The New York Times

What’s It Like to Be Cinderella in March? These Schools Know.

March 22, 2024

When Oakland University’s 14th-seeded men’s basketball team defeated No. 3 Kentucky on Thursday night, delivering the first shocking upset of this year’s N.C.A.A. tournament, it cast a spotlight on the relatively anonymous university based in Rochester, Mich. And if history is any indication, the next few days and weeks — and perhaps longer — promise to be a lucrative time for the school. Upset victories by double-digit seeds are not just a big deal for busted tournament brackets. They also raise the profile of the schools who pull off the shockers. 

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