Top College Basketball Teams Who Never Won The National Title

We like to remember the great champions of college basketball, but there’s also great teams who never won it all. There are numerous talent-rich teams who are remembered for being good, but noy enough to win the title.

Here are the top college basketball teams who never won the national title. Check the list and make your wagers on the NBA finals using  NBA playoffs betting.

Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners have made 25 NCAA tournament appearances and currently have 43 tournament wins. They have also made five Final Four appearances and unfortunately were unsuccessful in all five appearances.

One of the most memorable Oklahoma Sooners teams was the 1987-1988 team featuring Stacey King and Mookie Blalock. This was a fun high-scoring team, but fell to Kansas in their Final Four matchup.

OU is up there with the top college basketball teams who never won the national title.

Illinois Fighting Illini

The Fighting Illini have produced numerous top-ranked teams during their history. They have won 45 tournament games in 34 appearances and went to five Final Fours.

Illinois was the #1 seed four of those times, but never ended up winning it all. The 2004-2005 team featuring that went 37-2 is considered one of the greatest teams who never won it all.

That great team featuring Dee Brown, Deron Williams, and Luther Head was the last time Illinois got close to the title.

Houston Cougars 

The Houston Cougars have put together some great teams during the history of their program. Most notably Phi Slamma Jamma featuring Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

They have over 40 tournament wins and made their seventh Final Four appearance last season. Future Hall of Fame coach Kelvin Sampson has brought Houston back to prominence as a top team.

But unfortunately, the Cougars came up short again after losing to the  top-seeded Florida Gators. Houston are unfortunately still one of the top college basketball teams who never won a national title 

Purdue Boilermakers

Out of all of the top college basketball teams who have never won the national title, Purdue is up there. The Boilermakers hold the record for most tournament wins(49) without winning the championship.

Last year, Purdue had their best chance with 2x POTY Zach Edey leading the team. Unfortunately, Purdue came up short again with a heartbreaking loss to UConn in the championship game.

This was their biggest heartbreaker since 2019 when they lost to Virginia in the Elite Eight. One of the many moments in Purdue’s history of coming up short.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Right at the top of the list of top college basketball teams who never won the national title is Gonzaga. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have made 25 consecutive tournament appearances and counting.

They currently have 46 tournament wins and have been the #1 seed five times. During this incredible streak, Gonzaga made it to the national title twice 

Unfortunately, they’ve come up short in all of these efforts and are still chasing the national title.