NCAA Tournament Best Cinderellas
AOL Sports ranks the top 20 Cinderella teams of all time from the NCAA Tournament.
All-Time Cinderellas
Meet the New Class
Western Kentucky and Davidson have every reason to be happy; these two teams are just the latest to wear the title of Cinderella. However, will their feats be remembered for years or will they fade with time? Relive 20 memorable underdog runs that truly belong among the greatest of all time.
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All-Time Cinderellas
20. Prince-ton for a Day
<b>Princeton, 1996</b> Pete Carril's team went from lovable loser to giant slayer by using its water torture of an offense to send defending champion UCLA home with a 43-41 shocker in the first round. Sure, the Tigers were one and done, but what a "won" it was.
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All-Time Cinderellas
19. Pearl's Gem
<b>UW-Milwaukee, 2005</b> Before he raised the profile of men's hoops at Tennessee to new heights, Bruce Pearl led an upstart band of no-names to the Sweet 16. The Panthers had no big stars, but they did have a fire and passion that matched their now famous coach's.
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All-Time Cinderellas
18. Divine Providence
<b>Providence, 1997</b> With God on their side, how could the Friars lose? No. 10 seed Providence didn't lose until it reached the Elite Eight, thanks in large part to guard God Shammgod. Eventual champ Arizona needed OT before finally stopping the Friars.
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All-Time Cinderellas
17. Ralph Who?
<b>Virginia, 1984</b> The great Ralph Sampson could only take Virginia to one Final Four during his storied career. After he left in 1983, the Cavs were supposed to fall apart. Instead they rallied behind coach Terry Holland (left) and reached the '84 Final Four.
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All-Time Cinderellas
16. Rhode Less Traveled
<b>Rhode Island, 1998</b> A shocking collapse against Stanford in the regional final notwithstanding, the Rams still had quite a run. The highlights were a huge upset of top seed Kansas in the second round and the play of Tyson Wheeler and Cuttino Mobley.
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All-Time Cinderellas
15. Merfeld Magic
<b>Hampton, 2001</b> It's always surprising when a No. 15 seed beats a No. 2. But when the Cinderella is in its first-ever tourney, and when it has to come back from 11 down in the second half, like Steve Merfeld's Pirates did against Iowa State, it's all the more amazing.
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All-Time Cinderellas
14. Larry Legend
<b>UCLA , 1980</b> One of the brief stops on Larry Brown's coaching tour of America was UCLA, but he was in Westwood long enough to engineer a remarkable trip to the 1980 title game. The No. 8 seed Bruins got hot at the right time and almost won it all.
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All-Time Cinderellas
13. Soaring Eagles
<b>Boston College, 1994</b> Florida ultimately kept BC from going to the Final Four, but not before the ninth-seeded Eagles produced one of the biggest stunners ever in the second round when they toppled mighty No. 1 ranked North Carolina.
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All-Time Cinderellas
12. On the Mark
<b>Temple, 1991</b> Mark Macon had a glorious end to what was a somewhat disappointing college career. The Temple star carried the tenth-seeded Owls all the way to the Elite Eight, where they nearly upset No. 1 seed North Carolina in a classic thriller.
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All-Time Cinderellas
11. Rare Admiral
<b>Navy, 1986</b> Navy as a force in March? All it took was a little David Robinson. OK, a lot of Robinson was needed, but that's what the No. 7 seed Middies got as they bounced powerful Syracuse on the way to the regional final.
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All-Time Cinderellas
10. Ivy Eye-Opener
<b>Penn, 1979</b> The fact that Magic Johnson's Michigan State stomped Penn in the Final Four doesn't take away from what the Quakers achieved. They became the Ivy League's last team to reach hoops' biggest stage after upsetting North Carolina and Syracuse.
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All-Time Cinderellas
9. Red-Hot Friars
<b>Providence, 1987</b> Driven by fiery coach Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan got his first taste of Final Four glory. That the upstart No. 6 seed Friars had to beat the top two teams in their region, including Big East rival Georgetown, made their run all the sweeter.
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All-Time Cinderellas
8. Dale Delivers
<b>LSU, 1986</b> Nothing went Dale Brown's way in 1986, but he didn't let that stop him. Brown produced perhaps the finest coaching performance of his great career by guiding the No. 11 seed to the Final Four despite injuries, suspensions and a rash of chickenpox.
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All-Time Cinderellas
7. Danny and the Miracles
<b>Kansas, 1988</b> Larry Brown does it again, and this time he has the best player in the country to take him the final step. Danny Manning and a plucky cast of supporting players lift the No. 6 seed Jayhawks where few thought they could go ... all the way to No. 1.
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All-Time Cinderellas
6. Miner Miracle
<b>Texas Western , 1966</b> The '66 final represents perhaps the single biggest turning point in the history of college hoops. When Texas Western, with its all-black starting lineup, shocked heavily favored, all-white Kentucky, it helped open eyes and end segregation in the SEC.
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All-Time Cinderellas
5. Cinderella Men
<b>Gonzaga, 1999</b> There was a time, not long ago, when Gonzaga was just the answer to a trivia question about John Stockton. That all changed in '99 when the Bulldogs embarked on an unforgettable march to the Elite Eight and began their reign as March's Cinderella supreme.
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All-Time Cinderellas
4. For Hank
<b>Loyola Marymount, 1990</b> Many wondered if Loyola Marymount would even play in the '90 Tournament after the sudden and tragic death of star Hank Gathers. But the Lions did play and, behind Bo Kimble (left), captivated the nation with their inspired run to the Elite Eight.
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All-Time Cinderellas
3. Top Cats
<b>Villanova, 1985</b> Some said the eighth-seeded Wildcats needed to play a perfect game to beat the seemingly invincible, defending champion Hoyas. So Villanova went out and missed just one shot in the second half to become the lowest seeded team to win a title.
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All-Time Cinderellas
2. V Is for Victory
<b>N.C. State, 1983</b> They had to win the ACC tourney just to make the Big Dance. Then the Wolfpack had to survive a Tournament minefield filled with near-misses. But in the end N.C. State slayed high-flying Houston and Jim Valvano took off on his mad victory dash.
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All-Time Cinderellas
1. The Mason Miracle
<b>George Mason, 2006</b> The Patriots ignored the howls of protest at their at-large selection by producing the most unlikely Final Four run ever. Recent champs Michigan State and North Carolina fell before top seed UConn was toppled in one of the greatest games ever.
