Searching For Cinderella

Cinderella has always been my favorite fairytale. How much more creative can you get, with the prince only knowing his true love by finding the woman whose slender foot fits snugly into one beautiful, missing slipper?

Every year in March, we sports fans search for our own Cinderella. Of course, the slipper comes in the form of victories at the NCAA tournament. The princes will all be at the ball. Duke, North Carolina, Illinois, UConn, and many other of college basketball's royalty will be invited to show off their best Tangos, Foxtrots, and Quicksteps, while the paupers wait their turn, hoping the proverbial slipper fits.

As we spectators watch the Big Dance from Barcaloungers and bar stools, we marvel at the skills of the princes, who regale us with their bravado and skill. At the same time, we crane our necks, to see over these giants, hoping desperately that Cinderella will sneak furtively, beguilingly forward and break free from the rest of the paupers.

Will the fairytale come true this year, we wonder? If so, who will it be? The slipper is poised in the prince's hand, waiting for Cinderella to glide into it, completely unaware that the moment that foot slides inside, it is the prince who will be vanquished, instead of whisking beautiful Cinderella away in a diamond-studded coach.

They are there on the wall, waiting their turn at the slipper. Will one step forth this season? Who will Cinderella be?

Will she be Winthrop?

The Big South champ finished with a nice 21-7 record and is tourney tested. The Eagles have now made the Big Dance six times in head coach Gregg Marshall's eight seasons. Based on this experience and another solid regular season, the Eagles will likely receive a 13 or 14 seed. With the right draw, Winthrop can win a game or two. They possess great depth. Ten guys average double-figure minutes, led by senior guard James Shuler, who doesn't even play 30. At 6-6, 220, Shuler can wreak havoc on smaller guards. A potential two- or three-seed that is not very deep, like Illinois, might struggle against Winthrop, which could use up to 12 different players. Does the chariot await a ride to round two of the Big Dance?

Is Cinderella Murray State?

Winner of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Racers sport a fine 23-6 record, including a 19-2 mark in their last 21 games. This is a team that can Quickstep even the nation's finest dancers at the ball. Coach Thad Matta, of Big 10 champ Ohio State, for example, would probably hate to see Murray State on his first-round dance card, as the Racers are one of few teams with the depth and quickness at guard to match and maybe even surpass that of the Buckeyes.

Murray State will play small most of the time and keep the tempo fast in the full-court, slowing it down slightly in the half court, in order to keep the score low. The Racers' Achilles heel may be lack of real size. If they matchup with someone big, it could be a true David and Goliath — of course, we all know who won that battle. Is the slipper slightly too large for the undersized Racers?

Will bashful Bucknell be the belle of the ball?

One of last year's giant-killers, Bucknell knocked off third-seed Kansas in 2005 and might be as high as an 11-seed this year. Once ranked in the top 25, the Bison were unbeaten in the Patriot League, going into a March 10 contest with Holy Cross. Sure to be one of the toughest defensive teams in the tournament, Bucknell held 21 teams to 60 or fewer points this season. Nine opponents mustered just 50 or below.

Unlike the other Cinderella hopefuls, Bucknell has a quality win, over Syracuse, and a legitimate star in 6-3 senior guard Charles Lee. A solid scorer, Lee can cause any team problems, especially if center Chris McNaughton is having a good day, which will make it nearly impossible to double the dangerous Lee. With Bison coach Pat Flannery rumored to be headed to a bigger job, the Bucknell players may have added incentive for a longer-than-expected dance. Perhaps a Waltz for the defensive-minded Bison.

Is it finally a 16's turn to pirouette into the second round of the Big Dance? How about a first-ever invitee? For a 16-seed to overcome the enormous odds (are there odds for something that has never happened?), the matchup would have to be right. We all know that all of the Dance's princes are not created equal. Witness 2005, when both Washington, and Duke were weak No. 1 seeds, each losing in the round of 16. There are definitely potential No. 1s who are pretenders this season. Excuse me, Duke and Memphis, are you listening? With a perfect matchup in mind, let's have this year's real Cinderella please try on the mythical slipper.

Does the shoe fit Belmont?

The Atlantic Sun winner will make its first-ever appearance in the Big Dance and could break a prince's heart, while thrilling fans nationwide, swooning at the most glorious Cinderella of all. The lone shiny coin in the Bruins' contest collection is a conference championship win over favored Lipscomb — a team with an RPI of 142. A surefire 16-seed, the Bruins enter the tournament with a winning trend, going 12-1 in their last 13 games, and entering the Big Dance gliding gracefully along can make for a better first-round spin. With this fairly shaky resume, how you may ask can Belmont pull of the biggest miracle since the 1980 Olympics?

A very offensive squad, the Bruins have scored 85 points or better 17 times and 100-plus twice. Even though a 16-seed has never made it off the wall and onto the ballroom floor at the Big Dance, I like Belmont's chances to be the first, once again, depending on the matchup. Teams that can fill it up, I believe, just have a better chance to win. If the game turns from a Tango to a shootout, the starry-eyed Bruins may feel right at home.

Two additional keys make this team very dangerous. First, they've never been to the dance, so no one will take them seriously. Ask kids from Duke or UConn who Belmont is, and they are likely to shrug their shoulders and say, "Isn't Belmont a horse race?" Lack of respect usually means poor preparation, which often means a stumbling prince on the dance floor.

Second, not only does Belmont score a lot of points, it scores them both inside and out — a very deadly tournament combination. Big center Boomer Herndon can cause lots of problems, if matched with a team that is thin in the middle, someone like, say, Villanova which has no true center or Memphis, a team that goes primarily with 6-9, 225 Shawne Williams in the middle. He could be manhandled by the 6-11, 260 Herndon. If Boomer draws a lot of attention, he may just find super sophomore Justin Hare, waiting on the perimeter for some long-ball fun.

Let us not forget, too, that nine guys will dance significant minutes for the Bruins, who lost by just 10 points to an Ohio State team that is easily one of the best in the nation.

And we spectators continue to watch, peeking around princes — peering, scrutinizing, and appraising every would-be dancer. The paupers of the NCAA. Is this the year? Will the dream glide forward and accept the prize?

With the right matchup, Cinderella, your slipper is here — you just have to put it on.

Mark Barnes is a novelist, regular contributor to fantasy football site 4for4.com, and NFL football radio analyst. He appears weekly on ESPN radio in High Point, NC and on WBAL in Baltimore, MD, where he discusses pro football and fantasy sports. Mark's novel, "The League," is the first-ever published work of fiction with a plot based on the dangers of a multi-million-dollar fantasy football league. Learn more about "The League" and Mark's work at NFLStory.com.