Remember the top 25 March Madness heroes of all-time

Top 25 March Madness heroes of all-time

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 02: Kemba Walker #15 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats during the National Semifinal game of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Reliant Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS – APRIL 01: (L-R) Will Thomas #34, Lamar Butler #22 and Jai Lewis #55 of the George Mason Patriots walk towards the bench in the second half against the Florida Gators during the semifinal game of the NCAA Men’s Final Four on April 1, 2006 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Gators defeated the Patriots 73-58. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

One of the first truly memorable Cinderella teams since 2000 was George Mason. Although they lost in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title game, the Patriots finished the regular season 23-7 and earned an at-large bid as a No. 11 seed.

In the first round, the Patriots faced No. 6 Michigan State and everyone assumed Tom Izzo’s Spartans would roll, but George Mason pulled off the mammoth upset. The improbable run didn’t end there, though, as the Patriots went on to beat No. 3 North Carolina in the next round to advance to the Sweet 16. They took down No. 7 Wichita State and No. 1 Connecticut before losing in the Final Four to No. 3 seed Florida.

The run wouldn’t have been possible without the duo of CAA Player of the Year Jai Lewis and CAA All-Defensive team honoree Will Thomas. They combined to average 24.8 points and 16.2 rebounds per game to lead the Patriots to the first Final Four in school history.

It was tough to pick just one from this team as the entire starting lineup deserves a mention, but Thomas and Lewis really stood out in the frontcourt.

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