College basketball teams around the country are gearing up for the conference tournaments as the regular season winds down and, for some, the NCAA Tournament afterward. For some teams, a trip to college basketball's most prestigious competition is routine, something they do every year, but for others, it's been an unattainable white whale.
Forty-seven teams in Division I have never made a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Of those forty-seven, nine teams are ineligible due to the NCAA's rules on new Division I programs' postseason eligibility. That leaves thirty-seven teams still searching for their first ticket to the crazy train of March Madness. Of those thirty-seven, here are five teams that have an actual shot at their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Maine Black Bears, America East
The Black Bears, the oldest program on this list, have been playing basketball for an astounding 121 years. Their program pre-dates the NCAA Tournament itself, which is only 86 years old. In all of that time, Maine has never won its conference tournament, nor has it earned an at-large bid to March Madness.
This year, however, things feel different in the small Maine town of Orono. Head coach Chris Markwood has his team sitting at 14-9 overall and 6-2 in the America East conference. Led by senior guard AJ Lopez, who currently sits just a hair shy of 50-40-90 shooting splits this season, they would hold the 2-seed in the conference tournament if the season ended today and rank second in the America East in KenPom's Net Ratings. The Black Bears will need to pull off an upset over conference favorites Bryant to secure the conference's auto-bid.
Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons, Horizon League
Twenty-two-year veterans in Division I, the Mastodons have two regular season conference championships under their belts (one in the Summit League in 2016 and one in the Horizon League in 2022) but have yet to get over the hump in a conference tournament.
The team formerly known as Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne currently sit at 9-4 in the Horizon League and 16-8 overall. The Mastodons currently rank 68th in KenPom's offensive rating and boast the conference's leading scorer in Jalen Jackson.
UC San Diego Tritons, Big West
The newest program on the list, the Tritons are in the midst of their second tournament-eligible season. Head coach Eric Olen's program has steadily improved in its thus far short stint in Division I, accepting a bid to the CBI Tournament last season.
This year, UC San Diego is 18-4 and 8-2 in Big West conference play. The Tritons rank 56th in KenPom's net rankings and are led by guard Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, who averages 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 58.7% shooting. The Tritons winning their conference tournament could provide some intrigue on Selection Sunday, as rival UC Riverside could potentially earn an at-large bid if they lose in the Big West tournament.
Utah Valley Wolverines, WAC
The Utah Valley Wolverines, now in year two under head coach Todd Phillips, are 7-1 in WAC games and are looking for their first WAC tournament title after claiming three regular season titles over their eleven-year stint in the conference. They reached the NIT semifinals in 2023, where they lost in dramatic fashion to UAB in overtime, but are yet to punch their ticket to the Big Dance.
The biggest obstacle in their way will be the Grand Canyon Lopes. The two-time WAC tournament champions sit at 17-5 on the season and took down the Wolverines in a February 1 regular season matchup 75-57.