March Madness 2012: Biggest Cinderella Candidate in Each Region

The NCAA tournament is going to be fun regardless, but it's going to be significantly less fun if all four No. 1 seeds make it to the Final Four.

That would mean there would be no Cinderella teams, and that's a reality none of us want.

If all goes well, all four regions will be taken over by Cinderellas. Even if only one region produces a Cinderella team, that would be good enough. Just as long as something unexpected happens.

If you're as big a fan of Cinderella teams as myself, just know that there is one team in each region that you should have an eye on. They're being largely overlooked, and that means they have the world right where they want it.

South Region: Virginia Commonwealth Rams

After a lot of bad noise about them being in the tournament in the first place, the Rams ended up making a run to the Final Four of the 2011 NCAA tournament. Indeed, they've already been a Cinderella story.

Things are arranged for them to make a run that would be all too similar to their run through the 2011 Big Dance. They're primed to be a Cinderella team once again.

For starters, VCU is sharing a bracket with the No. 1 team in the land in Kentucky, and is also staring down potential matchups against teams like Indiana and UConn. If the Rams make it far enough, they could find themselves matched up against Duke or Baylor.

To get that far, the Rams will have to catch fire like they did last year. Their three-point shooting and Shaka Smart's havoc defense led the way last year, and those two things will have to lead the way again in 2012.

Don't rule it out.

West Region: Virginia Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are returning to the Big Dance for the first time since 2007. They haven't gone as far as the Elite Eight since 1995.

Sharing a bracket with the likes of Michigan State and Missouri, the thinking is that Virginia isn't going to make it that far in this tournament. Virginia's cause is not helped by the fact that it lost a lot of games down the stretch.

But don't overlook the Cavaliers. They struggled down the stretch, but keep in mind that we're talking about one of the top defensive teams in the country. Per TeamRankings.com, Virginia ranks No. 2 in the land in opponents' points per game.

Virginia's outstanding defense will come in handy in a potential match against Missouri in the round of 32. If the Cavaliers were to meet and then beat Missouri, the sky would be the limit.

The West Region is not the toughest bracket in the field, so Virginia would have a pretty good chance of making it out if it gets past Missouri. 

East Region: Harvard Crimson

Harvard hadn't been selected to the NCAA tournament since 1946. Not even the great Jeremy Lin could get the Crimson to the Big Dance when he was there.

Harvard earned its passage with a 26-4 season in which it dominated the Ivy League. You had better believe the Crimson are pumped up to go dancing. 

Harvard has a tough draw right out of the gate in the NCAA tournament, as it has to square off against a Vanderbilt team that just beat Kentucky to win the SEC championship. If the Crimson don't show up to play, they'll be making a quick exit.

But if Harvard beats Vanderbilt, look out. A win against the Commodores would be a tell-tale sign that Harvard means to make the most of its first Big Dance since the 1940s.

And honestly, how awesome would it be to see Harvard make a run through the tourney?

Midwest Region: Lamar Cardinals

When Lamar head coach Pat Knight got up in front of a microphone after a loss to Stephen F. Austin in late February and proceeded to throw his seniors under the bus, it looked and sounded like Lamar was on the verge of a total collapse.

The Cardinals have gone the exact opposite direction. They haven't lost since Knight's rant, and his seniors have been playing inspired basketball.

Lamar has to win a play-in game in order to even have the right to play in the Midwest bracket. Even if the Cardinals managed to do that, they'd have to play top-seeded North Carolina.

That obviously wouldn't be easy, but it would definitely be a perfect setup for a Cinderella run through the tournament. And given the way Lamar has been playing ever since Knight's rant, I for one am not about to put anything past them.