1986 LSU, 2006 George Mason, 2011 VCU, 2016 Syracuse, 2018 Loyola Chicago, UCLA in 2021, and NC State in 2024. We always remember the Cinderella runs that make March Madness so much fun. The looked down upon step sister who isn’t supposed to amount to much, but suddenly, little old George Mason takes down mighty No. 1 UConn before the clock strikes midnight. Will a Cinderella beat the clock in the 2026 NCAA Tournament? If so, who might it be? Let’s dive into this year’s Madness and see which teams might fit that glass slipper.
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EAST REGION PREVIEW
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MIDWEST REGION PREVIEW
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Everyone loves the story of Cinderella, right? Maybe even more so when it comes to the underdog sports teams who cement their place in the history books by doing the almost unthinkable and slaying a giant. Cinderella has taken on a different form over the years when it comes to the madness of March. From the teams mentioned in the open who all made impeccable runs to the Final Four. Of those, the Syracuse Orangemen in 2016 became the first and only (so far) No. 10 seed to win the entire tournament. In 2018, we’ll never forget when the UMBC Golden Retrievers became the first ever No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 when they beat Virginia, and did so by 20 points in commanding fashion. In 2022, it was the St Peter’s Peacocks becoming the lowest seed in history (No. 15) to make the Elite Eight.
2026 Cinderella Stories
No. 10 Santa Clara (Midwest Region)
The Broncos of Santa Clara are a fun basketball team to watch. They run a west coast style run and gun offense that thrives on quick tempo and shooting the lights out of the gym. Head coach Herb Sendek has had this team close to making a run with six straight seasons of 20+ wins. They’ve been tested this season, playing 13 games against top 100 teams according to KenPom.
They are a well-built roster with a 7-footer down low in Bukky Oboye, star guard play from Christian Hammond, and Sash Gavalyugov. Their freshman forward, Allen Graves, off the bench, adds spark when the Broncos need it most. They take on Kentucky in the first round, which ranks 10th in the SEC in 3-point rate allowed on defense. Kentucky generally likes to play bigger and protect the rim. The Broncos love their jumpers, and 3’s, and their big guys can shoot too. Kentucky has been up and down, and not what you expect from the Wildcats. Look for the Broncos to step up big time here and maybe upset Kentucky.
If they can get past Kentucky, they’ll likely face No. 2 Iowa State in the second round. I love Iowa State in this tournament, but they can be beaten. If Santa Clara gets hot from the field, they could go on a run.
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No. 11 South Florida (East Region)
The University of South Florida Bulls are already on a magical March run that started in February. Their last loss came on January 31st at the Temple Owls. Since then, it’s been 11 straight wins, including a 70-55 domination of the Wichita State Shockers in the American Conference Tournament Championship game.
Like Santa Clara, this South Florida Bull roster was well constructed by head coach Bryan Hodgson. He completed a “quick rebuild” of the Bulls’ roster that features their leading scorer, guard Wes Enis. Enis and senior Joseph Pinion love to light it up from beyond the arc. Forward Izaiyah is right on Enis’ tail when it comes to scoring, and also leads the team in rebounds. The Bulls are elite from beyond the arc and rank in the top 10 in offensive rebounds. They’ll face the Cardinals of Louisville in the first round. Louisville has been known to be sloppy on offense, and this Bulls defense is elite. South Florida is another team that can get hot from downtown and beat just about anyone.
If they can get past Louisville, I love the path ahead of them. The Michigan State Spartans are beatable, and then UConn could be the last team standing between them and the Elite 8.
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No. 12 High Point (West Region)
The Panthers of High Point went 30-4 this season, winning the Big South Conference Tournament to top it all off. You thought South Florida’s 11-game win streak was impressive? High Point has won 14 straight as they head into the NCAA Tournament, including a 91-76 over Winthrop in the Big South Championship Game. They average 90.3 points per game, while only allowing 70.3. The Panthers are good from the line, shooting 19.9 free throws per game.
They are led by their emotional center, Terry Anderson, who averages 16 points and six rebounds per game. Guard Rob Martin has 121 assists and 52 steals on the year. Owen Aquino shoots a solid 45.5% from three. Their high-scoring offense ranks top-50 nationally, and they love to hit the fast break and pull up from downtown. Their bracket situation also makes them an attractive Cinderella. They start with Big Ten opponent Wisconsin. The Panthers need to speed the game up and get Wisconsin off its mark, and they have a shot.
Once they get past the Badgers, it would likely be the Arkansas Razorbacks. Then the Arizona Wildcats would likely be the next team up, a team that has a glaring weakness from beyond the arc and could be beaten if they can’t keep up with a hot, high-flying team.
