March Madness is one of the greatest events in all of sports for several reasons. The process of filling out brackets, the buzzer beaters, and the sheer amount of compelling matchups all contribute to this event being so great. However, arguably the biggest part of the madness in March is the Cinderella runs. Everyone loves to root for the underdog, and every year, there are a handful of teams that no one has heard of that knock off top contenders or make surprising runs.
Last year, we saw one of the greatest March Madness Cinderella runs ever, as Florida Atlantic was a little-known nine-seed, but they managed to climb all the way to the Final Four. Prior to last season, the Owls had only made one NCAA tournament appearance, and they had never won a game during March Madness. Now, they are a team that will forever be remembered for some of the greatest upsets ever in a tournament that was one of the most hectic ever.
FAU did end up losing in the Final Four (to a San Diego State University team that also made a surprising run), but the Owls etched their names in history with one of the most surprising runs in college basketball history.
Now, NC State is making a run that nobody saw coming. Upsets and unexpected runs are becoming all the more common, and NC State is proving that, as they are now in the Final Four despite being an 11-seed. They have a daunting task ahead of them, as they are set to take on top-ranked Purdue and likely two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, but the Wolfpack are hot, and it wouldn't be smart to write them off yet. If the team can advance to the championship game, they will have a claim for being the best Cinderella story ever, but regardless, they already have to be mentioned with some of the best Cinderella runs to date.
March Madness honorable mention Cinderella runs
The 2024 tournament has been just as chaotic as last year's tournament was, and today, we're going to look at the best Cinderella runs of all time, including FAU's journey to the Final Four last season and NC State's run this year. Before we get to the list itself, though, we'd be remiss if we didn't hand out some honorable mentions.
- 2018 Loyola Chicago Ramblers: Sister Jean, a then-98-year-old nun, captivated fans when her Ramblers went on a run in 2018. Loyola Chicago made it all the way to the Final Four before falling to Michigan.
- 2011 Butler Bulldogs: 2011 marked Butler's second-straight year playing in the national championship. Unlike the 2010 team, which earned a five seed and had future NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward, the 2011 Bulldogs were an eight-seed and underdogs the entire way. Brad Stevens' team made it to the final game before falling to UConn.
- 1985 Villanova Wildcats: Butler was the second eight-seed to ever play for a national championship. The first was Villanova in 1985, whose upset of Patrick Ewing and Georgetown in the National Championship Game is one of the biggest in the sport's history. To this day, the Wildcats are still the lowest-seeded team to win a title. Even back then, though, the Wildcats were no stranger to the tournament, so it doesn't hold quite as much impact as some other runs.
- 2023 Fairleigh Dickinson/2018 University of Maryland Baltimore County: Both of these teams didn't advance past the Round of 32, but they deserve a shout out for being the only 16-seeds to knock off a top-seeded team. FDU did it last season, and they actually had two tournament wins to their name that year, as they had to win in the First Four to even get into the 64-team field. UMBC was the first 16-seed to ever win, and their victory came in blowout fashion.
With those out of the way, let's get into the list itself.
6. 2022 Saint Peter's Peacocks
Saint Peter's stands out on this list as the only team to not make the Final Four. However, that should not take away from the truly special run the Peacocks went on.
As a 15-seed out of the Metro American Athletic Conference, no one expected much from the Peacocks in the first-round matchup against National Player of the Year Oscar Tshibwe and No. 2 Kentucky. However, they shocked the world when they beat the Wildcats 85-79 in overtime. They then continued dancing with a 70-60 win over No. 7 Murray State, who entered the game at 31-2.
However, what truly cemented the Peacocks' run among the all-time greats was their 67-64 win over No. 3 Purdue in the Sweet 16. With this win, they became the first 15 seed to ever make it to the Elite Eight. The clock sadly struck midnight with a 69-49 loss to No. 8 North Carolina in that round, but basketball fans will never forget Saint Peter's magical March Madness run.
5. 2024 NC State Wolfpack
NC State's Cinderella run started before they even entered the March Madness tournament, as they were really never supposed to be here. The team was a 10-seed in the ACC Tournament, and most expected their season would be ending sooner than later. The team went on an incredible run, winning five games in five days to secure an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack were given an 11-seed in the tournament, and their winning ways haven't stopped. The team now has nine straight wins overall, including four during March Madness. This comes after they lost their last four games in the regular season. Along the way, NC State has tournament wins over six-seeded Texas Tech, 14th-seed Oakland, number two Marquette, and the number four Duke Blue Devils.
DJ Burns has been the face of the Cinderella run. Burns weighs 275 pounds, but he has incredible skill, and he has been unstoppable in the post. He will face another mountain of a man when he is matched up against Zach Edey in the Final Four.
In comparison to last year's Cinderella run by FAU, NC State only ranks lower (for now) on this list because they come from a power-5 conference and have had tournament success before (they have two championships to their name). Nonetheless, an 11-seed making it this far is extremely impressive, as the Wolfpack are tied with five other programs for being the lowest seed to ever make the Final Four. If they can complete the ultimate upset and beat Purdue, the will skyrocket up this list.
4. 2023 Florida Atlantic Owls
The Owls, a 9-seed out of Conference USA, began their run with a thrilling 66-65 win over No. 8 Memphis, then took care of No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 78-70 in the second round. Nine over eight wins happen somewhat regularly, and some said that FAU lucked into playing a 16-seed in the Round of 32.
Because of that, critics were questioning FAU's run, but those critics were silenced when they upended No. 4 Tennessee 62-55 in the Sweet 16. Next came a stunning victory over No. 3 Kansas State in the Elite Eight that made the Owls the second 9-seed to make the Final Four.
As great as this run is, one can't help but wonder how much greater it could have been if they beat a one-seed in the second round instead of a 16 seed. Still, the Owls beat almost everyone in front of them, and that's what really matters.
3. 2013 Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State has a pretty strong history for a mid-major team, but 2013 is undeniably the peak of the program. At this time, the Shockers had just three March Madness appearances in the past 25 years, and they were a first-round exit in two of them. With this run, though, they established themselves as a consistent tournament team for the next half-decade.
The Shockers, then in the Missouri Valley Conference, earned a 9-seed in the tournament. They made quick work of No. 8 Pittsburgh in the first round, winning 73-55. Next, they shocked (pun intended) the world with a 76-70 upset over No. 1 Gonzaga, the nation's top team entering the tournament. They then beat another Cinderella team in No. 13 La Salle 72-58 in the Sweet 16 before beating No. 2 Ohio State 70-66 in the Elite Eight.
Unfortunately for the Shockers, they met their match against top overall seed Louisville in the Final Four. Even then, they put up a great fight in a 72-68 loss to the eventual-champion Cardinals. With just a few more bounces, this team could have played for the national title.
2. 2011 VCU Rams
The 2011 March Madness tournament was one of the weirdest in recent history. The Final Four consisting of No. 3 UConn, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU shows just how chaotic it was. Butler's run, as we previously saw, was magical in its own right, but VCU's was even more surprising.
The Rams lost in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Game, but still earned one of the last at-large bids. They found themselves in the newly-introduced First Four and beat USC 59-46. They then convincingly beat their next two opponents, defeating No. 6 Georgetown 74-56 and No. 3 Purdue 94-76. In the Sweet 16, they survived a scare against No. 10 Florida State with a 72-71 overtime win. Finally, they upended No. 1 Kansas 71-61 in the Elite Eight.
To this day, the Rams are one of two teams to go from the First Four to the Final Four, the other being UCLA in 2021. They fell to Butler 70-62 in the semifinals, putting an end to their run. Still, this run put VCU on the map. This is still the only time the Rams have made it out of the first weekend, but they sure made it count.
1. 2006 George Mason Patriots
Of all the teams to ever make the Final Four, George Mason may be the most unlikely of all. Sure, other 11 seeds and other mid-majors have made it before and since. However, the Patriots stand out in terms of just how special their run was. At the time, they had just three tournament appearances and no wins in the tournament. That all changed in spectacular fashion with this run, led by head coach Jim Larrañaga.
George Mason lost in the CAA tournament, but still nabbed an at-large bid to the big dance. The Patriots immediately knocked out two blue bloods, defeating No. 6 Michigan State 75-65, then No. 3 North Carolina 65-60. Next, they knocked off No. 7 Wichita State 63-55 in the Sweet 16. Finally, they beat No. 1 UConn, the top overall seed in the tournament, 86-84 in overtime.
Unfortunately, their Cinderella story came to an end in March Madness against eventual champion Florida 73-58 in the semifinals. However, this March Madness Cinderella run still stands as the greatest of all time, for now.
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