The NCAA Tournament is right around the corner, and it has always been known for its upsets. March Madness constantly gets “Cinderella’s,” as teams who make an unexpectedly deep run are colloquially known, but some are better remembered and have more success than others.
Without further ado, here are the 10 best Cinderella runs in the history of March Madness.
No. 15 Princeton – 2023
In the early years of college basketball, before the creation of the NCAA Tournament, Princeton was a powerhouse; they were even selected as the National Champions in 1925. In the years since, however, the Tigers had fallen by the wayside to the “power schools,” along with the rest of the Ivy League.
Going into the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Princeton hadn’t made the Sweet Sixteen since 1967. In the Round of 64, the Tigers faced off against No. 2 Arizona, who was the sixth overall seed in the tournament and a popular National Champion pick. Princeton knocked off the Wildcats 59-55 to win their first NCAA Tournaments game since 1998.
In the Round of 32, Princeton played No. 7 Missouri and won a fairly uncompetitive game 78-63 and set up a game with No. 6 Creighton in the Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, Princeton would finally meet their end as they fell to the Blue Jays 86-75.
No. 15 Oral Roberts – 2021
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Oral Roberts had previously made a somewhat deep run in their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1974, but that tournament came in a year where there were only 25 teams; they made the Elite Eight before losing to Kansas in overtime. The Golden Eagles won the Summit League after finishing fourth out of nine teams in the regular season with a 10-5 record in conference play and making a run in the Summit League Tournament, where they beat fifth-seed, North Dakota, top-seed South Dakota State, and third seed North Dakota State en route to the conference win and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008.
In the Round of 64, Oral Roberts faced off against the South Region’s No. 2 seed, Ohio State, and they knocked off the Buckeyes in a major upset 75-72 in overtime. In the Round of 32, the Golden Eagles beat No. 7 Florida 81-78 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in the program’s history (after 1974).
In the Sweet Sixteen, Oral Roberts finally met their match in No. 3 Arkansas, but they didn’t go down easily, losing a closely-fought game 72-70, having a chance to be the first 15-seed to make the Elite Eight until the final seconds of the game.
No. 9 Wichita State – 2013
The Shockers had been a powerhouse in the middle of the country in the 1960s and 1980s, but before making the tournament in 2012, they had only made it once since 1988, in 2006. Though they would bow out in the Round of 64 in 2012, they would come back with a vengeance in 2013 and turn into the country’s darling in the process.
In 2013, Wichita State lost the MVC Championship to Creighton who would be a seven-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the Shockers still made the tournament, albeit as an at-large bid in the extremely tough West Region, which had the best-ranked three-seed in New Mexico and two other highly-rated conference winners in top-seed Gonzaga and two-seed Ohio State. In the Round of 64, Wichita State beat eight-seed Pittsburgh 73-55 and moved on to face one-seed Gonzaga in the Round of 32.
Gonzaga was coming off a close victory over Southern, who nearly became the first 16-seed to knock off a one-seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament; Southern had tied the game 56-56 with three minutes left but only scored two more points the rest of the way. Wichita State would knock off the Bulldogs 76-70 on the backs of Ron Baker and Cleanthony Early, who had 16 points each.
In the Sweet Sixteen, the Shockers knocked off No. 13 La Salle, who had also pulled off a couple of upsets to get to the Sweet Sixteen, and they set up a game with two-seed Ohio State in the Elite Eight. Against Ohio State, Wichita State won 70-66 to become the first team from the Missouri Valley Conference to make the Final Four since Indiana State in 1979 and the first nine-seed to make the Final Four since Penn in the same year.
In the Final Four, Wichita State faced off against the tournament’s top overall seed, Louisville, and nearly pulled off what would have been the greatest upset of all, but they fell late by a final score of 72-68. The Shockers led by one point at halftime and the game was tied at 60-60 with just over three minutes left, but Louisville pulled away from there, with a 5-0 run essentially sealing the game for the Cardinals.
No. 11 VCU – 2011
In 2011, VCU was part of a surprisingly strong Colonial Athletic Association that had three teams make the tournament, with George Mason being an eight-seed, Old Dominion (the conference champion) being a nine-seed, and the Rams being an eleven-seed and one of the final four teams into the tournament; as such, the Rams needed to play an extra game in order to make the Round of 64, which they did, as they defeated USC 59-46 in their first-round game. In an upset-laden tournament, VCU’s run became one of the biggest, as they went on a string of upsets to go farther than any first-round team had ever gone before.
In the Round of 64, VCU played six-seed Georgetown, who was one of the record-breaking 11 teams from the Big East to make the NCAA Tournament and took care of business, winning by 18 points in a game that was never close. In the Round of 32, the Rams once again won easily, reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the first (and, to date, only) time in program history, as they took down three-seed Purdue 94-76.
In the Sweet Sixteen VCU faced ten-seeded Florida State, who had also pulled off a massive upset in the previous round, taking down No. 2 Notre Dame 71-57, and the game was a great one. The Rams won 72-71 in overtime after being tied at 65-65 after regulation, and they advanced to take on the Southwest Region’s top seed, Kansas.
In the Elite Eight, VCU pulled away early and never looked back, taking a 14-point lead at halftime and hanging on to win 71-61, becoming just the third eleven-seed to make the Final Four. In the Final Four, the Rams faced Southeast Region’s eight-seed, Butler, and gave the Bulldogs a run for their money, but ended up faltering late and losing 70-62, missing out on making the National Championship Game despite leading 43-42 at one point in the second half.
No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast – 2013
Florida Gulf Coast became the first 15-seed to make the Sweet Sixteen in 2013 after two improbable upsets. In the school’s second year of NCAA eligibility, they went on a run in the Atlantic Sun Tournament, defeating seven-seed North Florida, three-seed Stetson, and one-seed Mercer to win the conference and claim their automatic bid.
In the Round of 64, the Eagles faced two-seed Georgetown, the seventh overall seed in the tournament, and dunked their way to a massive upset by a score of 78-68. In the second round, they faced San Diego State and once again played their way to another massive upset, this time winning 81-71 over the Aztecs.
In the Sweet Sixteen, Florida Gulf Coast finally met their match, and they lost to three-seed Florida by 12 in a game that was over early in the second half after a 16-0 run by the Gators. However, the dunking craze that the Eagles created lives on in memory, and the team is still known by their moniker of “Dunk City” to this day.
No. 8 Villanova – 1985
Most Cinderella runs end the same way, in a disappointing defeat that leaves the team wondering what could have happened while also being commended for the job they did. However, that wasn’t the case for Villanova in 1985, as they weren’t beaten in a disappointing way; in fact, they were never beaten at all.
In the Round of 64, Villanova played ninth-seeded Dayton and narrowly won by a final score of 51-49. In the second round, the Wildcats faced off against top-seed Michigan and won 59-55 in a massive upset that was a sign of things to come; Michigan was the second overall seed in the tournament, and they were expected to be a contender for the National Championship.
In the Sweet Sixteen, the Wildcats played five-seed Maryland and won 46-43 in a defensive affair, advancing to the Elite Eight for the third time in the past four years. In the Elite Eight, Villanova faced two-seed North Carolina and won fairly handily 56-44 despite trailing 22-17 at halftime.
In the Final Four, which they had previously reached in 1939 and 1971 (though the 1971 appearance was later vacated by the NCAA), Villanova played the Midwest Region’s two-seed, Memphis State, and won 52-45 after being tied 23-23 at halftime. By winning, Villanova reached their first National Championship Game since the vacated 1971 appearance.
In the National Championship Game, which is now known as “The Perfect Game” due to Villanova’s performance, the Wildcats faced the No. 1 team in the country, Georgetown, a team that Villanova had lost to twice earlier in the season. In the final game before the shot clock was instituted in college basketball, Villanova went 22-for-28 and had the highest shooting percentage for any team in a Final Four or National Championship Game ever, defeating Georgetown in one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
No. 9 Florida Atlantic – 2023
The Owls entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament with only one prior tournament appearance in 2002 when they earned a 15-seed and lost to Alabama 86-78 in the First Round. In the 2023 tournament, FAU would rattle off four wins in one of the most surprising tournament runs in history.
In the Round of 64, FAU beat Memphis in a nailbiter 66-65 to earn their first NCAA Tournament win in the history of the program. The Owls followed that up with a 78-70 win over No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, who became the second 16-seed to ever beat a 1-seed after defeating the tournament’s top overall seed, Purdue, 63-58.
In the Sweet Sixteen, FAU faced off against No. 4 Tennessee and won another close game by a final score of 62-55 to reach the first Elite Eight in program history. In the Elite Eight, Florida Atlantic once again survived a close game, this time against No. 3 Kansas State by a 79-76 final, to reach the Final Four.
In the Final Four, FAU’s magic finally ran out, but not before another spectacular game, this time against No. 5 San Diego State, the South Region’s representative in the Final Four. San Diego State would knock off FAU 73-71 on a buzzer-beater from Lamont Butler to end one of the most improbable and most successful Cinderella runs in tournament history.
No. 15 Saint Peter's – 2022
Saint Peter’s was making their fourth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after 1991, 1995, and 2011, and they had never won a game in the tournament before 2022, where they would become the most successful fifteen-seed in the history of the tournament. In order to make the tournament, the Peacocks first needed to win the MAAC Championship, which they did by defeating seventh-seeded Fairfield, eleven-seed Quinnipiac, and four-seed Monmouth in the tournament.
In the Round of 64, Saint Peter’s played two-seed Kentucky, who was the sixth overall seed in the tournament, and they took down the Wildcats 85-79 in overtime, becoming the tenth fifteen-seed to defeat a two-seed in the first round of the tournament. In the Round of 32, the Peacocks faced off against seven-seed Murray State, a popular Final Four and Cinderella pick, and took the Cinderella crown away from the Racers, winning 70-60 and becoming the third fifteen-seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
In the Sweet Sixteen, Saint Peter’s made history, defeating three-seed Purdue in a nailbiter 67-64 and becoming the first fifteen-seed to make the Elite Eight in the process. In the Elite Eight, the Peacocks’ run finally came to an end, as they fell to eight-seed North Carolina 69-49 in a game that was never close.
No. 11 George Mason – 2006
George Mason received an at-large bid in 2006 as part of a strong Colonial Athletic Association that also saw Conference Champion UNC-Wilmington receive a nine-seed. The Patriots went on one of the most unforeseen tournament runs in history, and the team also became the first from the Colonial to make the Final Four.
In the Round of 64, George Mason faced off against six-seed Michigan State and handled the Spartans fairly easily in a 75-65 win, earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in the process. In the Round of 32, the Patriots defeated three-seed North Carolina, the 10th overall seed in the tournament, in a back-and-forth game that ended with a final score of 65-60.
In the Sweet Sixteen, the Patriots played seven-seed Wichita State and won by eight in a 63-55 game to reach the Elite Eight, where they would face Washington, D.C. Regional one-seed, and the second overall seed in the tournament, UConn. In the game against UConn, the Patriots fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half before lowering the lead to nine entering halftime; in the second half, George Mason took over, taking a four-point lead with 30 seconds left before allowing UConn to tie the game with one second left to send the game to overtime, where the Patriots would take a five-point lead with 26 seconds left and held on from there to take an 86-84 win and advance to the Final Four.
In the Final Four, the Patriots finally met their match, as they were defeated by three-seed Florida, the eventual National Champions, in a game that was over after the first five minutes of the second half, by a final score of 73-58.
No. 11 Loyola Chicago – 2018
Going into the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the 1963 National Champions had only made the tournament once since 1968, and that was in 1985 when they made the Sweet Sixteen as a four-seed. However, in 2018, the Ramblers would make themselves a household name after several upsets, including a buzzer-beater, and made their deepest run in the tournament since their championship in 1963.
In the Round of 64, the Ramblers drew six-seed Miami, and the game came down to the final seconds, with Donte Ingram hitting a three-pointer from the logo as the buzzer sounded to take a 64-62 win. In the Round of 32, Loyola Chicago drew three-seed Tennessee, and after leading most of the game, the Ramblers needed a jumper from Clayton Custer with 3.6 seconds left to take a 63-62 win and reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the school’s history.
Loyola Chicago’s Sweet Sixteen matchup was against seven-seed Nevada, and the Ramblers once again needed late heroics to pull off the win, this time being a three-pointer from Marques Townes to take a four-point lead with six seconds to play in the 69-68 thriller. In the Elite Eight, the Ramblers faced nine-seed Kansas State, and they won in a 78-62 game that was over after five minutes when Loyola Chicago took a 10-point lead and never looked back.
In the Final Four, the Ramblers faced three-seed Michigan, and it looked like they might have a chance to become the lowest seed to ever make the National Championship Game after they took a 29-22 lead into halftime. The Ramblers still possessed a 47-42 lead with 9:19 left in the game, but from then on, Michigan took over, finishing the game on a 27-10 run and winning 69-57.
