March Madness 2024: 5 Cinderella candidates already fit for the glass slipper

Cinderella and March Madness go together like peanut butter and jelly. The charm of March Madness is seeing a little-known school go on a magic carpet ride through the NCAA Tournament, like 15-seed Saint Peter's run to the Elite Eight in 2022 or 11-seed Loyola Chicago's stunning push to the Final Four in 2018.

Who will be the Cinderella story of the 2024 NCAA Tournament? These five teams are most likely to rock the glass slipper.

James Madison Dukes

The Dukes made their mark on the very first night of the college basketball season when they walked into East Lansing and left the Breslin Center with an overtime win over the No. 4-ranked Michigan State Spartans. That victory served as a springboard for James Madison, which was ranked for a lengthy stretch of the season and racked up a 31-3 record en route to a Sun Belt Tournament title.

The key to success for the Dukes has been their explosive offense, which averages 84.4 points per game. James Madison has three players averaging at least 12.1 points per game, headlined by Terrence Edward Jr's 17.4, and the Dukes knock down 36.5 percent of their three-point attempts.

The Dukes were handed a 12-seed in the South Region and get a shot at a Wisconsin team that has stumbled mightily down the stretch. 4-seed Duke could await in the Round of 32 but count out a James Madison team riding the nation's longest winning streak (13 games) at your own peril.