basketball is one of the most popular and entertaining sports in the United States. Much of that can be attributed to the postseason.

The NCAA Tournament provides, hands down, the most exciting playoff setup, college or pro. Most leagues don’t give 60+ teams a chance to duke it out for a championship opportunity.

The schools that make the Big Dance annually are often best recognized by fans and media. Those that don’t are often forgotten.

Here, we’ll take a look at those forgotten programs that have seen little to no recent success.

Worst College Basketball Teams Of The Last 20 Years

There are just 10 high major teams with an overall losing record since the 2005 season. Teams from the following conferences were given consideration: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, PAC-12, and SEC.

We’ll list those teams from highest to lowest in terms of winning percentage, kicking things off with a trio of schools that sit one game below .500.

Cal Bears

Record: 327-328

Cal has won just under 50% of its college basketball games over the last 20 seasons. Those have come as a member of both the PAC-12 and ACC.

The Golden Bears have not made an NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. It has posted eight straight losing seasons, highlighted by a 3-29 campaign in 2022.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Record: 315-316

Wake Forest is also a game under .500 over the last 20 years. They’ve posted 10 losing seasons across that two-decade stretch.

The Demon Deacons have just three March Madness appearances in that time. They’ve failed to capitalize on those opportunities, going 1-3 in the postseason.

Northwestern Wildcats

Record: 319-320

Northwestern is the last of the trio sitting at a near 50% clip over the last 20 seasons. Losing, unfortunately, is not new to the Wildcats.

The school has just three NCAA Tournament appearances all-time (121 seasons). Interestingly, each has come in this most recent 20-year stretch. Maybe better times are ahead for the program.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Record: 321-325

Nebraska is the second Big 10 team to make this list having won 49% of its college basketball contests over the last 20 seasons. The Cornhuskers have been .500 or worse 10 times in the last two decades.

As a result, they’ve been to just two NCAA Tournaments since the turn of the century. The team is 1-2 in those postseason opportunities.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Record: 311-331

The Yellow Jackets have been at the bottom of the wrung more times than not in a typically strong Atlantic Coast Conference. They’ve made three trips to the Big Dance since 2005, posting a 1-3 record.

Georgia Tech had some strong runs in the 1980s and 90s. Unfortunately, that success didn’t follow the school into the 21st Century.

TCU Horned Frogs

Record: 315-337

TCU is the lone Big XII school on this list, though it has split the last 20 years between its current league and the Mountain West Conference. Surprisingly, it’s experienced more success following the promotion to the Power 4.

The Horned Frogs were 89-131 in the seven seasons that preceded the move the Big XII. They’ve posted six 20-win seasons since, which includes four postseason appearances.

Boston College Eagles

Record: 294-349

Boston College has the worst record of the four ACC teams on this list. The Eagles have lost 54% of their games over the last 20 years.

The school joined the league ahead of the 2005 season. It went 28-8 in that debut. From there, it’s been downhill with the team posting just five winning campaigns over the last 19 tries.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Record: 287-350

Rutgers holds the title of worst Big 10 team of the last 20 seasons, winning just 45% of their outings since 2005. The Scarlet Knights have finished below .500 in 16 of those campaigns.

That includes a string of 13 consecutive losing seasons between 2006-2018. The school boasts just two NCAA Tournament trips in that time, going 1-2 in the postseason.

Oregon State Beavers

Record: 285-359

Oregon State is no longer considered a Power 4 program due to the collapse of the PAC-12. We’ve included them due to their affiliation with the league in 19 of the last 20 years.

The Beavers have been up and down more than anyone on this list. The highs are high, and the lows are very low.

They have three seasons with six wins or less, highlighted by a 3-28 season in 2021. They made the Elite Eight the very next year, something no one else on this list can say.

DePaul Blue Demons

Record: 226-400

DePaul gets the nod as college basketball’s worst high-major team of the last 20 seasons. The race isn’t particularly close. Interestingly enough, the lack of production coincides with a conference change (CUSA to Big East).

The Blue Demons have won just 36% of their matchups and are the only team in these rankings with 400 losses since 2005. That’s an average of 20 losses per season for those counting at home.

The school has 18 seasons at .500 or worse in that time. Seven times they’ve won less than 10 games. DePaul has not made an NCAA Tournament since 2003.

Once considered a top basketball destination with a pair of Final Fours, the program has failed to find success in the Big East.