March Madness: Where does NC State rank among Cinderella teams in the past 20 years?
North Carolina State, an 11 seed, just made the Final Four, marking it as the 6th time a 11 seed has reached the Final Four. Where does this North Carolina State team rank among Cinderella teams in the past 20 years?
By Matt Cinelli
Every year a Cinderella story occurs in March and captivates the hearts of America. Some keep winning all the way to the National Championship, and some lose in the Second Round. This year, North Carolina State has touched the hearts of America led by one of the biggest names in sports right now, DJ Burns Jr.
The Wolfpack's run has been different than most, their run started back 3 weeks ago in the ACC Tournament where they had to win 5 games in 5 days to even make the tournament. That's what makes this run so unique and so special, and to me this Cinderella story is being extremely underrated.
Here is my ranking of the top 5 Cinderella runs in March Madness of the past 20 years.
5. #15 Seed Saint Peter's (2022)
2022 was the year of the Peacocks. Saint Peter's was the first ever 15 seed to make the Elite Eight in a run that no one will ever forget. Members of the MAAC, St Peter's finished 2nd in the conference behind powerhouse Iona, however when Iona got upset, it was their time to shine.
The Peacocks, led by fan-favorite Doug Edert, defeated #2 Kentucky, #7 Murray State, and #3 Purdue before finally running out of steam and losing to #8 North Carolina in the Elite Eight. St. Peter's run was unforgettable and was the first of its kind, however, they did not make the Final Four which is why they come in at #5 on my list.