Hlas: Can Hawkeyes scratch 14-year NCAA itch this week?

Iowa won games in 10 different NCAA men's basketball tournaments from 1987 to 2001.

It hasn't won one since. The Hawkeyes will try to change that Friday when they play Davidson in Seattle.

Fourteen years is a long time. Would you believe 129 other schools have won games in the tourney since Iowa defeated Creighton in a 2001 first-round game in Uniondale, N.Y.?

All 15 current members of the ACC have won NCAA games in that time. In fact, all 15 have won one since 2007.

The SEC isn't considered a basketball conference, but 12 of its 14 current members have won NCAA contests since the end of the '01 tourney. Tennessee, as you may recall, defeated Iowa in last year's tournament.

Of the Power Five conferences, 56 of the 64 teams have won NCAA games since 2002. TCU is the only current Big 12 member that hasn't.

The Big Ten has a few other droughts that make Iowa's look like a hiccup. Rutgers' dates back to 1983. Nebraska and Northwestern have never won in the big tourney.

Nebraska's record in the tourney is 0-7. Northwestern has never appeared in the NCAAs.

Of the original 160 Division I teams eligible for the tournament, only Northwestern, Army, The Citadel, St. Francis (N.Y.) and William & Mary have never participated. Maybe next year, Northwestern. Probably not.

Eight Big Ten teams have won NCAA games within the last three years. Heck, Wisconsin won four games in last year's tourney alone.

Here are some of the other teams that have won in the NCAAs since the last time Iowa did it:

Albany, Bucknell, Cornell, Davidson.

UAB, UAPB, UTSA, USF, UNLV.

James Madison, George Mason, George Washington, Stephen F. Austin.

Montana, Nevada, Wyoming.

St. Joseph's, Saint Louis, St. Mary's, Mount St. Mary's.

Central Michigan, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky.

North Carolina, North Carolina State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina-Asheville, North Carolina-Wilmington.

San Diego, San Diego State.

Florida Gulf Coast, Pacific.

Manhattan, Memphis, Monmouth.

New Mexico, Old Dominion.

Northwestern State.

Bruce Pearl coached Milwaukee and Tennessee teams to 10 NCAA wins since Iowa's last one.

Butler has won 16 NCAA games since Iowa last did it. Duke 26, Kentucky 29.

There's a theme here and I think it's been well-established in this essay. Namely, it's been a drought for the Hawkeyes.

So maybe the fact they're playing in Seattle Friday is a good omen. Because it's been known to rain there.

See Also:

NCAA Facts, TV Information for Iowa's three squads

Hawkeyes excited to learn seed, face Davidson

UNI gets 5th seed, buoyed by strong support

No. 3 seed Cyclones open NCAA tourney against 14th-seed UAB

Here's the breakdown of teams that have won NCAA tournament games since 2002, listed by their current conferences:

ACC (15)

: All 15 members

SEC (12)

: All but Georgia and South Carolina

PAC-12 (11)

: All but Oregon State

BIG 12 (9):

All but TCU

BIG TEN (9):

Illinois (most recently 2013), Indiana (2013), Michigan (2014), Michigan State (2014), Maryland (2010), Minnesota (2013), Ohio State (2013), Purdue (2012), Wisconsin (2014)

BIG EAST (8):

All but Providence and St. John's

ATLANTIC 10 (8)

: Dayton, St. Louis, La Salle, Virginia Commonwealth, Davidson, Richmond, George Washington, St. Joseph's.

AMERICAN (6)

: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Memphis, USF, Temple, Tulsa

MOUNTAIN WEST (6)

: Colorado State, New Mexico, Nevada, UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming

WEST COAST (5)

: BYU, Gonzaga, Pacific, St. Mary's, San Diego

MISSOURI VALLEY (4)

: Bradley, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Wichita State

MAAC (4)

: Manhattan, Monmouth, Niagara, Siena

CONFERENCE USA (3)

: Old Dominion, UAB, Western Kentucky

MID-AMERICAN (3)

: Central Michigan, Kent State, Ohio

HORIZON (3)

: Milwaukee, Oakland, Cleveland State

BIG SOUTH (2)

: UNC Asheville, Winthrop

OHIO VALLEY (2)

: Morehead State, Murray State

COLONIAL (2)

: James Madison, UNC Wilmington

IVY (2)

: Cornell, Harvard.

PATRIOT (2)

: Bucknell, Lehigh

AMERICA EAST (2)

: Albany, Vermont

SOUTHLAND (2)

: Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin

MEAC (2)

: Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T

SUMMIT (1)

: North Dakota State

NORTHEAST (1):

Mount St. Mary's

SOUTHERN (1):

Mercer

SWAC (1):

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

ATLANTIC SUN (1)

: Florida Gulf Coast

BIG SKY (1)

: Montana

BIG WEST (1)

: Cal Poly