The Biggest Potential Cinderella Teams in the Men's NCAA Tournament Field of 68

After last year's NCAA tournament lacked a true Cinderella story, the college basketball world is due for an upstart mid-major to make a meaningful run during March Madness.

Five double-digit seeds made it out of the opening round a year ago, including a pair of No. 12 seeds in Colorado State and McNeese, but the only one to advance to the Sweet 16 was an underseeded Arkansas squad, and it's hard to call an SEC team a true Cinderella story.

Shifting focus to this year's field, we've highlighted five double-digit seeds—one from each of the four regions, along with a bonus team—that have the best chances to put together Cinderella runs based on their regular-season performance, momentum, and the path ahead.

Which team will wear the glass slipper in 2026?

Akron Zips (No. 12 Seed, Midwest Region)

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Tavari Johnson

Record: 29-5, 17-1 in MAC (NET: 54)
B/R Power Rankings: No. 48
Opening Matchup: No. 5 Texas Tech

Reason to Believe: The Zips have one of the best mid-major players in the country in Tavari Johnson. The senior point guard led the MAC with 20.1 points per game while also dishing out 5.0 assists, and he scored at least 20 points in 19 games this season.

Head coach John Groce has the Zips in the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in the last five years, and with an offense that ranks No. 54 in KenPom's adjusted efficiency metrics and a go-to star, they are dangerous.

They could give a Texas Tech team that will be without All-American JT Toppin a serious push in the opening round if they can find a way to slow down star guard Christian Anderson.

High Point Panthers (No. 12 Seed, West Region)

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Terry Anderson

Record: 30-4, 15-1 in Big South (NET: 75)
B/R Power Rankings: No. 50
Opening Matchup: No. 5 Wisconsin

Reason to Believe: The Panthers made their NCAA tournament debut last year as a No. 13 seed, and despite a lot of roster turnover, they are back for a second year after a nearly perfect run through the Big South field.

First-year head coach Flynn Clayman did a great job restocking the roster in the transfer portal. All the new faces have meshed well while rolling to a 22-1 record in their last 23 games.

They lead the nation with 10.9 steals per game and force 16.4 total turnovers, so they're going to be a tough matchup for Wisconsin's standout guard tandem of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. The Badgers will go as far as those two can carry them, and the Panthers won't make things easy.

Hofstra Pride (No. 13 Seed, Midwest Region)

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Cruz Davis

Record: 24-10, 12-6 in CAA (NET: 88)
B/R Power Rankings: No. 51
Opening Matchup: No. 4 Alabama

Reason to Believe: Unlike many of the top mid-major teams in the tournament field, Hofstra has actually had some success against major conference competition this season, scoring road wins over Syracuse and Pittsburgh in December.

Those are not NCAA tournament teams, but it's proof that they can hang with that caliber of opponent. They also lost by just four points to a UCF team that snagged an at-large bid as a No. 10 seed.

The Pride thrives on slowing things down and plays at one of the slowest tempos of any team in the field. They open the tournament against an Alabama squad that wants to run. The Crimson Tide are 4-8 in games where they fail to score 90 points, so if Hofstra can keep it from turning into a track meet, they'll have a real shot at any upset.

South Florida Bulls (No. 11 Seed, East Region)

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Izaiyah Nelson

Record: 25-8, 15-3 in AAC (NET: 45)
B/R Power Rankings: No. 47
Opening Matchup: No. 6 Louisville

Reason to Believe: Only Alabama plays with a faster tempo than South Florida among teams in this year's tournament field, and they rank eighth in the nation with 87.7 points per game as a result.

The Bulls also have a well-balanced offense that protects them from leaning too heavily on one star player. Five guys average in double figures, led by AAC Player of the Year Izaiyah Nelson, who averages 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

It's a deep cut, but keep an eye on their ability to get to the free-throw line against a Louisville defense that ranks 274th in the nation with 18.4 fouls per game. The Bulls shoot more free throws than any team in the country at 27.1 per contest and knock them down at a solid 74.4 percent clip.

VCU Rams (No. 11 Seed, South Region)

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Lazar Djokovic

Record: 27-7, 15-3 in A-10 (NET: 43)
B/R Power Ranking: No. 41
Opening Matchup: No. 6 North Carolina

Reason to Believe: The Rams are 16-1 in their last 17 games, including an impressive run through the AAC tournament that moved them from precariously perched on the bubble to safely in the field by way of the automatic bid.

An opening matchup with North Carolina might sound scary on paper, but the Tar Heels will be playing without All-American freshman Caleb Wilson. They have gone 5-3 since he suffered a season-ending broken thumb on Feb. 10, and might be ripe for an upset as a result.

With wins over South Florida and Virginia Tech at the Battle 4 Atlantis, along with a 3-0 record against a very good Dayton team, the Rams have a better resume than most mid-major teams. Momentum is on their side heading into March Madness. They might be the most popular upset pick of the opening round.