Cinderella - It's Awesome Baby

Last night, the NCAA tournament brackets were announced. Undoubtedly some teams were disappointed, whether it was from a bad draw, too low of a seed, or worst of all not making it into the tournament at all. Others, for the exact opposite reasons, were probably thrilled.
While everyone certainly loves to see the powerhouses (albeit this year without North Carolina, Indiana, UCLA, and Connecticut to name a few) continually make runs deep into the tournament, what really makes an NCAA tournament special is the "Cinderella story". This could be when #15 Hampton shocked #2 Iowa State (which had several NBA players on its roster), or when #14 Weber State knocked out powerhouse #3 North Carolina out. We are still waiting for the day a #1 seed loses in the first round. Arguably the best Cinderella story was when #6 seed NC State won the national championship, the lowest seed ever to do so.
It is pretty funny, and somewhat pathetic, that the dream run of the underdog is personified by Cinderella. Certainly she was an underdog in her own right, overcoming the persecution of her stepmother and sisters to ultimately be rescued by the prince. However, unlike what the NCAA tournament's "Cinderella" embodies, Cinderella does next to nothing to earn her place at the top. In contrast, the NCAA "Cinderella" generally gets their one shining moment through hard work, perseverance, teamwork, and a fervent belief in their ability to succeed. Cinderella hardly embodied most of these things, feeling largely dejected until her fairy Godmother comes to her aid. In the NCAA tournament, a little more than some magic is needed to move on, especially for the underdogs.
Notre Dame is a #6 seed (too high in my estimation) and playing the best it has played all year. Here's to hoping we can become this year's Cinderella, invited to the Big Dance and coming back victorious.