March Madness: 3 Cinderella Teams Who Could Shock the Tournament

March Madness has arrived!

Which sleeper teams have the best chance to make some noise and go on a Cinderella run this year?

Here are three teams with the potential to ruin brackets.

All March Madness odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and may change after this article is published. Stats come from Bart Torvik and KenPom.

March Madness Cinderella Teams for 2026

VCU

VCU has been a Cinderella before, dancing all the way to the Final Four in 2011. They can make some noise again this season.

The Rams were drawn as the 11 seed in the South Region, and a big part of their appeal -- at least in my eyes -- is their first-round matchup against North Carolina. I think that's a very winnable game for VCU, and so does FanDuel Sportsbook as the Rams are only 2.5-point underdogs (as of Sunday night).

VCU enters the Big Dance on a heck of a run as the Rams have lost just once since January 11, going 16-1 in that time. They defeated six Torvik top-100 teams in that span, with the lone loss coming on the road against a St. Louis team that made the NCAA Tournament as a 9 seed.

North Carolina is 5-4 across its past nine games and will be without star Caleb Wilson due to injury.

If the Rams can get past UNC, they'll see either 3 seed Illinois or 14 seed Penn before likely running into 2 seed Houston in the Sweet 16. While it won't be easy, VCU is as hot as anyone in the country, and with a not-that-bad first-round matchup, the Rams can go on a run.

UCLA

It feels like cheating to call UCLA a Cinderella. In terms of brands, they're as big as anyone. But in terms of seeding, the slipper fits this year as the Bruins are a 7 seed.

UCLA was likely under-seeded a bit as Torvik slots them 24th overall. Oddsmakers are a fan of them in the first round as they're 5.5-point favorites versus Central Florida.

If the Bruins can win their first game, they'll likely face 2 seed Connecticut in the second round. That's far from an easy game, but UConn rates out as the worst 2 seed in this season's field, with KenPom ranking the Huskies 11th overall.

All in all, while UCLA may feel hard done by with their seeding, the draw could've been worse.

UCLA is another team that is playing really good ball. They won four in a row prior to a Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Purdue, and two of those wins came against Nebraska and Michigan State. In said loss to Purdue, the Bruins were without Tyler Bilodeau due to injury and then lost star guard Donovan Dent to injury in the first half. Despite that, they fell by just seven to a Purdue team that's scorching hot.

Thankfully it sounds like UCLA will have both Dent and Bilodeau in the NCAA Tournament, and that makes them a scary 7 seed.

Santa Clara

Santa Clara landed a 10 seed, but they're a very strong team and can have some gripes with where they were seeded as Torvik ranks the Broncos 28th overall.

Led by an offense that sits 15th in the nation, per KenPom, Santa Clara is matched up with Kentucky in the opening round, a game where the Broncos are 3.5-point underdogs.

KenPom agrees with the market as it ranks UK 28th and Santa Clara 35th. But Torvik actually has the Broncos three spots in front of the Wildcats. Kentucky has been all over the place this season, and the 'Cats are just 4-6 over their last 10 games.

If the Broncos can knock off Kentucky, they'll probably see 2 seed Iowa State in the second round. Iowa State is a legitimate national title contender, so it's undoubtedly a tough path for Santa Clara. I just think they're dang good.

Santa Clara has lost only four times since Christmas -- three of those came at the hands of Gonzaga and the other was a road loss at St. Mary's. However, they also beat St. Mary's (Torvik's No. 25 overall team) twice in that span, so they've shown they can beat quality foes.

They're really good from three, with two of their three top scorers -- Christian Hammond (40.0%) and Allen Graves (41.6%) -- shooting at least 40.0% from deep. If they get hot from downtown, the Broncos can be a bracket buster.

Which March Madness odds stand out to you this year? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.