2000s: One-Hit Wonders

Not to diminish its success in the Colonial Athletic Association, but George Mason had never won an NCAA tournament game before a run for the ages in 2006. As an at-large No. 11 seed, coach Jim Larranaga's Patriots beat Michigan State, North Carolina Wichita State and top-seeded UConn en route to the Final Four (where they lost to Florida). George Mason returned to the Big Dance in 2008 but lost in the first round.