Temple's John Chaney, participating in more NCAA Tournament games than any coach without reaching the Final Four, is 5-0 in regional semifinal outings but 0-5 in regional finals after bowing to defending champion Michigan State in the South Regional final.

If Maryland didn't upset top-ranked Stanford in the West Regional final, Gary Williams would have been on the following list of coaches who have made more than 10 NCAA playoff appearances without a Final Four berth:

• John Chaney -- 23-17 tourney record in 17 appearances.
• Gene Keady -- 18-17 in 17 appearances.
• Norm Stewart -- 12-16 in 16 appearances.
• Lefty Driesell -- 16-14 in 13 appearances.
• Tom Davis -- 18-11 in 11 appearances.
• Dave Bliss -- 8-11 in 11 appearances.
• Gale Catlett -- 7-11 in 11 appearances.
• Pete Carril -- 4-11 in 11 appearances.

"The only criticism we've gotten here is because we've gotten beat in the NCAAs early," he said. "When that happens, I don't like going to the banquet and apologizing for a 21-9 season. But that's what happened. We won three Big Ten titles and I had to go to the banquet each time and apologize for not having a good season."

Keady's comments in "Passion Play," a book on the Boilermakers' 1987-88 season, portray postgame self-doubt after elimination from the playoffs by an underdog opponent. Purdue, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, lost in the regional semifinals against Kansas State, a team the Boilermakers blasted by 29 points earlier in the season.

"I can't coach the big one," Keady said in the wake of the 73-70 setback.

"It happens every damn time I get in a tournament. Why can't I feel like I did a good job (29-4 record)? It feels like it's my fault we lost. What gets me is, you've got to rise above it. And we didn't rise above it. What causes you to do that? I've never found an equation. Just once, I'd like to finish the season feeling good about myself. I can't help it if I feel that way!

I've got the wrong values about coaching, I guess."

Keady rebounded sharply from the despair, however. A couple of days later in the final team meeting, he said, "There's still an empty feeling there. That's OK. That's what drives people. I may be 65 years old before I win the national championship, but I'm going to do it someday."

A similar intensity fuels the following list of some of the biggest names in college coaching today who still have never advanced to the Final Four:

Driesell (Davidson in 1968 and 1969/Maryland in 1973 and 1975), DeVoe (Tennessee in 1981), Penders (Texas in 1990), Bliss (Oklahoma in 1979) and Ellis (Clemson in 1990) were with other schools when they came closest to reaching the national semifinals.