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The 15 Best NCAA Tournament Cinderella Stories of All Time

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The 15 Best NCAA Tournament Cinderella Stories of All Time

Shaka Smart VCU
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The major conference tournaments are just heating up, but many smaller conferences have punched their tickets to the Big Dance. As the Belmonts and North Floridas of the world get ready for March Madness, they’ll look to join a grand tradition of underdogs who have made good on the game’s biggest stage. Here are the 15 best NCAA Tournament Cinderella stories of all-time.

15. 1991 Richmond Spiders

Jim Boeheim Syracuse
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15. 1991 Richmond Spiders

Jim Boeheim Syracuse
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Richmond has been one of the biggest spoilers in the tournament's history, but the 1991 squad did something no one else did before. They defeat a No. 2-seed as a 15-seed. Against Syracuse, the Spiders stymied Jim Boeheim's club 73-69.

14. 2002 Kent State Golden Flashes

Antonio Gates Kent State
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14. 2002 Kent State Golden Flashes

Antonio Gates Kent State
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A year after earning their first-ever NCAA tournament win as a No. 13 seed, Kent State came back as another serious underdog in 2002.The 10th-seeded Golden Flashes made the most of their March Madness experience, advancing all the way to the Elite Eight, behind future NFL Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates. Only the Indiana Hoosiers, the tournament's runner-up, spoiled the Golden Flashes.

13. 2000 Wisconsin Badgers

Dick Bennett Wisconsin
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13. 2000 Wisconsin Badgers

Dick Bennett Wisconsin
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Before Bo Ryan made Wisconsin a national power, Dick Bennett turned the Badger program around. In 2000, Bennett guided the No. 9-seeded Badgers to the greatest March Madness run in school history to date. The Badgers upset an Arizona squad with two future NBA All-Stars en route to the Final Four. Only the eventual champion Michigan State Spartans spoiled the Badgers' hopes.

12. 2008 Davidson Wildcats

Steph Curry Davidson
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12. 2008 Davidson Wildcats

Steph Curry Davidson
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For all the publicity that Stephen Curry earned at Davidson, his Wildcats were only a 10-seed in the 2008 Midwest regional. An opening win over Gonzaga wasn’t much of a surprise, but Curry was just getting started. Curry dropped 30 on Georgetown and 33 more in a blowout of Wisconsin. Eventual champion Kansas finally stopped the Wildcats’ momentum, holding Curry to 25 points.

11. 1967 Dayton Flyers

Dayton Flyers
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11. 1967 Dayton Flyers

Dayton Flyers
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The 2014 Dayton Flyers became a Cinderella team by advancing to the Elite Eight, but that squad had nothing on the 1967 team. Unranked entering the tournament, the Flyers defeated three teams ranked in the top-10 to advance to the Championship Game. Only John Wooden, Lew Alcindor and the UCLA dynasty prevented the Flyers from a title.

10. 1999 Gonzaga Bulldogs

Mark Few Gonzaga
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10. 1999 Gonzaga Bulldogs

Mark Few Gonzaga
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Before Mark Few arrived, Gonzaga was a under-the-radar program. In 1999, Gonzaga made its second-ever March Madness appearance and made their mark on the nation. The No. 10-seed Zags defeated Minnesota, Stanford, and Florida en route to the Regional Final. Even a loss to eventual champion UConn couldn't dampen what was an outstanding run.

9. 2011 VCU Rams

Joey Rodriguez VCU
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9. 2011 VCU Rams

Joey Rodriguez VCU
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A questionable entry into the 2011 Tournament, Virginia Commonwealth earned plenty of criticism as one of the last four teams in. Once the Rams arrived in the tournament, though, there was no stopping them. En route to the Final Four, the Rams defeated USC, Georgetown, Purdue and top-seeded Kansas before losing to fellow Cinderella Butler.

8. 1990 Loyola Marymount Lions

Hank Gathers Bo Kimble
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8. 1990 Loyola Marymount Lions

Hank Gathers Bo Kimble
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Even after averaging an NCAA-record 122.4 points a game, Loyola Marymount was an 11-seed in the 1990 NCAA Tournament. With the tragedy of Hank Gathers, the Lions had plenty of emotion on their side. The Lions stunned defending champion Michigan in the second round and advanced to the Elite Eight. There, the eventual champion UNLV Runnin Rebels spoiled the Lions' outstanding run.

7. 2013 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Andy Enfield Florida Gulf Coast
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7. 2013 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Andy Enfield Florida Gulf Coast
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An unknown squad from Florida, the 2014 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles had the most memorable run of any 15-seed in tournament history. The Eagles' high-flying attack shocked Georgetown and San Diego State to advance to the Sweet 16. Only an experienced Florida Gators squad prevented the Eagles from an Elite-Eight appearance.

6. 2010 Butler Bulldogs

Shelvin Mack Butler
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6. 2010 Butler Bulldogs

Shelvin Mack Butler
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As a No. 5-seed, the 2010 Butler Bulldogs became the first of two teams to reach the National Championship Game. Before facing Duke in the title game, the Bulldogs defeated Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. Against the Blue Devils, Butler held their own, but a Gordon Hayward half-court buzzer beater clanked off the rim.

5. 2006 George Mason Patriots

Jim Larranaga George Mason
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5. 2006 George Mason Patriots

Jim Larranaga Patriots
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With a 23-7 record in the CAA, the 2006 George Mason Patriots were lucky to earn at at-large berth, but faced some legendary programs as an No. 11-seed. The Patriots upset Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and UConn to advance to the Final Four. Only the eventual National Champion Florida Gators could spoil the Patriots' Cinderella run.

4. 1986 LSU Tigers

Dale Brown LSU
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4. 1986 LSU Tigers

Dale Brown LSU
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The injury-plagued 1986 LSU Tigers became the first No. 11 seed to make the Final Four, and went through each of the Southeast regional’s top three seeds to do it. The Tigers stunned Memphis State, Georgia Tech and Kentucky before losing to eventual National Champion Louisville.

3. 1988 Kansas Jayhawks

Danny Manning
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3. 1988 Kansas Jayhawks

Danny Manning
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Kansas isn't known to be an underdog, but they fit that label in 1988. Led by Larry Brown, the Jayhawks were nicknamed "Danny and the Miracles". A No. 6-seed, Kansas defeated Kansas State in the Elite Eight and Duke in the Final Four to advance to the National Championship Game. Against rival Oklahoma, Kansas avenged a regular-season sweep and stunned one of the best teams in the country.

2. 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack

Jim Valvano North Carolina State
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2. 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack

Jim Valvano North Carolina State
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The 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack made the term Cinderella famous for March Madness. Jim Valvano's club was a No. 6-seed entering the tournament, and after surviving a scare against Pepperdine, the Wolfpack kept on rolling. N.C. State stunned UNLV, Utah, Virginia and Georgia before facing a loaded Houston team. Lorenzo Charles' tip-in at the buzzer gave the Wolfpack a 54-52 win over the Cougars.

1. 1985 Villanova Wildcats

Rollie Massimino
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1. 1985 Villanova Wildcats

Rollie Massimino
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A No. 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the 1985 Villanova Wildcats are still the lowest ranked seed to win the National Championship. The Wildcats stunned top-seed Michigan and No. 2-seed North Carolina to advance to the Final Four. In the final Four, Villanova downed Memphis State before exacting revenge on Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas with a 66-64 win.

Brian Kalchik is a Houston Texans writer and featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

Brian Kalchik is a writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.
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