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In the 17 tournaments so far this century, 150 Division I programs have tasted victory in the Big Dance at least once. In fact, six new teams joined that club just in the 2016 tournament. Congratulations to Arkansas-Little Rock, Hawaii, Holy Cross, Middle Tennessee, Providence and Yale.
At the other end of this spectrum there are, well, the usual suspects. Certainly the easiest measure of tournament success is how many titles you win. By this yardstick, Duke and Connecticut are tied with three championships apiece this century, though Huskies'fans will be quick to remind you their team has actually cut down the nets four times since 1999. (And, yes, UCLA fans might point out their team has won 11 titles in total.)
Then again, tournament games won this century can give us an additional and even more fine-grained picture of which programs have been consistently successful over the past 15-plus years. With that in mind, here's an updated list of the most successful tournament teams of the century based on victories since 2000. When applicable, ties were broken according to number of national titles:
1. Duke Blue Devils (42 wins)
National titles: 2001, 2010, 2015
The last time we did this list, Duke was in a first-place tie with Michigan State. Now the Blue Devils sit atop this list alongside Kansas. That being said, the Jayhawks, Spartans and every other team might need to step up their game to keep up with coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has what appears to be a pretty strong team ready to go next season. It's possible Duke could be adding four, five or even six tournament wins to its total for the century in short order.
2. Kansas Jayhawks (42 wins)
National title: 2008
Michigan State had its Middle Tennessee episode; Duke's ghosts wear uniforms from Lehigh and Mercer; and North Carolina missed the tournament entirely as recently as 2010. But the last time Kansas failed to win at least one game was the 2006 tournament. No team in the country can match Bill Self's 10-tournament-and-counting streak in this respect. Gonzaga, with wins in eight consecutive tournaments, comes closest.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels (41 wins)
National titles: 2005, 2009
Look at how close UNC came to creating a three-way tie atop this list. If Kris Jenkins misses that shot for Villanova a few weeks back and the game goes to overtime, maybe the Heels pull that one out and grab win No. 42 this century. As it is, coach Roy Williams' program is one game in back.
4. Michigan State Spartans (40 wins)
National title: 2000
You don't often see coach Tom Izzo win zero games in an NCAA tournament. In fact, it's happened just twice in the past decade. Other things remaining equal, a trip to the 2016 Elite Eight would have made MSU the 21st century's winningest tournament program.
5. Kentucky Wildcats (37 wins)
National title: 2012
Kentucky's tournament success has declined in each of the past three brackets, as coach John Calipari & Co. have gone from a national championship game appearance (2014) to a Final Four run (2015) and finally to an exit in the round of 32 (2016). That tendency has likely run its course; expect the Wildcats' postseason fortunes to bounce back in 2017.
6. Connecticut Huskies (33 wins)
National titles: 2004, 2011, 2014
UConn might not match Duke and Kansas in terms of total wins this century, but coach Kevin Ollie's guys certainly get more bang for their victorious postseason buck. With three national titles to their name since 2000 (and four since 1999), the Huskies translate tournament wins into championship trophies better than any program in the country.
7. Florida Gators (33 wins)
National titles: 2006, 2007
In addition to winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, Florida also (incredibly) reached four consecutive Elite Eights between 2011 and 2014. More recently, however, the Gators have gone winless (and, more precisely, bidless) over the past two tournaments.
8. Wisconsin Badgers (31 wins)
Meet the winningest 21st century tournament program that has yet to win a 21st century national title. (Badgers fans will be quick to remind you their team did in fact win it all in 1941.)
9. Syracuse Orange (28 wins)
National title: 2003
The Orange's surprising run to the 2016 Final Four enabled Jim Boeheim's team to pass Louisville and UCLA and vault into the top 10.
10. Arizona Wildcats (28 wins)
For a team ranked so highly on this list, Arizona has suffered some really bad bounces in the tournament. The Wildcats are 0-5 in their past five Elite Eight appearances, with two of those losses coming in overtime.
11. Louisville Cardinals (27 wins)
National title: 2013
Louisville's self-imposed postseason ban for 2016 almost certainly cost the Cardinals a win or two or even more on this list. Rick Pitino's team went 12-6 in the ACC and likely would have been in line for a top-four NCAA tournament seed in 2016.
12. UCLA Bruins (25 wins)
The Bruins won 19 of their 25 tournament games before 2009. And under coach Steve Alford the program reached back-to-back Sweet 16s in 2014 and 2015.
13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (21 wins)
After missing five consecutive Sweet 16s (and catching some heat on that front), the Bulldogs reached regional semifinals in both 2015 and 2016.
14. Maryland Terrapins (20 wins)
National title: 2002
It doesn't seem possible, but Maryland's appearance in the 2016 Sweet 16 marked the program's first trip to the second weekend since 2003. The Terps edged Nova here because their title came first.
15. Villanova Wildcats (20 wins)
National title: 2016
There's nothing like a national championship run to improve your ranking here. With six freshly minted wins in his pocket, coach Jay Wright's program jumps into some fairly heady company.
16. Ohio State Buckeyes (20 wins)
Since Ohio State's trip to the 2013 Elite Eight, the Buckeyes have won just one tournament game.
17. Butler Bulldogs (19 wins)
Presenting your Butler head coach tournament records this century -- Thad Matta: 1-1, Todd Lickliter: 4-2, Brad Stevens: 12-5, Chris Holtmann: 2-2.
17. Oklahoma Sooners (19 wins)
Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard ended their long run together by giving coach Lon Kruger his second Final Four appearance (a whopping 22 years after his first one, in 1994 at Florida).
17. Texas Longhorns (19 wins)
The fact that Texas still ranks in the top 20 despite having won just two games over the past seven tournaments indicates just how much postseason success this program recorded throughout the aughts.
20. Xavier Musketeers (18 wins)
Even with that heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin in the 2016 round of 32, the Musketeers still show up well here thanks to six Sweet 16 appearances in a span of nine tournaments.
17 wins
Illinois Fighting Illini
If I were doing this list in April 2006 instead of 2016, the Illini would rank a lofty No. 4, tied with Kansas and Arizona and behind only Duke, Michigan State and Connecticut.
16 wins
Memphis Tigers
Pittsburgh Panthers
Consider the eerie parallels. Both Memphis and Pittsburgh just said goodbye to longtime coaches. Both teams have gone winless in the NCAA tournament since 2014. And both programs last put together multiple-win tournament runs in 2009.
14 wins
Indiana Hoosiers
West Virginia Mountaineers
Indiana has now reached three Sweet 16s in the past five years, but the Hoosiers are still looking for their first Elite Eight since former coach Mike Davis took them there in 2002.
13 wins
Marquette Golden Eagles
Oregon Ducks
Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee is still the highest-ranked program on this list to have won a tournament game before the round of 64. The Vols beat Iowa 78-65 in overtime in the 2014 First Four.
12 wins
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Purdue Boilermakers
These are the best of postseason times for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have won as many tournament games over the past two years (six) as they had in the previous 15 seasons.
11 wins
Georgetown Hoyas
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Stanford Cardinal
Michigan Wolverines
Wichita State Shockers
In what is fast becoming a recurring theme of these rankings, Oklahoma State and Stanford have the longest winless tournament streaks of the teams listed in this 11-victory group. Both programs elected to make coaching changes in the offseason.
10 wins
Cincinnati Bearcats
Iowa State Cyclones
NC State Wolfpack
If there's a team with momentum here it's Iowa State. The Cyclones have reached two of the past three Sweet 16s, and Iowa State has (seemingly) successfully negotiated a coaching change in the process.
*Cut out some info
If you're keeping track, the only major-conference programs yet to win a tournament game this century are: Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon State, Rutgers, South Carolina and TCU. Keep the faith, Cornhuskers, Wildcats, Beavers, Scarlet Knights, Gamecocks and Horned Frogs. Providence was on this same list a year ago, and the Friars made the leap into the 21st century win column. You can too."
At the other end of this spectrum there are, well, the usual suspects. Certainly the easiest measure of tournament success is how many titles you win. By this yardstick, Duke and Connecticut are tied with three championships apiece this century, though Huskies'fans will be quick to remind you their team has actually cut down the nets four times since 1999. (And, yes, UCLA fans might point out their team has won 11 titles in total.)
Then again, tournament games won this century can give us an additional and even more fine-grained picture of which programs have been consistently successful over the past 15-plus years. With that in mind, here's an updated list of the most successful tournament teams of the century based on victories since 2000. When applicable, ties were broken according to number of national titles:
1. Duke Blue Devils (42 wins)
National titles: 2001, 2010, 2015
The last time we did this list, Duke was in a first-place tie with Michigan State. Now the Blue Devils sit atop this list alongside Kansas. That being said, the Jayhawks, Spartans and every other team might need to step up their game to keep up with coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has what appears to be a pretty strong team ready to go next season. It's possible Duke could be adding four, five or even six tournament wins to its total for the century in short order.
2. Kansas Jayhawks (42 wins)
National title: 2008
Michigan State had its Middle Tennessee episode; Duke's ghosts wear uniforms from Lehigh and Mercer; and North Carolina missed the tournament entirely as recently as 2010. But the last time Kansas failed to win at least one game was the 2006 tournament. No team in the country can match Bill Self's 10-tournament-and-counting streak in this respect. Gonzaga, with wins in eight consecutive tournaments, comes closest.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels (41 wins)
National titles: 2005, 2009
Look at how close UNC came to creating a three-way tie atop this list. If Kris Jenkins misses that shot for Villanova a few weeks back and the game goes to overtime, maybe the Heels pull that one out and grab win No. 42 this century. As it is, coach Roy Williams' program is one game in back.
4. Michigan State Spartans (40 wins)
National title: 2000
You don't often see coach Tom Izzo win zero games in an NCAA tournament. In fact, it's happened just twice in the past decade. Other things remaining equal, a trip to the 2016 Elite Eight would have made MSU the 21st century's winningest tournament program.
5. Kentucky Wildcats (37 wins)
National title: 2012
Kentucky's tournament success has declined in each of the past three brackets, as coach John Calipari & Co. have gone from a national championship game appearance (2014) to a Final Four run (2015) and finally to an exit in the round of 32 (2016). That tendency has likely run its course; expect the Wildcats' postseason fortunes to bounce back in 2017.
6. Connecticut Huskies (33 wins)
National titles: 2004, 2011, 2014
UConn might not match Duke and Kansas in terms of total wins this century, but coach Kevin Ollie's guys certainly get more bang for their victorious postseason buck. With three national titles to their name since 2000 (and four since 1999), the Huskies translate tournament wins into championship trophies better than any program in the country.
7. Florida Gators (33 wins)
National titles: 2006, 2007
In addition to winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, Florida also (incredibly) reached four consecutive Elite Eights between 2011 and 2014. More recently, however, the Gators have gone winless (and, more precisely, bidless) over the past two tournaments.
8. Wisconsin Badgers (31 wins)
Meet the winningest 21st century tournament program that has yet to win a 21st century national title. (Badgers fans will be quick to remind you their team did in fact win it all in 1941.)
9. Syracuse Orange (28 wins)
National title: 2003
The Orange's surprising run to the 2016 Final Four enabled Jim Boeheim's team to pass Louisville and UCLA and vault into the top 10.
10. Arizona Wildcats (28 wins)
For a team ranked so highly on this list, Arizona has suffered some really bad bounces in the tournament. The Wildcats are 0-5 in their past five Elite Eight appearances, with two of those losses coming in overtime.
11. Louisville Cardinals (27 wins)
National title: 2013
Louisville's self-imposed postseason ban for 2016 almost certainly cost the Cardinals a win or two or even more on this list. Rick Pitino's team went 12-6 in the ACC and likely would have been in line for a top-four NCAA tournament seed in 2016.
12. UCLA Bruins (25 wins)
The Bruins won 19 of their 25 tournament games before 2009. And under coach Steve Alford the program reached back-to-back Sweet 16s in 2014 and 2015.
13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (21 wins)
After missing five consecutive Sweet 16s (and catching some heat on that front), the Bulldogs reached regional semifinals in both 2015 and 2016.
14. Maryland Terrapins (20 wins)
National title: 2002
It doesn't seem possible, but Maryland's appearance in the 2016 Sweet 16 marked the program's first trip to the second weekend since 2003. The Terps edged Nova here because their title came first.
15. Villanova Wildcats (20 wins)
National title: 2016
There's nothing like a national championship run to improve your ranking here. With six freshly minted wins in his pocket, coach Jay Wright's program jumps into some fairly heady company.
16. Ohio State Buckeyes (20 wins)
Since Ohio State's trip to the 2013 Elite Eight, the Buckeyes have won just one tournament game.
17. Butler Bulldogs (19 wins)
Presenting your Butler head coach tournament records this century -- Thad Matta: 1-1, Todd Lickliter: 4-2, Brad Stevens: 12-5, Chris Holtmann: 2-2.
17. Oklahoma Sooners (19 wins)
Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard ended their long run together by giving coach Lon Kruger his second Final Four appearance (a whopping 22 years after his first one, in 1994 at Florida).
17. Texas Longhorns (19 wins)
The fact that Texas still ranks in the top 20 despite having won just two games over the past seven tournaments indicates just how much postseason success this program recorded throughout the aughts.
20. Xavier Musketeers (18 wins)
Even with that heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin in the 2016 round of 32, the Musketeers still show up well here thanks to six Sweet 16 appearances in a span of nine tournaments.
17 wins
Illinois Fighting Illini
If I were doing this list in April 2006 instead of 2016, the Illini would rank a lofty No. 4, tied with Kansas and Arizona and behind only Duke, Michigan State and Connecticut.
16 wins
Memphis Tigers
Pittsburgh Panthers
Consider the eerie parallels. Both Memphis and Pittsburgh just said goodbye to longtime coaches. Both teams have gone winless in the NCAA tournament since 2014. And both programs last put together multiple-win tournament runs in 2009.
14 wins
Indiana Hoosiers
West Virginia Mountaineers
Indiana has now reached three Sweet 16s in the past five years, but the Hoosiers are still looking for their first Elite Eight since former coach Mike Davis took them there in 2002.
13 wins
Marquette Golden Eagles
Oregon Ducks
Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee is still the highest-ranked program on this list to have won a tournament game before the round of 64. The Vols beat Iowa 78-65 in overtime in the 2014 First Four.
12 wins
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Purdue Boilermakers
These are the best of postseason times for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have won as many tournament games over the past two years (six) as they had in the previous 15 seasons.
11 wins
Georgetown Hoyas
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Stanford Cardinal
Michigan Wolverines
Wichita State Shockers
In what is fast becoming a recurring theme of these rankings, Oklahoma State and Stanford have the longest winless tournament streaks of the teams listed in this 11-victory group. Both programs elected to make coaching changes in the offseason.
10 wins
Cincinnati Bearcats
Iowa State Cyclones
NC State Wolfpack
If there's a team with momentum here it's Iowa State. The Cyclones have reached two of the past three Sweet 16s, and Iowa State has (seemingly) successfully negotiated a coaching change in the process.
*Cut out some info
If you're keeping track, the only major-conference programs yet to win a tournament game this century are: Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon State, Rutgers, South Carolina and TCU. Keep the faith, Cornhuskers, Wildcats, Beavers, Scarlet Knights, Gamecocks and Horned Frogs. Providence was on this same list a year ago, and the Friars made the leap into the 21st century win column. You can too."
