Jeremy Bauman: St. Louis is my true Cinderella… But if I took Gonzaga to the Final Four, are they considered a Cinderella?!
I can’t get over the fact that people are saying they aren’t worthy of a No. 1 seed in the Tournament; in a year where the power 
conferences couldn’t produce a unanimous best team in the nation, it’s only fitting that the original “Mid-major” got a No. 1 seed and has a chance to make a deep run in the tournament.
No, the Zags aren’t a perfect team, but their interior play is experienced, Elias Harris is a mismatch for most small forwards in college basketball and they’re led by Kevin Pangos, who makes great decisions with the ball and can go off at any time,at the lead guard position.
Lastly, they’ve got Mark Few coaching them. This man has to be hungry as his team heads into the tournament with the first 1-seed in program history. He understands all the challenges that go into the tournament.
I think he navigates them, and reaches the Finals this year, in the year of the Cinderella.
Max Ogden: This may be cheating, but I have two Cinderella teams. Both Creighton and Belmont are sharpshooting squads with supremely efficient stars. They also have the type of draw which forces those stars to step up in full force and lead their respective teams.
Creighton is led by Doug McDermott, who can be defined as nothing less than one of the greatest offensive players of all-time. He’s currently averaging 23.1 points and 7.5 rebounds on an obscene slash line of .561/.497/.860. For those afraid that he’s all they have, think again—the Bluejays rank first in the nation in both field goal and three-point field goal percentage. They’re also 10th in defensive rebounding.
As for Belmont, they’re led by Ian Clark. Clark is averaging 18.1 points on a slash line of .541/.463/.840 as a 6’3″ scoring guard. He’s joined by a plethora of sharpshooters that has Belmont at 49.4 percent shooting as a team and 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.
With all due respect to Nate Wolters and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Creighton and Belmont are this year’s Cinderella’s.
Ben Baroff: They may not be considered a “Cinderella” based on their No. 3 seed, but if you see New Mexico in the regional final you will be surprised.
The Lobos rank second in the nation in RPI and strength of schedule, so they are no stranger to tough competition.
They boast one of the stingiest defenses in the country and have a balanced offensive attack led by Kendall Williams (13.5 points, 5.0 assists) which sets them up nicely against a potential first weekend of Harvard and Arizona (or Belmont, a popular upset pick).
A potential showdown with a more than beatable Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen is the perfect recipe.
New Mexico for Cinderella 2013.
Lay-it-up: What’s your Final Four/Winner?