Teams most likely to play Cinderella in the NCAA men's tournament

BYU has lost to Gonzaga three times, USC and Boise State ... all acceptable losses ... and a not-too-bad loss to Pepperdine. When they win, the Cougars are blasting opponents, including a 45-point win at Portland. Guard Alex Barcello leads the team in scoring and assists, but the key to BYU's success may be Purdue transfer Matt Haarms. He went scoreless against Gonzaga in their loss late in the regular season and went just 3-of-10 against Pepperdine. The Cougars gave Gonzaga everything they could handle in the WCC final. BYU has battled the best and won't be intimidated by anyone else. 

Let's just look at their history here. The Vikings will be making their third-ever tournament appearance. Their first was in 1986, whereas a 14-seed they beat Indiana and St. Joseph's to reach the Sweet 16 (they would lose by a point to David Robinson's Navy team). As a 13-seed in 2009, they'd knock off Wake Forest in the first round. The 2021 version is led by Torrey Patton, who leads the Vikings in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (8.0), and a bunch of guys who will be physical with you and will not back down.

Colgate enters the tournament on a 13-game winning streak and features the third-best scoring offense in the nation. The Raiders look like the classic type of Cinderella: they can score, they are very unselfish and they battle for rebounds. They are also led by senior guard Jordan Burns, who leads the team in scoring (17.1), assists (5.5), and steals (1.6), shoots 41% from three and 89% from the line.  

The Hoyas shocked everyone by winning four games en route to the Big East tournament championship. On that run, they beat a Marquette team that won at North Carolina a few weeks ago, regular-season champion Villanova, bubble team Seton Hall and a ranked Creighton Bluejays team. We've seen teams make a wild run through the Big East tournament and come out blazing in the NCAA tournament before. You may scoff at their 13-12 record, but they've won 8 of their last 10 games (both losses to UConn), and their only losses since mid-January have come to Villanova, Creighton, and UConn. 

It is rare to see the ACC tournament champions sitting in a list of possible Cinderellas, but that's how the 2020-2021 season rolls. Even in ACC circles, the Yellow Jackets have been brushed off as a bunch of no-names who are just pests rather than a team that could sting you. Well, these Jackets have the ACC's Player of the Year in Moses Wright, the defensive player of the year in Jose Alvarado, three 15+ ppg scorers, and a rabid style of offense and defense that makes opponents uncomfortable. In a tournament setting, they could disrupt teams that aren't familiar with playing a team like this.  

Remember last year that the Flames were 30-4 and were a team many people were pegging as a Cinderella had there been an NCAA tournament. Of course, they were a Cinderella in 2019, beating Mississippi State in the first round of that tournament. Much of the main core of those teams have left, but a new bunch of Flames has them tournament bound in 2021. Darius McGhee is a holdover from those teams and leads these Flames in scoring. Liberty, the ASUN champs, is riding a 12-game winning streak into Indianapolis. 

It's hard to call a top 20 team that was in the Final Four a few years ago a Cinderella, but that what the Ramblers are. Cameron Krutwig was just a freshman on that magical Loyola team that reached the 2018 Final Four. He's been their anchor ever since then, consistently averaging around 15 points and 7 rebounds. The Ramblers play a slow pace with Krutwig as the focus of the offense, but there are four other seniors (like Tate Hall and Lucas Williamson) who play major roles on this team. A very experienced team with a focal point can go far in March.

No coach in this field has won more national championships than North Carolina's Roy Williams. While it is highly unlikely the Hall of Famer captures his fourth title in 2021, that doesn't mean he can't get his team to make a little run in Indianapolis. The Heels boast four bigs upfront who establish Carolina as one of the elite rebounding teams in the country. If the freshman backcourt of Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton play with confidence, then this team can win a few games. Remember that the Heels have been a No. 8 seed three times before ... and they toppled the No. 1 seed in their bracket twice.

The Aztecs missed out on finishing a great season in 2020, but they are back to attempt to make a run in 2021. They pounded UCLA and Arizona State early in the season and have recently been blowing out their Mountain West foes -- winning their final 14 games. They have several three-point shooting threats, led by leading scorers Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel, who hit his 200th career three earlier this season. A confident team who can hit threes is always dangerous in March. One that can guard you the way San Diego State can is scary. 

The Atlantic 10 champion Bonnies are one of the youngest teams in the country, but they're also one of the most experienced. They start five juniors -- four of which were starters last year -- and have a great point guard in Kyle Lofton. Lofton isn't a very good long-range shooter, but he sets the tone offensively (he leads the team in scoring and assists) and defensively (he's also the Bonnies' steals leader) Jaren Holmes and Dominick Welch are the sharpshooters with Osun Osunniyi protecting the paint. 

Syracuse's Buddy Boeheim has been a bucket over the last few weeks. The coach's son is hitting nearly 50% of his threes over that span and has had those "in the zone" moments from time to time. The last two times the Orange came into the tournament as a double-digit seed, they made it to the Sweet 16 once and the Final Four the other time.

After a rough four-game stretch early in the season, the Gauchos have won 18 of their last 19 games. Guard JaQuori McLaughlin  leads the Gauchos in scoring and assists and is shooting around 41% from three this season. Amadou Sow (who has been fantastic during his three years at Santa Barbara) brings an inside presence that balances an efficient offense and allows for UCSB's shooters to fan out for open looks. The starting five features three seniors and a junior who are looking to finally making a splash after three years of second-place finishes in the Big West.

UConn has had a somewhat recent history of making unlikely tournament runs (see: 2014) so this isn't out of their nature. The Huskies won six of their final seven regular-season games (the loss came to Villanova by eight) and finished just a game back of the conference title. Dan Hurley has this team back in the tournament and James Bouknight is back to being the kind of elite scorer that can push UConn through the tournament. Bouknight scored 40 on Creighton early in the season and he's looked in form as he's returned from an elbow injury. 

UNCG began the year losing three of their first four games and hardly looked like a team that would be a team to watch in mid-February. But the Spartans have gone on to win 15 of their final 18 games and find themselves the champions of the SoCon. Isaiah Miller is certainly the straw that stirs the drink in Greensboro. He is the only player averaging double figures in scoring (19.3 ppg), leads the Spartans in assists, and just missed leading the team in rebounding. He's also averaging 2.6 steals on the season for a team that plays an in-your-face style of defense. Wes Miller has become a head coach to watch with his intense style. 

The Trojans boast one of the best defensive players in the country ... and one of the top NBA prospects ... in Evan Mobley. Mobley is quick, athletic and so smart defensively that he's one of the top shot blockers in the nation and has a springy bounce to be a hassle offensively. If USC can find the range in March then they could make a surprise run to a regional final.

Winthrop finished the season 23-1, winning the Big South regular-season and conference tournament titles. Their only loss was to UNC Asheville, who used a 10-2 run at the end of the game to edge the Eagles by two. Winthrop averages just under 80 points per game and is one of the better rebounding teams in the nation. They are exceptionally deep (11 players average at least 11 minutes a game) and are led by Chandler Vaudrin. Vaudrin leads the Eagles in scoring (12.2), rebounds (7.2), and assists (6.9).