Mar 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Wes Miller coaches against the Houston Cougars in the first half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Look: Cincinnati Enters Top-10 Longest NCAA Tournament Droughts Among Power Conference Schools

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bearcats on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 9:07 AM ET

Make it six consecutive years without making the NCAA Tournament for Cincinnati basketball.

There was not a tournament in 2020, so it's technically been five consecutive tournaments and six years overall after an 18-15 regular season record. That matches the same record as Wes Miller's first season, but obviously, the program has taken some steps forward from the AAC to the Big 12.

It's one of the longest streaks among any power conference school in the country, tied for ninth longest with UCF, Washington, and Minnesota. No news has dropped as of this writing for Cincinnati's postseason tournament plans. The College Basketball Crown has already had invites accepted by UCF and West Virginia, who were the other two top Big 12 teams in the NET rankings to not make the NCAA Tournament.

The transfer portal opens on March 24 and you have to have seven healthy scholarship players to participate in the event. Check out the list of longest tournament droughts by year below:

Longest active P5 NCAA Tournament droughts:

1. DePaul- 21 years
2. Boston College- 16
3. Stanford- 11
T4. Cal- 9
T4. Utah- 9
T6. Wake Forest- 8
T6. SMU- 8
8. Butler- 7
T9. Cincinnati- 6
T9. UCF- 6
T9. Washington- 6
T9. Minnesota- 6
— Fight to the Finish (@fttfcincy) March 17, 2025