There has been no shortage of star power, great games or signature moments in this year’s NCAA Tournament, so what could be missing?
For the second year in a row, only one double-digit seed made the Sweet 16. Last year, it was the No. 10 seed University of Arkansas, and this year it was the No. 11 seed University of Texas. Both are Southeastern Conference schools and big-name programs.
There were more upsets in the first round this year than last year. High Point University took down the University of Wisconsin as a No. 12 seed. Virginia Commonwealth University erased a 19-point deficit to take down the University of North Carolina as a No. 11 seed. However, Texas was the only double-digit seed to make it past the first weekend.
A true “Cinderella” is typically defined as a small school, normally a mid or low major, that makes a tournament run. Not a school with tens of millions invested into their program that plays in the SEC like the Longhorns.
Notable Cinderellas from the past are Loyola University Chicago in 2018, who made the Final Four as a No. 11 seed, or Florida Gulf Coast University in 2013, who made the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed. A more recent example is Saint Peter’s University in 2022, which made the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed.
Why has the clock seemingly struck midnight on Cinderella schools? Cinderellas are a staple of March Madness, yet a team hasn’t been able to fit into the glass slipper.
The two biggest factors for the lack of Cinderellas are name, image and likeness, as well as the transfer portal. A perfect example of this is fourth-year Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg. Lendeborg started his career playing at the junior college level, transferring to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and finally Michigan. Lendeborg is in the mix for the Naismith Men’s National Player of the Year and is a huge reason the Wolverines are in the Final Four.
Big schools are able to write a check and take players from smaller schools who can now play right away with no penalty. It’s hard to say you can blame any of them. If a player has performed well enough to go play at a premier program and get paid hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to play for a school, why wouldn’t they?
While there might not be a true Cinderella this year, there is one team that quietly had the characteristics of a Cinderella. That team was the University of Iowa.
Iowa is in its first season under head coach Ben McCollum. McCollum was at Drake University last year and brought the Bulldogs to “The Big Dance.” He brought more than just his suitcase to Iowa City. McCollum brought six players from Drake with him, and they showed they can play at a high major level. The Hawkeyes knocked off the defending national champions, the University of Florida, in the round of 32 and made a run all the way to the Elite Eight.
The March Madness tournament this year has still been unbelievable and much more memorable than 2025. While Cinderella runs, and 13-16 seeds pulling off upsets might not be as prevalent moving forward, this year has shown that March Madness is still the greatest tournament in sports and that there truly is nothing like college basketball.
