We analysis the men’s college basketball teams who could be dancing for the first time come Selection Sunday.
One of the best parts of every March is seeing coaches, players and programs who have never heard their name called on Selection Sunday celebrate the moment that all changes.
Of the 364 teams that are current members of Division-I, there are 38 that have never gone dancing and that are eligible to make this year’s field.
Three of those 38 teams — Army, William & Mary, and The Citadel — have been Division-I programs since “Division-I” became a thing in 1910. A fourth, St. Francis (NY), was also in that group before shutting down its entire athletics program two seasons ago.
Of all the years I’ve been writing, I don’t think there’s ever been a year like this where so many regular season champions/tournament favorites have been programs that have never heard their names called on Selection Sunday before. This has the potential to be the biggest Championship Week ever for the “Never Been Dancing Club.”
1. Utah Valley (WAC)
The Wolverines have developed an unfortunate reputation over the years of following up a stellar regular season with an extremely disappointing effort in the WAC tournament. In the last decade, they have been upset four times in a semifinal game where they were playing as the No. 2 seed.
This feels like the year to put all that to bed. Utah Valley is 13-1 in conference play, with their lone defeat coming on the road against second-place Grand Canyon.
2. High Point (Big South)
Like Utah Valley, the Panthers have also recently developed a reputation for not being able to capitalize on wildly successful regular seasons. They’ve won a whopping six regular season conference championships since 2013, and have a grand total of zero NCAA tournament appearances to show for it.
For the second straight year, they’ll be the No. 1 seed for the Big South tournament.
3. UC San Diego (Big West)
It’s the first season that the Tritons have been eligible to play in the NCAA tournament, and they just might be the best mid-major team in the entire country. Doesn’t seem entirely fair, but there are lots of things about this sport’s postseason that aren’t fair.
4. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC)
The Wildcats have been playing Division-I basketball since 1981 without a single trip to the NCAA tournament. They haven’t made it to the SWAC title game since 2012, but that could change next week. They’re currently looking at being the two or the three seed behind likely regular season champ Southern.
5. North Alabama (Atlantic Sun)
The Lions are in the Atlantic Sun semifinals for the second straight year and are looking for their first conference tournament title since joining D-I in 2019. They split both the regular season conference title and both their regular season meeting with perennial A-Sun power Lipscomb.
6. Quinnipiac (Metro Atlantic Athletic)
Quinnipiac won its first ever MAAC regular season title last season, but saw its dreams of making the NCAA tournament for the first time smashed via a brutal semifinal loss to eventual champion Saint Peter’s. They enter the final week of the regular season two wins away from locking up another outright regular season championship.
The Bobcats have been members of Division-I since 1999, but haven’t played in a conference tournament championship game since making it to the finals of the Northeast Conference tournament in 2010.
7. Merrimack (Metro Atlantic Athletic)
If the Bobcats slip up, another member of the never been dancing club could be their to snatch up their automatic bid. Merrimack is 13-6 and currently a half game out of second place in the MAAC standings.
As mentioned earlier, the Warriors actually won both the Northeast Conference’s regular season and tournament titles in 2023, but were ineligible for the NCAA tournament because of the NCAA’s absurd transition rule. That set the stage for Fairleigh Dickinson to crash the dance and eventually stun top-seeded Purdue in the first round.
Merrimack has more than earned its own March Madness moment.
8. Maine (America East)
The Black Bears have played 79 seasons of Division-I basketball without a single trip to the NCAA tournament. On Saturday, playing as the America East’s No. 3 seed, they will host a conference tournament game for the first time in 30 years.
9. SIU-Edwardsville (Ohio Valley)
SIU-Edwardsville has mostly had a rough go of it since joining Division-I back in 2011. So much so that they’ve never even advanced to a conference tournament semifinal. That should be about to change, as the Cougars will start this year’s OVC tournament as the No. 2 seed.
10. Omaha (Summit League)
If you’re having trouble keeping up with all of this, this is the trash can team. They’ve been playing D-I basketball since 2013 and this is easily their best chance to earn an NCAA tournament bid.
11. Youngstown State (Horizon League)
The Penguins played their first season of Division-I basketball in 1948 and they haven’t played for a conference tournament championship since 1998!
They were the Horizon League’s No. 1 seed two seasons ago and got knocked off in the semis. Then they were the 2-seed last year and got stunned in the quarters.
First-year head coach Ethan Faulkner will try to lead Youngstown to the promised land as the Horizon League’s 4-seed this week.
It’s time to put a smile on this penguin’s face.
He’s been scowling for 80 years.
12. Purdue Fort Wayne (Horizon League)
The Mastodons don’t have quite as strong a chance as Youngstown does in the Horizon, but they’re a live-shot as the league’s 5-seed.
13. Army (Patriot League)
The “original three” member with the best shot this year, Army will open play in the Patriot League quarterfinals on Thursday as the 6-seed.
