Cinderella teams
Unlikely bracket darlings
Cinderella teams are underdog competitors who unexpectedly advance deep into a tournament, defying expectations like the fairy tale's mistreated girl who ends up at the ball.
The term appears most often during March Madness, when low-seeded college basketball teams upset higher-ranked opponents: This year's Cinderella team made it to the Final Four.
The magic usually runs out eventually—Cinderella teams rarely win it all.
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
- upsetDisturb, topple, or shock
- bracket busterUnderdog victory spoiling predictions
- bracketSupport or category
- March MadnessNCAA tournament season
tournament · dance floor · longshot · miracle · glass slipper · clock strikes twelve · Gonzaga · Butler · giant killer · buzzer beater · midnight · Sweet Sixteen · fairy tale · dark horse · improbable · against all odds · scrappy · overachiever
Cinderella teamsGoliaths
Dominant oversized entities
juggernauts · superteams · foregone conclusions · villains · machines