2010 NCAA Tournament: Searching for Cinderella

Every year on Selection Sunday, when the dust has settled and the brackets have been revealed, a burning question is asked time and time again all around the country until the games tip-off on Thursday afternoon.

Who's your sleeper?

Who's your Cinderella?

The NCAA Tournament is great not just because we get to watch teams like Kansas and Kentucky march towards the Final Four in Indianapolis, but because of its unpredictability in the early rounds, when a 14-seed beats a 3 or a 12-seed advances past the first weekend.

Don't let anyone fool you, there is no formula for finding a Cinderella. Sometimes it's a veteran group that has been here before and knows what to expect.

Sometimes it's an athletic squad that plays with nothing to lose.

Sometimes it's just a good match up or two.

This year, it could be one of those. Or someone completely different.

We've Been Here Before: Cornell

Cornell (12-Seed, Fri. vs. No. 5 Temple) is everything you would expect from a senior-laden, three-time Ivy League Champion.

The Big Red are a disciplined group that isn't overly athletic, but successful because they play within themselves. Cornell starts four seniors, is pesky defensively, and can shoot the three as well as anyone in the country.

The team's best player is forward Ryan Wittman, who averaged 17.5 points per game, but point guard Louis Dale has a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio and 7'0" big man Jeff Foote averages over 12 points and 8 rebounds a game.

If all three play well and this team starts hitting threes, watch out.

The Big Red won't be scared of the bright lights either. In both 2008 and 2009, Cornell earned a 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament and were promptly blown out in both games.

This season, Cornell invaded Phog Allen Fieldhouse and led overall No. 1 seed Kansas for most of the way before eventually falling by five.

We've Won Here Before: Siena

More so than any other double-digit seed, the Siena Saints (13-Seed, Fri. vs. No. 4 Purdue) know exactly how to handle the NCAA Tournament.

Siena won a game in the Tournament in 2008, also as a 13-seed, blowing out Vanderbilt by more than 20 points.

Back again in 2009, ninth-seeded Siena outlasted Ohio State in double-OT before losing to No. 1 overall seed Louisville by seven.

Back for a third time in 2010, Siena returns four starters from last year's team and has perhaps one of the most favorable matchups in the first round for any underdog.

Purdue limps into the NCAA Tournament after a 27-point loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue was once in serious discussion for a one-seed, but lost two games following Robbie Hummel's injury and slipped all the way to a four-seed.

The Saints have four players who average double-figures, led by senior forward and MAAC Player of the Year Alex Franklin. Junior center Ryan Rossiter averaged a double-double this season and is the team's inside presence.

If Siena is to win a third NCAA game in as many years, the Saints need to shoot the ball well. In all six of this year's losses, the Saints have shot very poorly, especially from three.

The key will be senior point guard Ronald Moore (of "Onions!" fame), who led the nation in assists but struggled mightily with his shot this year. If Moore controls the tempo and hits a couple of shots, Siena is very tough to beat.

We've Got Nothing to Lose: Houston

Houston (13-Seed, Fri. vs. No. 4 Maryland) came out of nowhere to win the Conference USA Tournament after finishing seventh in the regular season at 7-9. No one expected the Cougars to win four games in four days to win Conference USA, and Houston hasn't been in the Dance since 1992.

Houston is dangerous for two reasons: Aubrey Coleman and Kelvin Lewis. Both senior guards can score, defend and rebound well.

Lewis carried Houston over UTEP in the C-USA Final, scoring 28 points and hitting six of 10 threes. He averages 15.3 points and 2.9 made threes per game.

Coleman was the nation's leading scorer at 25.6 points per game, but also grabbed 7.4 rebounds. Coleman had a miserable performance against UTEP, hitting only four of 20 shots from the field. But despite the off-night, he got to the free-throw line eight times and gets to the line more than anyone else in this tournament, a valuable skill.

Houston shouldn't have made the NCAA Tournament, at least not on the virtue of their regular season. But the Cougars are playing well, playing confident, and have a legitimate go-to-guy in crucial moments, something not too many teams are fortunate enough to have.

We've Got the Potential: Sam Houston State

Sam Houston State (14-Seed, Thu. vs. No. 3 Baylor) has only made the NCAA Tournament once before, in 2003. The Bearkats are a relative unknown coming out of the Southland Conference, where they only lost two games, both in overtime.

Sam Houston State is an up-tempo team that doesn't turn the ball over much and relies on the three-pointer. The inside-outside combination of junior forward Gilberto Clavell and senior guards Corey Allmond and Ashton Mitchell is the key to any success the Bearkats will have in this tournament.

Clavell is the leading scorer and rebounder at 16.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Allmond averages 15.9 points and shoots almost eight threes a game.

Mitchell is also a double-figure scorer and dishes out over five assists a game.

The Bearkats showed what they can do offensively in two games this season against SEC opponents. Back in November, Sam Houston State went into Rupp Arena and lost a fast-paced 102-92 contest to one-seeded Kentucky.

A little later on, Sam Houston State won at Auburn by 18 and dropped 107 points.

Sam Houston State can certainly light up the scoreboards against Baylor, but the key to victory will be getting a few stops on the defensive end.

We've Got a Style for Everyone: Murray State

If you like a team that can do a little bit of everything, then Murray State (13-Seed, Thu. vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt) is the team for you. The Racers won 30 games in the regular season and can score, run, rebound, and play defense.

Murray State's calling card offensively is balance. Five players average between 10.6 points and 10.3 points per game. A sixth averages 9.5 points per game. All six can either shoot, rebound, or make plays defensively.

The offense runs through senior forward Danero Thomas, who averages 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. 6'9" senior center Tony Easley blocks 2.7 shots per game.

What makes Murray State so dangerous is that they have shown the ability to adapt to whatever style their opponent wants to play. When the Racers force the tempo and get the scoring into the low 80s, they have been very effective.

But they can lock you down defensively and win at a slower pace too. Murray State won all three Ohio Valley Conference Tournament games by giving up exactly 51 points in each contest.