{"id":706716,"date":"2026-04-09T16:24:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/706716\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:24:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:24:36","slug":"10-college-basketball-programs-with-the-longest-ncaa-championship-droughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/706716\/","title":{"rendered":"10 college basketball programs with the longest NCAA championship droughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s NCAA<\/a> title run ended with Michigan on top, and the Wolverines did it in a way that fit the modern game. They beat UConn in the final after taking care of Arizona earlier in the bracket, and their path showed how much size, depth, and roster fit still matter in March. Michigan did not need one player to carry everything. It got production from transfers, returners, and a lineup that kept moving the ball. That helped the Big Ten end a long championship wait. Before Michigan, the conference\u2019s last title came from Michigan State in 2000.<\/p>\n

The bigger picture is just as clear. UCLA still leads college basketball with 11 national titles. Kentucky has 8. UConn and North Carolina have 6 each. Duke and Indiana sit next with 5. Kansas has 4. Florida and Villanova have 3. After that, there is a long list of schools that have won once or twice, but have not climbed back to the top for decades. <\/p>\n

MORE: Michigan basketball star Yaxel Lendeborg credit mother during championship celebration<\/a><\/p>\n

Michigan\u2019s run also showed how close some teams came this year. UConn fought hard. Arizona made the bracket feel heavy. But Michigan kept finding answers. That is why this sport is so hard to predict. One team finishes the story, and everyone else starts looking ahead to next season. The drought list below shows how long some programs have been waiting for another shot at the top.<\/p>\n

Oregon Ducks (87-year drought, last won in 1939)<\/p>\n

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Unknown date 1974; Unknown location, USA, FILE PHOTO; Oregon Ducks guard Ron Lee (3) in action. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Oregon captured the first NCAA basketball title in 1939 and has not won since. In 2025\u201326 the Ducks went 12\u201320 (5\u201315 Pac-12) under coach Dana Altman. The year before (2024\u201325) they were 10\u201321 and missed the postseason as well. Oregon\u2019s recent seasons have seen losing records in conference play, and the team has not returned to the NCAA tournament since 1939.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin Badgers (85-year drought, last won in 1941)<\/p>\n

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Greg Stiemsma, director of player development, is shown before a Wisconsin men\u2019s basketball scrimmage Sunday, October 19, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin\u2019s lone NCAA championship came in 1941. In 2025\u201326 the Badgers finished 24\u201311 overall (14\u20136 Big Ten) and earned a #5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They were upset by 12-seed High Point, losing 83\u201382 in the first round. The previous season (2024\u201325), Wisconsin was 27\u201310 (13\u20137 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA second round before falling to BYU.<\/p>\n

Stanford Cardinal (84-year drought, last won in 1942)<\/p>\n

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Apr 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; LA Clippers center Brook Lopez (11) during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Stanford won its only NCAA title in 1942. In 2025\u201326 the Cardinal went 20\u201313 (9\u20139 ACC). They lost in the ACC quarterfinals and did not make the NCAA tournament. In 2024\u201325 Stanford was 21\u201314 and played in the NIT, losing 77\u201375 to Kent State in the second round.<\/p>\n

Wyoming Cowboys (83-year drought, last won in 1943)<\/p>\n

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Mar 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) looks on from the seats prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Wyoming won the 1943 NCAA championship. In 2025\u201326, the Cowboys were 18\u201315 (9\u201311 Mountain West) under first-year coach Sundance Wicks. Wyoming earned an NIT bid and lost 74\u201370 to Wichita State in the first round. The year before (2024\u201325), the Cowboys went 12\u201320 (5\u201315 MW).<\/p>\n

Utah Utes (82-year drought, last won in 1944)<\/p>\n

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Mar 21, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) jogs down court against the Indiana Pacers in the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Utah\u2019s only NCAA title came in 1944. In 2025\u201326 the Utes fell to 10\u201322 (2\u201316 Big 12) under coach Alex Jensen. Utah finished last in the conference and did not play in any postseason. In 2024\u201325 Utah was 16\u201317 (8\u201312 Big 12). The program has struggled since moving to the Big 12 and has not returned to the NCAA tournament since 1944.<\/p>\n

Oklahoma State Cowboys (80-year drought, last won in 1946)<\/p>\n

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Bryant Reeves during first half action. PHoto by Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY<\/p>\n

Oklahoma State (then Oklahoma A&M) won back-to-back NCAA titles, including in 1946. In 2025\u201326 the Cowboys went 20\u201315 (6\u201312 Big 12) and played in the NIT. They beat Davidson 84\u201380 in the first round but lost 96\u201370 to Wichita State in the second round. In 2024\u201325 Oklahoma State was 17\u201318 (7\u201313). The Cowboys have made the NIT but have not been back to the NCAA tournament since their 1946 title.<\/p>\n

Holy Cross Crusaders (79-year drought, last won in 1947)<\/p>\n

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1962; FILE PHOTO; In a 1962 playoff game against Philadelphia, Tommy Heinsohn (15) is about to receive a pass from Bob Cousy, a fellow Holy Cross graduate. Mandatory Credit: Telegram & Gazette-USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n

Holy Cross won the 1947 NCAA championship. In 2025\u201326 the Crusaders finished 11\u201322 (5\u201313 Patriot League), near the bottom of the conference. The year before they were 13\u201319 (5\u201313). In recent years Holy Cross has not qualified for the NCAA tournament and has posted losing records in Patriot League play.<\/p>\n

CCNY Beavers (76-year drought, last won in 1950)<\/p>\n

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Stepinac\u2019s Justin Morety (0) on defense during their 81-69 win over Monsignor Scanlan at Stepinac High School in White Plains on Friday, December 6, 2019. Stepinac Bball<\/p>\n

CCNY famously won both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in 1950. In 2025\u201326 the Beavers were 8\u201320 overall (5\u20139 in the Northeast Conference). The previous season they finished 10\u201311 (5\u20138). CCNY now competes in Division III and has not played in the NCAA Division I tournament since 1950.<\/p>\n

La Salle Explorers (72-year drought, last won in 1954)<\/p>\n

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Nov 10, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks guard Jaeden Marshall (2) reacts after a three-point basket during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

La Salle won the 1954 NCAA championship. In 2025\u201326 the Explorers went 9\u201323 (5\u201313 Atlantic 10)\u00a0and did not reach any postseason. The year before they were 14\u201319 (5\u201313). La Salle has struggled in the Atlantic 10 and has not made the NCAA tournament since 1954.<\/p>\n

San Francisco Dons (70-year drought, last won in 1956)<\/p>\n

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Feb 18, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Dons forward Guillermo Diaz Graham (25) during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

USF won back-to-back titles in 1955 and 1956. In 2025\u201326 the Dons were 17\u201316 (8\u201310 WCC). In 2024\u201325 they finished 25\u201310 (13\u20135)\u00a0and reached the WCC semifinals. Despite recent conference success, San Francisco has not returned to the NCAA tournament since its 1956 title.<\/p>\n

MORE: Final College Basketball top 25 rankings after March Madness 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/p>\n

Michigan can be in the mix again next season, but a repeat will not be easy. The portal, roster turnover, and schedule will all matter. The Power 4 schools will stay loaded, and teams like Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UConn should be back in the race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year\u2019s NCAA title run ended with Michigan on top, and the Wolverines did it in a way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":706717,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3723],"tags":[7,217,7456,1043,231,772,1544,1825],"class_list":{"0":"post-706716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-college-basketball","10":"tag-march-madness","11":"tag-michigan-wolverines","12":"tag-ncaa","13":"tag-ncaa-basketball","14":"tag-ncaab","15":"tag-oregon-ducks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116375682515417317","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/706717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}