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NCAA Basketball: 5 potential Cinderella teams for 2024 NCAA Tournament

By Cole Amundson

Dec 29, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade coaches during
Dec 29, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade coaches during / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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4. Princeton Tigers

After leading the Princeton Tigers to an incredible run to the Sweet 16 as a 15-seed just last year, knocking off two-seed Arizona and seven-seed Missouri, Mitch Henderson’s Princeton Tigers have shown no sign of slowing down as they currently stand 14-1 on the year with their lone loss coming on the road to Saint Joseph's in early December.

Sophomore guard Xaivian Lee has been a major bright spot for the Tigers, increasing his PPG from 4.8 to 18.0 to lead the team in scoring.

In addition to Lee, Caden Pierce remains an incredibly efficient, near-double-double type of player, leading the Tigers in rebounding at 9.7 RPG.

Because Princeton is far from the biggest and most athletic team in the country, they deploy a slower style of pace, only tallying 65.9 possessions per game, according to Team Rankings. 

This marks them near the bottom of college basketball, but to no means is this a concern for Mitch Henderson & Co.

What makes this team unique is their efficiency within those limited possessions. According to the NCAA, Princeton averages 78.7 PPG, placing them near the top 20 percent in college basketball. They place thirteenth in the country in effective field goal percentage at 56.7%, according to BartTorvik and do a great job with taking care of the basketball averaging under nine turnovers per game.

This is a team that will make you beat yourself -- a recipe that has proven to be troublesome for higher-seeded teams when the pressure increases in the NCAA Tournament. 

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