Posted on Thu, Mar. 27, 2008

Can a team that has won 24 straight games, beaten Gonzaga and Georgetown in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and played competitive games against North Carolina, Duke and UCLA during the regular season wear Cinderella's slipper?

Maybe not, but Davidson is the closest thing we have to a surprise among the 16 remaining teams.

Western Kentucky, you say?

Yes, the Hilltoppers' status as a Sweet 16 team is surprising. But they have had only to defeat Drake and San Diego to get here. So, no, not Western Kentucky.

Villanova?

You might be able to make a case, but wins over Clemson and Siena just don't carry that much weight. Now, if the 12-seeded Wildcats beat Kansas on Friday night in Detroit, get back to me. Cinderella, then, would be on the clock.

The tournament is better for its surprises. When a low seed beats a high seed, everybody takes notice. But as we get into the Sweet 16 round and beyond, upsets greatly diminish and the usual suspects rise to the top.

Normally.

Occasionally, somebody hangs around a lot longer than anyone expected. So, with that in mind, here are my 10 favorite Cinderella stories since the NCAA Tournament adopted seedings in 1979:

1. George Mason, 2006

The Colonials were an 11 seed who knocked off powerhouses Michigan State and North Carolina in the first two rounds. Then came a victory over another potential Cinderella, Wichita State. But it wasn't until Mason beat 1-seed Connecticut, 98-92 in overtime to reach the Final Four, that everybody said, in unison: Who is George Mason?

Mason ties the 1986 LSU Tigers as the lowest seed ever to reach a Final Four.

2. Villanova, 1985

I'm not one who normally would describe a team from a major conference as a Cinderella, but I'll make an exception for Villanova and a few others.

The Wildcats, an 8 seed, struggled mightily to beat Dayton in the first round. Then they beat Michigan, Maryland, North Carolina and Memphis State to set up a Big East showdown with Georgetown in the championship game.

No one gave Villanova a shot. But it's the way the Wildcats shot (22 of 28 from the floor) that led them to a 66-64 win in, arguably, the most memorable championship game.

3. North Carolina State, 1983

Who doesn't remember Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano running around the court, looking for somebody -- anybody -- to hug after N.C. State's stunning 54-52 win over the Phi Slama Jama Houston Cougars (Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and the crew) in the championship game.

Valvano's team was a 6 seed and overcame big second-half deficits to beat Georgia, Virginia and UNLV.

4. Loyola Marymount, 1990

The Lions' star player, Hank Gathers, died on the court during a game from heart failure just a few days before the NCAA Tournament started. An inspired team, led by Gathers' close friend, Bo Kimble, went on a mission.

The high-scoring Lions beat New Mexico State 111-92. They beat Michigan 149-115. They beat Alabama 62-60. But then Loyola Marymount was beaten by eventual champion UNLV 131-101 in the West Regional final.

5. Penn, 1979

The Quakers were the first Ivy League team since Princeton, 14 years earlier, to reach the Final Four. But Princeton, with Bill Bradley leading the way, wasn't a surprise.

Penn definitely was, seeded ninth and pulling huge upsets over North Carolina and Syracuse to reach its national semifinal game with Michigan State and Magic Johnson. That didn't go so well. The Spartans built a 38-8 lead on the way to a 101-67 win.

6. Kent State, 2002

The Flashes, a 10 seed, became the first Mid-American Conference team to reach the Elite Eight in 38 years, upending Oklahoma State, Alabama and Pittsburgh before losing to Indiana 81-69. It was a no-name team full of over-achievers and the run made a name for Coach Stan Heath, who resigned after the NCAA Tournament to take over at Arkansas.

7. Providence, 1987

The Friars had a first-year coach, Rick Pitino. One of their star guards was Billy Donovan. Heard of those guys? They were a 6 seed in that exploded offensively in their first four games, averaging 92 points in wins over UAB, Austin Peay, Alabama and Georgetown before losing to Syracuse 77-63 in the national semifinals.

8. Wisconsin, 2000

We've become accustomed to seeing the Badgers make noise in the NCAAs lately. But eight years ago, it was a novelty. Under defensive-minded coach Dick Bennett, Wisconsin, which had played in only five previous NCAA Tournaments and hadn't reached the Final Four since winning the 1941 championship, reached the semifinals before losing to Michigan State 53-41. Wisconsin, an 8 seed, beat Fresno State, Arizona, LSU and Purdue.

9. Gonzaga, 1999

This is really when it started for the Zags, who had reached only one previous NCAA Tournament (1995) and lost in the first round. This team, led by Matt Santangelo and Casey Calvary, was a 10 seed that beat Minnesota, Stanford and Florida before losing to eventual champion Connecticut in the West Regional final 67-62.

Gonzaga has been to every NCAA Tournament since.

10. Navy, 1986

It turned out to be an Admiral's honor. David Robinson became a household name -- with one of the great nicknames in sports history -- during the NCAA Tournament as the Midshipmen, seeded 7, advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over Tulsa, Syracuse and Cleveland State before losing to Duke.

Eagle sports columnist Bob Lutz co-hosts "Sports Daily" from 9-11 a.m. weekdays on KFH, 1240-AM and 98.7-FM. Reach him at 316-268-6597 or blutz@wichitaeagle.com.