- March Madness is back!
- Each year, one team emerges as the "Cinderella" story of the tournament.
- Below we go through the Cinderella teams from every year since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
- Check out the rest of our March Madness coverage here.
March Madness is back, meaning sports fans around the country are building their brackets, hoping to pick this year's Cinderella team.
Every year, at least one team comes from seemingly out of nowhere to make a deeper-than-expected run through the tournament. While most Cinderella runs fade out around the Elite Eight or Final Four, there have been a few underdogs that rode the momentum to a national championship.
Take a look below at the Cinderella teams from every year since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
1985 — No. 8 Villanova
The first Cinderella in the era of the 64-team bracket may be the greatest in history. The 8-seed Villanova Wildcats went on a magical run through the tournament, taking down the likes of Michigan, Maryland, and North Carolina before defeating Georgetown in the final.
Oddly enough, the Cinderella run was almost over before it started — their closest game of the tournament was a first-round matchup against Dayton, which Villanova won 51-49. No win would be that close until their 66-64 championship victory over the Hoyas.
To this day, no team ranked lower than an 8-seed has gone on to win the tournament.
1986 — No. 11 LSU
The 1986 LSU Tigers also had a compelling run through the tournament, reaching the Final Four as an 11-seed.
It was another run that almost didn't survive the first round — the Tigers needed double-overtime to defeat Purdue in their opening game. From there, LSU went on a tear, taking down Memphis State, Georgia Tech, and No. 1 Kentucky before falling to eventual champion Louisville in the Final Four.
1987 — No. 10 LSU
LSU put together another Cinderella run the very next season, this time as a 10-seed.
The Tigers defeated Georgia Tech in their opening game and then going on to take down No. 2 Temple and No. 3 DePaul in impressive upsets. In the Elite Eight, they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers 77-76, falling just short of repeating their impressive Final Four run from the previous year.
The Hoosiers would go on to win the tournament.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider