Collegiate Times

Each year, when the NCAA tournament is all said and done, it's hard not to look back and remember the shocking upsets.

More specifically, the teams that captivate the nation and pull off a string of wins. We know them as Cinderellas. This has been more commonplace since the field expanded in 1985. So the likes of Binghamton, San Diego State, Temple and Mississippi State can use these 10 schools below as inspiration.

1. George Mason, 2006

Some said it didn't deserve to be in the tournament. Nevertheless, Mason received an at-large bid and a No. 11 seed, much in part to winning a school-best 23 games. All this Colonial Athletic Association club did was defeat Big Ten power Michigan State and defending champion North Carolina in the first weekend. Against the Tar Heels, the Patriots rebounded from an early 16-2 deficit to win 65-60.

GMU then got the benefit of playing just miles from its Fairfax home in the regionals. At Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center, Mason beat fellow Cinderella-hopeful Wichita State in the Sweet 16. That meant a meeting with tourney favorite and top-seeded Connecticut for a right to go to the Final Four.

George Mason's two-point lead with seconds remaining in regulation was erased when UConn's Denham Brown made a reverse layup at the buzzer - sending the contest into overtime. Unfazed, the Patriots grabbed the advantage again in the waning moments of the extra session.

Up a pair with 6.1 seconds left, Mason center Jai Lewis missed both foul shots. After Brown corralled the rebound, he dribbled to the other end and tried a three-pointer that clanked off the rim as time expired.

 GMU's 86-84 win - which made it the first mid-major since 1979 to reach the Final Four - is considered one of the most shocking upsets in NCAA tournament history.

Midnight struck in the national semifinals, where the Patriots lost to eventual champ Florida.

2. North Carolina State, 1983

Head coach Jim Valvano and his Wolfpack ended the regular season 17-10 and needed to win the ACC Tournament just to qualify for the NCAAs. The Cardiac 'Pack then went through a string of squeakers. First, it was a double overtime, opening-round win over Pepperdine, 69-67.

Then, sixth-seeded State topped UNLV, 71-70, in round two followed later by a triumph over Virginia in the regional final, 63-62. At the Final Four in Albuquerque, Georgia was the next victim. But the final hurdle would be the most daunting task of all. The Houston Cougars played an up-tempo style that was virtually unstoppable. Known as the Phi Slamma Jamma, they featured players such as Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

But the Wolfpack led at halftime and fatigued the Cougars into miscues down the stretch. Nevertheless, State trailed by a point with under a minute to play and with possession of the ball. Trying to set up a game-winner, The Wolfpack's Derrick Whittenberg threw up a desperation shot that fell short. But there to retrieve the "pass" was Lorenzo Charles, who caught and scored prior to the final horn, giving Jimmy V and North Carolina State the most improbable of national championships.

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