Who are the 12 biggest Cinderella NCAA March Madness basketball teams in the history of the tournament?
One of the most exciting sporting events — the NCAA Tournament — is set to begin in a matter of days. With all of the excitement and wild upsets that the tournament can bring, there have been many amazing stories throughout its history.
More from March Madness
- Angel Reese thinks First Lady’s plan for hosting NCAA Champion is super lame
- Who won men’s March Madness?
- Watch One Shining Moment 2023 after UConn wins national championship
- CBB world reacts to Jim Nantz’s emotional final March Madness sign-off
- UConn national championship parade day, time, route details
Plenty of teams in the tournament this year could make runs, even in the lower seeds.
Cinderella stories seem to happen every couple of years, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see another one happen this year. There are a few different teams lower in the expected seedings that have the firepower to defeat one of the higher-ranked teams.
That being said, it is time to take a look back at the past Cinderellas to have made runs in the tournament.
Coaching is one of the most important things in March Madness, and that has shown true during its history.
Which 12 teams are currently the top “Cinderella Stories” in all of March Madness history?
Next: 1985 Villanova Wildcats
1985 Villanova Wildcats
The 1985 Villanova Wildcats were one of the best Cinderella teams of all-time, as they went from being the No. 8 seed to winning the National Championship. They were led by Ed Pinckney that season, and shocked the world with the road to the title.
Villanova had to go through big-name schools like the Michigan Wolverines, North Carolina Tar Heels and Maryland Terrapins to get into the championship. They did so impressively and there was no question that they are worthy of their spot on this list. There haven’t been many teams like them to come through the tournament.
Whenever an eight-seed comes up with a championship win, it is worthy of noting and remembering in history.
They were a one-of-a-kind basketball team, and they won’t be forgotten when thinking back on past NCAA Tournaments.
Next: 1983 N.C. State Wolfpack
1983 N.C. State Wolfpack
N.C. State was one of the No. 6 seeds during the 1983 tournament, but they came out of it as the champion. This game is obviously most remembered for the famous Lorenzo Charles dunk at the buzzer that gave the Wolfpack the win over the Houston Cougars, who were favored to win the game.
Head coach Jim Valvano was a key instrument to the win for N.C. State, and it further proves the point that coaching is a key to winning championships.
They had to go through Pepperdine and UNLV, who were both very worthy competitors before facing off against Utah. After that, their road took them up against the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, who they were able to beat and then knocked off Georgia to head to the championship game.
The Wolfpack earned earned that title with their determination throughout the tournament and will be remembered every year around this time by those that follow and research the game.
Next: 1990 Loyola-Marymount Lions
1990 Loyola-Marymount Lions
The 1990 Loyola-Marymount Lions are yet another Cinderella to have graced the NCAA Tournament with an improbable run. Part of the reason that this run was so remembered was the tragic death of Hank Gathers that ended the WCC conference tournament and the Lions were given the win due to their record.
It was a very emotional run for the team.
Gathers was a very talented player, and his death shook the entire basketball world. His school moved forward, continued playing basketball and ended up finishing in the elite eight after being ranked just 11th in the tournament.
Gathers will never be forgotten and neither will the Lions after the run that they made in honor of him.
It was a tragic season, but also ended up being one that went down in the record books.
Next: 1999 Gonzaga Bulldogs
1999 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga was ranked 10th heading into the 1999 NCAA Tournament, and they helped March Madness live up to it’s name. They have made plenty of runs since then, but this was just one of their biggest.
The Bulldogs knocked off the seventh seed Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first round, and then knocked of second ranked Stanford. After that, they were able to beat the sixth seeded Florida Gators before finally falling in the elite against the No. 1 seeded Connecticut Huskies.
They were a very deep basketball team, but they had no business making the type of run that they did.
It was the type of magic that makes March such an exciting time in college basketball that helped them play like they did.
Next: 2000 Wisconsin Badgers
2000 Wisconsin Badgers
Moving ahead just one season, the 2000 Wisconsin Badgers are also more than deserving of a spot on this list. They were ranked as eight-seed coming into the tournament and finished in the Final Four.
Wisconsin didn’t even win 20 games during the regular season, but was still able to make a run.
They beat number one ranked Arizona, number four LSU, number six Purdue and number nine Fresno State. Unfortunately, they were unable to knock off the Michigan State Spartans in the Final Four.
Bo Ryan ended up taking over for head coach Dick Bennett after the season, but he put on an impressive last run with the Badgers. They were a very competitive team that never let anything get in the way of their goals, and it showed with a nice run and some wins against top-notch teams.
Next: 2008 Davidson Wildcats
2008 Davidson Wildcats
Stephen Curry led an explosion by the Davidson Wildcats in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and they finished up in the Elite Eight. Davidson came into the tournament ranked just 10th, but their star guard carried them on his shoulders throughout the tournament.
During the tournament, David ended up knocking off the Gonzaga Bulldogs, George Hoyas and Wisconsin Badgers. All three of those teams were highly favored over the Wildcats, but Curry’s electric scoring ability was too much for them to handle.
Davidson ended up falling to the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight.
This was one of the most memorable recent runs and it began Curry’s career as a superstar. Davidson picked up a lot of fans as they continued winning, and they will be one of the most talked about Cinderella teams for a long time.
Next: 2001 Temple Owls
2001 Temple Owls
John Carney and the 2001 Temple Owls were an incredibly story in March Madness, with their gritty style and a chip on their shoulder from being the No. 11 seed. They went all the way to the Elite Eight and stamped their mark on this list with their play in the tournament.
They were able to come up with huge victories over teams like the number three ranked Florida Gators. In the first round of the tournament, Temple knocked off the sixth-seeded Texas Longhorns, and also beat seventh ranked Penn State later in the tournament. Michigan State was too much for them to handle in the Elite Eight, but it was a very dominant run.
Temple hasn’t had a ton of recent success as far as the basketball scene is concerned, but 2001 is something that they will always remember.
They were a very complete all-around team and they played with the type of effort that some championship teams don’t even play with.
Next: 2002 Missouri Tigers
2002 Missouri Tigers
The Missouri Tigers went into the 2002 NCAA Tournament as one of the No. 12 seeds and took the nation by surprise. It was a tough road for them, but they were able to make things happen and pull off some major upsets.
Shooting guard Kareem Rush was the Tigers’ leader and he put up big numbers each and every game.
Missouri knocked off number five Miami, number four Ohio State and number eight UCLA on their way to the Elite Eight. They were unable to continue their run against Oklahoma, and ended up getting eliminated by a final score of 81-75.
It was a disappointing end to their run, but it was still an electrifying time for their campus.
Missouri hasn’t done too much since then, but they won’t forget the 20012 tournament anytime soon.
Next: 2006 Bradly Braves
2006 Bradly Braves
The Bradley Braves are not a basketball team that is normally thought of when talking about the NCAA Tournament. They simply haven’t had much success on a national level, but that wasn’t the case back in the 2006 season.
During March Madness of that year, Bradley was able to make it all the way to the Sweet 16 against all odds.
That is exactly the type of success that makes March Madness such an enjoyable time for basketball fans. The Braves were able to defeat the number four ranked Kansas Jayhawks and number five Pittsburgh Panthers.
Since then, Bradley hasn’t made any noise on the basketball front of note.
They are going to be one of the favorites to be on lists like this for a while thanks to their lack of prestige as a basketball program.
Next: 1988 Kansas Jayhawks
1988 Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks are one of the more prestigious programs in college basketball, but that wasn’t the case during the 1988 season. Kansas finished the season outside of the national rankings, but they were still given a No. 6 seed.
It wasn’t a terribly difficult run for the Jayhawks, as they didn’t have to face a top-three seed in the tournament. They were able to make it to the championship game and knocked off the Duke Blue Devils for the chance to win the title.
Kansas hasn’t been that much of an underdog very many times, but they were in 1988.
It was a nice run, and an impressive final two games to become the reigning champions of college basketball.
Next: 2006 George Mason Patriots
2006 George Mason Patriots
There haven’t been any NCAA Tournament runs in recent college basketball history that are better than the 2006 George Mason Patriots. George Mason was an 11-seed in the tournament and ended up going to the Final Four before getting knocked out.
During the regular season, George Mason finished by winning 23 games. They started off the tournament by knocking off the sixth seed Michigan State Spartans, and then proceeded to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Plenty of fans immediately began rooting for them, but their championship hopes were crushed by the Florida Gators, who went on to win the tournament, in the Final Four.
They made a thrilling run, and will always be one of the top Cinderella teams. George Mason’s 2006 run was quite possibly the most exiting March Madness run that has ever happened.
Next: 1987 Providence Friars
1987 Providence Friars
There are plenty of quality head coaches in college basketball, but not many of them have been as good as Rick Pitino. He was the head coach of the 1987 Providence Friars and he led them in the regular season to earning a sixth seed.
Following the regular season, Providence was taken lightly in the NCAA Tournament. They had talent, but they weren’t expected to make too much of a run.
Pitino and company proved that theory wrong, and ended up knocking off UAB, Austin Peay, Alabama and Georgetown before getting ousted by the eventual runner-up, Syracuse.
It was an impressive showing by the Friars, and they haven’t had much success since then.
Will any team be able to join the list of Cinderella stories in 2015? Only time will tell as March Madness is set to officially kick off in a matter of days.