8 Potential NCAA March Madness Cinderella Teams To Watch Out For
March Madness is one of the most exciting sports tournaments. This is not just because of the spectacular displays of athleticism and bracket-busting, but also because of the Cinderella teams. And who doesn’t love a good fairy tale?
As defined by the NCAA, a Cinderella is a team that makes a further tournament run than expected. These teams are usually lower-seeding underdogs who best higher seeds or tournament favorites. Think of the princess whose sisters doubted her, labeled the runt of the litter. But, by the end of the story, was the catch of the ball. Well, at least until the clock struck midnight.
Recent March Madness Cinderellas include the 15-seeded men’s 2023 Saint Peters squad, who advanced to the Elite Eight, and the 11-seeded women’s 2011 Gonzaga squad, who also made it to the Elite Eight.
This year’s March Madness is already becoming one of the most exciting bouts in history. Both men’s and women’s teams are teeming with storylines and a gang of superstars: Caitlin Clark has been on a record-breaking tear during her last year at Iowa; South Carolina ended the regular season undefeated — again; the men’s UConn team is looking to become the first back-to-back champions since 2007. Ultimately, there are countless possibilities of who will go on the coveted Cinderella run.
Unfortunately, we had to exclude some fan-favorite squads like Indiana State (shoutout Cream Abdul-Jabbar, IYKYK) and Pittsburgh, as the committee ultimately left them out of this year’s March Madness tourney. Maybe next year.
So, without further ado, VIBE runs down the eight potential Cinderella teams headed into March Madness. You can stream all the March Madness games live online with a free trial to DirecTV Stream here.
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UNLV Lady Rebels
Image Credit: Miller/Getty Images Record: 29-2
Conference: Mountain West
Players to Watch: Desi-Rae Young, Kiara Jackson, Alyssa Brown
Head coach Lindy La Rocque has her nationally-ranked UNLV ladies playing lights out. Her stone exterior reverberates throughout the team. The result is a physical team that can effortlessly score buckets. The squad cracked 100 points in four regular-season games this season. That’s almost uncommon at the collegiate level! According to ESPN, the No. 21 Lady Rebels’ prolific offense is among the top 20 best-scoring offenses in D1 women’s basketball.
And it’s with good reason. University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ center, Desi-Rae Young, leads the team in scoring, racking up 17.9 points per game. The hometown hero is a versatile weapon, leading the team in rebounds (averaging 9 per game) and steals (1.2 per game). Guard Kiara Jackson and forward Alyssa Brown also hold down the squad, leading the team in assists and blocks, respectively. Oh, and did we mention that they’re currently on a 14-game winning streak?
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UNLV is locked in as a 10 seed in the NCAA tournament. The official March Madness bracket will see them square off against the 7-seeded Creighton Bluejays. The Rebels must ramp up their offensive efficiency to get ahead of the Bluejays fast. If not, Creighton could give the Rebels a difficult day. In fact, ESPN currently has the Bluejays with a 56.5% chance to win the match-up.
If the Rebels keep their foot on the gas, they have all the makings of a classic Cinderella. They have a head coach with personality, a team with grit, and a wide-eyed hopefulness that makes every fairytale worth believing in. Keep your eye on them.
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Nebraska Cornhuskers (Women)
Image Credit: Bettcher/Getty Images Record: 22-11
Conference: Big Ten
Players to Watch for: Alexis Markowski, Jaz Shelley, and Natalie Potts
The Cornhuskers are not to be played with. Most people figured that the women would not be formidable opponents in the Big Ten tourney. Heading into the mix with an 11-7 conference record didn’t convince fans that the Cornhuskers could consistently hold their own. But then something magical happened.
After their last two losses in February against No. 2 Iowa and No. 7 Ohio State, Nebraska increased the intensity. They won three of their next four games heading into the Big Ten tourney. There, they won three more games, knocking off a gaggle of their Big Ten rivals. And then there was Iowa. Again.
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Hot on her streak of record-breaking performances, Caitlin Clark seemed set on putting the Cornhuskers away. Alexis Markowski, Jaz Shelley, and Natalie Potts had other plans. Nebraska’s defensive tear put the pressure on Clark, causing the superstar to go 0 for 9 to start the game. The famed defense also forced the game into OT. Ultimately, Clark and the Hawkeyes pulled away and sealed the Championship game.
Despite the loss, the 6-seeded squad showed they could flip the odds in their favor with enough passion and power. They’re set to face the 11-seeded Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of March Madness—a scrappy team that went 6-10 in conference play. Nebraska has what it takes to make a run well into the elite eight.
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Portland Pilots (Women)
Image Credit: Placido/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Record: 21-12
Conference: West Coast Conference
Players to watch for: Kennedy Dickens, Maisie Burnham, and Emme Shearer
The Portland Pilots finished the year in third place in the West Coast Conference. But that clearly doesn’t mean a thing to a team that just took down the first-place squad, Gonzaga.
The newly-minted back-to-back WCC Champions upset a (1) #14 Gonzaga squad on Tuesday (Mar. 12) 67-66. Portland’s inconceivable win ended the Bulldog’s 24-game winning streak, dating back to the 2023 Thanksgiving weekend. With the win, the unranked Pilots punched their ticket to go dancing as a 13 seed. What’s wild is that the Bulldogs previously beat the Pilots by 50 points just two weeks before the big game.
The team utilized lockdown defense to force the Bulldogs into uncomfortable situations. On offense, the Pilots’ underrated ball movement skills kept up the pressure, opening up the floor for clutch opportunities. Now, they have the opportunity to pull off the unthinkable in the March Madness tournament.
The Pilots are currently on a four-game winning streak heading into the NCAA tourney. If they keep up this momentum and the same level of tenacity they played Gonzaga with, they’ll give a nationally-ranked powerhouse trouble if they’re not too careful.
Who that will be? According to the official March Madness bracket, the Pilots will take on the 4-seeded Kansas State Wildcats in the first round. If Portland can maintain their game plan and on-court identity, they could potentially make it through the Wildcats and deeper into the annual tournament.
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Fairfield Stags (Women)
Image Credit: Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Record: 29-1
Conference: Metro Athletic Atlantic
Players to Watch: Meghan Andersen, Janelle Brown, and Emina Selimovic
The Fairfield Stags women’s basketball team finished the season 29-1, boasting a 24-game winning streak. They’re HOT.
The team is a MAAC leader in five offensive categories: assists, scoring offense, field goal percentage, 3-pointers per game, and A-TO ratio. The Stags also hold W’s over seven different Division 1 conferences, such as the dominant Big Ten and Big East.
According to ESPN, Fairfield is set as a 13 seed in the March Madness tournament. The seeding would see the Stags going head-to-head with the No. 4 seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the first round. Fairfield’s star forward, Meghan Andersen, leads the team in points (15.6), rebounds (5.2), and blocks (1.4). And she’ll need to continue playing at a high level if they want to put away an incredibly scrappy Hoosiers squad.
Fairfield struggled from the perimeter against Rider in the MAAC Quarterfinals, and their high-potency gameplay stagnated. Rider made them play to their game, but the Stags found a way to win, adapting to a more physically intensive game. At their best, the Stags excel at lockdown defense, deeeeeep 3-pointer shooting, and offensive efficiency. The Fairfield Stags have the potential to make some magic this March. Do not sleep on these ladies!
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Grand Canyon Antelopes (Men)
Image Credit: Edmonds/Getty Images Record: 24-8
Conference: Western Athletic Conference
Players to Watch: Collin Moore, Ray Harrison, Tyon Grant-Foster, Gabe McGlothan
Grand Canyon University may not be on your radar. They’re not a part of the typical Power Five conferences, and they’re not in a conference that regularly gets NCAA tourney love. But that doesn’t mean they don’t fit the glass slipper.
The Western Athletic Conference team finished 24-8 on the year. The Antelopes scrapped their way through several tight games, squeezing out 16 wins against conference rivals and only losing 4. They then breezed through the WAC tournament, beating UT Arlington to claim the championship title. Things did get chippy towards the end of the game, as GCU’s Collin Moore hit a windmill duck in its final seconds. This led to the UTA’s Phillip Russell and Akili Vining body-checking and throwing the ball at Moore in response. While some folks definitely saw Moore and GCU’s actions as deplorable, the Antelopes saw it as a statement: the Lopes aren’t messing around.
According to the official March Madness bracket, 12-seeded GCU is set to face off against 5-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels. GCU will need to start fast and play strategically against the Gaels if they want to keep up with the team’s intensity. The Antelopes notoriously started games slow this year. Most recently, the squad fell to a 12-5 deficit early in the WAC Championship game. But one could argue that, because they have to fight their way back into games from behind, GCU has learned what it takes to overcome any obstacle—including themselves. Make sure you watch out for GCU this year.
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James Madison Dukes (Men)
Image Credit: Layton/Getty Images Record: 31-3
Conference: Sun Belt
Players To Watch For: Terrance Edwards, T.J. Bickerstaff, and Xavier Brown
James Madison is having their best season in school history. The Dukes were on killer runs at two separate points in their season. They first embarked on a 14-game streak to start the year. Then, they began tearing through the Sun Belt again with a 13-game winning streak. They ended the season 31-3, which became the history-breaking record for the Sun Belt conference. En route to that fantastic record, the Dukes took down the then-nationally ranked Michigan State Spartans in an impressive showing.
Additionally, the squad led by Terrance Edwards and T.J. Bickerstaff has established itself as one of the top-10 scoring teams in the country, with an average of 84.4 points per game. JMU has already cemented itself in this year’s March Madness tournament after routing Arkansas State by 20 points in the Sun Belt Championship.
The official March Madness bracket has the team seeded at 12 and set to take on the 5-seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the first round. With the entry, JMU snagged their first NCAA bid since 2013. The Badgers have been a pretty surprising team in their own right this year. However, statistically, JMU had a better year than the Badgers. Wisconsin has scored 74.7 points per game (171st in the country) and 34.1 rebounds per game (312th in the country). JMU is currently 8th in the country with points per game and 60th in rebounds per game. If there was ever a moment for James Madison University to become a sensational Cinderella story, 2024 may be the year.
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McNeese State Cowboys
Image Credit: Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Record: 30-3
Conference: West Coast Conference
Players to Watch For: Shadada Wells
The McNeese State Cowboys are incredibly fun to watch. The Cowboys are making their first NCAA tourney since 2002, and they’re primed to make the most of it. McNeese State finished the season with an outstanding 30-3 record and won the Southland Conference tournament. With their record, they became one of only four teams to snag 30 wins this season.
Under the direction of their new coach, Will Wade, the Cowboys have been DOMINANT on the court. Wade transformed the program into a winning one, obtaining their first winning season in a decade. Pokes’ guard Shadada Wells has been the squad’s premier player throughout the historic season. Wells leads the team in points per game, assists, and steals. And the momentum of this magical season will need to hit overdrive if they want to make a deep March Madness run.
The official bracket breakdown has the 12-seeded McNeese State going head-to-head with the 5-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Zags finished the year with a 25-7 record and, at times, looked spectacular. But the team’s inconsistencies have frequently held them back on the court. They recently fell short to Saint Mary’s in the WCC tournament, losing 60-69.
The Cowboys must take advantage of the Zags’ tedious turnover habits and slow starts to get ahead. McNeese is known to defensively and offensively fly on the ball, so, much like Saint Mary’s, the Pokes could use that game plan to overwhelm and disrupt their offensive flow. This first-round match will be the first time the two programs face off on the court in history. And it may be one for the (fairytale) books.
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Long Beach State (Men)
Image Credit: Krill/Getty Images Record: 21-14
Conference: Big West
Players to Watch For: Marcus Tsohonis, Lassina Traore, Jadon Jones, and Aboubacar Traore
The Long Beach State 49ers have had a Disney-esque year. The squad went through a ton of ups and downs, finishing the year with a 21-14 record. The 49ers went 0-5 in their last 5 games of the season, leaving much to be desired on the court. Long Beach all but limped its way into the Big West tournament, where they secured the 4th seed in the competition. Most spectators counted them out in favor of UC Irvine and UC Davis, both 1 and 2 seeds in the tourney. Hell, prior to the tourney, the college announced that they were firing head coach Dan Monson after 17 years under his leadership. It was over.
But then, when their backs were against the wall, Long Beach played like each game was their last. And that mentality allowed them to best 5-seeded UC Riverside and both of the conference powerhouses in UC Irvine and Davis. And it was the win over the latter that crowned Long Beach as the Big West champions. That win also gave the school its first March Madness berth in ten years. Guards Marcus Tsohonis and Jadon Jones, and forwards Lassina Traore and Aboubacar Traore carried the team on an unprecedented run, leading into the first round of the NCAA tourney.
In the first round of the highly anticipated games, LBS will face the 2-seeded Arizona Wildcats. The 49ers have kicked their game into high gear, but they absolutely need to keep it going. ESPECIALLY since they’ll be tested right out of the gate by the might of the Wildcats—a team that is top 5 in the country in points per game, assists per game, and rebounds. If Long Beach can get through Arizona, the glass slipper and history are waiting for them.
