March Madness: Ranking the 10 biggest Cinderellas of 2017's NCAA tournament and their stars

The best part of the madness that inevitably consumes March is undoubtedly the Davids who take down Goliaths in the NCAA tournament. It's Middle Tennessee stunning Michigan State in '16. It's Florida Gulf Coast knocking off Georgetown in '14. It's VCU's Final Four in 2011. George Mason's Final Four in 2006.

It's Cinderella runs that first introduced us to Steph Curry on Davidson's Elite Eight team in '08. And it's through Cinderella runs that Gonzaga — on an epic 1999 Elite Eight run — evolved into the No. 1 seed-caliber program we see in this year's tournament.

BRACKET TIPS: March Madness guide

BOLD PROJECTIONS: 7 wild ones

MOMENTUM: 8 hottest teams

Who will it be this year? Here's a look at the contenders based on best probability of a first-round upset.

1. Middle Tennessee State

The 12th-seeded Blue Raiders (30-4) were deserving of a much better seed after winning the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. Coach Kermit Davis had a team on no one's radar last season when the unthinkable happened with a Michigan State upset. But this year MTSU is a name that will surely stand out on a bracket. The Blue Raiders have a favorable 5-12 matchup against an unhealthy Minnesota team, and this year's squad is far better than last year's. Forward Reggie Upshaw and sharpshooter Giddy Potts are again key stars on this team, but it's been the emergence of JaCorey Williams (17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg), an Arkansas transfer who sat out last season, who makes this team so dangerous.

2. Florida Gulf Coast

How could you forget Dunk City? While 2014's thrilling Cinderella run put this team on the map, it's been the arrival of coach Joe Dooley that's positioned this program to be a perennial bracket-buster from the Atlantic Sun. And this year's 14th-seeded Eagles are as high-flying and offensively super-charged as ever before, dunking on opponents and shooting at 50% from the field (ranking fifth nationally). The difference-maker has been on the defensive end, where Dooley has strengthened this team. The main reason FGCU is upset-ready is largely based on its first-round opponent, a rather vulnerable Florida State squad that's gone .500 in its last eight ACC games. Guard Brandon Goodwin (18.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.0 apg) is the face of this year's Eagles.

3. Vermont 

The Catamounts were unbeaten during the America East conference regular season and are on a 21-game winning streak. That's the best in the land. Vermont, which opens as a No. 13 seed against Purdue on Thursday, could play spoiler. The Catamounts go nine or 10 deep and shoot a shade under 50% from the field (49.5). UVM’s defense allows just 63.2 points per game (19th in the nation) while its offense hung 80-plus points on opponents 10 times this season.

4. UNC Wilmington

The 12th-seeded Seahawks (29-5), winners of seven in a row, won the CAA and have a really high-octane offense — averaging more than 85 points a game — to knock off a defensive-minded Virginia squad that's prone to get cold on the offensive end.

C.J. Bryce (17.6 ppg) is the straw that stirs the drink for UNC Wilmington.

5. Princeton 

As far as teams that are hot, the 12th-seeded Tigers (23-6) have won 19 games in a row, which included winning the Ivy League regular season and inaugural tournament crown in a year where two other Cinderella candidates — Harvard and Yale — made Princeton's run pretty tough. They accomplished that by playing stellar defense, limiting opponents to less than 62 points a game. A recipe that bodes well for all bracket-busting teams tends to be great three-point shooting and Mitch Henderson's group averages more than 10 triples a game to rank top-10 in the country. The Tigers got a tough draw in facing Notre Dame, but an upset isn't out of the cards.

6. East Tennessee State

The 13th-seeded Buccaneers (27-7) won the Southern tournament to punch their ticket to the dance and are facing a defensively-sound Florida team — in Orlando — which isn't the best of matchups for this team. ETSU is great at forcing turnovers, ranking in the top-20 nationally in steals per game. Their best player is guard T.J. Cromer (19.1 ppg), who went off for 41 points in a Southern Conference tournament game against Samford. That's the type of firepower that can spark a major upset.

7. Winthrop

The 13th-seeded Eagles (26-6), winners of the Big South, will go as far as their 5-foot-7 heart-and-soul point guard Keon Johnson can take them. Johnson (22.5 ppg) can get to the paint at will and electrifies the rest of the offense. Winthrop can challenge No. 4 seed Butler, which isn't the most favorable matchup but if Johnson gets in the zone — like he did with 38 points in a Nov. 21 win vs. Illinois — then it's surely possible.

8. Nevada 

Ladies and gentlemen, get to know the name Marcus Marshall, who is as big of an underrated star as any in this year's Dance. The Missouri State transfer, who helped the Wolf Pack (28-6) claim the Mountain West regular season and tournament championships, is explosive offensively — averaging 19.8 points a game. Facing a red-hot Iowa State team isn't that favorable of a matchup for No. 12 Nevada, riding a nine-game winning streak. But Eric Musselman has enough weaponry to surprise and will be tasked with getting his team to play possessed, as opposed to happy to be there.

9. Bucknell

The 13th-seeded Bison (26-8) get a West Virginia team that presses like crazy. No matter, there's still Cinderella ingredients for coach Nathan Davis, who has a great interior presence behind do-everything forward Zach Thomas (16.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and big man Nana Foulland (14.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg), the Patriot League player of the year. That duo forms for a great inside-out game with guard Kimbal Mackenzie (11.5 ppg, 40% from three).

10. Iona

Iona (22-12) again forced kept likely Cinderella Monmouth out of the Dance and gets an interesting matchup against Oregon, which lost one of its best players in shot-blocking specialist forward Chris Boucher to an season-ending ACL injury. Forward Jordan Washington (17.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg) could help this team take advantage of less paint protection. The Gaels struggle defensive, allowing 76 points a game to opponents, but can offset that by getting hot from beyond the arc.

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