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March Madness 2019: 5 candidates to be the Cinderella Story of the NCAA Tournament

By Mike Phillips

SPARTANBURG, SC - FEBRUARY 16: Mike Young head coach of Wofford during a college basketball game between the UNCG Spartans and the Wofford Terriers on February 16, 2019, at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, SC. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SPARTANBURG, SC - FEBRUARY 16: Mike Young head coach of Wofford during a college basketball game between the UNCG Spartans and the Wofford Terriers on February 16, 2019, at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, SC. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 16: UC Irvine forward Jonathan Galloway holds up a piece of a net after the team defeated Cal State Fullerton Titans in the NCAA Big West Conference Tournament championship game on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.(Photo by Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 16: UC Irvine forward Jonathan Galloway holds up a piece of a net after the team defeated Cal State Fullerton Titans in the NCAA Big West Conference Tournament championship game on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.(Photo by Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Everyone loves to look for Cinderellas in March Madness, so we’ve saved you the time and identified the five best bets to claim the glass slipper this year.

It wouldn’t be March Madness without the little guys, and one of the most fun parts of filling out your bracket is trying to find the next great Cinderella story. Whether it was UMBC becoming the first 16-seed to top a one or Loyola-Chicago (and Sister Jean) advancing all the way to the Final Four, Cinderella’s are part of what makes March Madness great.

We’ve broken down the matchups and identified the five teams with the best chance to claim the mantle of America’s darlings from the Ramblers and wreck your perfectly constructed bracket. Let’s get started with one of the most underrated teams in America, UC Irvine.

5. UC Irvine

The Anteaters made the Big West look very small during the regular season, going 15-1 in conference play and sweeping the tournament to earn a ticket to March Madness. UC Irvine also went on the road and beat Texas A&M as part of its 30 win campaign, and their reward for it was a first round matchup with Big 12 regular season champion Kansas State.

This matchup is actually tremendous for the Anteaters, who play stingy defense, limiting opponents to just 63.3 points per game. That figure is the 19th best in the country, and it plays perfectly against a Kansas State team that also doesn’t score a lot of points.

The Wildcats may enter this game without their best player, Dean Wade, who is recovering from a foot injury. Wade’s absence would tilt the edge more towards the Anteaters, who could get past the Wildcats and have a great shot against either Wisconsin or Oregon to reach the Sweet 16.

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