Searching for Cinderella

[muskieman]

The only label I like to see put on Xavier is national champs anything else is someone else's opinion and we all know about opinions.

[thywillbedone]

we are cinderella for the purposes of pre-tourney fodder. Once it begins will will not be cinderella until late rounds(if we progress) because we will be seeded higher than our competition. If we do our job and get into the last game or 2 we will fall out of the cinderella category in future discussions of future tourneys.

[SM#24]

If you define an NCAA "Cinderalla" as a team unlikely to, based on past performance, make the Final Four, or even the Elite Eight

I would have to say that would be the stupidest definition of Cinderella and anyone who defines it as such or agrees with the definition is a complete moron.
A Cinderella would be a team based on CURRENT performance that is unlikely to go far in the tournament. That should exclude anyone on the top 15-20 for the most part.
Past performance has nothing to do with it. If you want to make it the mid-major list or list of teams with national notoriety less than Gonzaga, then past performance can play into it.

[SM#24]

BYU, So. Alabama and Nevada are also Cinderellas, so it's not exactly bad company.

I can hear the coaches now out on the recruiting trail, "We may not be a big name, but we can play ball at the same level as teams like BYU, South Alabama and Nevada-Reno."

[thywillbedone]

is "stupidest" a word?

[Mr. Neutral]

24, if you want to live in your Xavier-blue dream world and think that people all over the country won't be looking at X like a Cinderella if and when we advance to the Elite Eight or Final Four, you go ahead.

We've had other good regular seasons that ended in a 1st or 2nd round loss; for that matter, EVERY season has except for two. You choose to look at what happens no more than every decade or so and say that's the norm. The rest of the basketball world tends not to.

You guys crack me up. You expect observers and commentators all across the country to put Xavier on the same pedestal that its Cincy-area diehard fans do, which is, of course, totally unrealistic.

[X Factor]

I agree SM#24. That's just Neutral not wanting to give X the credit it deserves. He would rather us be compared to BYU, South Alabama, and Nevada.

His definition of a Cinderella is the craziest notion.

I guess that first great UNLV team who won it all was a Cinderella that year based on past tourney success. I guess Nolan Richardson's first great Arkansas team that won it all was a Cinderella that year based on past tourney success.

Being a Cinderella has nothing to do with past tourney successes or failures.

Name me another Top 10 team and a 2 or 3 seed who has ever been considered a Cinderella?

[SM#24]

If form holds, we will be a 3 seed. To get to the Final Four, we will beat two teams with lower seeds, a 2 seed and a 1 seed. I don't think anyone in the world would call a 3 seed beating a 1 seed a Cinderella (an upset maybe, but not unthinkable).
George Mason being a Cinderella Final Four was due to the fact it was an 11/12 seed (I can't remember) and there were arguments as to whetehr they even belonged in teh tournament. Not because it was this unknown school from a "mid-major" conference.
Xavier has been getting run all year, as has Butler and Drake. I would classify none of these as Cinderellas as far what this poll is trying to define, the next George Mason. If and when Xavier makes it to the F4 this year, you bet that the general comment from the talking heads will be along the lines of "While not as well-known as the Dukes and UNCs, it shouldn't be a great surprise that this team is in the F4", I'm pretty certain it won't be "Xavier has done the unthinkable !! What a Cinderella story !! "
Who are the top 2 Cinderellas in NCAA history ?? Pretty much any poll would show 1983 NC State and 1985 Villanova. Two schools from high profile conferences with past Final Four experience.

[thywillbedone]

in the old days; there weren't pre tourney cinderella lists. Cinderella mentions only popped up when a high seed defeated a low seed. This mention came at any time in the tourney to pump up the dream that higher seeds may have a shot.
I am in step with the neutral one. We ain't done dick, yet. When we do is the only time we will get the recognition most fans are starving for.
As far as I am concerned, fit us for the glass slipper. That means people are talking about us. Usually great news for fans of teams which don't have rich tourney histories.

[SM#24]

Then by Mr. N and thy's definition Tennessee is a Cinderella team, because they have done less than Xavier when it comes to the NCAA tournaments.