It’s that time of year again. Everyone’s talking about college basketball, and everyone’s excited for March Madness. But in that discussion, the word “Cinderella” gets thrown around as a part of the vernacular, like “mid” and “GOAT.” But what exactly is a Cinderella? Before we discuss who this year’s Cinderella might be, let’s discuss the requirements to put on that glass slipper:
1. The label of “Cinderella” can only be applied after a team advances to the Sweet 16. You must be around on the second weekend of the Big Dance to be considered a Cinderella. So sorry, Oakland, you needed to beat NC State in the round of 32 last year to officially wear that glass slipper.
2. A Cinderella must be a 7-seed or higher. These seeds are the ones that would have to pull off a serious upset in either round 1 or round 2. So sorry, 2010 Butler, as a 5-seed, you don’t get the official title. You were expected to win a few games.
3. A Cinderella must come from a mid-major conference. Sorry, but the University of North Carolina, with all of their talent and resources, don’t get to be a Cinderella. Same with Texas and Xavier. Just because you’re seeded low because you underachieved in the regular season doesn’t make you a Cinderella.
Corollary: Teams who win a Power-Conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament when they otherwise would have been at home can qualify. We’ll call this the NC State corollary because last year’s run was certainly worthy of the Cinderella title. Same with 2021 Oregon State. These teams had to win do-or-die games in the conference tournament just for the right to play in the NCAA.
This year’s candidates:
UC San Diego
The Tritons have the unique distinction of earning an NCAA Tournament berth in their first season of eligibility. They thoroughly dominated the Big West conference and have not lost since January 18th. They lead the nation in Turnover margin, simultaneously taking care of the ball on offense and causing havoc on defense. This causes teams to fight an uphill battle against them, as they often turn steals into easy points. There is a legitimate pathway to the Sweet 16 for the Tritons as they take on turnover-prone Michigan and potentially also turnover-prone Texas A&M.
VCU
This VCU team is one of the most experienced in all of Division I basketball, with 4 of their 5 starters being 5th year players. VCU is another team that plays stifling defense, ranking 23rd in the nation in defensive efficiency. Head Coach Ryan Odom has a track record of winning in the NCAA Tournament as well, as he led UMBC to the first victory by a 16 seed over a 1 seed against Virginia in 2018. Offensively, the Rams are a tough team to match up with, as Max Shulga, Joe Bamisile, and Philip Russell are all capable of creating their own shot, and Jack Clark is a prototypical 3-and-D player who can get hot in catch-and-shoot situations.
New Mexico
How many times have we seen a guard put an entire school on his back and lead a team to March glory? It happened with Dwyane Wade, Stephen Curry, Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier, and countless others. This year, New Mexico’s Donovan Dent could take that mantle. He is an electric playmaker who can score at every level and could absolutely carry this team out of the first weekend.
High Point
The lowest seed that you will see on my list today, the High Point Panthers, are dancing for the first time in school history after suffering numerous heartbreaking losses in the Big South Tournament prior to this year. This team is legitimately great offensively, ranking 25th in the nation in offensive efficiency. They are superbly coached by Alan Huss and run sets that generate quality shots. This is a team that has plenty of depth as well, so one guy getting in foul trouble or having a cold shooting night should not kill them. The Panthers have the overall firepower to score with the best teams in college basketball, but their advancement will come down to how many stops they can get on the defensive end.
