A year after the shocking run of the Butler Bulldogs all the way to the championship game, another so-called “mid-major” proved it was anything but by earning a trip to a Final Four of its own.
The VCU Rams might not have even made the tournament in previous years, but in 2011 the field expanded to 68 and VCU started its wild ride with a First Four win in Dayton. Four more victories followed and coach Shaka Smart and the Rams made it all the way to Houston.