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10 March Madness Cinderella teams that stole our hearts

March Madness is all about the upsets and these ten Cinderellas stole America's heart as they made their runs.

By Matthew Conner

Loyola v Kansas State
Loyola v Kansas State / Kevin C. Cox/GettyImages
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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.

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