LeBron James makes Fortune’s list of 50 greatest world leaders
March 27, 2015Tribe 101 with Prof. Rosen: Hitters
March 27, 2015They enter the dance as dark horses, longshots, sleepers, and underdogs. But since the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament introduced its seeding system in 1979, the biggest overachievers in March have always wound up going by one name: “Cinderella.” Now, in perhaps the first incident of a sports-related countdown list being published on one convenient scrollable page, WFNY has taken stock of four decades of shattered brackets to put Cinderella history in its proper context. This… is the Top 40 Cinderella Teams in NCAA Tournament History.
Naturally, like the committee on Selection Sunday, there are certain key attributes we (being the committee of me) looked for when putting this list together. First and foremost, our definition of a Cinderella team includes ONLY teams that won at least two games during their tournament run; overcoming a relatively low seed and tough draw in the process. This means that we’re drawing a distinct line between schools that pulled off one shocking upset (like Coppin State in 1997 or Norfolk State in 2012) and those that actually put together a prolonged run into the Sweet Sixteen or beyond, like our beloved CSU Vikings in 1986. If the shoe fits, you’ve got to wear it more than once. A Cinderella ain’t no one one-trick pony! Also, a Cinderella needn’t be an obscure mid-major school previously unheard of to the general public. Representatives of the Big 6 conferences are welcome here, too, so long as they entered the tournament with low seeds and lower expectations. The thinking here is, if you can’t include the 1983 N.C. State team on a Cinderella list, what good is it?
So… If the ground rules are understood—and with all apologies to the fine programs of the pre-seeding era—let us begin the countdown.
The 40 Greatest Cinderellas of the NCAA Tournament
1979-Present (The Seeding Era)
40. UTEP (1992)
Seed: #9 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Nearly 30 years after a historic National Championship victory over Kentucky (back when the school was called Texas Western), the University of Texas-El Paso had faded into basketball obscurity. But that all quickly changed at the ’92 NCAA Tourney, when the Miners blew up everyone’s brackets (no offense to victims of mining disasters) by taking down the No. 1 seed Kansas in the second round, 66-60. They kept the momentum going in a third round war with Bob Huggins’ Cincinnati Bearcats, but fell a hair short, 69-67.
39. Tulsa (1994)
Seed: #12 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Coached by an up-and-coming Tubby Smith, the Missouri Valley Conference champs featured diaper dandy Shea Seals and a high-powered offense. Accordingly, Tulsa was recognized as a challenge for UCLA, but not a true threat… until they bounced Tyus Edney and the Bruins in a 112-102 shootout. This was followed up by an 82-80 stunner over Bryant Reeves’s crewcut and OK State two days later.
38. Miami-OH (1999)
Seed: #10 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Charlie Coles’ deliberate, ball control offense helped put the MAC back on the map, as sharpshooting Wally Szczerbiak (pronounced “Krzyzewski”) and his cohorts picked up up scrappy wins over No. 7 Washington and No. 2 Utah. Kentucky eventually took them down in the round of 16.
37. Lamar (1980)
Seed: #10 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
The Cardinals of the Southland Conference made the Big Dance four times between 1979 and 1983, and they impressively won their first round match-up every time, despite no one ever learning where their school was located. 1980 was Lamar’s finest moment, as they snuck by No. 7 Weber State and No. 2 Oregon State in classic Cardinal fashion, if that’s a thing.
36. UW-Milwaukee (2005)
Seed: #12 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
The Horizon League winners traveled down the road to Chicago and made quick work of two solid teams, ousting No. 5 Alabama and No. 4 Boston College. They finally fell to No. 1 Illinois, but coach Bruce Pearl rode the Cinderella wave to a new job at Tennessee, where he eventually got fired for inviting high school recruit Aaron Craft to a barbecue.
35. Bradley (2006)
Seed: #13 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Senior Marcellus Sommerville led the Braves on a remarkable run from just a fifth place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference to inspired wins over No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Pitt and an eventual defeat to No. 1 Memphis. Nobody cared because George Mason was happening at the same time, but still, kudos.
34. Xavier (2004)
Seed: #7 / Finish: Elite Eight
Thad Matta’s unranked club was a bubble team before sweeping through the A-10 conference tournament, and they rode that hot streak straight on to the Big Dance, cruising past No. 2 Mississippi State and No. 3 Texas. In the Elite Eight, Lionel Chalmers and company pushed No. 1 Duke to the limit, but eventually lost 66-63. Still, there was no denying that the letter “X” was still the coolest, rivaled only by “Z.”
33. Ohio U (2012)
Seed: #13 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
After sneaking by Akron for the MAC title, Ohio and its pesky point guard D.J. Cooper became the lone Cinderellas of the 2012 Dance, ousting Michigan and taking North Carolina right to the brink in the round of 16. The kids in Athens were rioting in the streets, but that was because the bar closed an hour early for Daylight Savings time.
32. Ball State (1990)
Seed: #12 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
They were understandably overshadowed by the other Cinderella in their region of the bracket, Loyola Marymount. But while Loyola eventually lost to No. 1 UNLV by 30 points, Ball State had played the Runnin’ Rebels right down to the wire in their sweet sixteen match-up, losing 69-67. This followed wins over No. 5 Oregon State and No. 4 Louisville. David Letterman yacked about it for weeks.
31. St. Joseph’s (1981)
Seed: #9 / Finish: Elite Eight
The Hawks’ return to national relevance was a loud one, as they parlayed a somewhat insulting #9 seed into a run of three straight extremely tight wins over #8 Creighton (59-57), #1 DePaul (49-48), and #5 Boston College (42-41), before falling to a mentally unhinged Bobby Knight and the eventual champion Hoosiers in a rout.
30. Connecticut (2014)
Seed: #7 / Finish: National Champion
Maybe a Connecticut team could never have the charm of a true Cinderella, but when you’re a No. 7 seed, one year removed from academic ineligibility, going the distance for a national title is at least inspiring in some sort of kinda boring way. Of course, Shabazz Napier led the Huskies over an even lower seeded Kentucky squad (No. 8) in the championship game, so the fairy tale storyline is kind of more like a tale of two dominant programs getting their acts together at the right time.
29. Cornell (2010)
Seed: #12 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
There’s always something extra Cinderella-y about an Ivy League school making a run, because smart, wealthy people are usually sad and helpless. In 2010, Cornell entered the Dance with a 27-4 record, but sans the respect one would expect to go with it. That all changed after impressive, cakewalk wins over No. 5 Temple and No. 4 Wisconsin. It took John Wall and Kentucky to finally end the Big Red’s run.
28. Virginia (1984)
Seed: #7 / Finish: Final Four
Everyone remembers the classic ’84 Final between Houston and Georgetown, but the Cavaliers (who had finished just sixth in the ACC) came one basket away from beating Phi Slamma Jamma and playing Georgetown themselves. Team captain Rick Carlisle (who looked less like an old, bald Jim Carrey at the time) helped lead Virginia past No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Syracuse, and No. 4 Indiana.
27. Providence (1997)
Seed: #10 / Finish: Elite Eight
Austin Croshere was the star, but God Shammgod was obviously the name to know on this Friars team—one of two Providence appearances on our list. After ousting the highly touted Duke Blue Devils in Round 2, Providence moved all the way to the Elite Eight, where they gave eventual champion Arizona a run for their money in a 96-92 shootout.
26. Richmond (1988)
Seed: #13 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Three years before they shocked No. 2 Syracuse as a No. 15 seed, the Spiders crawled their way to prominence as a No. 13 seed. The Colonial champs delivered deadly bites to Bob Knight’s No. 4 seeded Hoosiers and Bobby Cremins’ No. 5 Georgia Tech Yellowjackets before their venom wore out against No. 1 Temple. Webbing. Eight legs. Something about water spouts, curds, and whey.
25. Missouri (2002)
Seed: #12 / Finish: Elite Eight
At the same time Kent State was making its miracle run, an even lower seed had also found its way to the Elite Eight in ’02. Despite a sixth place finish in the Big 12, Kareem Rush and Missouri found a March Madness spark, sending home No. 5 Miami, No. 4 Ohio State, and No. 8 UCLA before succumbing to No. 2 Oklahoma. I know, I don’t remember it either.
24. Alabama-Birmingham (2004)
Seed: #9 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Unranked and just the fourth best team in Conference USA, the UAB Blazers turned on the switch in their St. Louis regional, beating No. 8 Washington 102-100 and shocking No. 1 Kentucky 76-75. The juice ran out against No. 4 Kansas in the round of sixteen, but the damage had been done. My effing bracket was ruined and college was almost over. What was I going to do with my life?
23. Tennessee-Chattanooga (1997)
Seed: #14 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Behind the skills of Johnny Taylor, Southern Conference champion Chattanooga upended No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Illinois, joining the ’86 Cleveland State Vikings as the only No. 14 seed to make the round of 16. Gerald Wilkins went to Chattanooga, by the way, but he wasn’t on this team. So I guess that’s not a super helpful factoid in this context.
22. Northern Iowa (2010)
Seed: #9 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Despite a 28-4 record, the Missouri Valley champs only earned a #9 seed, but they certainly took the opportunity it afforded them, first dispatching #8 UNLV and then pulling one of the all-time shockers with a 69-67 win over tournament favorites and No. 1 seed Kansas. Prior to this point, UNI was known exclusively as the school Kurt Warner attended before becoming a bag boy.
21. Valparaiso (1998)
Seed: #13 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
In an upset-filled 1998 tourney, Bryce Drew and Valpo managed to win the most hearts, thanks to a now iconic 3-point buzzer beater over No. 4 Ole Miss. The Crusaders outlasted No. 12 Florida State in the following round, as well. I’m 90% sure Drew is now the head coach at Valpo, following in his dad’s footsteps. But I don’t feel like looking it up to confirm it.
20. Providence (1987)
Seed: #6 / Finish: Final Four
The best Cinderellas pull at the heart strings, and the run Providence made following the death of coach Rick Pitino’s infant son was an emotional one. Led by a young Billy Donovan in high-rise 1980s socks (I’m guessing), the Friars blew out No. 2 Alabama and No. 1 Georgetown before falling to No. 2 Syracuse at the Louisiana Superdome.
19. LSU (1986)
Seed: #11 / Finish: Final Four
LSU is hardly a little guy like George Mason or VCU (the only other No. 11 seeds to make a Final Four), but they put together a hell of a run, nonetheless, starting with wins over No. 6 Purdue and No. 3 Memphis State on their own floor in Baton Rouge (leading to a rule change about home court scheduling). On neutral ground, the Tigers still beat No. 2 Georgia Tech and No. 1 Kentucky before Louisville finally took them down. In truth, they only made this list because that old school Tiger logo looks crazy! Somebody give that cat some meds.
18. Boston College (1994)
Seed: #9 / Finish: Elite Eight
Bill Curley and Howard Eisley were the top scorers on Jim O’Brien’s upstart BC team, which ended a 10-year tournament drought and refused to go home again. The big upset was a 75-72 triumph over No. 1 North Carolina in round two. No. 5 Indiana fell next, but No. 3 Florida stopped the Golden Eagles short of a Final Four trip. Doug Flutie’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was intercepted.
17. Davidson (2008)
Seed: #10 / Finish: Elite Eight
The Southern Conference champs had lost six straight NCAA tourney games dating back nearly 40 years. But that was before Stephen Curry came along. The sophomore put on a show for the ages as Davidson bounced No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 2 Georgetown, and No. 3 Wisconsin before losing to No. 1 Kansas in an absolute nail biter, 59-57. Did you know Steph Curry was born in Akron? It’s true, but he HATES Swensons!
16. Cleveland State (1986)
Seed: #14 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
For Clevelanders, this legendary CSU squad is practically synonymous with the word Cinderella. Making their NCAA tourney debut, a super amped-up Kevin Mackey and his Summit League champs became the first No. 14 seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen, knocking off Bob Knight’s No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers and No. 6 St. Johns. In the end, only an admiral could stop the Vikings (barely), as David Robinson and Navy prevailed 71-70 in round three. Here is how CBS condescendingly previewed that contest in 1986.
15. Dayton (1984)
Seed: #10 / Finish: Elite Eight
Having already ousted No. 7 LSU, the Flyers became the talk of the tournament when Roosevelt Chapman dropped 41 points in a 89-85 win over No. 2 Oklahoma. Dayton beat No. 6 Washington, as well, before running into Patrick Ewing and Georgetown. Leaving the court that night, Chapman reportedly told the crowd, “The Flyers shall rise again in 30 revolutions of the Earth around the star you call the Sun.”
14. Dayton (2014)
Seed: #11 / Finish: Elite Eight
As Chapman had so eerily foreseen, Dayton made another historic March run on the 30-year anniversary of the ’84 season, taking down their favored neighbors from Ohio State in the round of 64, then No. 3 Syracuse and No. 10 Stanford en route to the Elite Eight. There, they ran into top seeded Florida, and despite 18 points and five assists from Dyshawn Pierre, the Flyers fell 62-52. Walking off the court, Pierre explained that he was Canadian.
13. Pennsylvania (1979)
Seed: #9 / Finish: Final Four
In a legendary tournament that ushered in the current seeding system and saw Magic and Bird ignite their rivalry, the amazing run by Penn gets overlooked. The Ivy League champs took out No. 1 North Carolina, No. 4 Syracuse, and No. 10 St. Johns (a Cinderella in their own right). But Magic Johnson and Michigan State sent the Quakers home in the semi-finals in a nip-and-tuck 101-67 affair.
12. Butler (2011)
Seed: #8 / Finish: Finals Runner-Up
A very reasonable argument could be made that this Butler team’s accomplishment was actually more surprising and impressive than the 2010 squad’s improbable run. While America now knew of Brad Stevens and the little Horizon League school in Indiana, the Bulldogs’ return to the National Championship game as an 8-seed, without Gordon Hayward, was just straight up bannanners.
11. Kent State (2002)
Seed: #10 / Finish: Elite Eight
If not for a ridiculous barrage of Indiana three-pointers, the Golden Flashes would have likely trumped George Mason as the first mid-major in a modern era Final Four. Stan Heath’s squad, led by a sure-handed forward named Antonio Gates, rolled past No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Alabama, and No. 3 Pitt, putting together the greatest postseason run ever by a Mid-American Conference team. They fought the Hoosiers tooth and nail, as well, but fell to the No. 5 seed 81-69 in the round of eight. Their logo still looks like the chicken hawk from Foghorn Leghorn cartoons.
10. Gonzaga (1999)
Seed: #10 / Finish: Elite Eight
Before 1999, Gonzaga was known as the alma mater of John Stockton and his twin brother Don, and that’s about it. Today, the school from somewhere in the Northwest has become an annual high seed in the tourney– a partial consequence of winning at least one tournament game in 13 of the last 16 years. It all started in ’99, when the upstart Bulldogs whipped No. 7 Minnesota, No. 2 Stanford, and No. 6 Florida before losing a heartbreaker to top seed and eventual champ Connecticut.
9. Kansas (1988)
Seed: #6 / Finish: National Champion
Yes, it is mildly annoying to see a powerhouse school like Kansas on a list like this. But in 1988, the Jayhawks were unranked heading into the Dance, and generally considered afterthoughts as a 6-seed. Thanks to Danny Manning and a bit of an easy early draw, though, Larry Brown’s crew got on a historic roll. They beat No. 4 Kansas State in the quarterfinals, took out No. 2 Duke in the semis, and bested No. 1 Oklahoma in an epic, inner-conference Championship Game stunner in Kansas City, 83-79.
8. Florida Gulf Coast (2013)
Seed: #15 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
Appearing in their first ever NCAA Tourney, FCGU—a school created by a location scout for Saved By the Bell: The College Years—became the first No. 15 seed ever to reach the Sweet Sixteen. The oft-burned Georgetown was first to fall prey to the newbies, followed by SDSU. It took Gulf Coast’s mighty big brother, Florida, to end the upstart school’s hugely successful promotional campaign.
7. Loyola Marymount (1990)
Seed: #11 / Finish: Elite Eight
In one of the most emotional storylines not just in the tournament but all sports history, Paul Westhead’s high-octane Lions overcame the tragic death of star Hank Gathers to make an astounding postseason run, crushing No. 6 New Mexico State and No. 3 Michigan, and nipping No. 7 Alabama. Bo Kimble and his teammates ran out of magic against No. 1 UNLV, but their story still inspires people. You should stop reading this and watch that 30-for-30 on this subject.
6. Wichita State (2013)
Seed: #9 / Finish: Final Four
The Shockers came out of the Missouri Valley Conference to dispatch tournament favorites No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Ohio State, and they didn’t fade under the bright lights of the Final Four either, battling eventual champions Louisville down to the wire, falling 72-68. A year later, of course, Wichita State entered the Dance undefeated, even though their mascot looks like the lovechild of a haystack and Nelson from the Simpsons.
5. George Mason (2006)
Seed: #11 / Finish: Final Four
Jim Larranaga’s club hadn’t even won the Colonial Athletic conference title (they lost to Hofstra). And when they beat No. 6 Michigan State, most people still had no clue where George Mason was even located (Virginia?). After the Patriots eliminated No. 3 North Carolina and No. 1 Connecticut to reach the Final Four, however, they became one of the all-time great Cinderella teams, well on their way to years of looking back on their 15 minutes with bittersweet nostalgia.
4. Virginia Commonwealth (2011)
Seed: #11 / Finish: Final Four
Take the George Mason story, add more obstacles (VCU had to win an opening round play-in game to even get in the mix, meaning they were known simply as “No. 11 seed TBD” on many brackets) and a sharp young coach plucked from the Akron Zips sideline (Shaka Smart), and you’ve got the kind of story that makes this March Madness business the epic event it is. Fun fact: I started dating a VCU grad one week before her team’s Cinderella run began. And the next thing you know, it’s four years later, and she and I do not speak.
3. Villanova (1985)
Seed: #8 / Finish: National Champion
Much like NC State two years earlier, Nova’s miracle run began with a squeaker first round win (51-49 over Dayton). From there, Rollie Massimino’s boys ran off an incredible string of upsets, eliminating No. 1 Michigan, No. 5 Maryland, No. 2 NC, No. 2 Memphis State, and finally and most famously, Patrick Ewing and No. 1 Georgetown. They remain the lowest seed (No. 8) to ever win a National Championship. But they made up for it last year by losing to NC State and costing me $30.
2. North Carolina State (1983)
Seed: #6 / Finish: National Champion
Speaking of NC State, Jim Valvano’s “Cardiac Pack” nearly lost to No. 11 Pepperdine in Round 1 of the ’83 Tourney, and narrowly edged No. 3 Utah and No. 1 Virginia by one point each. But it was Lorenzo Charles’ buzzer beater over No. 1 Houston (and the ensuing pandemonium) that has become synonymous with the NCAA–almost as much as the exploitation of its student-athletes.
1. Butler (2010)
Seed: #5 / Finish: Finals Runner-Up
With a 28-4 record, the Bulldogs were given a decent No. 5 seed, but they were still a Horizon League school looking up at a glass ceiling. Consider the glass shattered. Butler took down No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Kansas State, and No. 5 Michigan State before coming one buzzer-beater short of what would have been a monumental National Championship win in their own backyard of Indianapolis. Had Gordon Hayward’s last second heave found the bottom of the bucket, Butler’s achievement—already No. 1 on this list—could have entered the conversation among the greatest in all of sports history. Instead, we got to watch the damn Plumlee brothers celebrate. Life is pain, and the clock will eventually strike midnight on even the prettiest of us.
10 Comments
Dunk City was such a fun team to watch. So was the first time we were all introduced to VCU’s Havoc Defense. One of the under-rated parts of many of these Cinderella teams is that they played suc ha great brand of basketball too.
That Kent State run was part of an amazing stretch of basketball by the Flashes. Going to games was such a great time. We had just arrived in Florida for spring break the afternoon of that game against Indiana, and I will never forget sitting around the garage tv drinking and cheering. I’ll also never forget the ridiculous display of three-point shooting the Hoosiers put on–15 of 19?! It was gut-wrenching to watch. To this day I’m convinced we would have taken down the Sooners the next round. Antonio Gates was just unreal inside, Andrew Mitchell, Trevor Huffman…just a damn fun team to watch. That run was one of my favorite experiences as a sports fan.
(And yes, the logo could be better. But no matter. Go Flashes)
Ohio U?
Please. Ohio University or simply Ohio is preferred.
Forever OU for me. Though I suppose Ohio is ok to use again since Brady Hoke is no longer an issue. Not that he ever was.
Good call. OU is obviously fine too.
Brady Hoke is a douchebag who intended to insult Ohio State, but just managed to insult Ohio University instead.
As an alum who graduated in 2002, that was a MAGICAL run I got to see. That year, they lost to Youngstown State early in the season…..wow. Trevor Huffman and Antonio Gates were unstoppable.
Graduated in 2003 myself. Those were great days, my friend.
I think i have the CSU team in the top-10, probably at #8. The top-7 are spot on.
No way i can have Kansas and UConn in there, regardless of their status. They’re blue-chip programs and, by definition, can’t be a Cinderella.
OU….didn’t study in high school.
http://media.tumblr.com/29f661c5cdb7d901e4105402a0cfe03b/tumblr_inline_n711bmh1dM1qiwgw3.gif