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spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","Intro","George Mason guard Lamar Butler celebrates during the Patriots' remarkable run to the 2006 Final Four.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060319/060319_georgemason_vlg_2p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Matt Sullivan", "Reuters", "298", "195", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "Do you wanna dance? The first criterion for Cinderella status is to receive an invitation to the Great Ball known as the NCAA Tournament. But just one dance, no matter how fancy the steps, doesn't get you a ticket to NBCSports.com's Cinderella Extravaganza. No, we're giving out only 10 invitations to this gala event, and you have to dance at least three times before we’ll even consider putting you on our mailing list.Although No. 15 seeds like Richmond, Coppin State and Santa Clara have shocked the world by beating No. 2 seeds, this list is not about one-hit wonders. So, thanks for the memories Valparaiso and Cleveland State. You knocked on the door but we wouldn't let you in. Kent State? Your impressive showing in the 2002 tournament when you reached the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed got you inside the velvet ropes but not onto the ballroom floor.
This was a tough ticket to be sure. We didn’t even consider teams from NCAA Tournaments played before 1979 because there were no seeds, making it more difficult to measure the true worth of an upset. So start the music. Here are our 10 favorite Cinderella stories, ranked in order.";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","1. Villanova, 1985","Villanova's Harold Pressley drives to the basket against Georgetown's Patrick Ewing as the Wildcats defeated the Hoyas for the NCAA Championship on April 1, 1985.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050323/050323_villanova_1985_vlrg_9a.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "John Swart", "AP file", "298", "178", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
The Wildcats were a No. 8 seed in the Southeast Region, entering the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team with a 19-10 record. But they featured a patient, clocking-killing offense (the 45-second shot clock was not yet in use) and a tough-to-decipher matchup zone defense. Rollie Massimino's team won five close games without once cracking the 60-point barrier to reach the championship game against mighty Georgetown, the nation's No. 1 team.
To this day, Villanova's 66-64 victory is known as \"The Perfect Game.\"
The 'Cats shot an incredible 22-for-28 (79 percent) from the field against a ferocious Georgetown defense anchored by center Patrick Ewing. As Big East commissioner David Gavitt said of the Hoyas after the shocking outcome and the classy way coach John Thompson handled the defeat, \"They taught college basketball how to win this season. Tonight, they taught college basketball how to lose.\"";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","2. North Carolina State, 1983","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
The Wolfpack was a No. 6 seed in the West Region with a 17-10 record and needed a shocking triumph in the ACC Tournament to even earn an NCAA bid. The shocks and aftershocks were just beginning.
N.C. State rallied late in the second half in three different tournament games on its improbable march to the title game, where No. 1 Houston awaited. The Cougars, of Phi Slamma Jama fame, had just beaten No. 2-ranked Louisville in the semifinals, 94-81. Many called that the \"real\" championship. But Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler were slowed to a crawl and their teammates missed key foul shots as the Wolfpack rallied yet again.
In the closing seconds, they managed only an off-balance 30-footer by Dereck Whittenberg that was short. But Lorenzo Charles grabbed it and, in a delicious bit of irony, dunked at the buzzer for the 54-52 triumph that sent coach Jim Valvano racing down the court \"just looking for someone to hug!\"";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","3. Kansas, 1988","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
It was one of the last Final Fours staged in a relatively cozy setting — the non-dome Kemper Arena. But that was by design, as the tournament was celebrating its 50th anniversary and wanted a \"throwback\" feel. Little did they know that Kansas, with its tradition and historical link to the roots of the sport, would wind up on center stage.
The Jayhawks were 12-8 in February and barely got into the event as a sixth-seed. But once there, Larry Brown turned his star player, Danny Manning, loose. The Jayhawks, fueled by a \"home\" crowd, eliminated Duke in the semifinals and then faced the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners for a third time.
It was indeed, charming for the team known as \"Danny and the Miracles.\" Brown told his underdogs, \"get it to the last five minutes.\" They obliged. With five seconds left, Manning (29 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals) hit two clinching free throws for an 83-79 triumph.";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","4. George Mason, 2006","George Mason's Folarin Campbell celebrates his team's win over Connecticut in the Washington, D.C. Regional finals.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060326/060326_GM_vmed_7p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Joe Giza", "Reuters", "266", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
Some would argue that the Patriots pulled off the biggest surprise in NCAA Tournament history with their run to the 2006 Final Four. But we maintain that without a title, George Mason is merely an amazing story and behind any upset title winners.
That said, we don't want to diminish what the Patriots accomplished.
George Mason received an at-large berth -- after much debate by pundits about if they even deserved to be in -- and the No. 11 seed beat No. 6 Michigan State, No. 3 and defending champion North Carolina, No. 7 Wichita State and then topped tournament favorite Connecticut, 86-84 in overtime. The Huskies, Tar Heels and Spartans had won four of the last seven national titles. Yet the Patriots, who didn't start a player taller than 6-foot-7, pulled off an incredible string of upsets.
Their Cinderella run ended with a 78-58 loss to Florida in the Final Four, but their status in tournament history was sealed long before that.
";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","5. Providence, 1987","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
The Friars did not win the national title, but just getting to the Final Four under first-year coach Rick Pitino was something like divine intervention. Providence was a lightly regarded No. 6 seed.
But with Pitino taking full advantage of that season's brand-new 3-point shot, the Friars averaged 92 points a game in their first four NCAA games. Along the way, they upset Alabama and Big East champion Georgetown. The backcourt tandem of Billy Donovan and Indiana transfer Delray Brooks launched 3-pointers fearlessly and frequently. In fact, during practice sessions, Pitino would blow the whistle and scream at players if they pulled up for a shot inside the arc.
The formula worked wonderfully until the semifinal, when Big East rival Syracuse, coached by Pitino's close friend Jim Boeheim, held Donovan to just 8 points and the Friars to just 5-of-19 from downtown in a 77-63 victory.";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","6. Wisconsin, 2000","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
Tradition? About the only thing the Badgers had going for them was a rich tradition of ineptitude in basketball. They had been to just five previous NCAA Tournaments before the 2000 event and had never been to the Final Four.
Style? Under Vince Lombardi disciple Dick Bennett, the Badgers played a slowdown game and embraced their \"winning ugly\" label. But winning they were, taking 11 of 12 to become an unlikely No. 8 seed still dancing at the Final Four. \"Big Red is going to the show!\" junior forward Maurice Linton bellowed as he climbed onto a media table in Albuquerque, N.M., and rejoiced following Wisconsin’s 64-60 victory over Big Ten rival Purdue.
The Badgers were indeed a badgering team, led by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Mike Kelley. The magic ended in the semifinals, when eventual champion Michigan State triumphed, 53-41. Ugly indeed.";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","7. Pennsylvania, 1979","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
It's easy to forget the accomplishments of the first Ivy League team to reach the Final Four since Bill Bradley took Princeton there in 1965. After all, the '79 NCAA Tournament featured Larry Bird of Indiana State and Magic Johnson of Michigan State.
However, Penn was mighty, too. Mighty surprising that is. Led by sharp-shooting Tony Price, they were only a ninth seed so no one took them seriously. Until they started slaying giants. First came Iona, with its monstrous center Jeff Ruland. Then No. 3 North Carolina. Then a shocker over Syracuse, which had a feared front-line tandem of Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr. Price was right with 21 points in a 64-62 squeaker over St. John's.
Then the Quakers' magic ran out when they faced the real Magic. Johnson helped the Spartans take a 38-8 lead in the national semifinals en route to a 101-67 triumph. But merely getting there was a big story ... written in Penn.";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","8. Mississippi State, 1996","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
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The Bulldogs were so overlooked that season that when they arrived at The Meadowlands, site of the Final Four, the commemorative hats they were given read \"Mississippi,\" not \"Mississippi State.\" Ouch!
Hard hats would have been more appropriate for coach Richard Williams’ team, which prided itself on tenacious defense, anchored by NBA-bound center Erick Dampier, a shot-blocking force in the middle. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs allowed its first three tournament opponents 51, 41 and 55 points. The latter figure was especially impressive because the opponent was No. 1-seed Connecticut.
Senior guard Darryl Wilson hurt the Huskies with 7-of-11 shooting on 3-pointers and 27 points. No. 2 seeded Cincinnati concentrated on stopping Wilson, but couldn’t contain Dantae Jones, who had 23 points and 13 rebounds in a 73-63 victory that sent the school to its first Final Four.";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","9. Gonzaga, 1999","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
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Three straight Sweet 16 appearances, beginning in the 1999 tournament, have made the Cinderella label an inappropriate tag for the Zags. But oh that first sweet taste of March mayhem.
Tenth-seeded Gonzaga, led by guard Matt Santangelo and forward Casey Calvary, beat No. 7 seed Minnesota and then stunned No. 2 seed Stanford for the school's first-ever Sweet 16 berth. By the time Calvary’s last-second tip-in jolted Florida, 73-72, the country had discovered not only the school's talent and location (Spokane, Wash.), but also its proper pronunciation. It's Gon-zayg-ah, not Gon-zog-ah.
But, finally, it was Gonzo, as eventual champion Connecticut forced the Zags into 5-of-21 shooting from beyond the 3-point line in a 67-62 victory that sent the Huskies into the Final Four and the Zags home to a hero's welcome. Ever since, Gonzaga and Cinderella do not belong in the same tale.";
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("","10. Loyola-Marymount, 1990","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_BKC_Cinderella[i-1].body = "
This is a bittersweet tale. The 11th-seeded Lions captured the nation's imagination with their run-and-gun style, but also tugged at its heartstrings after All-American center, Hank Gathers, died of heart failure just days before the tournament began.
Led by Gathers' best friend from their old Philadelphia neighborhood, Bo Kimble, Loyola lit up the scoreboard for 111 points in a first-round victory over New Mexico State. In that game, Kimble, a righty, shot and sank his first free throw left-handed, to honor his southpaw friend. \"It may sound corny, but it makes me believe I've got a little bit of Hank inside me. I feel his strength,\" Kimble said. Michigan felt the Lions' wrath in the next game as Kimble (37 points) and Jeff Fryer (11-for-15 on 3-pointers) sparked a 149-115 victory.
Loyola nipped Alabama, 62-60, in a slowdown affair to reach the Elite Eight, where eventual champion UNLV won a 131-101 shootout."; spt_BKC_Cinderella[i++] = new Array("spt_0402cinderella","VOTE: Biggest Cinderella","","","","", "lv2", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); // END editorial data