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

Samford Bulldogs

When you're looking for a potential Cinderella, the SoCon champ is usually a good place to turn. Wofford made headlines in 2019 when they were a 7-seed and won a game before putting a big scare into Kentucky in the Round of 32, but the SoCon also saw 13-seed Furman upset Virginia last year while 12-seed Chattanooga fell by a point to Illinois in 2022.

This year's SoCon champ is Sanford, which is making its return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. The Bulldogs rode an elite offense to 29 wins, scoring 86 points per game while knocking down 39.3 percent of their three-point attempts, the sixth-best percentage in the country.

Bucky McMillan's team is incredibly deep, featuring 10 players who average between 12.2 to 25.8 minutes per game, which is a rarity for a mid-major. Six of those rotation players shoot over 38 percent from three, giving the Bulldogs multiple options for someone to get hot and carry the day in a one-and-done situation.

The Bulldogs got a tremendous opportunity to pull a 4-13 upset against Kansas in the Round of 64 with the Jayhawks' top two players, Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson, banged up. Either Gonzaga or fellow Cinderella candidate McNeese would await Samford in the Round of 32, making a path to the Sweet 16 entirely possible.