There are a number of programs that can be considered “blue bloods” in college basketball, but there are several that stand above the rest. The 2026 NCAA tournament features something that hasn’t happened since 1954, as all four bona-fide blue bloods of Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA and North Carolina did not make it to the Sweet 16.
Meanwhile, the Duke Blue Devils, a program that stands right beside those four, remains alone as the No. 1 seed in the East Region.
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Relative to expectations and past successes, the 2025-26 season wasn’t kind to UCLA or UNC. The former finished as a No. 7 seed and was taken down by No. 2 UConn in the Round of 32, while the No. 6 Tar Heels blew a significant lead late against No. 11 VCU, leading to the firing of head coach Hubert Davis.
While each roster wasn’t necessarily stacked with talent, expectations are always sky-high for those programs. The talent that has passed through both UCLA and UNC can easily construct an a championship team at the NBA level. But this season was a different story, as expectations were far from met.
Meanwhile, both Kentucky and Kansas had roller coaster campaigns. The Jayhawks had arguably the top freshman in college basketball in Darryn Peterson, but he battled injuries that led to unexpected absences throughout the year, throwing off the team’s chemistry and play-style as they had to adjust to playing with and without their top player.
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The Wildcats, while having a different look to their program under head coach Mark Pope and not John Calipari, were expected to have a big year with senior guard Otega Oweh leading the way. While he did nail a memorable game-tying three-pointer in the first round against Santa Clara to send the game to overtime, Kentucky dealt with early-season drama and fell short of what was expected of them.
The end result is an unprecedented Sweet 16 field in modern history, with those four blue bloods missing the cut for the first time in 72 years and giving way for wide open final three weeks of the tournament.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Four NCAA blue blood miss Sweet 16 for the first time since 1954
