Despite having two national championships in program history, NC State is this year’s Cinderella of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, becoming the sixth No. 11 seed to ever advance to the Final Four and the first since UCLA in 2021. It feels like a Cinderella story for the Wolfpack because they have won their last nine games, all of them being elimination games. What’s most impressive about this team is that they had to win five games in five days in the ACC Tournament. Only one other team has accomplished this in their conference tournament (2011 UConn).
In this edition of Sam’s Section, we will look at my favorite Cinderella teams as we wait for the Final Four games on Saturday.
2017-18 Loyola Chicago Ramblers (32-6, Final Four)
Loyola Chicago’s 2018 run to the Final Four is considered one of the most popular Cinderella runs in tournament history. The run was so popular that it made the 98-year-old Sister Jean, the team’s chaplain, a celebrity. The Ramblers swept the Missouri Valley regular season and tournament championships, earning a No. 11 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. Loyola advanced to the second weekend of the tournament thanks to game-winning shots over No. 6 seed Miami and No. 3 seed Tennessee. In the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, they defeated Nevada and Kansas State to advance to the program’s first Final Four since 1963.
2012-13 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (26-11, Sweet 16)
Dunk City. I love this Cinderella team. As a No. 15 seed, they shocked the college basketball world by upsetting No. 2 seed Georgetown in the Round of 64. Dunk City moved on to take down No. 7 seed San Diego State before falling to No. 3 seed Florida in the South Regional Semifinal. The Eagles weren’t even supposed to go to the NCAA Tournament, as Mercer won the Atlantic Sun regular season championship. However, Florida Gulf Coast punched their ticket to the Big Dance in the conference tournament championship game over Mercer. This run helped head coach Andy Enfield land the USC head coaching job, where he stayed for 11 years before recently taking the job at Southern Methodist.
2021-22 Saint Peter’s Peacocks (22-12, Elite Eight)
Saint Peter’s made history, becoming the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight in NCAA Tournament history. Led by star guard Doug Edert, the Peacocks won their last 10 games before losing to No. 8 seed North Carolina in the East Regional Final. Despite the Rick Pitino-led Iona Gaels winning the MAAC regular season title, Saint Peter’s won the conference tournament, defeating Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Monmouth en route to an NCAA Tournament bid. They beat No. 2 seed Kentucky in overtime to bust about every single person’s bracket, but no one saw the run they made coming. They took down No. 7 seed Murray State to become the third No. 15 seed to make the second weekend. No. 3 Purdue also saw its season end because of Saint Peter’s, but their magical run would not get past the blue blood UNC Tar Heels. This run helped head coach Shaheen Holloway earn the job at Seton Hall, his alma mater.
1998-99 Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-7, Elite Eight)
This one is special, as the Cinderella story ended thanks to the UConn Huskies. In head coach Dan Monson’s second season at the helm, he led Gonzaga to the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles, earning a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Zags cruised past No. 7 seed Minnesota and No. 2 seed Stanford with little to no issue. However, the “slipper still fits” line came at the end of the Sweet 16 game against No. 6 seed Florida. They ended up being no match for Connecticut, the eventual national champions. However, they did put up a good fight as it is one of the more memorable Cinderella runs in the past 25 years. Monson’s coaching job helped him move to the Big Ten, where he accepted the Minnesota head coach job after the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
2005-06 George Mason Patriots (27-8, Final Four)
I didn’t want to write this one. This one still hurts to this day. Despite losing in the semifinal round of the CAA Tournament, George Mason earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Patriots busted brackets in the first round by upsetting No. 6 seed Michigan State. However, one of the biggest wins in their run was the upset against defending national champion North Carolina in the Round of 32. As they got past No. 7 seed Wichita State in the Sweet 16, everyone thought their Cinderella story would end with top-seeded Connecticut in the Elite Eight against a team that would have four first-round picks in the NBA Draft. However, George Mason forced overtime and shocked the Huskies in the nation’s capital, advancing to the Final Four. This one hurts, but it would be wrong not to include one of the most legendary Cinderella runs in tournament history. Head coach Jim Larrañaga would continue coaching at George Mason for a few more years before taking the job at Miami.