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The brackets have been finalized for the 2023 edition of March Madness. As we all delve into college basketball aficionados, a few teams have jumped on my radar as being a potential Cinderella. To be considered a Cinderella, a team must be a double-digit seed. Using 9-seed Auburn as a potential bracket buster doesn’t have the same charisma as looking down the barrel of a 13-seed breaking brains and brackets across the country. Here are the potential Cinderella squads from each region of the 2023 tournament.
South Region
12-seed CharlestonΒ
See you in the Sunshine State βοΈ#OurCity π΄π pic.twitter.com/ttVZdfItEP
— Charleston Basketball (@CofCBasketball) March 12, 2023
CBS’s Seth Davis was immediately on the Charleston Cougar upset train the moment the South Region was released. The Cougars are a 31-win team from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and will take on the San Diego State Kawhi Leonard’s in the opening round. The Cougars will be a popular pick to pull the upset in their opening game, and for a good reason. Any team with 30-plus wins heading into the big dance should be taken seriously.
East Region
12-seed Oral Roberts
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The #ORUMBB bandwagon is officially open! pic.twitter.com/xKtLeC4pXA— ORU Basketball (@ORUMBB) March 12, 2023
Another 12-seed lands on the potential Cinderella list this year, with Oral Roberts being a tough matchup for the ACC Conference Champion Duke Blue Devils. Maybe it’s just the Duke hate in me, but we’re all on the same page of rooting for this upset to happen, right? Oral Roberts will also bring a 30-win resume to the Big Dance, and recent success (2021 Sweet 16 appearance) in March Madness from the program will cause many eyes to be on this round-one matchup on Thursday.
Midwest Region
15-seed Colgate
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Weβll take on Texas in the first round of @MarchMadnessMBB on Thursday in Des Moines.#GoGate | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/MyagOlJHgY
— Colgate Men's Basketball (@ColgateMBB) March 12, 2023
Last year some of you were treated with 15-seed St. Peter’s, making the improbable run to the Elite 8. It was just the tenth time in history that a 15-seed defeated a 2-seed in March. Who could be that team this season? For me, it’s the Colgate Raiders. A team I knew nothing about until Selection Sunday will be taking on a Final Four favorite in Texas to open their tournament play. After this weekend, the word Colgate will be more than just a popular toothpaste brand.
West Region
13-seed Iona
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The Gaels will face the No. 4 UConn Huskies in Albany on Friday night!#IUMBB | #GaelNation pic.twitter.com/6eeWbEBa78
— Iona Menβs Basketball (@IonaGaelsMBB) March 12, 2023
Love him, or hate him, Ricky P is bringing another squad to the big dance. The Iona Gaels took care of business by winning the MAAC Conference Championship, and now Pitino is looking to be the perfect match for the 2023 glass slipper. The Gaels have a tough test in a team who historically knows a thing or two about running the table in March in the UCONN Huskies. However, I expect Pitino to have more than 15 seconds of euphoria this weekend.
