Since the 2006-07 college basketball season, nine percent of teams ranked 22nd in the preseason AP Top 25 have missed the NCAA Tournament. Fifty-five percent of teams ranked 21st have missed the dance, including each of the last four years.
If UCLA doesn't effectively navigate Pac-12 play, the streak could hit five years.
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A review of the last 11 years of preseason rankings and NCAA Tournament seeding (and results) revealed that a preseason No. 21 team hasn't reached the tourney since 2012-13 when Gonzaga earned a No. 1 seed. Notre Dame failed to punch their ticket the following year, as did Nebraska in 2015, LSU in 2016 and Texas last year. The semi-good news for UCLA? Two of the five No. 21 teams that did make the tournament won two games (Stanford, 2007-08; Cincinnati, 2011-12).
MORE: Preseason Top 25 Teams in Danger of Missing Dance
The Bruins earned just seven more points than preseason No. 22 Saint Mary's, who should become the ninth-straight 22nd-ranked team to earn a bid, though the last three didn't win a game despite being seeded sixth (Creighton), fifth (Baylor) and sixth (SMU).
UCLA enters Thursday's home game vs. Utah with only one bad loss (Stanford) but only two RPI top-100 wins (Kentucky and Washington). And with only two RPI top-50 games remaining (Arizona and Arizona State), the Bruins have little margin for error in their quest to end the bizarre streak of futility for preseason No. 21 teams.
