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This is a list of NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bids by school, and is updated through 2024. [1] There are currently 68 bids possible each year (31 automatic qualifiers, 37 at-large). Schools not currently in Division I are in italics (e.g., CCNY) and some have appeared under prior names (e.g., UTEP went by Texas Western in 1966). Vacated appearances are excluded from the Bids table and noted below it.
The NCAA recognizes Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight since the beginning of the tournament, despite that there were no games to advance to the final eight teams before 1951 and not all teams had to play a game to advance to the final sixteen teams before 1975. Between 1939 and 1950, there were only 8 teams in the tournament, so all teams can claim an Elite Eight appearance. Between 1951 and 1952, there were sixteen teams in the tournament, so all could claim a Sweet Sixteen appearance. Between 1953 and 1974, participating teams fluctuated from 22 to 25 teams and some received byes to the Sweet Sixteen. Between 1975 and 1984, all teams were required to play at least one game before the Sweet Sixteen, and since 1985 all teams are required to play at least two games.
The schools shown in the tables below have never made it to the NCAA tournament. Several schools are not yet eligible for the NCAA tournament since NCAA rules state programs transitioning from NCAA Division II must wait three years after joining Division I (reduced from four in 2025) before they are eligible for championship tournaments. St. Thomas, making an unprecedented transition directly from Division III to Division I, will complete its four-year transition (reduced from five) in July 2025.
Below is a list of schools that have been eligible for at least one NCAA tournament but have never made it.
Below is a list of schools that are active but not yet eligible for the NCAA tournament.
| School | First season | Number of seasons | Eligible year |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Texas A&M | 2023 | 3 | 2026 [12] |
| Le Moyne | 2024 | 2 | 2028 [13] |
| Lindenwood | 2023 | 3 | 2026 [14] |
| Mercyhurst | 2025 | 1 | 2029 [15] |
| New Haven | 2026 | 0 | 2029 [16] |
| Queens (NC) | 2023 | 3 | 2026 [17] |
| St. Thomas | 2022 | 4 | 2026 [18] |
| Southern Indiana | 2023 | 3 | 2026 [19] |
| Stonehill | 2023 | 3 | 2026 [20] |
| West Georgia | 2025 | 1 | 2029 [21] |
This is a list of the most consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament by programs. [22]
| Rank | Team | Length of streak | Years | Head coach(es) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas* | 28 | 1990–present | Roy Williams (14), Bill Self (21) |
| 2 (tie) | Michigan State | 27‡ | 1998–present | Tom Izzo |
| 2 (tie) | North Carolina | 27 | 1975–2001 | Dean Smith (23), Bill Guthridge (3), Matt Doherty (1) |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 26‡ | 1999–present | Dan Monson (1), Mark Few (25) |
| 5 | Duke | 24‡ | 1996–2019 | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 19 | 1999–2017 | Dick Bennett (2), Brad Soderberg (1), Bo Ryan (14), Greg Gard (2) |
| 7 | Indiana | 18 | 1986–2003 | Bob Knight (15), Mike Davis (3) |
| 8 | Kentucky | 17 | 1992–2008 | Rick Pitino (6), Tubby Smith (10), Billy Gillispie (1) |
| 9 | UCLA | 15 | 1967–1981 | John Wooden (9), Gene Bartow (2), Gary Cunningham (2), Larry Brown (2) |
| 10 (tie) | Arizona* | 14 | 1985–1998 | Lute Olson |
| 10 (tie) | Cincinnati | 14 | 1992–2005 | Bob Huggins |
| 10 (tie) | Georgetown | 14 | 1979–1992 | John Thompson |
| 10 (tie) | Texas | 14 | 1999–2012 | Rick Barnes |
| 10 (tie) | UCLA | 14 | 1989–2002 | Jim Harrick (8), Steve Lavin (6) |
Bold Indicates an active streak as of the 2024 tournament
*Kansas has appeared in 35 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1990-2025, but its 2018 appearance, which ended in the Final Four, was vacated five years later due to use of a player, Silvio De Sousa, who was ruled ineligible retroactively.
*Arizona appeared in 25 consecutive tournaments from 1985 to 2009, but has since had seasons vacated for NCAA rules violations.
‡Streak impacted by COVID-19 pandemic which led to the cancellation of the 2020 tournament. No streak received credit for that year but all streaks were still considered active for teams that qualified for the 2021 Tournament.
| Team | Consecutive appearances | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 27 | Big Ten |
| Gonzaga | 26 | WCC |
| Purdue | 10 | Big Ten |
| Houston | 7 | Big 12 |
| Tennessee | 7 | SEC |
| Baylor | 6 | Big 12 |
| Kansas* | 6 | Big 12 |
| Alabama | 5 | SEC |
| Creighton | 5 | Big East |
| Illinois | 5 | Big Ten |
| San Diego State | 5 | Mountain West |
| Texas | 5 | SEC |
| UConn | 5 | Big East |
*Kansas has appeared in 35 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1990-2025, but its 2018 appearance, which ended in the Final Four, was vacated five years later due to use of a player, Silvio De Sousa, who was ruled ineligible retroactively.
Table up to date through the 2025 NCAA tournament. Only schools with five or more consecutive appearances are included. Conference affiliations reflect those in the current 2024–25 NCAA season.
List of schools with the longest time between NCAA tournament appearances (minimum 20-year drought). Bold indicates an active current streak as of the 2025 tournament:
| School | Appearance | Next appearance | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | 1946 | 2012 | 66 years |
| Dartmouth | 1959 | – | 66 years (did not play the 2020–21 season) |
| Tennessee Tech | 1963 | – | 62 years |
| Bowling Green | 1968 | – | 57 years |
| Columbia | |||
| Seattle | 1969 | – | 56 years (not in Division I in 29 of those years) |
| Rice | 1970 | – | 55 years |
| Yale | 1962 | 2016 | 54 years |
| VMI | 1977 | – | 48 years |
| Brown | 1939 | 1986 | 47 years |
| Stanford | 1942 | 1989 | |
| Wisconsin | 1947 | 1994 | |
| Duquesne | 1977 | 2024 | |
| Toledo | 1980 | – | 45 years |
| Furman | 1980 | 2023 | 43 years |
| Lafayette | 1957 | 1999 | 42 years |
| Air Force | 1962 | 2004 | |
| Iowa State | 1944 | 1985 | 41 years |
| Houston Christian | 1984 | – | 41 years (not in Division I in 19 of those years) |
| Washington State | 1941 | 1980 | 39 years |
| Canisius | 1957 | 1996 | |
| Baylor | 1950 | 1988 | 38 years |
| Miami (FL) | 1960 | 1998 | 38 years (no team 14 of those years) |
| Brown | 1986 | – | 39 years |
| Jacksonville | |||
| Idaho State | 1987 | – | 38 years |
| Marist | |||
| Portland | 1959 | 1996 | 37 years |
| Drake | 1971 | 2008 | |
| Manhattan | 1958 | 1993 | 35 years |
| Idaho | 1990 | – | 35 years |
| Loyola Marymount | |||
| Oregon | 1961 | 1995 | 34 years [23] |
| Saint Francis (PA) | 1991 | 2025 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 1991 | – | 34 years |
| Towson | |||
| Loyola Chicago | 1985 | 2018 | 33 years |
| Campbell | 1992 | – | 33 years |
| Fordham | |||
| Georgia Southern | |||
| Georgetown | 1943 | 1975 | 32 years |
| East Carolina | 1993 | – | 32 years |
| Marshall | 1987 | 2018 | 31 years |
| Howard | 1992 | 2023 | |
| Rider | 1994 | – | 31 years |
| Tennessee State | |||
| Saint Mary's | 1959 | 1989 | 30 years |
| California | 1960 | 1990 | |
| Massachusetts | 1962 | 1992 | |
| Cal State Fullerton | 1978 | 2008 | |
| Rutgers | 1991 | 2021 | |
| FIU | 1995 | – | 30 years |
| Tulane | |||
| Mercer | 1985 | 2014 | 29 years |
| Canisius | 1996 | – | 29 years |
| Louisiana–Monroe | |||
| Northern Illinois | |||
| Portland | |||
| San Jose State | |||
| Santa Clara | |||
| Western Carolina | |||
| Mississippi State | 1963 | 1991 | 28 years |
| Charleston Southern | 1997 | – | 28 years |
| Fairfield | |||
| Texas State | |||
| Eastern Michigan | 1998 | – | 27 years |
| Illinois State | |||
| Navy | |||
| Nicholls | |||
| Montana State | 1996 | 2022 | 26 years |
| Penn State | 1965 | 1991 | |
| Oregon State | 1990 | 2016 | |
| Arkansas State | 1999 | – | 26 years |
| Evansville | |||
| Missouri State | |||
| LSU | 1954 | 1979 | 25 years |
| Georgia Tech | 1960 | 1985 | |
| Navy | 1960 | 1985 | |
| Drexel | 1996 | 2021 | |
| Ball State | 2000 | – | 25 years |
| Northern Arizona | |||
| Northeastern | 1991 | 2015 | 24 years |
| San Francisco | 1998 | 2022 | |
| Samford | 2000 | 2024 | |
| Eastern Illinois | 2001 | – | 24 years |
| Hofstra [i] | |||
| Southern Utah | |||
| Colgate | 1996 | 2019 | 23 years |
| Southeast Missouri State | 2000 | 2023 | |
| Alcorn State | 2002 | – | 23 years |
| Pepperdine | |||
| St. Bonaventure | 1978 | 2000 | 22 years |
| Southern Methodist | 1993 | 2015 | |
| McNeese | 2002 | 2024 | |
| Central Michigan | 2003 | – | 22 years |
| IU Indy | |||
| South Carolina State | |||
| Holy Cross | 1956 | 1977 | 21 years |
| East Tennessee State | 1968 | 1989 | |
| East Carolina | 1972 | 1993 | |
| Southern Miss | 1991 | 2012 | |
| La Salle | 1992 | 2013 | |
| Coastal Carolina | 1993 | 2014 | |
| New Orleans | 1996 | 2017 | |
| Prairie View A&M | 1998 | 2019 | |
| Florida Atlantic | 2002 | 2023 | |
| Wagner | 2003 | 2024 | |
| UIC | 2004 | – | 21 years |
| DePaul | |||
| Western Kentucky | 1940 | 1960 | 20 years |
| Colorado State | 1969 | 1989 | |
| Baylor | 1988 | 2008 | |
| Cornell | |||
| Green Bay | 1996 | 2016 | |
| TCU | 1998 | 2018 | |
| Alabama A&M | 2005 | – | 20 years |
| Charlotte | |||
| Delaware State | |||
| Southeastern Louisiana |