Last year it was 11th seeded Loyola Chicago which made an unforgettable run to the Final Four. In 2017, another 11-seed, Xavier, won its way to the Elite Eight and 7-seed South Carolina willed its way into the Final Four. In 2016, 10th seeded Syracuse advanced to the Final Four while another 7-seed Michigan State reached the national semifinals in 2015.

But what truly constitutes a Cinderella Run in the NCAA Tournament? Certainly a Low to Mid-Major double-digit seed making the Elite Eight or better is a good barometer, like the above-mentioned Loyola Chicago team. So, which programs have a chance to be this year’s surprise team?

Double-Digit Seed Cinderellas

10. Seton Hall

The 10-7 match-up between the Pirates and Wofford should be a dandy because both teams feature high-powered offenses. Myles Powell has the game takeover ability to carry a team to an NCAA Tournament victory, and sometimes, especially in March, that’s all an upstart club like Seton Hall might need.

The Pirates’ best wins this season came against Kentucky at Madison Square Garden and splits with Villanova, Marquette and St. John’s in Big East Conference regular season play. Seton Hall defeated Georgetown and Marquette before falling to Nova in the Big East Conference Tournament. The Pirates are 7-8 against teams that fall under the “Quadrant 1” category.

11. Saint Mary’s

The Gaels enter the field as the No. 11 seed and, if you put stock into what history says, that seed is known to make some noise in March. But it’s not just about the seed number with St. Mary’s. The Gaels are as well-coached as any team in the country as evidenced by their WCC Conference Tournament championship win over the then-No. 1 team in the country, Gonzaga.

Jordan Ford is as dynamic of a scorer as you’ll find, while wings Malik Fitts and Tanner Krebs are both shooting the three-ball at over 40 percent. Though Villanova isn’t the same team it was last year, getting by the defending national champs will be a tough task.

11. Belmont

The Bruins advanced with a First Four win over Temple on Tuesday and 6-seed Maryland better watch out, because this squad can put points on the board in a hurry. Belmont is led by 6-foot-8 senior Dylan Windler who is putting up a double-double on average this season pouring in 21.4 points and pulling down 10.7 rebounds a game. Windler just missed the elusive 50-40-90 shooting percentage mark with a 54.8 overall field goal percentage, while connecting on three-pointers at a 43 clip and free throws at an 84.6 rate.

Belmont has plenty more options outside of its 6-8 wing, including Kevin McClain (16.3 points per game) and freshman forward Nick Muszynski (14.9 points per game), but keep an eye on point guard Grayson Murphy. The 6-foot-2 freshman scores around 10 points a game, but he orchestrates one of the most potent offensive attacks in the country as Belmont ranks second in scoring offense, producing 87.4 points per game.

12. Murray State

Like Seton Hall, Murray State is paced by one of the fastest-rising stars in all of college basketball this season: The electric Ja Morant. Morant, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound sophomore point guard, is leading the country in assists at 10 per contest and is eighth in the country in scoring average at 24.6 points per game. Morant has shot up the mock draft boards and is projected to go as high as No. 2 in the 2019 NBA Draft.

While Morant alone makes the Racers dangerous, Murray State has three others scoring in double figures this season. Shaq Buchanan (13.0), Tevin Brown (11.7) and Darnell Cowart (10.4) are all capable of supplementing Morant’s high scoring nights with ones of their own. Murray State opens with Marquette which features a high-level guard in its own right in National Player of the Year candidate Markus Howard. This match-up should be one of the most entertaining games of the opening rounds.

UC Irvine is the trendiest upset pick in the 2019 NCAA Tournament field. Can the Anteaters make a deep run in march? (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

13. UC Irvine

The Anteaters are the No. 13-seed in the South and will take on Kansas State in the first round on Friday. UCI is in the midst of one of its best seasons in program history, winning a school-record 30 games compared to just five losses and the ‘Eaters lost only one game in Big West conference play. Irvine is riding a 16-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament, including a 92-64 waxing of Cal State Fullerton in the Big West championship game. UCI ranks fourth in the country in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 37.9 percent from the field on the season.

The Anteaters have the ideal combination of size and skill in the paint to go along with multiple guards who can knock down open three-point shots. Six-foot-10 senior center Jonathan Galloway is the defensive anchor in the middle, while Tommy Rutherford, Collin Welp and Elston Jones are all capable of getting a basket in isolation on the block. Max Hazzard has had a breakout season at the guard position and is joined in the back-court by another sharpshooter in Evan Leonard. UCI boasts a lot of depth, as well, as head coach Russell Turner has six guys who play big minutes off the bench.

14. Yale

The Bulldogs are the prototypical team that “shocks” people come March. Yale is experienced, well-balanced offensively, paced by senior leadership and have a potential NBA prospect on the roster in Miye Oni, who is just a junior. Oni leads the team in both scoring and assists at 17.6 points and 3.5 dimes per game, while also pulling down 6.3 rebounds per contest. The Bulldogs score at a feature three others who score in double-figures in Alex Copeland (13.8), Blake Reynolds (11.4) and Jordan Bruner (10.2).

Yale ranks in the top 30 in the country in points scored per game at 81.1 and will need to put plenty of buckets on the board to keep pace with the hyper-athletic LSU team they face in the opening round. LSU might be more susceptible to upset seeing that it is without head coach Will Wade who was suspended for his alleged role in the college basketball pay-for-play scandal.

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While those players are bonafide first round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, the guys you’ll find below are more along the lines of under-appreciated or unheralded based on their skill and production.

Jordan Ford, Saint Mary’s

Ford is the catalyst for the Gaels offense. A First-Team All-West Coast Conference selection, he tied BYU’s Yoel Childs for the conference scoring title at 21.5 points per game. Ford polished off his stellar pre-NCAA tournament campaign with 17 points in St. Mary’s upset of then-No. 1 Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament title game.

We already discussed Ford’s ability to score in bunches, but it’s the variety of ways in which he does it that makes him so fun to watch. The 6-foot-1 point guard has the ball on a string, which allows him to take advantage of his elite speed and stop-and-go ability. Ford is a master space creator both on the perimeter and in the paint, which lends to his ability to create shots in just about any situation. He’s shooting 42.3 percent from distance this season and 80 percent from the free throw line. St. Mary’s is the 11-seed in the South and will begin tournament play against 6-seed Villanova Thursday on TBS.

Wofford senior Fletcher Magee leads NCAA Division I with 151 three-point field goals made this season. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fletcher Magee, Wofford

Magee is perhaps the most lethal three-point shooter in all of college hoops. The senior leads the country in trifecta’s made with 151 and is second to Campbell’s Chris Clemons (376) with 353 attempts from deep, those figures are good for just under a 43 percent clip from behind the arc. The senior, who is averaging 20.5 points this season, has made the second-most three-point field goals in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history, recently passing Duke’s J.J. Redick and trials the all-time mark of 504, set by Oakland’s Travis Bader, by two.

What makes Magee such a difficult cover is, as mentioned with another great shooter above, how he sets up and comes off of screens to free himself up. The 6-foot-4, 200 pounder can stop-and-pop off of a dead sprint, square himself to the basket mid-air, and hit those normally tough looks with consistency. Wofford opens the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed in the Midwest taking on 10-seed Seton Hall Thursday on CBS.

Sam Merrill, Utah State

Merrill is certainly a name making his way into more and more households after he was named the Mountain West Player of the Year after leading the Aggies to a share of the league title (with Nevada) and earned the MVP of the Conference Tournament as Utah State defeated San Diego State in the championship game to seal a berth in the NCAA Tournament behind 24 points from the junior.

At first glance, Merrill’s numbers pop off the screen with averages of 21.2 points and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 90.7 percent from the charity stripe. What you’ll notice most about the 6-foot-5 guard is, of course, his smooth 3-point shooting stroke, but also his ability to move without the basketball. Merrill utilizes screens as good as anyone you’ll find in the college game, makes overzealous defenders bite with shot fakes and is a crafty finisher around the cup. Utah State is the 8-seed in the Midwest and will take on 9-seed Washington Friday on TNT.

Utah State junior Sam Merrill was named Mountain West Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

Myles Powell, Seton Hall

The junior has continued to make steady progress from very reliable role player as a freshman, to solid starter as a sophomore and now one of the breakout stars this season in college basketball. Powell’s 22.9 points per game rank 13th in the country and he’s producing buckets in every way imaginable. Powell is shooting 45 percent from the field, 36.3 from three-point range and 84.6 from the free throw line and has put up 28 or more points on nine different occasions this season, including a 40-point effort against Grand Canyon in a Wooden Legacy quarterfinal win over Grand Canyon.

Powell is not afraid to take and make the big shot with the game on the line and has hit a handful of clutch three-pointers over the course of his Pirates’ career. Many of the clips you’ll see on the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder will show that he isn’t bashful about when and where he pulls from and he gets great lift on his jump shot. Powell has nailed 103 triples so far this season. Seton Hall, a 10-seed, will find itself in a shootout against 7-seed Wofford Thursday on CBS.

Shizz Alston, Jr., Temple

Alston was named a First-Team All-American Athletic Conference performer after tying for the conference scoring title at 19.7 points per game and finishing top five in assists, three-pointers, free throws, assist-to-turnover ratio and minutes played. Alston has scored 20 or more points in each of his last eight games leading up to the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-4 senior boasts a wiry, but strong frame at 180 pounds and creates well for himself and others off the dribble. Alston is a tough shot taker and maker and is also a knock-down free throw shooter, hitting freebies at a 90.6 percent clip this season. One of his best attributes is his willingness to move the ball ahead via the pass in transition. The Owls will take on Belmont Tuesday in a First Four match-up on TRUTV.

Payton Pritchard, Oregon

Pritchard won’t blow the viewer away with freakish athleticism or flashy passes, but the Ducks’ signal caller embodies what a true point guard brings to the table. The junior has started all 35 games for Oregon this season and ranks top 10 in the country in total minutes played at 1,234 (35.3 minutes per game).

Pritchard, who didn’t make either First or Second-Team All Pac-12, is averaging 12.7 points and 4.5 assists on the season, ranks among the top 50 in assist-to-turnover ratio and is hitting free throws at a 84.3 percent clip. Oregon needed to win the Pac-12 Tournament to make the field of 68 and did so with a convincing 20-point victory over top-seeded Washington. Oregon enters the field as a dangerous 12-seed, taking on 12-seed Wisconsin Friday on TBS.

CJ Massinburg, Buffalo

When you talk about a player who fills up the stat sheet, Massinburg fits that mold. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder is averaging 18.7 points, six rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 39.6 from three in leading the Bulls to a 31-3 record on the season. Massinburg’s performance earned him the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year award as Buffalo won both the regular season and conference tournament titles.

The senior was an outstanding player last year as a junior and put his skill on display when the 13th seeded Bulls upset 4th seeded Arizona in opening round. Massinburg scored 19 points in that game and has the game-changing ability to lead Buffalo to a strong 2019 tournament run. The Bulls are a 6-seed and will play the winner of the Arizona State/St. John’s play-in game Friday on TNT.

Justin Simon, St. John’s

Simon was a highly-touted player coming out of high school and spent his first collegiate season at Arizona where he played limited minutes. The 6-foot-5 guard made his way back east to the Red Storm where he’s turned into one of the best perimeter and team defenders in the country.

Simon’s offensive numbers are respectable at 10.4 points and 3.2 assists per game, but it’s what he does as on-ball defender, defensive rebounder, shot blocker and ability to shoot passing lanes for steals that shows his true impact on the game. Those who watch a lot of Big East hoops know Simon well as he was named Defensive Player of the Year in the conference. St. John’s will take on Arizona State in a First Four game Wednesday on TRUTV.

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