Breaking Down 5 Potential Cinderella Squads in the 2015 NCAA Tournament

Harvard Crimson

Harvard is now a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament and is making its fourth consecutive appearance. After a 64-year drought, the longest in tournament history, that's quite the feat.

This year's Harvard squad grades out as the 87th-best team in the NCAA based on nERD (5.30). What makes them a potential Cinderella story?

Well, in a matchup against North Carolina, whose Offensive Rating (111.4) ranks 28th this year, Harvard's strength will be key. Harvard's defense ranks in the 95th percentile, and their Defensive Rating (94.9) ranks 14th this year. They've got the 12th-best defense in the tournament, per our math, and they really slow things down.

They play slower than all but 8.9 percent of schools in the country and are the eighth-slowest team in the tournament. Conversely, UNC is the fourth-fastest squad in the field. The Tar Heels boast an offense better than 92.4 percent of the nation, so it'll be up to Harvard to slow things down and grind it out. They've ony got one double-digit scorer (Wesley Saunders, 16.3 points per game), but if they can turn it into a halfcourt game, Harvard could stick around in the tournament for a little while longer.

If they do advance, they'll face either the weakest 12 seed, Wofford (3.65 nERD), or the second-weakest 5 seed, Arkansas (11.93).