Where have all the mid-majors gone?
A historical lookback at how bad this year (and last) have been for mid-majors in the NCAA Tournaments
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 18: A detailed view of a "March Madness" logo is seen on a basketball before the Lehigh Mountain Hawks take on the Prairie View A&M Panthers during the first half in the First Four game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 18, 2026 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images There are no mid-majors in the Sweet 16 in both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments for a second straight year. We know it’s been bad.
But how does this trend stack up over the last 20 postseasons? This is only the second time in NCAA tournament history where the Sweet 16 is made up entirely of teams from major conferences. The only other time?
Last year. https://t. co/v8gwFtJk5o — Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 23, 2026 This year’s men’s tournament saw four teams advance to the round of 32.
Last year had five. They went a combined 0-9 with a chance to advance to the Sweet 16. The 18 prior NCAA Tournaments featured an average of 7.