From 1997 to 2005, Georgetown only qualified for two NCAA tournaments.  One resulted in a first round loss in 1997 and the other a Sweet 16 loss in 2001.  Amazingly, Georgetown’s success in the other years of this time period has more than made up for that drought.  The Hoyas only missed one other NCAA tournament outside of this time period (1993).

The main tournament highlight (or disappointment, depending how you look at it) for Georgetown was in 1985, when they made the championship game as a No. 1 seed.  There they were heavily favored against tournament Cinderella and No. 8-seeded Villanova.  However, Villanova won the battle of Big East teams and upset the Hoyas in one of the most epic NCAA tournament championship games of all time.

Georgetown also made the Final Four in 2007 as a No. 2 seed, getting on the better side of an upset in the Elite Eight by beating No. 1-seeded UNC.

One of the major advantages for Georgetown is that they only have one first round loss, which I mentioned before as being in 1993.  Again, since most of the teams in the NCAA tournament are eliminated in the first round, the biggest jump in points comes from winning a first round game.

Georgetown is the only team inside the top 10 in the rankings without an NCAA Championship.

8) Syracuse Orangemen – Total Points: 713

• One NCAA Championship, two Championship Game Appearances, one Elite Eight Appearance, five Sweet 16 Appearances, five Missed Tournaments
• ESPN Rank: 9

Syracuse has fallen from the elite ranks in the past four years but still has done enough in the past 24 seasons to be one of the most prestigious programs overall.

The Orangemen were victims of an upset in the NCAA tournament in 2005 as a No. 4 seed to No. 13-seeded Vermont, and again in 2006 as a No. 5 seed to No. 12-seeded Texas A&M.  They have not made the tournament in either of the two seasons since.

Syracuse’s most glorious moment came in 2003 when Carmelo Anthony led them to a National Championship as a No. 3 seed.  They defeated No. 2-seeded UConn in the championship by three points.

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