March Madness has always been about the Cinderellas. They are what makes March Madness different from other sporting events. Small schools that make the tournament pull off massive upsets and unforgettable runs. However, in the past two tournaments, this hasn’t been the case. Is the story of Cinderella dead?
Last year’s bracket had fewer deep runs from double-digit seed and this year felt very similar. Now don’t get me wrong, there were still upsets, but the story of Cinderella is starting to fade. There are still teams pulling off upsets, especially in the 11 and 12 seed range, but even though they win one game, there are fewer runs than ever. The top of the competition in college basketball has never seemed more far ahead of the rest of college basketball than right now.
A big reason for this shift, in my opinion, is the transfer portal and NIL. Major programs can reload their rosters quickly through the transfer portal. They can fix any holes in their roster they have, and they usually take the best players from these mid-majors. If a mid-major player develops a star, that player usually leaves for a massive check from a powerhouse the following offseason. This is making it harder for smaller teams to be consistent, because if they’re good, then they lose half their roster. This makes it hard for them to build chemistry and establish a team.
Now, powerhouse programs have more depth, athleticism, and way better players. This is why the top teams in the country literally dominate everyone, there is just a massive skill gap between the top of the competition and everyone else. This is why Cinderella can still land a big upset, but why don’t we see these iconic Cinderella runs as much anymore? The story of Cinderella is not completely gone, but the glass slipper is only a temporary fit in modern college basketball.
