What are the 10 best Cinderella runs in NCAA Men’s Tournament history?

The best part of the NCAA Men’s Tournament is the underdogs that emerge out of nowhere to beat the top-seeded teams.

Time and time again, this phenomenon unfolds. Just last season, NC State ran the table in the ACC Tournament as the No. 10 seed, winning five consecutive games to claim the conference tournament, and then went on to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed. With DJ Burns and the Wolfpack‘s 2024 run in mind, which Cinderella teams have been the most memorable?

Here are the 10 best Cinderella runs in NCAA Men’s Tournament history.

10 best Cinderella runs in NCAA Men’s Tournament history

When Davidson went undefeated in Southern Conference play and went on to win its conference tournament, it was just a glimpse of what was to come for the Stephen Curry-led Wildcats. As a No. 10 seed, Davidson beat seventh-seeded Gonzaga, followed by taking down Roy Hibbert and the second-seeded Georgetown Hoyas. The next week, the Wildcats handled third-seeded Wisconsin. A mere two-point loss to the one-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight was the end of the line for Davidson. In the end, Curry averaged 32 points per game and made 5.8 3-pointers per contest across Davidson’s four tournament games.

9. 2023 FAU

Owls typically make noise at night, but these Owls were hooting all day and night in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Florida Atlantic, a No. 9 seed, got a one-point victory over eighth-seeded Memphis in Round 1, followed by beating No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson — another Cinderella who had just defeated one-seeded Purdue in the first round. The next weekend, the Owls knocked off both the fourth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers and third-seeded Kansas State Wildcats. Unfortunately, their season ended in heartbreaking fashion, as they held a one-point lead on fifth-seeded San Diego State in the final seconds of the Final Four but lost on a buzzer-beater from Lamont Butler. Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin each averaged 15-plus points per game for Florida Atlantic across its five tournament games.

After taking care of eighth-seeded Pittsburgh, ninth-seeded Wichita State played deep into March. Highlighted by an upset over Kelly Olynyk and the one-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round, the Shockers proceeded to beat No. 13 seed La Salle and two-seeded Ohio State in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively. The Shockers’ run ended at the hands of the one-seeded and eventual 2013 national champion Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four. Nevertheless, Malcolm Armstead and future pros Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker, among others, put on a show for the country.

Otherwise known as the “Sister Jean” run, the No. 11 seed Ramblers captivated the sports world in the 2018 tournament. Following an upset victory over sixth-seeded Miami in the opening round, Loyola Chicago beat third-seeded Tennessee, seventh-seeded Nevada and then ninth-seeded Kansas State. The Ramblers’ streak ended with a Final Four loss to third-seeded Michigan. Sister Jean, the chaplain for the Loyola Chicago men’s basketball team, was interviewed after the school’s first-round win and became a lasting image of that year’s tournament. As of March 2025, she’s still going strong at 105 years old. In the regular season, Loyola Chicago had five players score in double figures per game.

Saint Peter’s was a No. 15 seed, and that No. 15 seed took down the second-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in overtime in the opening round of the tournament. Two days later, the Peacocks beat seventh-seeded Murray State and then knocked off Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey and third-seeded Purdue in the Sweet 16. While Saint Peter’s lost by 20 points to eighth-seeded North Carolina in the Elite Eight, it had been just the fourth time that the program reached the Big Dance and still stands as its longest tournament run. Wing KC Ndefo had a pair of six-block outings in the tournament for the Peacocks. After Saint Peter’s success, head coach Shaheen Holloway was named the new head coach of the Seton Hall Pirates, his alma mater.

The eighth-seeded Butler Bulldogs squeaked out a two-point victory over Old Dominion in the first round and then went to work. In the second round, Butler secured a one-point win over one-seeded Pittsburgh, which it followed up by defeating fourth-seeded Wisconsin. Then, the Bulldogs topped second-seeded Florida in overtime and dispatched No. 11 seed VCU (put a pin in that one) to advance to the title game for the second straight season. Despite leading at halftime, Butler lost to third-seeded UConn in the national championship game, making it back-to-back runner-up seasons for the Bulldogs. Junior Shelvin Mack averaged 20.3 points per game across Butler’s six tournament games.

4. 2011 VCU

After beating USC in the “First Four” round, VCU claimed a No. 11 seed and went dancing for consecutive weeks under head coach Shaka Smart. The Rams then took down sixth-seeded Georgetown and third-seeded Purdue, each by 18 points. They won an overtime thriller over No. 10 seed Florida State the next weekend and sunk one-seeded Kansas in the Elite Eight before losing to the aforementioned Butler in the Final Four. It remains the Rams’ deepest tournament run in program history. Jamie Skeen averaged 17.8 per game in the tournament and 26.5 points in VCU’s last two games.

Head coach Jim Larranaga and the Patriots took the nation by storm in March 2006. After beating sixth-seeded Michigan State in the first round, No. 11 seed George Mason sent freshman star Tyler Hansbrough and third-seeded North Carolina home. The Patriots went on to beat seventh-seeded Wichita State and then edge out Rudy Gay and first-seeded UConn in the Elite Eight in overtime. Although the Patriots lost to third-seeded and eventual national champion Florida in the Final Four, their 2006 success was memorable. It marks one of only two times that George Mason has gotten past the first round of the tournament. The school has made the dance just twice since then.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats won a nail-biter over Dayton in the first round and then proceeded to upset behemoth after behemoth. After beating first-seeded Michigan in Round 2, Villanova topped fifth-seeded Maryland, Brad Daugherty and second-seeded North Carolina and then second-seeded Memphis to advance to the national championship game. And for all the marbles, Harold Pressley and seniors Ed Pinckney and Dwayne McClain helped Villanova take down its Big East foe, Patrick Ewing and one-seeded Georgetown, to win the first national title in program history.

It took double overtime, but sixth-seeded NC State got past No. 11 seed Pepperdine in the opening round of the 1983 tournament. It then eked out a one-point win over third-seeded UNLV. But “this is just … the beginning.” The Wolfpack had their way with No. 10 seed Utah in the Sweet 16, winning by 19 points, followed by beating first-seeded Virginia (another one-point victory) and fourth-seeded Georgia to advance to the title game.

In the national championship game, NC State did it again with another close win. This time, they earned a two-point victory over Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and first-seeded Houston. Dereck Whittenburg averaged 20 points per game in the tournament on a Wolfpack team that produced four future NBA Draft picks: Thurl Bailey, Sidney Lowe, Lorenzo Charles and Cozell McQueen. It was the school’s second national title and first under head coach Jim Valvano, who was in his third season on the job.

Honorable mentions:

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