March Madness 2023: Cinderella Candidates

Fans across the country are looking for resources to help them win their bracket pools this week. We have betting systems, general bracket advice, and national championship odds that we'll be updating week to week throughout the tournament. To get things started we have three Cinderellas to consider in this year's tournament. 

(13) Furman Paladins

SoCon Champions - 27-7 Overall - 89th in KenPom

The ‘Dins were white hot down the stretch, finishing 14-1 SU in their final 15 games. Head coach Bob Richey is a rising star in the coaching ranks having reached 23+ wins in four of his six years in Greenville. And Richey isn’t just “X-ing and O-ing” his way to wins, he has the benefit of a loaded mid-major roster. Mike Bothwell is one of the best guards you’ll see at this year’s NCAA Tournament. The senior guard averages 18/3/3 and is unflappable at the charity stripe. While he gives teams fits on the perimeter, Jalen Slawson is stuffing stat sheets on the low block. The six-foot-seven big averages 15.7 points per game and chips in 3.2 “stocks” per night. He does it all while shooting a smooth 40% from downtown. 

Generally speaking, drawing Virginia can be problematic for teams because the Cavaliers famed “Pack Line” defense can make life hard on opposing offenses. But the Paladins like to play a “five-out” motion offense and finished the season as the nation’s top shooting team inside the arc. They are ruthlessly efficient in the half court and while UVA is sure to limit easy transition buckets, Furman has the scoring punch to win a low-scoring affair. It also helps that UVA failed to score 64 in regulation eight times in the last 11 games. If Furman sneaks past the ACC regular season co-champs, they could be in line to pull another upset against a San Diego State team that struggles to shoot from the floor. 

(12) Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

Summit League Champions - 30-4 Overall - 56th in KenPom

The Golden Eagles can run with anyone. This was on full-display two years ago when they reached the Sweet 16 as a 15-seed, upsetting Ohio State and Florida along the way. The star of that Cinderella run was Max Abmas (pronounced Ace-muss). And guess who is back this March? You guess it, Abmas. The human heat-check averaged 22 points per game this season on 37.7% shooting from long range. He’s also a genuine late-game asset because he’s nails from the foul line (91.8%). When he and the Golden Eagles are cooking, no lead is safe. Oral Roberts led the nation in “Kill Shots,” which are runs of 10-0 or more. 

Defensively, ORU has improved greatly under head coach Paul Mills. They finished the season 75th in defensive efficiency and a big part of that was their gargantuan man in the middle, Connor Vanover. The seven-foot-five shot-blocker finished second nationally with 3.3 swats per game. They’ll need their Arkansas-transfer to limit easy buckets for the Blue Devils who can counter with a pair of athletic seven footers (Filipowski, Lively II). 

In the end, ORU is such a well-oiled machine offensively (82.5 ppg) that there’s reason to believe they can replicate the magic from 2021. They’re seventh nationally in effective field goal percentage, top five in both three point attempts and makes and shoot incredibly well as a team from the foul line (78.4%, 10th). Duke split with the last “elite” offense they faced (Miami FL), which is why they could be caught off-guard by an ORU team who has won 17 straight games. 

(15) North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs

Big South Champions - 27-7 Overall - 146th in KenPom

This time of year puts a premium on the KYP angle, as in “Know Your Personnel.” UCLA has been a dominate team for the past two months, but they’re headed into their first round matchup with UNC Asheville banged up. The Bruins lost Jaylen Clark to an achilles injury and that’s a major blow because he was awarded Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Additionally, UCLA may be without Adem Bona. If he cannot play or is limited, that’s bad news for the Bruins because UNCA has one special player on their roster and he plays on the low block.

Drew Pember was languishing on the bench in Tennessee, barely seeing the floor for his hometown Volunteers in two seasons. He decided to transfer to Asheville and has since become a borderline All-American. Pember averages 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 stocks per game. In terms of “NBA Efficiency,” he is the fifth-rated player in all of college basketball, ahead of star bigs like Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and Kansas’ Jalen Wilson. One of his best attributes is how often he gets to the line and the common theme in UCLA’s last three losses has been the Bruins’ willingness to put opponents on the line.

In the event that Pember doesn’t explode for a 30+ point performance, the Bulldogs still have an ace up their sleeve. Asheville finished sixth in three point shooting percentage this season (38.8%). Tajion Jones and Fletcher Abee both shot better than 42% from long range this season and have the potential to drain 4+ triples in this game. Mick Cronin, before his recent run in Westwood, had shown a willingness to lay down in the first round. Cronin teams have dropped their opening game in the Round of 64 on six occasions.