Top five Cinderella March Madness teams of the past decade

March is finally here, and as “One Shining Moment” continues to play in my head 24/7, it reminds me of all the teams that made this month so much fun.

They’d have you tearing apart your brackets and have you on the edge of your seat during third-period algebra in high school.

With these teams, analytics and film were cast away and replaced by intuition and vibes. Whether it was Dunk City with FGCU or a team making bracket history, they lived on the improbable.

From frenzy in the First Four to a long run to the Final Four and everything in between, here are the most memorable Cinderella teams of the past decade.

No. 5: 2023 Florida Atlantic

This year had it all, especially with there being no No. 1 seeds making the Elite Eight for the first time. In the place of Purdue in the East Regional, it was No. 9 Florida Atlantic.

In its Elite Eight matchup with No. 3 Kansas State, Florida Atlantic took the game to the wire and held a close lead for the final seven minutes of regulation to win, 79-76.

The Owls were in good company, being the lowest seed to advance to the Final Four since No. 11 UCLA in 2021.

Florida Atlantic put up a good fight in the national semifinal, holding the lead for the entire game. However, San Diego State would eventually walk it off with a last-second jumper from Lamont Butler to win, 72-to-71.

No. 4: 2018 Loyola Chicago

Sister Jean and the magic Harry Potter scarves were remembered as part of this run that immortalized a small rambling school in the Land of Lincoln.

The first 11 seed to advance to the Final Four had some help thanks to (arguably) the most chaotic bracket that year in a South Regional that included the first-ever 16-over-1.

The Ramblers’ run to the Final Four kicked off with a bang thanks to a Donte Ingram buzzer-beater three to beat No. 6 Miami (FL), 64-to-62.

Clayton Custer was clutch for Loyola-Chicago with a go-ahead jumper in the final five seconds to beat No. 3 Tennessee. The Ramblers controlled the pace in the final few minutes against No. 7 Nevada to advance to the Elite Eight.

After taking down No. 9 Kansas State, the Final Four was upon the Ramblers in the run of a lifetime.

No. 3: 2023 FDU

The firsts have marked this list up to this point, and this one is no exception, as the Knights kicked the door open for First Four 16 seeds to win in the round of 64.

FDU had one mission after blowing out Texas Southern 84-to-61 in the First Four: to take down No. 1 Purdue. Despite catching some flak for being bold, the Knights did the improbable.

The Knights were not even supposed to win the Northeast Conference tournament as the runner-up and only advanced to the Big Dance because Merrimack was ineligible under transition rules.

FDU held Purdue to 5-for-26 from beyond the arc, sealing the deal thanks to back-to-back made free throws from Demetre Roberts to win, 63-to-58.

No. 2: 2021 Oral Roberts

The Golden Eagles broke out onto the stage as the second-ever 15-seed to advance to the Sweet 16, being the first to do so since Dunk City with FGCU in 2013.

What made this team notorious, as well as many other Cinderella teams, was its hot shooting from beyond the arc. Max Abmas cemented his legacy doing just that, going 10-for-25.

Abmas averaged 26.7 points per game in the Big Dance, scoring 25 or more in each of the three games.

Usually, these runs end in a thud, but instead, it was heartbreak for Oral Roberts in a 72-to-70 loss to No. 3 Arkansas on a Davonte Davis go-ahead jumper with 2.9 seconds to go.

No. 1: 2022 Saint Peter’s

This 15-seed had swagger, vibes and everything that made it America’s Team for a snapshot and time. The Peacocks made history as the lowest seed to make the Elite Eight.

Most people remember the heroics of one Doug Edert, who was often the sixth man for Saint Peter’s and scored 45 points in the four contests.

Edert broke out for his second-highest point total of the season with 20 in the Round of 64 upset over No. 2 Kentucky, going 5-for-7 from the floor and perfect in eight attempts from the stripe.

This run had every kind of result, from an overtime victory to a comfortable win and clutch free-throw shooting for three wins before a blowout loss to No. 8 North Carolina.

Bryan Portney is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.