While there is plenty of talent at the top of the bracket, a great “Cinderella” run might be the best part of the NCAA tournament each spring.
Whether one can actually make it to the Final Four remains to be seen. The highest seed to ever make it that far is a No. 8 seed, and we’re coming off a year where all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. Looking at the No. 1 seeds this time around, it’s entirely plausible for that to happen again.
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Here are five Cinderellas teams — simply defined as a No. 6 seed or higher — to keep an eye on early throughout the NCAA tournament. If things go right, one of them can not only make a historic run, but also cause some bracket chaos along the way.
No. 11 Miami (OH)
First Matchup: No. 11 SMU (play-in game)
Yes, the RedHawks were one of the last teams to even make the field. But they completed an undefeated regular season, and that has to count for something. After a number of close wins throughout the year, it’s hard to ever rule the RedHawks out no matter how easy their path was in the MAC or whatever metrics don’t stack up well with the rest of the field. Wins are wins.
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If the RedHawks can get out of the play-in game — which is taking place only about an hour from their campus in Ohio — look out.
No. 12 Akron
First matchup: No. 5 Texas Tech
The Zips were the best team in the MAC this season, and they took the conference tournament title after sneaking past Toledo in the title game. They only lost once in conference play, but just barely, to the RedHawks.
But the key here is their first-round matchup. The RedRaiders have struggled down the stretch after losing star JT Toppin to an ACL injury. They lost three straight to end the year, too, including a 22-point blowout to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament. This is a great opening game for Akron. An early win may just propel the Zips into the second weekend of the tournament for the first time in history.
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No. 7 UCLA
First matchup: No. 10 UCF
Calling a Big Ten team a “Cinderella” might feel weird. But UCLA, after some early struggles this season, is on a bit of a roll right now. And the Bruins fit the definition here, so why not?
The Bruins handed then-No. 9 Nebraska a 20-point blowout loss in the final week of the regular season, and then they reached the Big Ten tournament semifinals after a huge upset win over No. 8 Michigan State on Friday. That came in a stretch in which the Bruins won six of their last eight games before Selection Sunday, which included an overtime win against then-No. 10 Illinois. The bad early losses the team had seem to be well behind them.
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UCF has struggled throughout the Big 12 slate. And UCLA appears to match up well with UConn, a team that has had some bad losses recently, too. UCLA making a trip to the second weekend of the tournament is absolutely possible.
Mick Cronin and UCLA will go up against No. 10 UCF in the first round of the tournament. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
(Aaron J. Thornton via Getty Images)
No. 11 VCU
First matchup: No. 6 North Carolina
There’s little doubt that the Tar Heels are the better team here. The Rams beat Dayton in the A-10 title game to secure their second straight NCAA tournament appearance on Sunday. The Rams haven’t won a game in the tournament since 2016, however, and feel due after they ended the season winning 16 of 17 games.
But the key here is North Carolina, which is down star Caleb Wilson due to a thumb injury he suffered in practice earlier this month. The Tar Heels are beatable, though likely only if the Rams are perfect.
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How far the Rams can actually go this spring remains to be seen, especially considering No. 3 Illinois would likely be waiting for them in the second round should they actually pull off the win. But this won’t be an easy 6-11 matchup by any means.
No. 12 Northern Iowa
First matchup: No. 5 St. John’s
To be honest, the Panthers are being included here largely because of the potential matchup they’d get next. If things go right, we could get a Northern Iowa-Kansas rematch in the second round. The Panthers, remember, knocked off then-No. 1 Kansas back in 2010 after a huge late Ali Farokhmanesh 3-pointer.
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That UNI team was better than the current team. The Panthers went 23-12 and only made the tournament after winning the MVC tournament. And St. John’s is coming off a win over UConn in the Big East title game. The Red Storm have lost just twice since the turn of the calendar year.
An upset in the first round here is going to be tough. But the reward, should it work out, would be incredible.
