4 Potential March Madness Cinderella Teams Worth Watching Now

There is a tried and true tradition every Selection Sunday. The NCAA Tournament field is released, and brackets become completely consuming. Every person fills out their bracket differently, but there’s usually one common denominator during a first attempt. March Madness is Madness because of Cinderella, but you don’t have enough of them in your bracket.

That’s when I turn on a podcast or flip on the TV to hear what the college basketball “experts” have to say about the potential upset makers with a 12, 13, or 14 next to their name. They will tell you that all of these teams are better than you think. Each one has a different team to watch out for that could “make some noise” in March Madness.

Instead of relying on the talking heads, you could start watching Cinderella now. I know it can be a mighty undertaking, particularly when the top dogs in the sport are playing so well, but let me give you a few names of teams you should lay your two eyes on before you see their names on Selection Sunday.

Miami (Oh)

Every casual college basketball fan knows this undefeated team’s story by now, but have you actually watched them play? They shoot the shit out of the ball. Pardon my French, but that’s the only way to describe it. Every time they throw it up, you think it’s going in. They rank third nationally in 2-point field goal percentage (62.1%), 12th in 3-point shooting (38.3%), and fourth in effective field goal shooting percentage (60.0%).

Next Game: Friday, Feb 20 vs. Bowling Green, 8:30 PM ET, CBSSN

Austin Peay

Remember when the Austin Peay head coach went viral during Championship Week for wearing camo pants on the sidelines? Now the attention is on what his team is doing in between the lines. The Governors nearly knocked off Ole Miss and have just one loss in ASun play. They almost added another on Thursday, but despite a Chris Webber-like mistake, they miraculously pulled out a road win.

YOU'LL NEVER BELEIVE THIS🤯🤯

Austin Peay and North Florida just had one of the CRAZIEST endings in CBB History!

Excessive Timeouts tech into a Buzzer Beater winner with under 2 seconds remaining pic.twitter.com/yo17YX5KqU

— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) February 20, 2026

Next Game: Saturday, Feb 21 vs. Jacksonville, 7 PM ET, ESPN+

Santa Clara

The West Coast Conference is typically only a two-bid league. Things are different this year, thanks to the Fighting Steve Nashes. The Broncos’ only losses in WCC play are to Gonzaga, the second of which they had a lead with 10 minutes to go.

Santa Clara has a high-scoring offense that ranks in the Top 30 in points per game and adjusted offensive efficiency. They also aren’t wholly reliant on one player to get it done. It’s fun to bet on a hand to get hot in March Madness, but a balanced attack raises the floor, and that’s what this potential at-large team is bringing to the table.

Next Game: Saturday, Feb 21 at San Francisco, 10 PM ET, CBSSN

Saint Louis

Josh Schertz can coach some ball. We all learned the name when Indiana State and Cream Abdul-Jabbar got snubbed from the NCAA Tournament following the 2024 season. Within two years, he’s already got the Billikens rockin’ and rollin’.

Robbie Avila stole the show for the Sycamores, but beneath the Arch, this is a balanced, fine-tuned machine. Five players average double-figures in points for the sixth-highest-scoring team in college basketball. There’s one specific column in the KenPom numbers that pops off the page. Not only do they rank No. 2 in effective field goal percentage, but they’re also No. 1 on defense in effective field goal percentage, too.

Hopefully, an Atlantic 10 Tournament title is not required for St. Louis to experience March Madness. They did get a non-conference win over the aforementioned Santa Clara, but there’s not much else that sticks out. On Tuesday, they lost their first A-10 game of the season at Rhode Island, and tonight they’ll get a chance to bounce back against the second-best team in the league.

Next Game: Friday, Feb 20 vs. VCU, 7 PM ET, ESPN2