Five Most Memorable March Madness Cinderella Runs

Underdogs are the main reason why the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is one of the most anticipated sporting events each year. There is nothing more college basketball fans enjoy than getting behind a mid-major team making an unthinkable run at glory. These five Cinderella mid-major teams stayed alive long enough to etch themselves into March Madness lore.

5: Gonzaga (1999) -- This is where it all started for a team that is now identified among the college basketball elite. Entering the tournament as a 10 seed, Gonzaga knocked off Minnesota, Stanford and Florida to reach the Elite Eight for the only time in school history. The Zags eventually fell to no. 1 seed Connecticut which went on to win the first of three NCAA titles.

4: Davidson (2008) -- Before Jimmer Fredette, there was Stephen Curry. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry nearly singlehandedly willed Davidson into uncharted territory. Curry was a beast in scoring basket after basket to propel the Wildcats to within a basket of making the Final Four. He averaged 32 points per game in leading past Davidson past Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin before it finally fell to eventual national champion Kansas in the Elite Eight.

3: George Mason (2006) -- The Patriots broke through the glass ceiling by becoming the first true mid-major team to advance to the Final Four since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. One of the great ironies is that many so-called experts blasted the committee for awarding George Mason an at-large bid and giving it an 11 seed, saying the Patriots did not deserve to make the tournament. George Mason silenced the critics in impressive fashion, knocking off Michigan State, defending champ North Carolina and top seed Connecticut to reach the Final Four.

2: VCU (2011) -- The similarities between the Rams and George Mason five years earlier were uncanny. VCU was one of the last four teams in and played in the inaugural First Four round against USC. Many critics said the Rams had stolen an at-large bid from a more deserving BCS Conference team. All VCU did was win five straight games -- punctuated by an upset of no. 1 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight -- to become just the third 11 seed to reach the Final Four.

1: Butler (2010 & 2011) -- The Bulldogs set the benchmark for all mid-majors past and future with back-to-back runs to the NCAA Championship games. A 61-59 title game loss to Duke in 2010 is still considered one of the greatest championship games in college basketball history. An mind-numbingly awful 53-41 loss to Connecuticut in the 2011 title game set the sport back several decades with the inept offense shown on both sides. Still, it does not diminish the fact that Butler is in a rare category as one of only a handful of teams to reach the NCAA Championship game in consecutive seasons.

NCAA Basketball: Southwest Region Breakdown

March Madness is here and it really is the most exciting time of the year. Nothing rivals seeing an underdog make a run through the NCAA Tournament or seeing a team win in dramatic fashion on an incredible buzzer-beater.

Here is my breakdown on the Southwest Region:

Southwest Region –

Overseeded: Georgetown

The Hoyas were not the same team over the past month without injured point guard Chris Wright. Before Wright got hurt, Georgetown could beat anybody. Without him, the Hoyas lost to just about everybody. Wright supposedly will be ready to go against VCU. Unless he is at 100 percent, I could see Georgetown bowing out as a first weekend upset victim for the third time in four years.

Underseeded: Richmond

How do you win the Atlantic-10, beat Purdue and end up with a 12 seed? The Spiders are much better than your typical 12 seed and are more than capable of knocking off Vanderbilt in the second round. Richmond runs the Princeton offense to perfection and if the Spiders can get to the basket, the Commodores will have a hard time keeping it close.

Darkhorse: Texas A&M

No one is saying anything about the Aggies, but it is not wise to overlook a team coached by Mark Turgeon. Texas A&M has a habit of doing well with lower seeds and have a decent shot at reaching the Elite Eight if the Aggies can knock off Notre Dame in the third round.

Region winner: Kansas

The Jayhawks were the runaway favorite to win it all last year until falling to Northern Iowa in shocking fashion in the round of 32. I see that early exit being a motivator this time around. Kansas is too deep and too talented to not reach the Final Four in 2011.