2014 NCAA Tournament: 5 Reasons Why Stanford Will Be 2014’s Cinderella Story

By Taylor Sturm

2014 NCAA Tournament: 5 Reasons Why Stanford Will be 2014’s Cinderella Story

Stanford Sweet16 — The Stanford Cardinal surprised everyone beating No. 2 seed Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16. The Cardinal were lucky to make the 2014 NCAA Tournament, let alone make it this far. Stanford is the ultimate underdog the casual fan should root for; here are five reasons that Stanford is 2014's Cinderella Team.

5. PAC-12 Schedule

Stanford Upset Kansas

5. PAC-12 Schedule

Stanford Upset Kansas — The PAC-12 got some love from the NCAA Selection Committee, but in reality, aside from Arizona, the league as a whole beat no one in non-conference play. Stanford only won one game against a decent PAC-12 team before coming to the tournament, which makes their Sweet 16 surge even more surprising.

4. Early Season Win Against Connecticut

Anthony Brown Stanford

4. Early Season Win Against Connecticut

Anthony Brown Stanford — With a non-conference win against fellow Sweet 16 members UConn, Stanford is more than ready to step up and continue winning.

3. Close Losses

Stanford Cardinal NCAA Tournament

3. Close Losses

Stanford Cardinal NCAA Tournament — Stanford lost to the Michigan Wolverines by three and the Arizona Wildcats by three. With two close losses to fellow Sweet 16 teams, the Final Four isn’t actually that far away for a team that is familiar with most opposition.

2. It's Stanford

Stanford NCAA Tournament

2. It's Stanford

Stanford NCAA Tournament — If you had said that Stanford was going to be one of the final 16 teams in the 2014 NCAA Tournament at the beginning of the year, you would’ve been crazy.

1. They Beat Kansas

Kansas 2014 NCAA Tournament

1. They Beat Kansas

Kansas 2014 NCAA Tournament — One key to being a Cinderella team is that you have to beat a consistent college basketball power. Beating Bill Self and Kansas is just that type of win.

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Stanford Cardinal

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