The March Begins

It’s a story well known among Wildcat circles, but bears repeating every year as a new basketball season approaches.

Seven years prior to the launch of the Model T, way back in 1901, basketball was introduced in Evanston. At 110 years young, Northwestern’s program outdates a few others you may have heard of: Georgetown, Duke, Illinois, UConn, UCLA, Michigan, UNC, Kentucky, and most of what would constitute Division I today. But longevity does not necessarily breed success, and in the century-plus since Northwestern first took the court, it is difficult to argue that there has been any team in all of professional or Division I sports with a history of futility exceeding that of the Cats. The classic points:

- Northwestern sports the most losses (1,345), most points allowed and largest negative point differential all time in Division 1 basketball. The Cats winning percentage to-date stands just shy of 39%.

- Northwestern has won two conference titles, but none since 1933. Since 1968, the team has yet to finish in the top 4 of the conference, and managed a last place finish in 13 consecutive seasons stretching into the mid-1990s.

- In 2004, Coach Bill Carmody was awarded Big Ten Coach of the Year for guiding the team to a .500 finish in conference, and 14-15 record overall. Just take that in for a second.

- Last, but not least of course, the Cats have never, EVER, been to the NCAA Tournament. Frankly, it’s never even been close. Only 6 times since 1968 has Northwestern even finished above .500.

There are 345 schools that currently compete in Division 1 basketball. The sad truth is that for the vast majority of these schools, there is no hope of ever winning a national title. In the tournament so known for its upsets and Cinderella stories, eventually the powerhouses always prevail. Since seeding was introduced in 1979, only one team lower than a #4 seed has cut down the nets at the end of March Madness (Villanova in 1985, a #8 seed). Not a top-25 team? Fuggedaboutit.

So for those schools in the CAA, MAAC, MEAC and many of the other eligible conferences, the goal really isn’t to take home a title, but rather just make it to March and maybe pull off a first round upset that your school will never forget. While fewer than 20% of teams make the Tournament in a given year (well below any of the 4 major professional sports and the ridiculous 60% that make a college football bowl), in the long run, a team’s odds are pretty good. Only 52 teams playing today have never qualified, and most of those are programs that have only recently joined the Division 1 party. Stretching things back a bit, only 5 teams that have been playing since the Tournament’s inception in 1939 have never been invited. Any Northwestern fan knows the list by heart:

- Army

- William and Mary

- St Francis (NY)

- The Citadel

- Northwestern

So there we go. We are the 1% (#OccupyMarchMadness anyone?).

But why does it matter? Surely I don’t think that there are legions of William & Mary fans (go Tribe!) rehashing their horrible hoops history on these here interwebs. I judge St Francis’ commitment based on their athletic site, which appears designed by a GeoCities rookie circa 1998. A quick search of Google reveals that the Citadel doesn’t even have a sports blog. But for Northwestern fans, it haunts us.

Thing is, that talk about the goal being just making it to the Tournament doesn’t apply in the increasingly inaccurately named Big Ten. Not only has every other team made it to the promised land, 8 – yes EIGHT – of the teams in the conference have played in the national championship game. Of the other three, two (Penn State and Minnesota) have made the Final Four, and Nebraska, well, they don’t really count towards Big Ten comparisons yet. Over half of the conference may be invited to the Dance in a given year, yet when the music starts playing, year in and year out, Northwestern finds themselves without a date and a tux, sitting at home wondering what went wrong.

Bad coaches, no administrative support, stringent admissions standards, and just sheer bad luck – each of these has played a role in the Cats’ continued futility. But in 70+ years of Madness, one’s left to ponder how basic probability hasn’t resulted in a fluke year where Northwestern could sneak into the field. Red Sox fans agonized over going 94 years without winning a “world” championship. For Northwestern, it’s like going nearly 80 years without winning their division.

Recent years have brought raised hopes and crushing disappointments. Late season losses, player defections and failures in the Big Ten Tournament have continued the streak. As the Big Ten business has grown, leading to increased TV exposure, tens of millions of dollars in revenue and extraordinary pressure to win, the task has not become any easier. Northwestern basketball today is at its highest point since the 1960s, but the window of opportunity to take the next step may be closing. Success breeds momentum, and its not too hard to think that with a few more years of coming up just short, that Northwestern could fall back to the dark ages that have defined most of the program’s existence.

As the new season kicks off, we again hope for that miracle season, and the chance to see NORTHWESTERN glowing on the Selection Sunday screen for the first time. Some teams out there hope to hear “One Shining Moment” in the background as they cut the nets, we just want a chance to stand in the spotlight.