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NCAA Basketball: Top 25 NCAA Tournament cinderellas since 2000

George Mason Patriots. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
George Mason Patriots. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) /
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Bradley Braves
Bradley Braves. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

20) 2006 Bradley Braves, No. 13-seed

Record: 22-11, Sweet 16
Beat: (4) Kansas Jayhawks, (5) Pittsburgh Panthers

The Bradley Braves was another team on this list that was a questionable at-large team after finishing just 11-7 in the MVC and in fifth place. They did make a run to the championship game in the MVC Tournament, but fell to the Southern Illinois Salukis by 13 points.

Bradley did not have any great wins during the year, despite its 20-10 record at the end of the season. The Braves would barely make it in earning a No. 13-seed, but they would quickly show the nation that they belonged in the field.

In the first round, the Braves would take on a Kansas Jayhawks team that had won 14 of their last 15 games and were led by future NBA players Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush. In what should have been a win for Kansas, Bradley instead jumped to a 10-point halftime lead and carried it through the second half. The Braves held Rush to only nine points in a great defensive effort.

They came out with another great defensive effort against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second round, as they held them to 66 points in route to a six-point win. Patrick O’Bryant had a huge game scoring 28 points. Leading scorer for the season Marcellus Sommerville would 18 to help the Braves to their second straight upset.  For a team that struggled some during conference play, this was a surprising run for the Braves.

Their cinderella run would end in the Sweet 16 when they lost to the No. 1-seed Memphis Tigers by 14 points. The Braves had no answer for Rodney Carney, who would score 23 points to help the Tigers end the magical run for the Braves. It was the first time that Bradley had been in the Sweet 16 since 1955. It was a run they will never forget.