2011 VCU Rams
- Seed: 12
- Tournament Run: Final Four
- Final Ranking: No. 6
A year later, another Cinderella, Virginia Commonwealth, became the talk of the country in March. Led by young coach Shaka Smart, the Rams reached the Final Four as a No. 12 seed after not even winning their conference tournament.
The Rams started things out with a 59-46 victory over Southern California in one of the "First Four" games in Dayton, Ohio. Then they took down No. 6 seed Georgetown 74-56.
Next was a 94-76 victory over No. 3 seed (No. 13 ranked) Purdue. In the Sweet 16, the Rams squeaked out a 72-71 OT win over No. 10 seed Florida State.
The Elite Eight saw VCU have to tangle with No. 2 ranked Kansas, the top seed in the region. That proved to be no problem as Smart's team would reel off a 71-61 win to reach the Final Four.
In the Final Foul, the run came to an end, though. No. 8 seed Butler handed the Rams a 70-62 defeat on the Bulldogs' way to their second-straight championship game.
Still, it was a remarkable run as VCU went from the First Four to the Final Four. The run propelled the tiny school into the spotlight and made a coaching star of Smart.