The list of D-I NCAA Basketball programs that haven’t made a Final Four appearance slowly gets smaller, as new teams become nationally relevant and are good enough to make deep runs. And of course, there are also some teams that have the rare Cinderella runs such as Saint Peter’s, the first 15-seed to ever make the Elite 8 and was one win away from making the list itself in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Last season, it was a group of familiar faces that make the Final Four in Kansas, Villanova, Duke, and North Carolina. That’s dozens of combined F4 appearances for those programs but a couple nearly made their first had the second-weekend results were different. However, it’s a new season and any team can make history. Here’s a look at the top 10 programs most likely to make the Final Four for the first time.
Honorable Mention: Arizona State Sun Devils
While head coach Bobby Hurley and ASU haven’t had much success in the NCAA Tournament but have a sneaky roster that could make the Big Dance and make some noise as well. The Cambridge brothers (Devan and Desmond) are two of four impact transfers, along with former Michigan point guard Frankie Collins and Nevada center Warren Washington. With leading returning guard Jay Heath back and a potentially healthy Marcus Bagley around, there’s a lot of firepower on this roster.
HM: North Texas Mean Green
A team that statistically was an even better defense than Virginia last year, North Texas has become a mid-major power in NCAA Basketball capable of getting an at-large bid nowadays. Leading scorer and CUSA 6th Man of the Year Tylor Perry is back and the Mean Green gets an offensive boost with Jayden Martinez, a 6’7 transfer forward from New Hampshire. This is an 11/12 seed whose defense can lead them to a big run.
HM: Texas A&M Aggies
Speaking of quality defenses, the Aggies’ quality on that side nearly led them all the way from off the bubble to the NCAA Tournament. They add to that with Wichita State transfer and AAC Player of the Year, Dexter Dennis, one of several newcomers. With Tyrece Radford and Henry Coleman back leading the way, there’s plenty of potential for this team to be not just a darkhorse in the SEC, but also if they can make it to the Big Dance.