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      <image:title>Reports - Why Louisville Will Shock the Country &amp;amp; Duke Will Silence Any Doubters - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>The 1-seeded Duke has finished the year atop both the AP poll and the KenPom rankings and has very high adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency rankings of 3rd and 4th respectively. They are one of the 8 teams in the trapezoid of excellence, and specifically in the last 10 games of the year they are far and above the best team in the trapezoid. They impressively won the ACC tournament without star freshman Cooper Flagg as well as Maliq Brown, and freshman forward Kon Knueppel stepped up to average 21 points and win tournament MVP. All the statistics and metrics truly point to Duke being the most dominant team in the country and being certain frontrunners for National Champions. Led by freshman Cooper Flagg and fellow lottery pick favorites Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel, Duke has the talent to take on any team they face on their path to a championship. A fully healthy Duke team should be able to confidently defeat any team they face in the East, and their wins against highly ranked opposition such as 1-seeded Auburn, 4-seeded Arizona, and 6-seeded Illinois show that they are legit even in a weak conference like the ACC. I think come tournament time Duke will be ready to show the country why they are statistically the best team in this bracket, and they’ll bring everything they’ve got to win their first tournament since 2015.    Final Four: Duke, Houston, Louisville, Florida  Duke (1 Seed)  I am confident that Duke is the best team in the nation this year, and this in fact is one of the greatest Duke teams we’ve ever seen in the tournament. I already addressed the many strengths of the team and the countless signs pointing to their future success; however, I didn’t address the road to the final four for the blue devils. Their first game against either American or Mt. St Mary’s as a 16-seed will be a breeze, and my projected round of 32 matchup against Baylor should be a walk in the park against such a poorly rated defense. Their first possible test will come against 5-seeded Oregon in the sweet 16, and Oregon is known for typically turning it up come tournament time. However, they’re ranked quite poorly on KenPom at 31st and have had a very up and down season with many tough losing streaks throughout. While this Oregon team may be built for March, they are not built to take on the force that is 1-seeded Duke. This leaves Duke with an elite 8 matchup against the incredibly hot 6-seed in BYU, who have absolutely turned it up come the end of the season. They lost in the Big 12 tournament to a terrific Houston team but are 10-1 since February 8th and have some great wins to their name as well. Despite BYU’s recent success, Duke ranks 4th in ADE as previously mentioned and has consistently played some of the best defense throughout the country this season. If they can hold back this high-powered BYU offense just as Houston did recently, I believe Duke’s incredible offense and star-studded roster will take over and lead them to the final four.     Houston (1 Seed)</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Grady’s Picks - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Analyzing more in the final four, all one seeds have only made it one time, in 2008. On average the most common result for one seeds in the final four is 2 teams, leaving room for two more. The other most common teams to make the final four are the 2, 3, and 4 seeds, to no surprise. I have picked the other teams from the field that I like the most that are not one seeds, being Iowa State and Alabama, to make the final four alongside Duke and Auburn. Analyzing the round of 64, 1 seeds almost never lose, so by nature my champion Duke, runner up Florida, Houston, and Auburn move on. About the same can be said with 2 vs 15 seed matchups, so Tennessee, Alabama, St John’s, and Michigan State will be moving on. 9 seeds find themselves beating 8 seeds about 51% of the time, so I have picked my two favorite 9 seeds to move on, Creighton over Louisville, and Baylor over Mississippi State. Leaving Gonzaga over Georgia and UConn over Oklahoma. Moving on, 10 seeds beat 7 seeds about 38.7% of the time so I have decided to pick my favorite 10 seed, New Mexico to upset Marquette, leaving Kansas over Arkansas, Saint Mary’s over Vanderbilt, and UCLA over Utah State. Continuing the trend of upsets 39% of 11 seeds upset 6 seeds, about 1.5 wins for each tournament. To get a little riskier I picked my two favorite 11 seeds, VCU to beat BYU and SDSU/UNC to beat Ole Miss, leaving Missouri over Drake and Illinois over TEX/XAV. 12 seeds upset 5 seeds 35% of the time, I have picked my two favorite 12 seeds to upset the 5 seeds staying a little riskier, UC San Diego over Michigan and Colorado St over Michigan, leaving Clemson over McNeese and Oregon over Liberty. 5 seeds lose to 13 seeds about 21.5% so I picked one 13 seed that I liked the best to move on, which is Yale over Texas A&amp;M, leaving Maryland, Arizona, and Purdue to make it through. Finally, to end the round of 64, 14 seeds upset 3 seeds a mere 15.3% of the time. While its more than possible, it’s too risky for my bracket, so Kentucky, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Wisconsin going through. Here is a graphic from the NCAA to back up some of the Percentages I used to justify how many specific seeds would be moving onto the round of 32.</image:caption>
    </image:image>
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      <image:title>Reports - Grady’s Picks - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>These seed success rates have allowed me to pick the best combination of teams that I believe will be good while following the best percentages of upsets to happen. Having both the round of 64 and the final four set already this makes the rest of the bracket must easier. Attacking the round elite 8 the same way that I did for the final four it makes my decisions much easier for the sweet 16 and the round of 32. I did consider certain seed success in the round of 32 and sweet 16, but at the rest of the bracket was also done accordingly to fit my final four picks.  I have never done a bracket this way, but I wanted to test it out and see if there could be a serious advantage to trying to follow the most likely outcomes. March is always Madness, and it seems kind of redundant to follow a certain method like this as your whole bracket can blow up at any given moment if one of the championship teams go down early, but that’s why we all love this time of march and why no bracket has ever been done before. I plan on doing two other brackets not following this method and just using “gut feelings” and “ball knowledge”. After the tournament is over, I will compare the results to see if this is a useful method to follow in the future.</image:caption>
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    <loc>https://www.fsusac.org/blog-4-1/bracket-predictions-sleepers-big-upsets-final-4</loc>
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    <lastmod>2025-03-20</lastmod>
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  <url>
    <loc>https://www.fsusac.org/blog-4-1/my-picks-for-march-madness-2025</loc>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.5</priority>
    <lastmod>2025-03-20</lastmod>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/e89f0243-65f2-48c5-882a-925da48d7169/TRITONNN.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - My Picks for March Madness 2025 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>I also picked Yale to beat Texas A&amp;M. I don’t think the winner of this game will win on  Sunday, so I went with John Poulakidas and the Bulldogs, who won a similar game against  Auburn last year.  As I said, I don’t have many answers for the bottom of this region. Ole Miss and Iowa  State feel very hit or miss to me, I could see either one of them either losing Round 1 or going to  the Sweet 16, I took Ole Miss just because it’s more fun to pick the upset, plus I’m concerned  about the health of the Cyclones. But also, would anyone be surprised if UNC went on a run?  Certainly not me.  With all this being said, I find it hard to go against Tom Izzo in March. This year’s  Spartans team is deep, and they defend, making them really tough to beat. I trust them the most,  so I have them making a deep run and becoming the champions of the South Region. EAST REGION  Speaking of teams I trust, the Duke Blue Devils are a machine. Led by a talented trio of  freshmen (Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach), it’s hard to see a world where they  get picked off early, especially in this region. There’s no doubt in my mind that they will be  playing in the second weekend and probably winning. They’re my pick to win this region.  Oregon and Arizona are intriguing to me. Dana Altman knows how to win in March, and  he has the talent to support him in Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle, I think they will win in the  first two rounds. Arizona has recovered decently well after a rough start to the season, but I have  my doubts about a Caleb Love-led team. I know nothing about the Zips, but give me the kids  from Akron.  BYU and VCU might be my personal favorite matchup of the first round. I believe that  the winner will make a deep run in this tournament, and I’ve picked the advanced analytics  darling, VCU, to beat the Cougars, Wisconsin, and then eventually the fast-paced Alabama, who  I’m not fully sold on, especially with the uncertainty around Grant Nelson (also don’t ask me to  justify Saint Mary’s over Vandy, I just picked one at random).  MIDWEST REGION  This feels like the region of chaos. To me, when I think of the teams that make up the  Midwest, my initial thought is “yeah, they’re pretty good, but…”. This starts with Houston. The  Cougars have only lost once in regulation this season(!!!) and boast wins over Arizona, Iowa  State and Texas Tech. But how healthy is J’Wan Roberts? All the other #1 seeds have an AP First  Team All-American except Houston, does that matter? Houston has been a #1 seed each of the  last two years and hasn’t made it to the Elite Eight, why is this year different? I don’t have the  answers to any of these questions, or even if they mean anything, but the metrics surrounding  Kelvin Sampson’s team are so strong, and again, I don’t trust anyone in this region, so I’m  playing it safe and picking them to go to the Final Four.  With that being said, Gonzaga and Georgia should be fun. It is a clash between one of the  best 8 seeds ever (ranked 9th in KenPom!) in Gonzaga, and a UGA team that has a Nathan  Gregoire’s Eye Test First Team All-American in Asa Newell, and a guard named Blue Cain who  is a bucket. I’m going with the Zags to hedge against another multi-win March for Mark Few,  but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to pick the Dawgs.  I don’t trust Purdue at all, they haven’t exactly played their best basketball in the last  month, especially away from Mackey Arena. I know more about McNeese’s manager than their  players, and High Point hasn’t played a single team in the field this season, so I have Clemson repeating their success from last year and going to the Sweet 16 (I also think Clemson is really  good, to be fair).  I would prefer not to talk about the rest of the Midwest, the bottom half of this bracket is  gross. Illinois has some great wins (Wisconsin, Oregon, Michigan, Purdue), but also some  concerning losses, I don’t think I trust them to put together multiple great performances, plus a  First Four team almost always wins a game in the Round of 64, so the Texas/Xavier winner (I’m  leaning Texas), will pull the upset. Kentucky also has a lot of injury problems, Evan Miya has  them in Tier 4 of teams in this tournament, ranked 35th accounting for health. I’m not sure when  they lose, but I don’t envision them going on a run (which means they probably will), so I have  Texas/Xavier beating them, which the Longhorns actually did do earlier this season. I have no rationale for being down on Tennessee, but I am. They have an elite defense  and a very good offense, with strong veterans like Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier, but upsets  have to happen somewhere, and my vibes say that the Vols will be the victim of one. This means  that sort of by default, UCLA finds themselves in the Elite Eight in my bracket, so congrats to  them.  WEST REGION  We have finally reached the last region, which in my opinion is the strongest. After the  other three regions were revealed on Selection Sunday, I found myself surprised at the number of  quality teams that hadn’t been named yet, therefore were in the Midwest. I could see 8-9 teams  making deep runs from this batch.  Something feels off about this Florida team to me. It could be the fact that I attend their  biggest rival’s school, but what if it’s not? Bias aside, they’re very, very solid, and probably the  hottest team in the country right now after making the conference tournament of maybe the  greatest conference ever look easy. I think they should make the Sweet 16 relatively easy. Liam  McNeeley and Jeremiah Fears are each very exciting freshmen for UConn and Oklahoma,  respectively, and I think Dan Hurley can lead his team past the Sooners, but Florida is just too  good right now.  Maryland’s starting unit has earned the nickname the Crab Five. That might be the  coolest thing ever, there’s no way they lost to Grand Canyon (high-level analysis here, I know). Colorado State is led by Nique Clifford, who has been on a tear, and Memphis’ resume outside of  Maui is questionable, so I’ll take the Rams, but they will be no match for the Crab Five. I don’t know much about Texas Tech, but their metrics and wins look pretty impressive, so I think they should make the Sweet 16 regardless of if they face Missouri or Drake.   I’ve fallen in love with St. John’s these last few weeks, and I don’t think I’m alone. They  play hard, defend, have multiple guys who can score, and they have one of the best coaches in  the sport right now with Rick Pitino. After getting by Omaha, they will play either Kansas or  Arkansas, a fun matchup in its own right (but surely the talent of the preseason #1 Jayhawks has  to mean something, right? Right???), and they can win that too. The data suggests that they don’t  stack up with the top four teams in the nation, but in my bracket they won’t face one until at least  the Final Four. Give me the Johnnies over the Terps to go to San Antonio.  FINAL FOUR  If you haven’t read this whole thing, first of all, good for you, but to recap, I have:  • Michigan State vs. St. John’s  • Duke vs. Houston  as my Final Four. This won’t happen, but I feel the most confident in these teams.   In this first game, we have a matchup of similar teams. They both didn’t get much hype  preseason and have come on late (an archetype that historically doesn’t do well in March, but  let’s ignore that), rely on defense to win ball games, and have Hall of Fame head coaches. I think  St. John’s gets it done, though. They will have the best player on the floor in RJ Luis Jr. and will  be on an insane winning streak coming into that game. On the other side, I made my doubts about Houston clear when discussing their region. I  think playing against Duke will be the end of their run. This Blue Devils team is so strong, they  lack flaws, and I think their young players will not back down in the biggest moments.  This leaves me with a final of St. John’s and Duke, and even beyond the hypothetical  matchup, which Duke would win, I think Duke is the most likely national champion. Pick any  catch-all metric you want, you’ll find that Duke is the best team, and Cooper Flagg is the best  player. It’s a boring pick, I know, but this is a ball knower competition, not a creativity  competition.  There you have it, almost 2000 words of lukewarm analysis and random guesses. The one  takeaway from all of this is that I don’t really know what I’m doing, unless I win, in which case  this was all calculated and explained by science. Regardless, I’m excited to spend the next week parked on my couch and watching all of the madness unfold.</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - My Picks for March Madness 2025 - Make it stand out</image:title>
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  <url>
    <loc>https://www.fsusac.org/blog-4-1/how-does-distance-traveled-impact-teams-in-march-madness</loc>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.5</priority>
    <lastmod>2025-03-20</lastmod>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/f7390547-b642-4200-8620-cec1fd4e4337/Screen+Shot+2025-03-19+at+10.21.36+PM.png</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - How Does Distance Traveled Impact Teams in March Madness - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Key: Red = 1st, Orange = 2nd, Yellow = 3rd, Light Green = 4th, Green = 5th, Light Blue = 6th, Blue = 7th, Purple = 8th.   Cleveland is third for Atlanta (A3), sixth for San Francisco (SF6), second for Newark (N2), and third for Indianapolis (I3). Denver is seventh for Atlanta (A7), second for San Francisco (SF2), seventh for Newark (N7), and seventh for Indianapolis (I7). Lexington is first for Atlanta (A1), fifth for San Francisco (SF5), fourth for Newark (N4), and first for Indianapolis (I1). Milwaukee is fourth for Atlanta (A4), fourth for San Francisco (SF4), fifth for Newark (N5), and second for Indianapolis (I2). Providence is sixth for Atlanta (A6), eighth for San Francisco (SF8), first for Newark (N1), and sixth for Indianapolis (I6). Raleigh is second for Atlanta (A2), seventh for San Francisco (SF7), third for Newark (N3), and fourth for Indianapolis (I4). Seattle is eighth for Atlanta (A8), first for San Francisco (SF1), eighth for Newark (N8), and eighth for Indianapolis (I8). Wichita is fifth for Atlanta (A5), third for San Francisco (SF3), sixth for Newark (N6), and fifth for Indianapolis (I5). Atlanta: 1) Lexington (385), 2) Raleigh (405), 3) Cleveland (710), 4) Milwaukee (814), 5) Wichita (959), 6) Providence (1044), 7) Denver (1404), and 8) Seattle (2637). San Francisco: 1) Seattle (808), 2) Denver (1254), 3) Wichita (1678), 4) Milwaukee (2173), 5) Lexington (2393), 6) Cleveland (2461), 7) Raleigh (2851), and 8) Providence (3093). Newark: 1) Providence (192), 2) Cleveland (452), 3) Raleigh (496), 4) Lexington (695), 5) Milwaukee (870), 6) Wichita (1373), 7) Denver (1768), and 8) Seattle (2842). Indianapolis: 1) Lexington (189), 2) Milwaukee (279), 3) Cleveland (316), 4) Raleigh (625), 5) Wichita (675), 6) Providence (913), 7) Denver (1085), and 8) Seattle (2250).    After looking at the data I ranked each location within the host city from 1-8. 1 being least miles to travel and 8 being most miles to travel. I then compared the rankings for each location to see which host city they could be assigned to keep the miles traveled as low as possible. San Francisco has a total mileage between all eight locations that makes up 41.68% of the total mileage between all locations and host cities. Atlanta makes up 20.85% of this total, while Newark makes up 21.67% and Indianapolis makes up 15.79%. The three host cities work well together as they all have pretty similar total mileage.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/4c289654-d348-4b20-ad17-45bfb5ca1104/Screen+Shot+2025-03-19+at+10.23.25+PM.png</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - How Does Distance Traveled Impact Teams in March Madness - Make it stand out</image:title>
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      <image:title>Reports - How Does Distance Traveled Impact Teams in March Madness - Make it stand out</image:title>
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      <image:title>Reports - How Does Distance Traveled Impact Teams in March Madness - Make it stand out</image:title>
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  <url>
    <loc>https://www.fsusac.org/blog-4-1/top-10-march-madness-cinderella-runs-since-2000</loc>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.5</priority>
    <lastmod>2025-03-01</lastmod>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/9122f26c-d4ad-4572-be03-9df1bfc54be3/FDU.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Round of 32 (Defeated 1 Seed Purdue) I would like to preface this placement by stating that I do not typically consider one game as a Cinderella run, but this 2023 Fairleigh Dickinson team is the exception for this list. The anomaly that was this Knights team is even more shocking when considering that they did not win their conference tournament and only made it to the big dance because Merrimack (the team that won the NEC that year) was not yet tournament eligible under NCAA rules. Despite the tournament bid that many believed to be undeserving, the Knights took care of business in the First Four beating Texas Southern by 23. They went on to face 1 seed Purdue in the round of 64 who was coming off a win in the Big Ten Championship and boasted a 29-5 record. Purdue was headlined by the National Player of the Year in Zach Edey who stood at 7 foot 4 inches tall. This Purdue team was the tallest in the nation that year by average height while FDU has the shortest team in the nation. FDU entered the game ranked 298 in KenPom rankings out of the 363 teams in college basketball which made them one of the worst teams by ranking to ever make the tournament. None of these statistics mattered as they were able to pull out the 63-58 victory as 23.5 point underdog which is also the largest spread in March Madness history. The Knights run came to an end in the Round of 32 to another eventual Cinderella team in the 9 seeded FAU Owls. However, this FDU team became just the second 16 seed to upset a 1 seed in the tournament and were able to forever cement themselves in sports history. 9. 2013 FGCU</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Sweet 16 (Defeated 2 seed Georgetown, 7 seed San Diego st) The famous “Dunk City” Florida Gulf Coast Eagles became instant March Madness legends after defeating 2 seed Georgetown in the Round of 32 with some of the most iconic dunk highlights in March Madness history. This Eagles team was only in their third year of NCAA tournament eligibility and to that point had not had a winning season in the Division 1. However, the 2012-2013 FGCU squad had won the Atlantic Sun conference and entered the tournament with a 24-10 record and a date with the Otto Porter Jr. led Georgetown Hoyas. Future NBA lottery pick Otto Porter Jr. was held to a measly 13 points on 5-17 shooting which led FGCU to a 78-68 victory. The Eagles then had a matchup against 7 seed San Diego St where they captured another double digit victory, winning 81-71 backed by a 17-0 second half run. FGCU became the first 15 seed to ever advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. Since then, 3 other 15 seeds have been able to advance to the Sweet 16, but this Eagles team will always be first. 8. 2013 Wichita State</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/55790399-1b86-4131-8358-70166fc5ca00/WichitaSt.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Results: Final Four (Defeated 8 seed Pittsburgh, 1 seed Gonzaga, 13 seed La Salle, 2 seed Ohio State)   In the same tournament as the FGCU team, the 9 seed Shockers stole the show becoming one of the lowest seeds to ever make the final four and upsetting both a 1 and 2 seed in the process. This Shockers team was led by Cleanthony Early who averaged 13.9 points per game along with two other future NBA players (Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker) despite playing in a mid-major conference. Wichita’s run came to an end in one of the greatest Final Four games of all time against eventual national champion Louisville Cardinals. This run set up the Shockers for their historic 2013-2014 season when they finished 35-1 and earned a 1 seed in the tournament. Even with this 2014 season, this 2013 team was the farthest Wichita has ever gotten in the tournament and remains as a legendary Cinderella run.   7. 2021 UCLA</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Final Four (Defeated 11 seed Michigan st, 6 seed BYU, 14 seed Albilene Christian, 2 seed Alabama, 1 seed Michigan)   This UCLA team is technically breaking the rule I initially prefaced about blue bloods being Cinderella teams, however this 2021 Bruins team had much different circumstances than most Cinderella teams did. The Bruins ended the regular season on a 3 game losing streak before losing in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament. Many believed this poor ending to the season would exclude the Bruins from the NCAA tournament as a whole. However, they were able to make it as a “Last 4 in” team where they would face Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. In this back and forth game they were able to outlast the Spartans in overtime which brought them to the round of 64 as an 11 seed. Their next two games would be a breeze for the Bruins, defeating BYU and fellow Cinderella 14 seed Albilene Christian. Backed by stellar play from future NBA players Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jacquez they were able to take down 2 seed Alabama in overtime and upset 1 seed Michigan to make it to the final four. This UCLA team was just the second team to ever advance to the final four while making the tournament as a “Last 4 in” team. They would eventually lose in the final four to 1 seed Gonzaga in a game that included one of the greatest buzzer beaters in March Madness history via a Jalen Suggs half-court three. This UCLA team proved that they belonged in the tournament and could’ve even made the championship if not for Gonzaga’s late game heroics.    6. 2011 Butler</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: National Championship loss (Defeated 9 seed Old Dominion, 1 seed Pittsburgh, 4 seed Wisconsin, 2 seed Florida, 11 seed VCU)   The 2011 Butler Bulldogs run felt like deja vu for College Basketball fans at the time considering that this same team made the national championship in 2010. The 2010 Butler team was led by future NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward and was a 5 seed that made it all the way to the final and lost to a star studded Duke team. The 2011 Bulldogs had lost Gordon Hayward to the draft and were not predicted to follow up the stellar season they had put together the season prior. Butler silenced the doubters by winning the Horizon League again but this time they entered as an 8 seed. The first two games for the Bulldogs were decided on two game winners with less than 3 seconds to go including upsetting number 1 seed Pittsburgh. They went on to handle 4 seed Wisconsin and defeat 2 seed Florida in overtime. Shelvin Mack’s 27 points against Florida was one of his many performances that helped Butler reach the final four. In the Final Four they played a fellow Cinderella run in 11 seeded VCU which they would win 70-62. Unfortunately, they would lose in the championship for the second year in a row this time to UConn. This 2011 Butler team was tied with the lowest seed to ever make the national championship and proved that lightning could strike twice.   5. 2018 Loyola Chicago</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Final Four (Defeated 6 seed Miami, 3 seed Tennessee, 7 seed Nevada, 9 seed Kansas st)   The 2018 Loyola Chicago Ramblers are known for some of the most iconic shots in the history of March Madness. After dominating the MVC all year and entering the tournament with a 28-5 record they were given an 11 seed and were slated to play 6 seed Miami. They were able to defeat Miami on a buzzer beater 3 pointer from Donte Ingram to advance to the round of 32. The Ramblers would go on to win their next two games by a combined two points accompanied by more clutch shots to make it all the way to the elite eight. They dominated Kansas State in the elite eight which punched them a ticket to the final four. The magic would end here as they would be taken down by 3 seed Michigan, but the Ramblers and Sister Jean would remain icons in the sport.     4. 2006 George Mason</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/86fc6656-c86e-4c26-96b9-b454d629a094/GeorgEMason.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Final Four (Defeated 6 seed Michigan st, 3 seed UNC, 7 seed Wichita st, 1 seed UConn)   2006 George Mason is the farthest back this list goes and that contributes to the high ranking of 4. The early 2000s didn’t have many big Cinderella runs which makes the Patriots of George Mason an even more compelling team. The Patriots entered the tournament with a 23-7 record and lost in their conference tournament. They were one of the final teams given an at-large bid and were an 11 seed in the big dance. Their first two games were against two of college basketball’s most historical teams in Michigan State and UNC and they were able to defeat both en route to the Sweet 16. In the Sweet 16 they defeated another mid-major in Wichita State which set up a meeting with 1 seed UConn.  This UConn team was ranked 2 in the country and contained 5 future NBA players. George Mason was able to outlast UConn in overtime in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history. The Patriots became the second 11 seed to ever reach the final four and ultimately fell to the national champion Florida Gators.     3. 2011 VCU</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/a35899af-cb42-4a57-84c6-5d50c3fe7666/VCU.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Final Four (Defeated 11 USC, 6 Georgetown, 3 Purdue, 10 Florida St, 1 Kansas)   Although this VCU team fell short to another team mentioned on this list, their historic run felt too dominant to leave out of the top 3. The 2011 VCU Rams entered the tournament with a record of 23–11 after losing the CAA title game to end the season. They made it into the NCAA tournament as “Last 4 in” team and were underdogs against the 11 seed USC Trojans. This game marked the beginning of a historic March Madness run in which they won 4 of their first 5 games by double digits including knocking off 1 seed Kansas by 10 points in the elite eight. Their run came to an end in the Final Four against the aforementioned 8 seed Butler Bulldogs but their dominant run of games is what puts them higher on the list. They were also the first team to ever make it from “Last 4 in” to the Final Four which has since only been done once more (refer to #7). 2011 was the NCAA’s first rendition of the “First 4” games and VCU sure did not disappoint.   2. 2024 NC State</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/256ee2ac-cdbe-4147-972b-c53826176dd5/NCST.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Final Four (Defeated 6 seed Texas Tech, 14 seed Oakland, 2 seed Marquette, 4 seed Duke)   Now I can’t lie, I am slightly cheating by placing NC State at two on this list because a large portion of this placement has to do with NC State’s path to even getting into the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack entered the ACC tournament with a 17-14 record overall and a 9-11 record in conference play. It was mostly known that they would have to win the ACC tournament to make the NCAA tournament and had little to no chance to make it as an at-large. The Wolfpack proceeded to win 5 games in 5 days including the ACC championship game against in-state rival UNC while they were ranked 4 in the country. This improbable run gave the Wolfpack an 11 seed in March Madness and they were able to continue their magic defeating Texas Tech, Oakland, and Marquette to advance to the elite eight. In the Elite Eight they would match up against another in-state rival in Duke and defeat them despite being a heavy underdog. These 9 wins in a row cemented NC State in basketball history before their run came to an end against 1 seed Purdue. This 2024 team is reminiscent of the legendary 1983 NC State squad that was able to defy all odds and win the National Championship against the powerhouse that was Houston.     1. 2022 St.Peters</image:caption>
    </image:image>
    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/671839f00fc62461a081e69b/4b8ffdb9-cc26-4ec9-8b6d-7e596345a50f/STPeters.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Reports - Top 10 March Madness Cinderella Runs since 2000 - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Result: Elite Eight (Defeated 2 seed Kentucky, 7 seed Murray st, 3 seed Purdue)   Finally, the team I believe to be the best Cinderella run since 2000 is the 2022 St.Peter's Peacocks. This St.Peter’s team finished the regular season with a record of 16-11 and went on to win the MAAC title. They entered the tournament as a 15 seed and were ranked 121 in KenPom. What makes this run so special is not only the subpar regular season stats such as the 263rd ranked offense in the nation, but the caliber of teams they beat en route to the Elite Eight appearance. They began their run against 2 seeded Kentucky which had National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe along with 3 other future NBA players. This Kentucky team entered the NCAA tournament both top 5 in KenPom and top 5 in odds to win the tournament. Despite being 18 point underdogs, the Peacocks were able to pull off one of the most improbable upsets in the March Madness history backed by 27 points from guard Daryl Banks. In the Round of 32 they met with Murray St, a team who had entered the game with a 31-2 record. Once again the Peacocks were able to knock off Murray St and advance to the Sweet 16. To this point only two other 15 seeds had ever gone to the sweet 16 and none had ever gone to the elite eight. The only thing separating the Peacocks from history was 3 seed Purdue which boasted two future NBA lottery picks in Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey. Somehow, the Peacocks were able to make the impossible happen again and defeated Purdue 67-64. After becoming the first ever 15 seed to make the elite eight, the run finally came to an end against 8 seed UNC in the elite eight which as I mentioned before, does not count as a Cinderella team (under my qualifications at least). Overall, this Peacocks team that ranked 343rd in attendance that year was able to put their school on the map and find themselves a forever place in March Madness history.</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Why Golf is Thriving: The Sport's Electrifying Evolution Since Tiger Woods - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Source: GolfNews.Net</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - 2024-25 NBA Season: Top 5 Through 3 Weeks - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - 2024-25 NBA Season: Top 5 Through 3 Weeks - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.</image:caption>
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    <loc>https://www.fsusac.org/blog-4-1/former-fsu-ace-luke-weavers-remarkable-turnaround-how-2024-became-his-breakout-season</loc>
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    <lastmod>2024-11-20</lastmod>
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      <image:title>Reports - Former FSU Ace Luke Weaver’s Remarkable Turnaround: How 2024 Became His Breakout Season - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Image from pinstripealley.com</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Former FSU Ace Luke Weaver’s Remarkable Turnaround: How 2024 Became His Breakout Season - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Weaver’s fastball grip in 2023 vs 2024</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Former FSU Ace Luke Weaver’s Remarkable Turnaround: How 2024 Became His Breakout Season - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Graph via Baseball Savant</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Reports - Former FSU Ace Luke Weaver’s Remarkable Turnaround: How 2024 Became His Breakout Season - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Weaver’s windup in 2023 (left) compared to 2024 (right).</image:caption>
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