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Longest active NCAA Tournament streaks: Michigan basketball ranks seventh

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•02/06/23•

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Under the leadership of Juwan Howard and John Beilein, Michigan Wolverines basketball has produced 15 NBA Draft picks since 2011. (Photos by Getty Images)

Michigan Wolverines basketball is 13-10 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten, on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Maize and Blue still have eight regular-season games to go, plus the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago March 8-12, so there’s still a slim chance they’ll make a seventh straight Big Dance. If they miss it, they’ll be left out for the first time since 2015.

Michigan has had immense NCAA Tournament success in recent years. Since 2013, Michigan has won 23 NCAA Tournament games, made seven Sweet 16s, four Elite Eights and two national title games. Former head coach John Beilein was one of the top tournament coaches in the game, and current head man Juwan Howard has only continued that tradition, with five victories in his two appearances in the Big Dance.

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Plagued by injuries in 2014-15, Michigan missed the tournament with a 16-16 overall record, after having made the national title game and Elite Eight in the prior two campaigns.

That puts their active NCAA Tournament streak at six (with the chance to make it seven), which is the seventh-longest in the country. It’s also tied for Michigan’s longest streak ever (1985-90).

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Kansas currently has the most with 32, followed by 24 from Michigan State and 23 by Gonzaga. Only one other team has made double-digit tournaments in a row — North Carolina with 11. Villanova (9) and Purdue (7) also rank ahead of Michigan.

Michigan is one of just eight squads that have appeared in the last five NCAA Tournaments, with Virginia Tech (5) joining the aforementioned group.

Here’s a look at the longest active NCAA Tournament win streaks, all 30 teams that have made at least two in a row.

Active NCAA Tournament win streaks (through 2022 season)

TeamActive StreakSince
Kansas32 years1990
Michigan State24 years1998
Gonzaga23 years1999
North Carolina11 years2011
Villanova9 years2013
Purdue7 years2015
Michigan6 years2016
Virginia Tech5 years2017
Houston4 years2018
Ohio State4 years2018
Tennessee4 years2018
Texas Tech4 years2018
Baylor3 years2019
Colgate3 years2019
Iowa3 years2019
LSU3 years2019
Wisconsin3 years2019
Alabama2 years2021
Arkansas2 years2021
UConn2 years2021
Creighton2 years2021
Illinois2 years2021
Loyola (Chicago)2 years2021
Norfolk State2 years2021
Rutgers2 years2021
San Diego State2 years2021
USC2 years2021
Texas2 years2021
Texas Southern2 years2021
UCLA2 years2021
Note: There was no NCAA Tournament in 2020

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