The 10 longest NCAA tournament droughts
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Northwestern seemingly assured itself of its first NCAA tournament berth thanks to an epic last-second win Wednesday over Michigan, and will no longer be the lone Power 5 school to have never experienced March Madness.
However, the following schools don't appear to be as lucky this year when it comes to ending extremely long NCAA tournament absences:
10 Longest Droughts
| School | Bids | Last Appearance | Drought (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth | 7 | 1959 | 57 |
| Tennessee Tech | 2 | 1963 | 53 |
| Columbia | 3 | 1968 | 48 |
| Bowling Green | 4 | 1968 | 48 |
| Seattle | 11 | 1969 | 47 |
| Rice | 4 | 1970 | 46 |
| VMI | 3 | 1977 | 39 |
| Duquesne | 5 | 1977 | 39 |
| Toledo | 4 | 1980 | 36 |
| Furman | 6 | 1980 | 36 |
The droughts for nine of those schools look likely to extend another year, but there's still hope for one.
Furman is tied for first in the SoCon with a 14-4 conference record, the same as East Tennessee State (24-7) and UNC Greensboro (23-8). Their overall record is not as good at 21-10, but the Paladins are 2-2 against those two schools, with a win against each.
A 36-year drought could very well come to an end with a conference tournament win, though the same cannot be said for fellow SoCon member VMI, sitting in last place at 6-23 overall and 3-15 in-conference.
Ivy League schools Dartmouth (6-19) and Columbia (11-14) are not the same caliber as a Princeton or Harvard, while Tennessee Tech is 12-20 in the Ohio Valley conference.
Bowling Green is tied for second last in the MAC, while Toledo is not much better, sitting just one spot ahead of the Falcons.
Rice has had a good season, as it is 20-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play. However, Middle Tennessee (25-4) and Louisiana Tech (21-9) are both more likely to win the Conference USA crown.
Bringing up the rear in the Atlantic 10 is Duquesne, who is tied with Saint Joseph's, while Seattle is 13-15 overall and 5-8 in the WAC.
Now that Northwestern has broken through, maybe that magic will extend to a school currently enduring one of the 10 longest March Madness droughts.