Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Unlikeliest Conference Tournament runs of the Decade

By Joey Loose

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 12: The Connecticut Huskies celebrate with their trophy after defeating the Louisville Cardinals during the championship of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament presented by American Eagle Outfitters at Madison Square Garden on March 12, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 12: The Connecticut Huskies celebrate with their trophy after defeating the Louisville Cardinals during the championship of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament presented by American Eagle Outfitters at Madison Square Garden on March 12, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OH – MARCH 19: Michael Bolden #30 of the Cal Poly Mustangs goes to the basket against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first round of the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 19, 2014 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH – MARCH 19: Michael Bolden #30 of the Cal Poly Mustangs goes to the basket against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first round of the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 19, 2014 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

7. Cal Poly (2014 Big West, 7-seed) (10-19, 6-10)

For the last two decades, the Cal Poly Mustangs have been members of the Big West, but they don’t have a lot to show for it. They’ve had a couple of decent seasons, but have never won more than 19 games. The team is typically not a factor in the Big West Tournament; though things were slightly different back in 2014.

The Mustangs headed to Anaheim as the 7-seed in the Big West Tournament, possessing an unimpressive 10-19 record and pretty low expectations. As they prepared for 2-seed UC Santa Barbara, many people thought this game would be a blowout, and they were absolutely right. The Mustangs played inspired basketball and thrashed the Gauchos. The first eight minutes were close, but it was all Mustangs after that, holding a 21-point halftime head and securing the 69-38 win. A balanced offensive attack paced the Mustangs while the Gauchos got no points from three of their starters in the loss.

For their next game, a tougher challenge awaited the Mustangs. The Big West Tournament reseeded, giving them a date with top-seeded UC Irvine. The Anteaters had already bested the Mustangs twice this season, but round three went differently. The Mustangs shot the ball well, climbing out of an early 7-point well to control most of the second half. Though the Anteaters got to within a point, the Mustangs never relinquished the lead and pulled off a second straight shocker. David Nwaba and Chris Eversley both had 14 points in another balanced offensive attack.

Halfway through the first half of the Big West title game, Cal State Northridge led by 11 and it looked like the Mustangs’ run would end. However, this team still had a lot of fight in them. They tightened the game in the second half and stayed tight in a back and forth affair. Freshman guard Ridge Shipley won the game with a 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left and the Mustangs were going to the NCAA Tournament.

At 13-19, the Mustangs were a huge surprise, earning a 16-seed and a trip to the First Four. They took care of Texas Southern before being flattened by 1-seed Wichita State. Little to nothing was expected of this program, but they played their hearts out at that Big West Tournament, making what is still today Cal Poly’s only NCAA Tournament appearance.

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