Every March, there is a madness and Cinderella. These lesser known schools could run deep NCAA tournaments.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament, like all previous editions of March Madness, is in contrast to the big-name Blue Blood Program and mid-major tournament runs.
The former historically dominates the tournament, with six programs competing to win almost half of the NCAA tournament.
But it’s a small school that is labelled Cinderella with a deep March insanity, and they often attract the attention of casual basketball fans.
There are several potential Cinderella in the March 2025 mudness bracket. These middle-man are those who can crush your bracket.
Before you fill out the NCAA Tournament Bracket, you should know about external teams from major meetings.
Gonzaga
Let’s start with the most obvious one. Labeling Zags as middle masters still seems unfair. But they play in the West Coast Conference, which produced two tournament bids, with Gonzaga having a nearly unparalleled run.
They created nine straight sweet 16s, the second-longest winning streak in NCAA Tournament history. That efficient offense will certainly make the team 10 this year.
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Gonzaga leads the country with assists per game, ranking second in points per game and fourth in both field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
St. Mary’s
The Gales are led by Augustus Marschlionis, the son of two-time WCC Player of the Year and Hall of Fame Schluonis. He leads St. Mary with both points (14.3) and assists (6.1), but that calling card is Gales’ defense.
St. Mary’s keeps 15 opponents below 60 points, allowing 3 pointers per 3 pointer at the second fair in the country. As a seventh seed, the Gales could face No. 2 Alabama in the second round. This will be the contrast of the style. Alabama pays at the fastest pace in college basketball, leading the country with 91.1 ppg. Meanwhile, he plays at the sixth-lowest pace in St. Mary’s Division I, allowing Fewes’ points fifth per game at 60.7.
San Diego State
The Aztecs have to escape the first four as 11 seeds to crush some brackets, but that’s just what bust brackets have done over the last few years. They have been 7-2 in the last two NCAA tournaments, with their only losses ultimately leading to back-to-back champions UConn Huskies.
This year’s team knocked out 1-seeded Houston on a neutral site, and also won non-conference wins against Clayton and San Diego, California.
Wayne McKinney III #3 of the Aztec in San Diego State dribbles past Bowen, a Bowen native of the Colorado Rams, in the first half of the match, which took place at San Diego State’s Viejas Arena on January 14, 2025. Sean M. Haffy/Getty Images
SDSU has the highest schedule strength in the mid-mids of the country. And the tough road to multimadness can be rewarded with deep tournament executions.
New Mexico
Division I has over 5,000 college basketball players, one (at least 20 points and six assists in a dent in UNM’s Donovan). He is complemented by Nelly Junior Joseph. He averages 14 points and ranks third in the country with 11.2 rebounds.
However, the defense of the Lobos makes them potential Cinderella as 10 seeds. Teams are ranked among the top 20 nationally in blocks per game, forcing turnovers. With victory in tournament teams such as UCLA, VCU and Utah, Robo shows that they can compete against anyone.
High Point
As No. 13 in the Midwest Region, High Point is the lowest team on this list. However, at least one 13 seed knocked out four seeds in 28 of the last 39 NCAA tournaments. The Panthers are a diverse group, with players from eight countries, but go deep in a rotation of 11 people.
So, if one or two players are spending a night off, there are other options, but High Points rarely fight offensively. They reached 90 points eight times this season, only six games of the year.
The first round game and the fourth Purdue are waiting, but the boilermaker is eliminated by double-digit seeds in three of the last four NCAA tournaments.
VCU
Gonzaga has been the only Mid-Major programme since 1996-97, and has been competing in the NCAA tournaments more than VCU (14). The Rams have won seven tournaments as under 11 seeds. This is the second most important in NCAA history. This VCU team is a veteran group, with all five lead scorers being all seniors, protecting the rim and ranking sixth in college basketball with 5.5 blocks per night.
VCU is the only team in the nation ranked in the top 30 with steel ratings, block ratings, percentage of allowed 2 points and percentage of allowed 3 points, as defense not only wins the championship, but also wins the March Madness Game.
Drake
The Bulldogs are doing better than the other 363 Division I teams, which keeps the opponents from scoring. They allow the fewest points in college basketball, giving up only 58.4 points per night, and more games limit opponents with less than 50 points (7) than they allow 70 points (6).
On a 30-3 record, Duke (31-3) alone has more victories than Drake, and the Bulldogs’ defense isn’t the only reason they’ve won 30. They rank 15th among the NCAA Tournament teams in field goal percentage, with coaches with championship pedigree. First-year head coach Ben McCollum, who previously coached at Missouri State University, won four DII National Championships.
