March Madness: Cinderella Stories of 2022
One of the main reasons that the NCAA basketball tournament captures the attention of so many people is because of its Cinderella stories.
Every year, there are multiple teams that are overlooked once the bracket is made but they end up making it to the second weekend of the tournament and in some cases, the Final Four.
This year most of the lower seeds that made it this far are in a power five conference, so there aren’t many true Cinderella stories. But if one of these teams can make the Final Four in New Orleans, their run will go down in history.
10. Miami Hurricanes
Being one of the shortest teams in the country, it was expected that many people would look over this team in the tournament.
Their odds of advancing to the second round became even more slim when they got matched up against USC, one of the tallest teams in the country, in the first round. Despite this, Miami was able to use its speed to create turnovers, get buckets in transition and use their ball handling abilities to create space for shots.
Auburn’s stout defense was an even stronger challenge in the second round, but the Hurricanes’ high-powered offense was able to dominate the game. Miami was led by Isaiah Wong who showed he’s not scared to drive to the paint despite being 6-foot-3 inches tall.
What makes this offense even scarier is that they weren’t connecting from three. If the Hurricanes can hit their shots from downtown, they have a good chance of coming out of this region of the bracket.
11. Iowa State Cyclones
After finishing the season last year with two wins and 22 loses, Iowa State has been a great team to follow all season.
LSU’s coaching situation made Iowa State a trendy upset pick in the first round. But little expected the Cyclones to compete, let alone beat Wisconsin.
Everyone knew that Iowa State’s offense was weak, but their strong defense has allowed them to win the past two games. They were able to hold Wisconsin to shooting 29.8% from the field and 9.1% from three. This included holding the Badgers’ star player Johnny Davis to 25% from the field.
Iowa State needs to improve its offensive play if the Cyclones want a shot in the next two games, as Miami and their potential matchup Kansas have high powered offenses that may be able to pick apart the Cyclones’ defense.
It is a shame that one of Iowa State or Miami will be eliminated considering the grit they have shown in the first weekend, but the winner has a good shot at upsetting Kansas or Providence.
15. Saint Peter’s Peacocks
Saint Peter’s is the biggest Cinderella story this year. Coming out of Jersey City with an undergrad enrollment of less than 3,000 students and a campus of 25 acres, Saint Peter’s is the classic small school that has won the hearts of the country in this tournament.
But their two wins weren’t against weak teams. Many people had Kentucky making the Final Four and winning it all and Murray State was a team with only two losses all season. The Peacocks have shown they can get it done on both sides of the ball, shooting 50% from the field against Kentucky and holding Murray State to only 60 points.
If Saint Peter’s offense can play like they did in the first round and their defense can play like they did in the second, they have a good shot at beating Purdue, who some see as a weak team considering their path to the Sweet 16 and from the Big Ten’s performance in the tournament.
Jayson O’Connell is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jbo5216@psu.edu.
