Ranking Big Ten basketball programs by most NCAA Tournament wins all-time
One of the main goals of any college basketball team is to win enough games to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s a benchmark that many coaches and players are held to. Once in the Big Dance though, teams sure would like to do some damage, especially those programs that are among the best in the country when it comes to James Naismith’s little invention.
There are plenty of those programs in the Big Ten, Ohio State included. In fact, the Buckeyes are among teams that have reached the top six most Final Fours in NCAA Tournament history, so you’d figure there are a lot of wins in there. How do the Buckeyes stack up to the rest of the Big Ten when it comes to the number of Tourney wins during March Madness?
We have the results for you thanks to NCAA Tournament research provided by ESPN. Here’s a ranking from the least amount of wins during March Mayhem to the most by Big Ten programs.
Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo talks with Jaden Akins during a timeout in the game against Ohio State during the second half on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
72 (72-34) .679
The Narrative
Michigan State is known as the most successful NCAA Tournament team in the Big Ten. The Spartans have the most wins and have the conference’s last national title, way back in 2000.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5]
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.
Indiana Hoosiers
Jan 1987; Unknown Location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Bobby Knight (right) talks to guard Keith Smart (23) during the 1986-87 season. Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
68 (68-36) .654
The Narrative
Indiana’s success has waned since the 90s but the Hoosiers can hang their hat on an impressive historical NCAA Tournament resume, including five national championships. The program is trying to get back to that level.
Michigan Wolverines
Unknown date & location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Michigan Wolverines head coach Steve Fisher talks to his players during a timeout. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
66 (66-30) .688
The Narrative
Michigan has a sneaky good NCAA Tournament resume. There have been a lot of down years, but some really good ones with deep runs. The Wolverines actually have the best winning percentage of any team in the Big Ten when it comes to the tournament.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Mar 13, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Lenzelle Smith(32) talks with head coach Thad Matta during a time-out against the Purdue Boilermakers in the first round of the Big Ten college basketball tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Purdue vs. Ohio State. Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
58 (58-34) .630
The Narrative
Ohio State has perhaps had more peaks and valleys than any other program in the Big Ten. When it wins, it wins big, but there are a lot of very down years in there, including this past season when the Buckeyes missed the NCAA Tournament altogether.
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland head coach Gary Williams coaches from the sidelines. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
44 (44-29) .603
The Narrative
Most of Maryland’s NCAA Tournament history is out of the ACC, and boy did the Terrapins really blossom under head coach Gary Williams. Now in the Big Ten, the Terps are searching for consistency and a higher level of results.
Purdue Boilermakers
Mar 11, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter gestures to his players during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at United Center. Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
44 (44-34) .564
The Narrative
Purdue has the most Big Ten championships when taking into account regular-season and tournament championships, but that hasn’t translated historically into deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, including becoming just the second-ever No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed this year.
Illinois Fighting Illini
March 4, 2012; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bruce Weber during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Illinois 70-56. Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
42 (42-34) .553
The Narrative
Illinois has had some very memorable teams but has been inconsistent when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. For a so-called, self-proclaimed basketball school, you would think the Illini would be able to have more success when it matters most.
Wisconsin Badgers
Dec 9, 2015; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan reacts to a call during the game with the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin-Milwaukee defeated Wisconsin 68-67. Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
40 (40-25) .615
The Narrative
Wisconsin really became a force in the Big Ten and in the NCAA Tournament when things heated up under Bo Ryan. The Badgers may have missed the tournament this year, but more often than not, they’ll be in it going forward and win games at a pretty good clip once in tournament play.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Feb 16, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery reacts during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
31 (31-31) .500
The Narrative
It’s a crapshoot when Iowa gets into the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes are just an above-average program that wins some and loses some when it goes dancing.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
22 Mar 1997: Coach Clem Haskins of the Minnesota Golden Gophers cuts the net after a playoff game against the University of California at Los Angeles Bruins. Minnesota won the game 80 – 72. Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport
NCAA Tournament Wins
14 (14-14) .500
The Narrative
Minnesota’s NCAA Tournament history lacks punch. It’s only played in 28 games total and has won just half of them. The program seems to be perpetually looking for a coach that can get it to a new level and keep things there.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State head basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry calls out during the first half of the Ohio State vs. Penn State men’s basketball game Sunday, January 16, 2022, at the Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
10 (10-12) .456
The Narrative
Now we’re into those teams that haven’t been able to do much historically in the Big Ten or NCAA Tournament. Yes, Penn State is a football school if you will, but hopefully, this year shows that the Nittany Lions are trending in the right direction under new head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Penn State made the tournament and got a win under its belt in 2023.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Mar 6, 2022; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; The Rutgers Scarlet Knights mascot performs during the second half of the game between the Scarlet Knights and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
6 (6-9) .400
The Narrative
Rutgers probably got snubbed this year, and there’s really not much to write home about throughout its history in the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers isn’t a basketball school or a football school, so what is it exactly? Hopefully, for Scarlet Knights fans, the program can embrace the blue-collar culture head coach Steve Pikiell has brought to town.
Northwestern Wildcats
Feb 9, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins looks on during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
2 (2-2) .500
The Narrative
Northwestern didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament until 2017 so all of its history is recent. It hasn’t been great, but winning two and losing two is probably punching above its weight class unless Chris Collins can find a way to make things more sustainable in Evanston. This season was just the second appearance for Northwestern.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Feb 13, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg talks with guard Alonzo Verge Jr. (1) during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Wins
0 (0-7) .000
The Narrative
Yikes. Even though Nebraska has made the NCAA Tournament seven times, it has yet to register a win. Is it really called dancing if all you do is show up and sit in the corner? Fred Hoiberg is a quality coach, but he’s got an uphill climb (both ways) in Lincoln.
