Here's to Cinderella crashing the big dance...

Houston prepare for Liftoff!!

It's time for NCAA March Madness!!! Also known as "the Big Dance"!!! For reference: this is the annual college basketball tournament that begins with 64 teams and  eventually dwindles down to the final four (in Houston,TX this year) and finally a national champion is proclaimed.
I do not know who coined the term the "Big Dance", but a sports aficianado did and it stuck. Hence, the nickname "Cinderella" was given to the teams who were/are considered the underdogs and they went on/will go on to beat the powerhouse teams! Some of these games are classic David v. Goliath situations, which to me makes them so thrilling to watch.
So in the spirit of the CSJ's, here's a tribute to the underdogs-those Cinderella's who went on to crash the Dance; or those David's who defeated Goliath!
Courtesy of BleacherReport.com and Espn.com, here are a few great stories:
1.) Villanova Wildcats 1985: Came as a virtual unknown into the tournament. Went on to beat teams such as Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina and ultimately defeated Georgetown for the National Championship!
2.) Penn Quakers 1979: Yes, that U. of Penn, the Ivy League school! Against all odds, the quakers made it to the Final Four!
3.)Gonzaga Zags 1999: I can not believe its been 12 years since the Gonzaga zags were put on the map by their run in the '99 tourney! I remember this year as the Catholic university team came out of nowhere to make it to the Elite Eight before getting beat! Since then, they have been back to the tourney and are hardly a Cinderella!
4.) George Mason Patriots 2006: The Patriots impressively made it to the Final Four!
5.) and in 1996 My Alma Mater Mississippi State Bulldogs made it to the Final Four against the odds!!!
So for this year here are some teams that could be Cinderella crashing the ball:
the Oakland Golden Grizzlies; the Richmond Spiders
the Belmont Bruins;the Utah State Aggies
the Bucknell Bison; or the St. Peter's Peacocks!!
 I say one of these teams will indeed be Cinderella this year but go Notre Dame Fighting Irish!!!
Later~Clare