Tom Izzo has followed the Toledo men’s basketball program for years, but when I mentioned to him that the Rockets haven’t made the NCAA tournament since 1980, he was taken aback.
“Has it really been that long?” he asked.
Alas, I confirmed the misfortune.
It has, and even longer for Bowling Green. If neither UT nor BG (1968) go dancing this season, their combined droughts are set to turn 100 years old.
“That is crazy!” Izzo said. “How many times has [Toledo] won the league?”
I didn’t have the answer off the top of my head — it’s six times since ‘80 — but I reminded him exactly how much Tod Kowalczyk has won there lately, including a record three straight outright Mid-American Conference championships.