Let’s face it – while fans of the “blue blood” programs in college basketball clamor for the likes of Duke, Kansas, Gonzaga, and North Carolina to win it all this year, other fans of the sport (and of sports betting) love to follow the Cinderellas. These are the teams that come out of nowhere each year and grab the attention of the nation. Teams that are not in one of the major conferences and do not have a college basketball reputation qualify as March Madness Cinderellas. Which programs have put up the most magical runs? Are any programs set to shock the nation this year? Read on to get our thoughts to consider in your March Madness betting plans.
Biggest Cinderella Stories from March Madness; and March Madness Cinderellas for 2024 | College Basketball Odds
Loyola Marymount (1989-90)
The Lions entered the tournament as an 11-seed despite their 26-6 record, and they rolled all the way to the Elite Eight, where 1-seed UNLV dealt them a 131-101 beating. You might wonder how this NBA-type score showed up in a college game (which lasts eight minutes, or 17% shorter, than a pro grame), and the answer was the track meet-paced offense that coach Paul Westhead ran.
Gonzaga Bulldogs (1998-99)
No, the Bulldogs aren’t Cinderellas anymore, but 1999 marked just the second appearance by a Gonzaga team in the NCAA tournament, and they surprised everyone by knocking off Stanford and Florida before losing to the eventual champions, UConn. Since that season, Gonzaga has been a fixture in March Madness – although that might be in danger this season.
Davidson Wildcats (2007-08)
The 29-7 Wildcats got into the Big Dance as a 10-seed, keyed by All-American guard Stephen Curry. This wrecking ball sent Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin home in the first three rounds before Kansas, who would end up with the national title, knocked Davidson out in the Elite Eight.
Saint Peter’s Peacocks (2021-22)
The Peacocks started their Cinderella run in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, which they had to win outright to get a shot at March Madness. Their regular-season resume included a loss to St. Francis Brooklyn, which ended up 10-20 that year. Entering as a 15-seed, they knocked off Kentucky in overtime to get out of the first round, and then they beat 7-seed Murray State and 3-seed Purdue to become the first 15-seed ever to reach an Elite Eight.
Penn Quakers (1978-79)
Pete Carril made a reputation of guiding the Princeton Tigers a round or two into the Big Dance each year with his patient, back-door offense that slowed games down and frustrated the opposition. However, he never took the Tigers as far as Penn went in 1978-79, the last year an Ivy League team would advance to a Final Four. They beat North Carolina and Syracuse to get to the last weekend of the tournament, where they ran into Michigan State, led by Magic Johnson. Johnson would then lead the Spartans to a national title by taking down another Cinderella – the Indiana State Sycamores, led by Larry Bird.
What about this year?
Well, there are the James Madison Dukes, who were one of the last three undefeated teams in men’s college basketball. Some of their early upset victims were Michigan State and Kent State. Their top players are Terrence Edwards and T.J. Bickerstaff. Then there are the Grand Canyon Antelopes, who ran out to a 12-1 start to the season that included a win over San Diego State, who made a deep run last year. DePaul transfer Tyon Grant-Foster is putting up 20.2 points per game, and while the WAC might only get one team in the Big Dance, this might be that team. And let’s not sleep on Indiana State, who no longer has Larry Bird, of course, but who is tearing up the MVC. They score just over 87 points per game and have five different players averaging double figures behind the 19.6 points that Isaiah Swope puts up per game. They shoot almost 42% from downtown, which could make them a nightmare in March.
2024 Schedule for March Madness
Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 17
First Four: March 19-20
First round: March 21-22
Second round: March 23-24
Sweet 16: March 28-29
Elite Eight: March 30-31
Final Four: Saturday, April 6
NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8
College Basketball National Championship Odds – Top 20
| Purdue Boilermakers +800 | Houston Cougars +1025 |
| Arizona Wildcats +1025 | UConn Huskies +1100 |
| Kentucky Wildcats +1325 | Auburn Tigers +1525 |
| North Carolina Tar Heels +1600 | Kansas Jayhawks +1725 |
| Tennessee Volunteers +1775 | Duke Blue Devils +2300 |
| Marquette Golden Eagles +2500 | Alabama Crimson Tide +2800 |
| Creighton Blue Jays +3100 | Baylor Bears +3100 |
| Wisconsin Badgers +3800 | Michigan State Spartans +3900 |
| BYU Cougars +3900 | Illinois Fighting Illini +4200 |
| Florida Atlantic Owls +4600 | Gonzaga Bulldogs +5200 |
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2019 March Madness Cinderellas, Sleepers and More
2019 March Madness Look for Cinderellas, Sleepers and Bracket Busters
Each year, one thing we remember most of all after the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has come to an end is the list of teams that came out of nowhere to make deep runs and, in rare cases, win the whole thing. Whether it was the last-minute shot that North Carolina State made to upset Houston in the final in 1983, the run that George Mason made as an 11-seed to the Final Four in 2006, or the unlikely run that Kevin Ollie’s UConn team made to the national championship in 2014, these are the stories that we remember — and the teams that make winners out of sports betting enthusiasts willing to do the research and ride teams that defeat the odds. Here is a list of some teams that we consider likely to pull off surprises in the 2019 March Madness tournament.2019 March Madness Look for Cinderellas, Sleepers and Bracket Busters
3 more spots locked up! 🕺 ✅ Gardner-Webb ✅ Bradley ✅ Liberty
Wofford (Projected Seed: 8)
Wofford outscores their opposition by 18.8 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 25th in the nation according to Pomeroy. Their three-point shooting and their ability to generate more possessions by hitting the offensive glass and grabbing turnovers make them even more likely to polish off some favorites in the tournament. Senior Fletcher Magee, a guard, ranks second all-time in Division I men’s basketball for three-point shots made in a career, passing J.J. Redick from Duke this year. He has at least 100 makes from behind the arc in three straight seasons. He is dangerous as a spot-up shooter in this situation (1.5 points per possession) and as the ball-handler on the pick-and-roll play, simply enjoying the dropback by his defender as an opportunity to launch (1.1 points per possession). Forward Cameron Jackson, also a senior, scores 14.8 points and pulls down 7.4 boards per game, averaging 1.2 points per putback attempt off offensive boards and scoring almost a point per possession when he gets the ball down in the post.Buffalo (Projected Seed: 7)
The Bulls knocked off Arizona last year as a 13-seed, rolling by 21 points. They will get a higher seed this year, but thanks to that power conference bias, it won’t be as high as it should be. They rank 21st in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency in the nation. The experience on this roster is considerable, at 2.33 years per player, making them the opposite of the one-and-done philosophy. The bench plays 29 percent of the minutes, and that depth can make a huge difference in March, when rotations shorten and foul trouble becomes more of an issue. Seniors C.J. Massinburg and Nick Perkins will be two of the school’s top scorers. Massinburg averages 18.7 points per game, leading the team, and passed former pro star Wally Szczerbiak as one of the top 20 scorers in the MAC. He is one of 30 players getting considered for the Naismith Trophy, the Heisman Trophy of college basketball. The Bulls like to go small, with Perkins the tallest player in the rotation often at 6’8”. This means that Buffalo pushes the ball, possessing the ball 74.6 times per game, seventh in the nation.Utah State (Projected Seed: 12)
Nevada will advance from the Mountain West Conference, but Utah State could make it in as well. This team defends at the rim (permitting just a 45 percent field goal rate at the rim) and in the post (permitting just a 33 percent field goal rate on the block). They only allow offensive rebounds on 21.3 percent of opponent shots. They do a solid job of getting open looks; according to Synergy Sports, 54 percent of their catch-and-shoot chances are considered “unguarded,” and on those possessions they average 1.1 points per possession. That 54 percent is eighth in the nation. Teams that can defend and nail shots from the outside can pull off upsets.
