Published 4 days ago • loading... • Updated 3 days ago

Don't write off future Cinderella teams just because it's an all-power conference Sweet 16

In the 2024-2025 NCAA tournament, all 16 regional semifinalists are from power conferences, a stark contrast to recent years that have seen Cinderella stories unfold Part: 1, Part: 64.
The rise of the transfer portal and NIL deals are theorized to be concentrating talent at bigger schools, making it harder for mid-major programs to retain players and compete at the highest level, as suggested by BYU coach Kevin Young and Alabama coach Nate Oats Part: 2, Part: 5, Part: 62.
Previously, teams like Loyola-Chicago , Oral Roberts , Saint Peter's , and Princeton made unexpected runs to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond, capturing national attention and embodying the spirit of March Madness Part: 1, Part: 65.
Coaches like Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and Kentucky's Mark Pope acknowledge the changing landscape but suggest it's too early to definitively say the era of Cinderella teams is over, emphasizing that upsets are still possible due to the depth of talent and the single-elimination format Part: 5, Part: 61, Part: 62.
Despite the current dominance of power conferences, coaches like Nate Oats believe mid-major programs that effectively recruit young talent will still have opportunities to achieve March success, and the NCAA tournament's single-elimination format will continue to allow for Cinderella stories Part: 3, Part: 26, Part: 59.

Insights by Ground AI

Does this summary seem wrong?

55 Articles

All

Left

Center

Right

Omaha World-Herald

+37 Reposted by 37 other sources

Center

Don't write off future Cinderella teams just because it's an all-power conference Sweet 16

Nearly every year there’s at least one underdog that rises from obscurity in the NCAA Tournament to capture the hearts of basketball fans and bust their brackets. Not this year.

4 days ago·Omaha, United States

Read Full Article

The Morning Journal

Center

Don’t write off future Cinderellas just because it’s an all-power conference Sweet 16, coaches say

By ERIC OLSON INDIANAPOLIS — Nearly every year there’s at least one lovable underdog that rises from obscurity in the NCAA Tournament to capture the hearts of basketball fans and bust their brackets. Not this year. All 16 regional semifinalists are from power conferences for the first time since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The popular theory is that the transfer portal has led to a concentration of the best players at the big schoo…

4 days ago

Read Full Article

Newsday

+11 Reposted by 11 other sources

Center

Don't write off future Cinderellas just because it's an all-power conference Sweet 16, coaches say

Nearly every year there's at least one lovable underdog that rises from obscurity in the NCAA Tournament to capture the hearts of basketball fans and bust their brackets.

4 days ago·United States

Read Full Article

Sports Al Dente

Coaches warn not to dismiss potential Cinderellas, despite an all-power conference Sweet 16

Almost every year, at least one unexpected team surprises everyone in the NCAA Tournament, capturing the hearts of basketball fans and ruining their brackets. This year, that didn’t happen. For the first time since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985, all 16 regional semifinalists are from major conferences. Many believe this is because the transfer portal has caused the best players to gather at the big schools that offer the most NIL mone…

3 days ago

Read Full Article

thehoya.com

Chalk Madness! First Two Rounds of the NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Tournament Dominated by Favorites

It’s March, which means spring is in the air, cherry blossoms are blooming here in Washington, D.C., and the weather is warming up. But most importantly, March Madness is upon us. The NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, popularly known as March Madness, kicked off on March 18 and March 19 with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. The First Four consisted of two games determining the No. 11 seeds in the South and Midwest region and two game…

4 days ago

Read Full Article