Cinderella's Steal the Spotlight

Joshua Crawley, staff writer

In a tournament worth over one billion dollars, the most dangerous teams are often the ones with no money, no fame, gyms the size of high school auditoriums and no expectations. Year in and year out, brackets bust left and right as the Davids slay the Goliaths. March Madness is exciting for a lot of reasons, especially when it comes to making brackets and watching the best teams in the country go head to head. But year after year, the most dangerous teams aren’t the highest seeds with all the five stars, but the teams with nothing to lose.  

When Donte Ingram hit a half-court shot for 11^th seeded Loyola University to beat Miami, a Cinderella was launched. Sister Jean’s popularity exploded, and Loyola made a final four run. A Cinderella is a low seeded underdog team that exceeds expectations by making a deep, surprise run in the tournament. When St. Peters took down number two seed Kentucky in 2022, they became overnight sensations and the team America was rooting for. North Carolina State’s run to the final four in 2024 was another example of this. But, making a run has broader implications than just becoming America’s sweetheart.  

Doug Edert, a St. Peters guard became a national celebrity after St. Peters miraculous run. His iconic mustache and clutch shooting turned him into a viral icon all across the country. NIL deals started flooding in as he partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings as well as a Barstool Sports Apparel Line with a clothing line centered around his nickname Dougie Buckets. The following year, he transferred to Bryant University and continued to capitalize on more NIL deals at a bigger school with more resources and opportunity. His story is a great example of what can come from a school making a deep run against the odds. 

But on the flip side, the deep run broke St. Peters. Their head coach was snapped up by basketball powerhouse Seton Hall leaving a huge leadership gap. Outside of Edert, many other players transferred out for better opportunities. St. Peters didn’t have the funding, facilities, or resources to rebuild and they struggled to sustain success in following years and now. In some cases, it’s not all bad. Florida Gulf Coast University’s run to the Sweet 16 in 2013 didn’t just put the team on the map for basketball, but it transformed the school. There was a huge surge in applications to the school the following year and the school became very recognizable nationally. They were able to upgrade facilities and improve recruiting as well to help sustain long-term success. These runs can rip a school apart or build them up for the better. It all depends on the situation.  

Part of what keeps these stories alive is the way the entire country rallies behind them. Every March, fans learn of a school that they had never heard of before through a basketball game. These schools turn the tournament into something bigger than basketball where tiny schools can steal the spotlight. The most recent example was McNeese State’s upset of Clemson last year. The team fizzled out soon after that, but the win over Clemson was enough to gain national attention and launch opportunities for players to team managers. Amir Khan, the team manager, became a viral sensation carrying his boom box and hyping the team as they got ready to play. The university saw a 10% increase in applications and a surge in enrollment at the university as well. Coach Will Wade signed a six-year deal to become the head coach at North Carolina State shortly after the tournament ended. Guard Quadir Copeland also followed Wade to NC State soon after. The success of a Cinderella opens up possibilities that never before would have been possible.  

At the end of the day, Cinderellas are the heartbeat of March Madness. People love the tournament year in and year out because of the belief that anything can happen. Whether it changes the trajectory of a school or brings new challenges, the beauty of March Madness lies in the chaos. Whether making the final four or crashing out in the second round, Cinderellas prove that in the biggest tournament, it’s often the smallest schools that make the most noise.