The Best 2025 Men’s March Madness Cinderella Picks

The 2025 NCAA Men’s Championship path is almost set. The First Four will tip off this week, and before you know it, we’ll be cheering on the next Cinderella team.

Not every single year brings us a true March Madness Cinderella story, but it’s undeniably what makes the men’s college basketball tournament so appealing.

It’s why some people ignore college basketball all year, only to turn on the television and become die hard NCAAB fans overnight. The buzzer beaters, the wild upsets, and of course those seemingly unsustainable, unpredictable, and completely shocking Cinderella runs – they’re why we watch.

So, what men’s March Madness Cinderella teams should be on your radar? There is at least one team capable of going on a wild run out of each region, and we’ve got our finger on the pulse of this year’s tourney to gauge who it could be.

You can roll with our college basketball picks if you’re looking to bet on the next big sleeper at the top sports betting sites. See who we like to make a deep run in 2025.

What Is A Cinderella Team?

The term Cinderella is somewhat subjective, but the phrase refers to an unlikely team to go on a deep run in the March Madness tournament. More specifically, it puts an emphasis on high seeds (typically 10 or higher) to make it to the Sweet 16 or even much further.

Last Year’s March Madness Cinderella?

There were not many high seeds that made deep runs in last year’s NCAA men’s basketball tourney, but one squad was unforgettable. That was none other than the NC State Wolfpack.

NC State was a surprising winner even in the first round, as they easily dispatched 6-seed Texas. They then outlasted 14-seed Oakland 79-73 in a thrilling overtime game, before taking care of 2-seed Marqueete.

You’d think their run would end there, but NC State made it to the Regional Final and took care of business against familiar foe Duke (76-64), and somehow managed to get to the Final Four.

NC State’s dream run would end there in a 63-50 loss to Purdue, but their 2024 tourney streak will have them go down as one of the best Cinderella teams in March Madness history.

March Madness Cinderella Teams

Check out our March Madness Cinderella picks:

Cinderella Team	NCAA Regional	Championship Odds
UC San Diego	South	+30000
Liberty	East	+100000
Drake	West	+25000
High Point	Midwest	+100000

There will not be a Cinderella to advance in all four regions in the 2025 March Madness tourney. That almost never happens, although I can’t say with a straight face that there has never been a super wonky Final Four.

Crazy things can and do happen during March Madness, but even the men’s college basketball tournament has its limits. It probably makes sense to only bet on one of these four teams to run wild, but if you enjoy betting on underdogs, it can pay to dream big.

Of course, betting on insane outcomes isn’t always the most profitable venture when betting on sports. For more bets and advice, be sure to check out the best handicappers the internet has to offer.

NCAA Cinderella Teams 

The following is a breakdown of our 2025 March Madness Cinderella picks:

UC San Diego

• Record: 30-4
• NCAA Regional: South
• Championship Odds: +30000

UC San Diego doesn’t actually have an easy path to become the next great March Madness Cinderella story. Even if they do escape the first two rounds – which we know is challenging enough on it’s own – a likely date with #1 overall seed Auburn awaits in round three.

There is reason for optimism, though. UC San Diego has an impressive 30-4 record on the year, and they are on an insane 15-game winning streak. Their last win got them their conference title, and they happen to have one of the best offenses in all of college basketball with 77.9 points per game (61st).

Even better? The Tritons are a real problem on defense. You can say it’s due to the low level of competition they typically face, but the 7th best defense in the nation (62.8 points per game allowed) creates chaos (#1 in assists/turnover ratio) and ranks second in steals per game.

This sets things up poorly for the Michigan Wolverines, who are quite good, but have had major issues with turnovers on the year. Given their explosive offense and stingy defense, I think the Tritons are a good upset pick for round one, and a better than advertised Cinderella candidate despite the brutal path ahead.

Ultimately, UC San Diego has the recipe to go extremely far. I like their chances to get past the winner of Yale vs. Texas A&M if they escape round one, and that’d put them in the Sweet 16. It can be assumed they’d then run into Auburn, where their Cinderella run would probably come to an end.

Liberty

• Record: 28-6
• NCAA Regional: East
• Championship Odds: +100000

Liberty is another team I am interested in due to a very good offense and a super stingy defense. The Flames have yet to run into a single Top 25 team this year, but they had a nice 28-6 record on the year and are in fantastic form.

The Flames have won each of their last five games and 11 of their last 12, while they secured both the regular season title and conference championship in Conference USA. The low level competition is what’s keeping most pundits off of them, but Ritchie McKay’s crew can shoot as well as anyone, and will fight tooth and nail on defense.

This is a team that has zero fear beyond the arc, but they also actually convert. They own the 5th best three-point shooting percentage (39%) in all of college basketball, and on the flip side, they defend the three-point line like their lives depend on it. 

A round one date with the Oregon Ducks is scary in theory, but Oregon hasn’t always been at their best against stiff competition (3-5 vs. Top 25 teams). They also lag on defense and don’t excel in any one key offensive category.

Should Liberty get past the Ducks, their blend of fiery shooting and tenacious defense would give them a fantastic shot to reach the Sweet 16. They have a chance to run into someone like the Duke Blue Devils, but since they’re just a much better version of Liberty, I wouldn’t bet on an upset.

Drake

• Record: 30-3
• NCAA Regional: West
• Championship Odds: +25000

Of all of my March Madness Cinderella picks, Drake has the best odds to actually escape their region with a ticket to the Final Four. It’s obviously still extremely unlikely, but a round one date with Missouri is pretty winnable, and Drake wouldn’t run into the top-seeded Florida Gators until the Elite 8.

Drake are extremely underrated, as they have a blistering 30-3 record with a capable offense and the #2 scoring defense in the nation. The Bulldogs have used insanely good shooting from the outside (11th in three-point makes per game) and that stingy defense to wrap up the Missouri Valley regular season and conference tourney titles.

In addition, Drake enters the 2025 March Madness tournament in fantastic form. They’ve rattled off seven straight wins, and are 18-1 over their last 19 games. Their lone loss during that stretch? A 2-point loss to a decent 26-8 Bradley team.

Much like every other possible Cinderella team in March Madness, Drake doesn’t have an easy first round matchup. However, it’s one they can win, and their sharpshooting and stingy defense would make them an upset possibility in every game the rest of the way.

High Point

• Record: 29-5
• NCAA Regional: Midwest
• Championship Odds: +100000

The last March Madness Cinderella team to root for is High Point. I’m sure there’s a decent possibility you’ve never heard of them before, and there’s a good reason for that; this is the first time they’ve made it to the men’s college basketball tournament.

High Point was fairly dominant en route to their bid, however, as they went 29-5 on the year, claiming both the Big South regular season and conference tournament titles. The Panthers enjoyed balanced scoring and an explosive offense that put up 82.2 points per game (17th in the nation).

The Panthers rank 25th in offensive efficiency, are 25th in assists per game, and rank 25th in rebounding. This is a team that is balanced, gets after it offensively, and is highly efficient. Their problem? Their style of play doesn’t allow them to put up elite defensive numbers, and in round one they’ll run into a well-coached Purdue squad.

March Madness debuts are always tough to gauge, but when you get a dominant team with this much offensive upside, I tend to give it a whirl. High Point has also won 14 games in a row, so they enter their first ever foray with March Madness as hot as it gets.

Purdue will be a tough assignment, but if High Point can get past the Boilermakers they’d have a decent chance of advancing and (probably) taking on the #1 seeded Cougars. The Sweet 16 is about as far as I’d have them going, however.

Best Cinderella March Madness Teams of All-Time

The following is a list of our Top 5 March Madness Cinderella teams of all-time:

1. Villanova (1985)

I don’t know if anyone will ever top what Villanova did back in 1985. The Wildcats entered the tourney as an 8 seed and went on to win the whole thing. That doesn’t happen very often – or ever – and they’re still the lowest seed to claim the title.

Until another Cinderella runs the table at the 8-seed or lower, I’m not sure anyone can trump them in these Cinderella rankings.

2. George Mason (2006)

In terms of sheer aesthetics, George Mason takes the #2 spot in our Cinderella team rankings. This was a team that almost didn’t even reach the NCAA tourney due to losing in their conference tournament, but it’s a good thing they did.

The Patriots made the most of their golden opportunity, turning an 11-seed into a dream come true. George Mason took out big schools like North Carolina, Michigan State, and UConn en route to an improbable Elite 8 showing.

It didn’t end with a title, but George Mason kept the dream alive all the way to the Final Four.

3. VCU (2011)

Perhaps it’s recency bias, but VCU has to be considered one of the most impressive NCAA tourney Cinderellas ever. Much like George Mason, they did not receive an auto bid and entered the tournament as an 11-seed.

They also took advantage of merely getting their foot in the door, turning that chance into an insane run that put head coach Shaka Smart on the map. VCU initially cooked in their first three games, and didn’t run into any trouble until they barely beat Florida State in the Sweet 16.

VCU elevated their game from there, though, as they smoked Kansas and reached the Final Four.

4. Loyola Marymount (1990)

There is another Loyola team that almost made my top 5 Cinderella teams list, but it’s the 1990 squad that made the cut. The 11-seed Lions were truly impressive, as they routinely put on scoring displays, averaging an absurd 122.4 points per game during the season.

Loyola Marymount didn’t slow down much come March Madness time, as they won one of their tourney games by an insane score of 149-115. 

This team played with heavy hearts due to the death of Hank Gathers, but still found a way to make it all the way to the Elite 8. UNLV bested them at their own game in a wild 131-101 win.

5. LSU (1986)

You could make strong cases for numerous March Madness Cinderellas to make our top 5 list, but I’ll wrap things up with LSU. What they did back in 1986 has not been repeated; only 11-seed to beat the 1, 2, and 3, seeds in the same tournament, and they also went to the Final Four.

Their run was made more impressive by the strength of the teams they took out, but also the fashion in which they found a way to win. In their four wins, they won by an average of just four points per contest.