50 Greatest NCAA March Madness Cinderella Runs
One of the great elements of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is the Cinderella run, where a small school that most people have never heard of makes a deep run in the tournament or a power conference team that had struggled during the regular season finds its footing in the tournament.
With that in mind, I have complied a list of what I think are the 50 greatest Cinderella runs in March Madness history.
Now that will be some runs where a team only makes it to the Round of 16 that will be higher than a team that makes it to the Final Four as I tend to put runs by teams that are remembered more by fans higher on the list.
Plus, all these runs are limited to when the tournament began seeding back in 1979.
Anyway, here are the 50 greatest Cinderella runs in March Madness history:
50. 1981 Kansas State
Placed as the #8 seed in the West Region, the Wildcats would make a surprise run to the Elite Eight, which began with K-State overcoming a nine-point halftime deficit to beat #9 seed San Francisco 64-60 to advance to the round of 32 where they would face the #1 seed and #2 ranked team in the country, the Oregon State Beavers.
That is when Rolando Blackman hit a 17-footer with two seconds left to cap off a 18-6 run to give the Wildcats a 50-48 win.
In the Sweet 16, the Wildcats would eliminate #4 seed Illinois 57-52 to earn a spot in the West Regional Final where their run would end as they would be eliminated by the North Carolina Tar Heels 82-68.
49. 1998 Rhode Island
The Rams nearly made it to the Final Four as the #8 seed in the Midwest Region of the 1998 tournament.
After easily defeating #9 seed Murray State 97-74, the Rams faced the # 1 seed and #2 ranked team in the country entering the tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks which featured Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz.
However, the Rams pulled off a 80-75 stunner to advance to the Sweet 16 where they ended Valparaiso's Cinderella run with a 74-68 win to earn a trip to the Elite Eight where they would face #3 seed Stanford.
The Rams on the verge of earning a trip to the Final Four as they held a 71-65 lead with a minute to go, only to have the Cardinal go on a 14-6 run to give Rhode Island an heartbreaking 79-77 loss.
48. 1986 Auburn
The Tigers made their deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history in the 1986 tournament as they made all the way to the Elite Eight as the #8 seed in the West Region.
First, the Tigers dispatched of the #9 seed Arizona Wildcats 73-63, then stunned #1 seed St.John's 81-65 thanks to a 27-point, 15-rebound performance by Chuck Person to advance to the Sweet 16 where Person scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 70-63 win over #4 seed UNLV.
Auburn's run would come to an end in the regional final as they fell to eventual national champion Louisville 84-76.
47. 1990 Texas
The Longhorns almost made it to the Final Four for the first time in 43 years as they advanced to the Elite Eight of the 1990 tournament despite being the #10 seed in the Midwest Region.
In the first round, the Horns knocked off #7 seed Georgia 100-88 thanks to Travis Mays' 44-point performance, which was followed with Mays hitting the game-winning free throws with seven seconds to go to give Texas a 73-72 win over #2 seed Purdue in the second round.
Mays would then go off for 32 points in the Longhorns' 102-89 win over #6 seed Xavier to advance to the regional final where the Longhorns would fall to their old Southwest Conference rival, the Arkansas Razorbacks 88-85.
46. 2012 Ohio
The Bobcats made it to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1964 as the #13 seed in the Midwest Region upset #4 seed Michigan 65-60 in the first round, then defeated #12 seed South Florida 62-56 in the second round.
In the Sweet 16, the Bobcats gave #1 seed North Carolina a run for its money as they came back from a 15-point 1st half deficit to force overtime, only to fall short as they lost to the Tar Heels 73-65.
45. 1988 Richmond
Four years after stunning an Auburn team which featured Charles Barkley and three years before they became the first #15 seed to win a game in the NCAA Tournament, the Richmond Spiders became the first #13 seed since the tournament expanded to 64 teams to make it to the Sweet 16.
In the first round, Richmond eliminated defending national champion Indiana 72-69, then went on to knock off #5 seed Georgia Tech 59-55 to earn a trip to the East Regional Semifinals, where the Spiders would be ousted by #1 seed Temple 69-47.
44. 1998 Valparaiso
When March Madness fans think of the 1998 Valparaiso, they immediately think of "The Shot" when with 2.5 seconds left, guard Jamie Sykes threw a half court pass to Bill Jenkins, who then passed it off to Bryce Drew, son of head coach Homer Drew, who sank a 23-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to give the #13 seeded Crusaders an incredible 70-69 win over #4 seed Ole Miss.
But Valpo's story did not end there as they took on #12 seed Florida State in the second round where the Crusaders knocked the Seminoles from the vaunted ACC with a 83-77 overtime win to earn a trip to the Sweet 16.
Valpo's run would end in the round of 16 as they fall to #8 seed Rhode Island(see number 49)74-68 in their Midwest Regional Semifinal.
43. 2013 LaSalle
The Explorers made the most of their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 21 years as they advance all the way from the First Four to the Sweet 16.
In the First Four, the Explorers beat Boise State 80-71 to earn the #13 seed in the West Region, where they would face #4 seed Kansas State
After jumping out to a 44-28 halftime lead, the Explorers held off the Wildcats' furious rally for a 63-61 win to earn a trip to the round of 32 where Tyrone Garland hit the game-winning lay-up with two seconds left to give LaSalle a 76-74 win over #12 seed Ole Miss.
The Explorers' run would end in the Sweet 16 as they would fall to #9 seed Wichita State 72-58.
42. 1997 Chattanooga
The Mocs became only the second #14 seed in history to make it to the Sweet 16 as the Mocs stunned #3 seed Georgia 73-70 in the first round, then went on to defeat #6 seed Illinois 75-63 in the round of 32 to earn a spot in the Sweet 16 in the Southeast Regional.
The Mocs' run would come to an end at the hands of the team with the next greatest Cinderella run...
41. 1997 Providence
Despite a 21-11 regular season and finishing tied for 5th place in the Big East, the Friars made the 1997 tournament as a #10 seed in the Southeast Region.
After blowing out #7 seed Marquette 81-59 in the round of 64, the Friars faced #2 seed Duke in the round of 32 where Providence upset the Blue Devils 98-87 behind a 33-point performance by Derrick Brown.
In the Sweet 16, the Friars would beat Chattanooga 71-65 to earn a spot in the Southeast Regional Final, where they would fall to eventual national champion Arizona in a 96-92 overtime thriller.
40. 2002 Missouri
It may come a surprise to many that the team with the lowest seed to reach the Elite Eight in a NCAA tournament would be the Missouri Tigers.
Finishing in sixth place in the Big 12 with a 9-7 conference record and 21-11 overall record, the Tigers earned one of the last spots in the tournament as the #12 seed in the West Region.
Mizzou would go on to knock off #5 Miami 93-80, #4 Ohio State 83-67, and #8 UCLA 82-73 in succession to advance to the West Regional Final where they would fall to Big 12 rival Oklahoma 81-75, denying the Tigers their first trip to the Final Four in school history.
39. 2018 Xavier
One year after being knocked in the round of 32 as a #2 seed, the Musketeers made all the way to the Elite Eight as a #11 seed in the West Region.
First, Xavier took out #6 seed Maryland 76-65 in the round of 64, then destroyed #3 seed Florida State 91-65 to earn a spot in the Sweet 16 where they would face #2 seed Arizona.
Down 71-64 with 2:52 left, the Musketeers would go a 9-0 run to pull off the 73-71 upset and earn a trip to the West Regional Final, where their run would end at the hands of the #1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in an 83-59 defeat.
38. 2017 Florida State
One year after being humiliated by Xavier, the Seminoles would get revenge on the Musketeers during their run to the Elite Eight in the 2018 tournament.
After knocking off #8 seed Missouri 67-54 in their first round game, the Seminoles took on the #1 seed Musketeers where FSU outscored Xavier 31-14 over the final 10:42 in the game to pull out the 75-70 upset and sending the #9 seeded Seminoles to the Sweet 16.
There, the Noles knocked off #4 seed Gonzaga 75-60 to earn a spot in the West Regional Final where they would be eliminated by #3 seed Michigan 58-54.
37. 2006 Bradley
Even though they finished 5th in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Bradley Braves earned a spot in the 2006 tournament as the #13 seed in the West Region.
First, the Braves shocked #4 seed Kansas 77-73 in the first round, then upset #5 seed Pittsburgh 72-66 to earn Bradley its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1955.
That is where the Braves' run would end as they fell to #1 seed Memphis 80-64.
36. 1984 Dayton
Making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in a decade, the Dayton Flyers made a memorable run to the Elite Eight in the 1984 tournament as a #10 seed, thanks in large part to guard Roosevelt Chapman.
Chapman scored 29 points in the Flyers' 74-66 first round win over #7 seed LSU, then went off for 41 points in the Flyers' 89-85 upset of #2 seed Oklahoma, which was followed by a modest 22-point performance in Dayton's 64-58 win over Detlef Schrempf and #6 seed Washington.
But in the West Regional Final, Chapman would be held to just 12 points by #1 seed Georgetown as the Hoyas ended the Flyers' dreams of a trip to the Final Four with a 61-49 win.
35. 1994 Boston College
In their first NCAA tournament since 1985, the Eagles nearly made it to the Final Four as the #9 seed in the East Regional.
The Eagles came back from a 10-point halftime deficit to knock off #8 seed Washington State 67-64 advancing to the round of 32 where they faced off defending national champion and the # 1 team in the country entering the tournament, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
That is when the Eagles shocked the world as they defeated the Tar Heels 75-72, denying North Carolina a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1980.
In the Sweet 16, BC scored the last 10 points of their regional semifinal against #5 seed Indiana to pull out the 77-68 win, sending them to the East Regional Final where they would face #3 seed Florida.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Gators would go on a 21-10 run to end the game to come away with the 74-66 win and ending BC's tournament run.
34. 2001 Temple
Entering the Atlantic 10 tournament, the Temple Owls were definitely on the bubble with a 18-12 record.
But the Owls would go on to win the A-10 tourney to earn the Atlantic 10 automatic bid and a #11 seed in the South Region.
Temple would beat #6 seed Texas 79-65 in the first round, then #3 seed Florida 75-54 in the second round, to earn a trip to the Sweet 16 where they defeated #7 seed Penn State 84-72 to clinch a spot in the Elite Eight.
However, the Owls would fall to the defending national champion, Michigan State, 69-62, marking the fourth time in Temple head coach John Chaney's career that his Owls were eliminated in the Elite Eight.
33. 2004 Alabama
Just like their arch rival Auburn(see number 48), the Alabama Crimson Tide made their deepest NCAA Tournament run as a #8 seed in the West Region of the 2004 tournament.
The Tide's run began with a 65-64 win over #9 seed Southern Illinois thanks to Antoine Pettway's game-winning basket with five seconds to play.
Then in the second round, the Tide stunned the region's #1 seed and tournament's overall #2 seed, Stanford, 70-67 to advance to the Sweet 16 where they faced off with the defending national champion, Syracuse.
The Tide knocked off the Orange 80-71 to earn their first ever trip to the Elite Eight, where Bama would fall to eventual national championship UConn 87-71.
32. 1986 Cleveland State
In 1986, the Cleveland State Vikings not only became the first #14 seed to win a NCAA tournament game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams a year earlier, they became the first #14 seed to reach the Sweet 16.
In their opening round game, the Vikings used their "Run n' Stun" offense to shock the #3 seeded Indiana Hoosiers 83-79 as forward Clinton Ransey lead the Vikings with 27 points.
Then in the second round, the Vikings got a 23-point performance from point guard Ken "Mouse" McFadden to lead Cleveland State to a 65-59 win over #6 St.Joseph's, earning the Vikings a spot in the East Regional Semifinals where they face #7 seed Navy, lead by the "Admiral", David Robinson.
That is where the Vikings' run came to an heartbreaking end as Robinson hit the game-winning basket with five seconds left to give Navy a 71-70 win.
31. 1987 LSU
Despite finishing in 7th place in the SEC with a 8-10 conference record, the Tigers earned a #10 seed in the Midwest Region and came within an eyelash of duplicating their miracle Final Four run from the previous year.
In the first round, LSU took out #7 seed Georgia Tech 85-79, then eliminated #2 seed Temple 72-62 in the second round, which was followed by a 63-58 win over #3 seed DePaul in the Sweet 16, earning the Tigers a trip to the Elite Eight.
The Tigers appeared to be on their way to a second straight Final Four as they held a 75-66 lead with five minutes to play, only to be outscored 11-1 for the rest of the game with Indiana's Rick Calloway hitting the game-winning layup with six seconds to play to give the Hoosiers a 77-76 win.
(To find out about LSU's 1986 Final Four run, keep on reading to find out more about it).
30. 2015 Michigan State
In 2005 + 2010, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had led his Spartans to the Final Four as a #5 seed.
In 2015, he did it as a #7 seed.
The Spartans' run began with a 70-63 win over #10 seed Georgia in the first round, which was followed by a 60-54 win over #2 seed Virginia, earning the Spartans their 13th trip to the Sweet 16 in 20 years.
There, the Spartans knocked off #3 seed Oklahoma 62-58 to advance to the East Regional Final, where they defeated #4 seed Louisville 76-70 in overtime to earn Michigan State their ninth trip to the Final Four, seventh under Izzo.
The Spartans would go no further as they would be eliminated by eventual national champion Duke 81-61 in their national semifinal.
29. 1992 Michigan
The "Fab Five" started their imprint on college basketball history with their run to the Final Four in 1992.
Entering as the #6 seed in the Southeast Region, the Wolverines first knocked off #11 seed Temple 73-66, then eliminated #14 seed East Tennessee State 102-90, sending them to the Sweet 16 where they beat #2 seed Oklahoma State 75-72 to earn a spot in the Southeast Regional Final where they face off against #1 seed and arch rival Ohio State.
The Wolverines would defeat Ohio State 75-71 in overtime becoming the first time with a starting lineup of all freshman to make it to the Final Four.
Michigan would beat Cincinnati 76-72 to advance to the national championship game where they would fall to Duke 71-51, the first of back-to-back national championship losses.
28. 1980 UCLA
After suffering their worst regular season since 1966 as they went 17-9 and finished 4th place in the Pac-10, the Bruins were not expected to be a threat to make it to the Final Four as they entered the 1980 tournament as the #8 seed in the West Region.
After defeating #9 seed Old Dominion 87-74 in the first round, the Bruins took on the region's #1 seed and #1 team in the country, DePaul.
The Bruins would upset DePaul 77-71 to advance to the Sweet 16 where they eliminated #4 seed Ohio State 72-68, then knocked off #6 seed Clemson 85-74 to earn UCLA their 13th Final Four appearance in 19 years.
The Bruins would beat the Purdue Boilermakers 67-62 to earn a spot in the National Championship Game, where they would fall to the Louisville Cardinals 59-54.
27. 2014 Kentucky
Kentucky be considered a Cinderella team is often ludicrous but that's what they were in the 2014 tournament.
As the #8 seed in the Midwest Region, the Wildcats beat #9 seed Kansas State 56-49 in the first round, then knocked off #1 seed and undefeated Wichita State 78-76 to earn a spot in the Sweet 16 where they would face arch rival Louisville.
The Cats would outscore the #4 seeded Cardinals 15-3 in the final 4:10 to get the 74-69 victory, earning a spot in the Elite Eight where freshman guard Aaron Harrison hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left to give Big Blue a 75-72 over #2 seed Michigan and sending Kentucky to the Final Four for the third time in four years.
There, Harrison would be the hero once again as he hit the game-winning three-pointer with 5.7 seconds left to give the Cats a 74-73 win over Wisconsin, sending them to the national title game where they would fall to UConn 60-54.
26. 2014 Dayton
Thirty years after their memorable 1984 Elite Eight run, the Dayton Flyers made another surprising run as a double digit seed, this time as the #11 seed in the South Region.
In the first round, the Flyers took on in-state rival Ohio State and pulled out a 60-59 win when Vee Sanford hit the game-winning lay-up with 3.8 seconds to go.
Then in the second round, the Flyers knocked #3 seed Syracuse 55-53 to advance to the Sweet 16 where they eliminated #10 seed Stanford 82-72 to earn a trip to the South Regional Final.
But just like 1984, their run would end one game short of the Final Four as the Flyers fell to #1 seed Florida 62-52.
25. 2013 Florida Gulf Coast
For a team in just its second season in Division I, making the NCAA tournament is an impressive feat.
But making the Sweet 16 as a #15 seed, well that's historic.
That's exactly what the Florida Gulf Coast University(or FGCU)Eagles did in the 2013 tournament as they not only shocked #2 seed Georgetown 78-68 becoming the seventh #15 seed to win a NCAA tournament game, but then knocked off #7 seed San Diego State 81-71 in the second round to become the first #15 seed to make it to the Sweet 16.
Unfortunately for FGCU, their miracle run would come to an end in the Sweet 16 as they fell to the #3 seeded Flordia Gators 62-50.
24. 2002 Kent State
The Kent State Golden Flashes became the first team for the Mid-American Conference to make all the way to the Elite Eight since the 1964 Ohio Bobcats with their run in 2002.
Entering as the #10 seed int the South Region, the Golden Flashes knocked off #7 seed Oklahoma State 69-61 in the first round, then defeated #2 seed Alabama 71-58 in the second round, earning the Flashes their first trip to the Sweet 16 in school history.
In the round of 16, the Flashes eliminated #3 seed Pittsburgh with a 78-73 overtime win, thanks to a 22-point performance by future NFL tight end Antonio Gates.
However, the Flashes' dreams of a Final Four trip were shattered by #5 seed Indiana in the South Regional Final as the Hoosiers defeated Kent State 81-69.
23. 1979 St. John's
After finishing the regular season with a 18-10 record, St. John's earned one of the last spots in the 1979 tournament as they were selected as the #10 seed in the East Region(The 1979 tourney had 40 teams in the field).
St. John's knocked off #7 seed Temple 75-70 in the first round, then shocked #2 seed Duke 80-78 on "Black Sunday" where Duke and North Carolina both lost on the same day in their home state of North Carolina.
St. John's moved on to face #6 Rutgers, who they beat 67-65, before falling to #9 seed Penn 64-62 in the Elite Eight.
22. 1981 St. Joseph's
The St. Joseph's Hawks provided their fans with a wild ride to the Elite Eight as they won three games by a combined four points as the #9 seed in the Mideast Region.
After defeating #8 seed Creighton 59-57, the Hawks moved on to face #1 seed and the #1 team in the country, DePaul in the second round.
That is where the Hawks shocked the world as John Smith's layup at the buzzer gave St. Joseph's a 49-48 win over the Blue Demons a trip to the Sweet 16.
The Hawks' late-game heroics continued as Bryan Warrick hit the game-winning free throws in St. Joe's 42-41 win over #5 seed Boston College sending them to the Mideast Regional Final, where they would face Isiah Thomas and the #3 seed Indiana Hoosiers.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, they would be no last-second magic as they were crushed by the eventual national champions, 78-46.
21. 1987 Providence
In the first year of the three-point line being used in NCAA tournament play, the Friars, led by head coach Rick Pitino and future head coach Billy Donovan, used the three-pointer to lead Providence to the Final Four as a #6 seed in the Southeast Regional.
In their first game, the Friars dispatched of #11 UAB 90-68 behind Donovan's 35 points as he was six-of-nine from behind the 3-point arc, then held off #14 seed Austin Peay 90-87 in overtime thanks to Ernie Lewis' six three-pointers.
In the Sweet 16, the Friars hit 14-of-20 threes as they blew out #2 seed Alabama 103-82, then took out #1 seed and Big East conference rival Georgetown 88-73 to earn Providence its first trip to the Final Four since 1973.
However, the Friars' long-distance shooting would go cold in the Final Four as they hit only five of 19 threes as they fell 77-63 to Syracuse.
20. 2017 South Carolina
The Gamecocks entered the 2017 tournament not having won a NCAA tournament game since 1973.
They ended the 44-year drought with a 93-73 win over #10 seed Marquette in the round of 64, then followed it up with a 88-81 win over #2 seed Duke, to earn a trip to the Sweet 16.
There, the Gamecocks easily dispatched of #3 seed Baylor 70-50 to earn their first trip to a regional final as they would play #4 seed and SEC rival Florida in the East Regional Final.
Carolina would knock off the Gators 77-70 to earn their first trip to the Final Four in school history, where they would be eliminated by Gonzaga 77-73 in their national semifinal.
19. 2000 North Carolina + Wisconsin
In the 2000 tournament, not one but two #8 seeds made all the way to the Final Four as North Carolina and Wisconsin entered the tournament with identical 18-13 records.
Carolina won the South Region as they defeated #9 seed Missouri 84-70, #1 seed Stanford 60-53, #4 seed Tennessee 74-69, and #7 seed Tulsa 59-55 to earn the Tar Heels their sixth Final Four trip in nine years.
While the Tar Heels ending a mere two-year drought of not making it to the Final Four, the Badgers ended a 59-year absence as they came out of the West Region after defeating #9 Fresno State 66-56, #1 Arizona 66-59, #4 LSU 61-48, and #6 Purdue 64-60 to earn Wisconsin its first trip to the Final Four since 1941.
Both teams would fall in the national semifinals as the Heels lost to Florida while the Badgers fell to eventual national champion Michigan State.
18. 2016 Syracuse
After losing their opening game of the ACC tournament 72-71 to Pittsburgh, it appeared that Syracuse would not make the NCAA tournament with a 19-13 record and finishing tied for 9th place in the ACC.
But the Orange would be selected as the #10 seed in the Midwest Region where they put together an unlikely run to the Final Four.
The Orange defeated #7 seed Dayton 70-51 then eliminated #15 seed Middle Tennessee 75-50 to earn a trip to the Sweet 16, where they overcame a nine-point second half deficit to knock off #11 seed Gonzaga 63-60 to earn a spot in the Midwest Regional Final where they faced #1 seed Virginia.
There, Syracuse would overcome a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat the Cavaliers 68-62 to earn the Orange their sixth trip to the Final Four in school history.
The Orange's run would end in the Final Four as they lost to North Carolina 83-66.
17. 1989 Michigan
Even though they entered the tournament as the #3 seed of the Southeast Regional, Michigan's national championship hopes seem to go out the window when head coach Bill Frieder announced just two days before the Wolverines' first tournament game that he would be leaving to take the Arizona State head coaching job after the tournament.
That is when athletic director Bo Schembechler stepped in and fired Frieder, leading to his famous quote "A Michigan man is going to coach a Michigan team" leading to Schembechler to name assistant Steve Fisher as interim head coach for the tournament.
All the Wolverines what do was make the Final Four as Michigan knocked off #14 Xavier 92-87, #11 South Alabama 91-82, #2 North Carolina 92-87, and #5 Virginia 102-65 as Michigan forward Glen Rice averaged 30.3 points per game to lead the Wolverines to their first Final Four since 1976.
In the Final Four, the Wolverines beat Big 10 rival Illinois 83-81 on Sean Higgins' game-winning basket with two seconds to go to advance to the national championship game where they faced Seton Hall as Michigan won the game 80-79 in overtime as Rumeal Robinson hit the game-winning free throws with three seconds left in overtime, giving Michigan its first national championship and Fisher to become the permanent head coach until 1997.
16. 1984 Virginia
After winning 88 games in three years with three-time national player of the year Ralph Sampson, the 1984 Virginia team struggled as they went 17-11 in the regular season with a 6-8 record in the ACC as they finished in 6th place.
However, the Cavs earned the #7 seed in the East Region and put together an unlikely run to the Final Four.
In the first round, Virginia held off #10 Iona as Othell Wilson hit the game-winning jumper with six seconds left to give the Cavs a 58-57 win.
The Cavs pulled out another last-second win in the second round as future NBA head coach Rick Carlisle drained a 10-footer with four seconds in overtime to give Virginia a 53-51 win over #2 Arkansas.
In the Sweet 16, Virginia beat #3 seed Syracuse 63-55 to advance to the Elite Eight where the Cavs knocked off #4 Indiana 50-48 to advance to their second Final Four in four years to become the first #7 seed to make it to the Final Four.
There, the Cavs faced with the Houston Cougars and came back from a six-point deficit to force overtime, but would fall two points short of the title game as Houston held on for the 49-47 win.
15. 1979 Pennsylvania
The 1979 Final Four is best remembered for Michigan State facing off with Indiana State in the first chapter of the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry, but it also remembered for the Penn Quakers' surprise run.
Entering the tournament as the #9 seed in the East Region, the Quakers beat Iona 73-69, which was coached by future N.C. State coach Jim Valvano, then faced with #1 seed North Carolina where the Quakers stunned the Tar Heels 72-71 as part of "Black Sunday" where North Carolina and Duke both lost in their home state on the same day.
The Quakers moved on to face #4 seed Syracuse which Penn won 84-76 to move on to the East Regional Final where they faced fellow Cinderella, #10 seed St. John's.
Booney Salters hit the game-winning free throws with 23 seconds left to give Penn the 64-62, sending the Quakers to their first ever Final Four.
However, the Final Four would not be very fun for the Quakers as they were routed by Michigan State 101-67, then lost the third place game 96-93 to DePaul(The third place game existed from 1946-1981).
14. 1997 Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats make the history in the 1997 NCAA tournament as they become the first team in tournament history to beat three #1 seeds in the same tournament as the Wildcats would win their first ever national championship.
As the #4 seed in the Southeast Regional, the Wildcats beat #13 South Alabama 65-57 and #12 seed College of Charleston 73-69 to move on to the Sweet 16 where they would face the #1 team in the country entering the tournament, Kansas.
The Wildcats shocked the Jayhawks 85-82 to earn a spot in the Southeast Regional Final where they held off #10 seed Providence(see number 41) 96-92 in overtime to earn a trip to the Final Four.
There, Zona knocked off their second #1 seed, North Carolina, 66-58, then moved on the national championship game where they faced defending national champion and their third #1 seed of the tournament, Kentucky.
In a battle of the Wildcats, it was Arizona who came out on top as they defeated Big Blue 84-79 in overtime.
13. 1999 Gonzaga
Gonzaga's run as the best mid-major college basketball program began with their Cinderella run to the Elite Eight in the 1999 tournament.
As the #10 seed in the West Regional, the Bulldogs defeated #7 seed Minnesota 75-63 in the first round, then knocked off #2 seed Stanford 82-74 in the second round, to earn the Zags their first ever trip to the Sweet 16.
That is where Gonzaga met up with #6 seed Florida where Casey Calvary put back a missed shot that turned out to be the game-winning basket as the Bulldogs pulled off the 73-72 win to earn a trip to the Elite Eight.
12. 2008 Davidson
Steph Curry burst onto the national scene with his incredible shooting during Davidson's run to the Elite Eight in the 2008 tournament.
Going in as the #10 seed in the Midwest Regional, the Wildcats drew #7 seed Gonzaga in the first round when Curry went off for 40 points as he made eight three-pointers to lead Davidson to a 82-76 win.
Then in the second round, Curry scored 25 points in the second half as Davidson came back from a 17-point deficit to knock off #2 seed Georgetown 74-70, earning a spot in the Sweet 16.
Curry's hot streak continued as he hit six more three-pointers as he scored 33 points in the Wildcats' 73-56 win over #3 seed Wisconsin, earning Davidson earns its first trip to the Elite Eight since 1969.
Curry put up 25 points, but it was not enough as Jason Richards' desperation three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the backboard as the Wildcats lost to #1 seed Kansas 59-57.
11. 2013 Wichita State
The Shockers lived up to their nickname as they shocked the basketball world by making it to the Final Four as the #9 seed of the West Region.
The Shockers knocked off Pittsburgh 73-55 in the first round to move on to the second round where they faced off with #1 seed Gonzaga.
Wichita State pulled off the 76-70 upset to earn a trip to the Sweet 16 where they eliminated fellow Cinderella LaSalle(see number 43) 72-58 to earn a date with #2 seed Ohio State in the West Regional Final.
The Shockers built up a 20-point lead but had to hold off a furious Ohio State rally to pull out the 70-66 win and earn Wichita State its first trip to the Final Four since 1965.
There, the Shockers held a 47-35 over Louisville with 13:39 left in regulation only to see the Cardinals come back and win the game 72-68.
10. 2014 UConn
In 2011, Shabazz Napier backed up Kemba Walker as Walker lead the Huskies to their third national title in school history.
Three years later, Napier was the star as he lead UConn to the national title as the #7 seed in the East Region.
Napier scored nine of UConn's 19 points in their 89-81 overtime win over #10 seed St. Joseph's in the first round, then put up 25 in a 77-65 over #2 seed Villanova, sending the Huskies the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden.
In the Sweet 16, Napier was held to 19 points, but the Huskies still knocked off #3 seed Iowa State 81-76, earning a spot in the East Regional Final where Napier's 25-point performance lead UConn to a 60-54 win over #4 seed Michigan State, sending the Huskies in the Final Four.
Napier and the Huskies stunned the Florida Gators, the #1 overall seed of the tournament, 63-53 to earn a spot in the title game where Napier scored 22 to lead UConn to a 60-54 win as the Huskies became the first #7 seed to win the NCAA tournament.
9. 2010 + 11 Butler
Butler shocked the world not once but twice as head coach Brad Stevens lead the Bulldogs to the national championship game in back-to-back years.
In 2010, the Bulldogs were the #5 seed in the West Regional and defeated in succession #12 UTEP 77-59, #13 Murray State 54-52, #1 Syracuse 63-59, and #2 Kansas State 63-56 to earn a trip to the Final Four in their hometown of Indianapolis.
After defeating Michigan State 52-50 in the national semifinal, the Bulldogs came inches of winning the national title as Gordon Haywood's half court shot at the buzzer bounced off the rim, allowing for Duke to escape with the 61-59 win and the national title.
Haywood left for the NBA after Butler's 2010 run, but the Bulldogs made it back to the NCAA tournament as the #8 seed in the Southeast Regional.
Butler knocked off #9 seed Old Dominion 60-58 in the first round on Matt Howard's buzzer beater, then defeated #1 seed Pittsburgh as Howard hit the game-winning free throw with 0.8 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 71-70 win in the second round.
In the Sweet 16, Butler beat #4 seed Wisconsin 61-54 to advance to the Elite Eight where they defeated the #2 seed Florida Gators 74-71 in overtime to earn their second trip to the Final Four.
The Bulldogs defeated VCU 70-62 to advance to the national title game where they would fall for the second straight year, this time to UConn 53-41.
8. 2018 Loyola-Chicago
Cheered on by their 98-year-old chaplain, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Loyola-Chicago Rambles made an unforgettable run to the Final Four, becoming the fourth #11 seed to ever reach the Final Four.
The Ramblers' run began with a 64-62 win over #6 seed Miami as Donte Ingram hit the game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds, which was followed up with a 63-62 win over #3 seed Tennessee as Clayton Custer drained the game-winning shot with 3.6 seconds to go, sending Loyola to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1985, which ironically was their last NCAA tournament appearance.
In the Sweet 16, the Ramblers pulled out another one-basket win as Marques Townes hit a back-breaking three-pointer with 6.3 seconds left to help give Loyola a 69-68 win over #7 seed Nevada to send the Ramblers to the South Regional Final, where they faced #9 seed Kansas State.
The Ramblers needed no last-second heroics as they easily defeated the Wildcats 78-62 to earn Loyola its first trip to the Final Four since 1963 where they won the national championship.
The Ramblers would for most of their national semifinal against Michigan but the Wolverines would outscore the Ramblers 32-12 over the last 11 minutes to pull out the 69-57 victory, ending Loyola's chances of winning their second national title in school history.
7. 1988 Kansas
Despite finishing with a 21-11 record and earning a #6 seed in the Midwest Region, the Kansas Jayhawks felt they could do some damage entering the 1988 tournament has they had the national player of the year in Danny Manning leading the Jayhawks.
Manning's 24-point, 12-rebound performance lead Kansas to a 85-72 win over #11 seed Xavier in the first round, then hit the go-ahead basket in a 61-58 win over #14 seed Murray State in a game which he scored 25 points.
In the Sweet 16, Manning exploded for 38 points in a 77-64 win over #7 seed Vanderbilt, earning Kansas a trip to the Elite Eight where they faced intrastate rival Kansas State.
While Manning would be held to 20 points, the Jayhawks would pick up the 71-58 win to earn a trip to the Final Four, which was being held in Kansas City, just 40 miles from the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence.
In their national semifinal, Manning scored 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked six shots in a 66-59 win over Duke, setting a national championship game with conference rival Oklahoma, a team that had swept the Jayhawks during the regular season.
Manning would put together one of the greatest performances in championship game history as he scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead Kansas a 83-79 win to give the Jayhawks their second national championship history and leading the team to be forever known as "Danny and the Miracles".
6. 1986 LSU
With a 21-11 record and a 5th place finish in the SEC, the LSU Tigers were one of the last teams selected for the 1986 tournament as they earned #11 seed in the Southeast Region.
Despite their low seeding, the Tigers caught a break as their first and second round games would be played in their own arena in Baton Rouge(The NCAA did not prohibit teams from playing tournament games on their home floor in 1986).
In the first round, the Tigers would beat #6 seed Purdue in a 94-87 double overtime thriller to advance to the second round where they would face #3 seed Memphis.
With the game tied at 81, Don Redden attempted a jump shot in the final seconds which rimmed out, only to be grabbed by Anthony Wilson who put it back in for the game-winning basket, giving LSU a 83-81 win and sending them to the Sweet 16.
There, the Tigers would face #2 seed Georgia Tech in their home town of Atlanta, giving the Yellow Jackets the same home court advantage the Tigers enjoyed for the first weekend.
But the Tigers were able to knock off Tech 70-64 to advance to the Elite Eight, where they would face SEC foe #1 seed Kentucky, a team that had defeated LSU three times during the 1986 season.
However, the fourth time would be the charm for LSU as the Tigers pulled off the 59-57 upset, becoming the lowest seed to ever reach the Final Four, which was been equaled three times(2006 George Mason, 2011 VCU, 2018 Loyola Chicago).
In their national semifinal, the Tigers held a 44-36 halftime lead only to have the Cardinals put together a 17-1 run in the second half as Louisville would go on to win the game 88-77, ending the Tigers' Cinderella run
5. 1990 Loyola Marymount
Tragedy struck the Loyola Marymount Lions during the second round of the 1990 West Coast Conference tournament when All-American forward Hank Gathers collapsed during the middle of the game and died later that night.
The WCC cancelled the rest of the tournament and awarded the automatic bid to LMU, who was picked as the #11 seed of the West Regional despite being ranked in the top 25 and having the highest scoring team in College Basketball history as they averaged 122.4 points per game.
Just 12 days after Gathers' death, the Lions played #6 New Mexico State as Gathers' best friend, Bo Kimble, scored 45 points in leading the LMU to an emotional 111-92 win, which featured Kimble paying tribute to his fallen friend by shooting his first free throw left-handed just like Gathers always did.
Kimble successfully made the free throw and did it again in the Lions' 149-115 win over #3 seed and defending national champion Michigan in the highest scoring game in NCAA tournament history which saw Kimble score 37 points and Jeff Fryer hit 11 three-pointers to send LMU to the Sweet 16.
There, the Lions faced #7 seed Alabama, who tried to beat LMU by holding the ball every time they had the ball.
While the scoring was down, the Lions were able to pull off the win, 62-60, to earn a spot in the West Regional Final where they would fall to eventual national champion UNLV 131-101.
4. 1985 Villanova
If the NCAA had not expanded the tournament field to 64 teams before the 1985 season, its likely that Villanova would have not made the tournament that year as the Wildcats went 19-10 and finished in 4th place in the Big East.
But the Cats a spot in the 64-team field, earning the #8 seed in the Southeast Region, where they would face the #9 seed Dayton Flyers in Dayton in the first round.
Harold Jensen would hit the game-winning basket with 1:10 to go for the 51-49 win over Dayton, to send Nova to the second round where they would face #1 seed Michigan.
The Wildcats would shock the Wolverines 59-55, sending them to the Sweet 16 where they met #5 seed Maryland as the Cats knocked off the Terrapins 46-43 as they held All-American Len Bias to just eight points.
Nova would move on to the Elite Eight where they met #2 seed North Carolina in the Southeast Regional Final.
After showing 6-of-26 in the first half, the Wildcats would hit 16-of-21 shots as Nova went on to knock off the Tar Heels 56-44 to earn Villanova its first trip to the Final Four since 1971.
In the national semifinals, Nova beat Memphis, the only non-Big East team in the Final Four, 52-45 to earn a spot in the national championship game where they would face defending national champion Georgetown.
Even though had lost to the Hoyas twice by a combined nine points, the Wildcats were nine-point underdogs as Georgetown was expected to roll to a second straight national title.
But the Wildcats played a nearly perfect game as they shot 22-of-28 for the game, 9-of-10 in the second half, to pull off the 66-64 shocker to become the lowest seed ever to win a national title.
3. 2011 VCU
Just like Villanova in 1985, the VCU Rams would have not made the tournament if the field had expanded, which it did from 65 to 68 teams in 2011.
The Rams of Virginia Commonwealth University were selected as one of the last teams in the tournament despite a 23-11 record and 4th place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Rams were forced to place in the inaugural First Four in Dayton, Ohio, which featured the last four at-large teams to chosen for the tournament.
There, the Rams faced the USC Trojans, beating them 59-46 to earn the #11 seed in the Southwest Regional, and earning a date with #6 seed Georgetown in the round of 64.
After dispatching of the Hoyas 74-56, the Rams knocked off #3 seed Purdue 94-76 for their third victory in five days, earning them a trip to the Sweet 16.
Bradford Burgress hit the game-winning layup with 7.1 seconds to go in overtime to give VCU a 72-71 win over #10 seed Florida State, earning the Rams a spot in the Elite Eight where they would face #1 seed Kansas.
The Rams hit 12-of-25 three pointers in a shocking 71-61 win over the Jayhawks, making the Rams the third #11 seed to ever make it to the Final Four.
However, the Rams' miracle run would run at the hands of Butler(see number 9) as VCU fell to the Bulldogs 70-62.
2. 2006 George Mason
When George Mason from the Colonial Athletic Association was selected as the #11 seed in the East Region of the 2006 tournament, many media experts, most notably CBS lead analyst Billy Packer, said the Patriots did not belong in the tournament.
The Patriots would prove Packer and the college basketball world with a Cinderella run that began a wave of mid-major teams making the Final Four.
The Patriots began their run with a 75-65 win over #6 seed Michigan State to move on to the second round where they would face #3 seed and defending national champion North Carolina.
After falling behind 16-2 to start the game, the Patriots came back to stun the Tar Heels 65-60, earning a spot in the Sweet 16 in Washington D.C, just over 30 miles from the George Mason campus.
Mason's run continued with a 63-55 win over #7 seed Wichita State, setting up a East Regional Final matchup with #1 seed UConn.
The Patriots would come back from a 43-34 second half deficit to take a 74-70 lead with 10 seconds left, only to see UConn hit two baskets in the final 10 seconds to send the game into overtime.
However, the Patriots would not fold and after UConn's Denham Brown missed a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, the Patriots had a 86-84 win and completed the impossible by making it to the Final Four.
Though they lost to eventual national champion Florida 73-58 in the Final Four, George Mason was the first of several mid-major schools making it to the Final Four in recent memory.
1. 1983 N.C. State
With the tournament looming, many believed that the 17-10 Wolfpack needed to win the ACC tournament to make the NCAA tournament.
After defeating Wake Forest 71-70, North Carolina 91-84 in overtime, and Virginia 81-78 in the final, N.C. State earned the automatic bid from winning the ACC tournament and were selected as the #6 seed in the West Region.
However, it looked like their NCAA tournament would be one-and-done as they trailed #11 seed Pepperdine by six points with 59 seconds left in overtime.
But the Wolfpack would come back to tie the game on Cozell McQueen's eight-foot jumper to force a second overtime which saw NC State prevail 69-67.
In the second round, the Wolfpack faced #3 seed UNLV and trailed by 12 points in the second half, but would come back to win the game on Thurl Bailey's basket with four seconds left to give NC State a 71-70 win and a trip to the Sweet 16.
Now dubbed the "Cardiac Pack" for their late-game heroics, the Wolfpack easily defeated #10 seed Utah 75-56 in the Sweet 16, forcing a rematch with #1 seed Virginia in the Elite Eight.
Once again, the Wolfpack came from behind to win as Lorenzo Charles hit the game-winning free throws with 23 seconds left to give NC State a 63-62 win and send the Pack to their first Final Four since 1974.
In the national semifinals, the Wolfpack knocked off Georgia 67-60 to advance to the championship game where they would face the Houston Cougars, who were led by Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and the rest of the "Phi Slama Jama", who entered the title game as 7 1/2 point favorites.
Houston held 42-35 with over 10 minutes to go, only to see the Wolfpack come back and tie the game at 52 as they had the ball with 1:05 left in regulation, allowing them to hold for the last shot(There was no shot clock in 1983).
But as the clock ticked down to five seconds, Derrick Whittenberg launched a desperation half court shot that was destined to fall short of the basket, only to have Charles grab the ball in mid-air and dunk it for the game-winning basket as time expired, giving NC State a shocking 54-52 and the national championship.