March 3, 2011

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Basketball

Harvard ranks first among all American colleges in many different categories. NCAA tournament participation isn't one of them.

The Crimson made their lone NCAA tournament appearance in 1946 and rarely have come within sniffing distance of March Madness since. The Ivy League doesn't hold a postseason tournament, so the league's regular-season champion earns the conference's automatic NCAA bid. Harvard finished third in the Ivy League standings last year, but that marked the first time since 1996-97 that the Crimson had posted a winning conference record.

More than six decades of frustration could end this season.

The Crimson (21-5, 10-2 Ivy League) head into the final weekend of the regular season second in the Ivy League standings, a half-game behind Princeton (22-5, 10-1). The teams meet Saturday at Harvard.

Harvard isn't the only Division I program that has a legitimate chance to end a long NCAA tournament drought this season. We've put together a list of schools that haven't earned NCAA bids since the turn of the century but who currently rank first or second in their conference or division.

Considering each team's rotten luck in trying to make the NCAA tournament this century, it's only fitting our list includes 13 teams (listed alphabetically).

ARKANSAS STATE
Record: 17-14, 11-5 Sun Belt (tied for first with Louisiana-Lafayette in West Division) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1999 The buzz: Arkansas State lost its first five games of the season, but a tough non-conference schedule that included Memphis, Georgia and two games with Missouri State paid off once the Red Wolves started conference play. Arkansas State went undefeated at home this season for the first time since 1990-91 and won a share of the Sun Belt's West Division title. Although the Sun Belt tournament isn't on the Red Wolves' home floor, it is in their home state, in Hot Springs. Arkansas State is coached by John Brady, who guided LSU to the 2006 Final Four. The Red Wolves face either South Alabama or Arkansas-Little Rock in their first Sun Belt tournament game Sunday.
BETHUNE-COOKMAN
Record: 19-11, 12-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic (first place) Last NCAA tournament appearance: Never The buzz: Bethune-Cookman hasn't experienced March Madness since joining the Division I ranks in 1980, but the wait could end this season. Bethune-Cookman already has clinched its first MEAC regular-season title and carries a six-game winning streak into Thursday's regular-season finale with archrival Florida A&M. That marks Bethune-Cookman's longest winning streak as a Division I program. C.J. Reed, the son of Bethune-Cookman coach Clifford Reed, is a 6-foot-3 junior guard who leads the MEAC in scoring (19.4) and ranks fourth in the league in assists (4.6).
CAL POLY
Record: 15-13, 10-5 Big West (second place, three games behind Long Beach State) Last NCAA tournament appearance: Never The buzz: After going 12-19 last season and 7-21 the year before that, Cal Poly has turned things around and is putting together perhaps its best season since entering Division I in 1994-95. Cal Poly has clinched second place in the Big West for just the second time since entering Division I. Cal Poly also has matched the program's Division I record for conference wins in a season. Cal Poly's chances of earning an NCAA bid could depend on whether it can get past top-seeded Long Beach State in the Big West tournament next week in Anaheim, Calif. Cal Poly lost 69-53 at home on Dec. 30 and 61-55 on the road Feb. 26 in its two regular-season meetings with Long Beach State.
COASTAL CAROLINA
Record: 27-4, 16-2 Big South (first place) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1993 The buzz: Coastal Carolina won 22 consecutive games at one point this season and dominated the Big South, but the Chanticleers have encountered plenty of late-season adversity. The NCAA is looking into the school's recruiting of leading scorer Desmond Holloway, who has been indefinitely suspended. In addition, there has been a season-ending knee injury to starting PG Kierre Greenwood and the dismissal of South Carolina transfer Mike Holmes. The Chanticleers beat visiting Gardner-Webb 83-72 in the Big South quarterfinals without Holloway in the lineup. As regular-season champs, they are guaranteed to play the rest of their conference tournament games on their home floor, including Thursday's semifinal with VMI.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Record: 22-9, 14-4 Southern (tied for first place with Wofford in South Division) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1999 The buzz: College of Charleston made four NCAA tournament appearances in a six-season stretch from 1994-99 but hasn't been back since. This marks the third consecutive season in which Charleston has won at least 22 games, but the Cougars didn't get a bid either of the past two seasons. This season's Cougars own a non-conference win over Tennessee and have one of the nation's top scorers in Andrew Goudelock, but they must win the Southern Conference tournament to get an NCAA invitation. College of Charleston is the top seed from the South Division and will face either Elon or The Citadel in a Saturday quarterfinal in Chattanooga, Tenn.
FAIRFIELD
Record: 23-6, 15-3 Metro Atlantic Athletic (first place) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1997 The buzz: Fairfield nearly ended its drought last season before falling 72-65 in overtime to Siena in the MAAC championship game. The Stags returned three starters from that team, which went 23-11. So it didn't surprise anyone when Fairfield won the MAAC regular-season title by two games. Sophomore PG Derek Needham is a first-team All-MAAC selection who leads a balanced Fairfield attack; the Stags have 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. Fairfield will play each of its conference tournament games on its home floor, including Saturday's quarterfinal against either Niagara or Marist.
HARVARD
Record: 21-5, 10-2 Ivy League (second place, half-game behind Princeton) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1946 The buzz: Harvard has made only one NCAA tournament appearance in school history, but the Crimson have become much more competitive the past few seasons under coach Tommy Amaker. Harvard went 21-8 last season, set a school record for wins and reached the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Harvard led the Ivy standings before falling 70-69 at Yale last weekend. Harvard closes the regular season Saturday by playing host to Princeton. Because the Ivy doesn't have a conference tournament, the league's regular-season champion earns an automatic NCAA tournament bid. If Harvard and Princeton finish in a tie for first place, a one-game playoff would determine the league's NCAA tournament representative.
LONG ISLAND
Record: 24-5, 16-2 Northeast (first place) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1997 The buzz: Long Island reached the NCAA tournament in 1997 (coincidentally, they were in the same sub-regional in Winston-Salem, N.C., as Fairfield) and the NIT the following season, but the Blackbirds didn't have another winning season until 2009. They've turned things around the past few seasons and head into the Northeast Conference tournament with plenty of momentum. The Blackbirds have won 18 of their past 19 games, including 10 in a row. LIU ranks seventh nationally in scoring (82.7) and 26th in rebound margin (plus-5.5). As the top seed, Long Island will play all of its Northeast Conference tournament games at home, including Thursday's quarterfinal with St. Francis (Pa.).
MISSOURI STATE
Record: 23-7, 15-3 Missouri Valley (first place) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1999 The buzz: Missouri State has a history of near-misses since reaching the Sweet 16 under Steve Alford in 1999. The Bears made three consecutive NIT appearances from 2005-07 -- missing the NCAA field despite having an RPI of 21st in 2006 -- and went 24-12 and won the CollegeInsider.com Tournament last season. This may be the breakthrough season, as Missouri State won its first Missouri Valley regular-season title in 21 seasons as a league member. The No. 1 seed in the Valley tournament has earned an NCAA bid every season since 1993, but Missouri State shouldn't celebrate just yet. The Bears' resume doesn't look to be good enough to merit an NCAA bid if they don't win the conference tournament. Missouri State faces either Southern Illinois State or Illinois State in a Friday quarterfinal in St. Louis.
NORTHERN COLORADO
Record: 19-10, 13-3 Big Sky (first place) Last NCAA tournament appearance: Never The buzz: Northern Colorado didn't enter Division I until the 2007-08 season, so the Bears' lack of NCAA tournament experience doesn't really reflect a long drought. Northern Colorado produced its first winning record as a Division I member last season, going 25-8 and reaching the CollegeInsider.com Tournament under Tad Boyle, now the coach at Colorado. The Bears replaced Boyle by promoting former assistant B.J. Hill. Northern Colorado dropped seven of its first 11 games but played much better in league competition. The Bears won eight of their last nine regular-season games.
RIDER
Record: 22-9, 13-5 Metro Atlantic (tied for second place, two games behind Fairfield) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1994 The buzz: Fairfield isn't the only MAAC team with a golden opportunity to end a long NCAA drought. While Fairfield heads into the MAAC tournament as the top seed and host school, Rider is the No. 3 seed. The Broncs have won five consecutive games and seven of their past eight, including a 96-87 victory at Fairfield on Feb. 6. The only team to beat Rider during that stretch is Canisius, which meets the Broncs again in a Saturday quarterfinal in Bridgeport, Conn. Although Rider hasn't earned an NCAA bid since 1994, the Broncs have been competitive. This marks Rider's fifth consecutive winning season and second 20-win campaign in the past four seasons.
TEXAS STATE
Record: 15-14, 10-5 Southland (first place in West Division) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1997 The buzz: Texas State is trying to end a string of five consecutive losing seasons. The Bobcats don't have a starter taller than 6-7, but they have plenty of experience with a lineup that features three seniors and two juniors. Texas State has won seven of its last nine games and owns a one-game lead over Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference's Western Division.
WESTERN CAROLINA
Record: 17-14, 12-6 Southern (tied with Chattanooga for first place in North Division) Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1996 The buzz: Western Carolina seemed like an unlikely NCAA tournament contender when it lost six games in a row -- all on the road -- and carried a 4-10 record into January. But the Catamounts turned things around in the new year and won eight of their last nine regular-season games to capture a regular-season division title for the second time in three seasons. Western Carolina faces either Davidson or UNC Greensboro on Saturday in its opening game of the Southern Conference tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn. Western Carolina won 20 games for the first time as a Division I member last season and reached the CollegeInsider.com Tournament for its first postseason appearance of any kind since its 1996 NCAA bid.

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com, and you can click here to follow him on Twitter.