Top Cinderellas In Men's NCAA Tournament History: Where Does Saint Peter's Rank Among The Greats?
To honor the remarkable run of the Saint Peter’s Peacocks through this year’s NCAA Tournament, we rank the ten best Cinderellas in March Madness history. We are only considering double-digit seeds as Cinderellas for proper criteria. Let’s look at the list of the most unexpected runs the NCAA Tournament has ever seen.
Top Cinderellas In Men’s NCAA Tournament History
10. #10 Davidson (2008)
The birth of Steph Curry’s legendary basketball stardom took center stage in the 2008 NCAA Tournament when he averaged 32.0 points on a scorching 44.2 three-point percentage to lift the Wildcats to their third Elite Eight in program history and first since 1969.
9. #10 Syracuse (2016)
It’s hard to call Syracuse a Cinderella since they are such a household name, but they limped into the field in 2016, and some thought they didn’t belong altogether. An improbable run of four straight wins brought the Orange to the Final Four, where they ultimately fell to #1 Gonzaga.
8. #11 UCLA (2021)
2021 UCLA can sneak ahead of Syracuse because this team barely made it into the field of 64. The Bruins were the third-to-last team let into the field via an at-large bid and had a date with #11 Michigan State in the First Four. After trailing by as much as 14 in the game, UCLA stormed back to win in overtime, which sparked the program’s first Final Four appearance since 2008.
7. #15 Florida Gulf Coast (2013)
Dunk City ruined brackets across the country with a double-digit win over #2 Georgetown and then piled on with another win over #7 San Diego State to become the first #15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to make the Sweet 16.
6. #15 Oral Roberts (2021)
In 2021, the world was introduced to the dynamic scoring duo of Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor, and the rest was history. A shocking win over #2 Ohio State was just the beginning as the Golden Eagles went a step further with their win over #7 Florida to reach the Sweet 16. They get the nod ahead of FGCU for their gamely performance in a two-point loss to #3 Arkansas.
5. #11 George Mason (2006)
Head coach Jim Larrañaga and George Mason were not on anybody’s radar heading into the Big Dance and then ripped off four straight top 30 KenPom wins en route to the Final Four after earning just one in the regular season. An overtime win over #1 Connecticut, one of the tournament’s favorites, was a highlight of one of the best tournament runs we have ever seen.
4. #11 VCU (2011)
VCU took the same path as 2021 UCLA as the first team in NCAA history to go from the First Four to the Final Four. The Rams defeated two top ten KenPom teams on their path and join a small group of six teams to ever make the national semifinal as a double-digit seed in March Madness history.
3. #11 Loyola Chicago (2018)
Most would consider 2018 Loyola Chicago’s run to the Final Four the most entertaining Cinderella ever. The Ramblers won their first three games by a combined four points and followed it up with a 78-62 trouncing of #9 Kansas State in the Elite Eight.
2. #16 UMBC (2018)
This is the only team on this list that didn’t make the second weekend, but until it happens again, nobody will ever forget UMBC beating #1 Virginia. It still marks the only time a 16 seed has ever beaten a 1, and the Retrievers did it in dominant fashion, winning the game 74-54. The sheer shock factor pushes this one up the list, albeit short-lived.
1. #15 Saint Peter’s (2022)
Saint Peter’s may have pulled off the biggest upset in tournament history when you look at the stark contrast in financial backing between the Peacocks and #2 Kentucky. Add in that they became the first #15 seed in the tournament’s history to make the Elite Eight, and this clearly takes the cake as the best Cinderella of all time.
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