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to beat North Carolina 65-60 after trailing by a large margin early. They continued their streak beating Wichita State, another mid-major 63-55 and defeating Connecticut, the favorite to win the tournament all season, 86-84 in overtime. The latter win was recognized as one of the most memorable games in tournament history. However, George Mason's magical run ended at the hands of eventual champion Florida 57-73. Even so, the Patriots run is considered one of the most surprising and memorable in NCAA history. Along the way, they were able to set several records including being the first team in CAA to reach the Final 4, the second team to reach the Final 4 with a double-digit seed, and the first mid-major to reach the Final 4 since 1979.

#1. Villanova (1985)

The Wildcats lost ten games throughout the season, were seeded eight in the tournament, and were considered to be just an average team. But looks can be deceiving as Villanova proved by making it all the way to the championship game. They defeated Dayton, second-ranked Michigan, Maryland, seventh-ranked North Carolina, and Memphis State in order to get to there, but were still lowly favored to their opponent Georgetown. They were the heaviest underdogs ever in a tournament championship game and nobody was giving them a shot, but when the game started, Villanova had other ideas. They played nearly a perfect game, shooting 22-27 (9-10 in the second half) from the field and 22-27 from the free-throw line, and were able to beat college basketball god Patrick Ewing's Hoyas 66-64.

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