Cinderella Madness Simulated College Basketball Tournament: VCU vs. Xavier

Cinderella Madness

WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012.

This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the Big Six conferences seeded seventh or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in their bracket to participate.

Utilizing our award-winning college basketball simulation engine, we "played" each matchup 501 times.

Click here to view the 16-team Cinderella Madness bracket.

The final six minutes of this second-round sim matchup are a microcosm of what makes March Madness must-watch television.

Lead changes? Check.

Neither team led by more than three points? Check.

A chance to win the game at the buzzer? Check.

Edge of your seat entertainment? Check.

Gus Johnson on the mic? This is all a what-if scenario, so heck yeah!

Despite Xavier shooting 50 percent from the floor, Romain Sato's (24 points, nine rebounds) last-second shot fell short and allowed VCU to escape with the 74-73 win.

The Rams' Jamie Skeen averaged 17.5 points per game during VCU's dramatic run to the Final Four last season. He dropped 22 points (9-15 FG) with 10 rebounds in 36 minutes to lead the team in this contest.

The three others who scored in double figures were a combined eight-of-17 from beyond the arc (46.2 percent as a team), which helped VCU conceal their 48-percent (12-25 FT) effort at the free-throw line.

Player of the Game: Jamie Skeen (22 points, 10 rebounds)

Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: VCU 61.5 percent vs. Xavier 38.5 percent