As fans gear up for the Final Four, concerns arise about whether the transfer portal and NIL compensation have eliminated Cinderella teams. Despite this year's unusual dominance of No. 1 seeds, experts suggest that historic trends indicate parity can fluctuate. UConn's Geno Auriemma reminds us that all-top seed tournaments have occurred before without ending underdog stories. While 2025's tournaments have seen little surprise success from lower seeds, there remains potential for surprise outcomes in future tournaments, as seen in previous years.
The lack of parity was most pronounced on the men's side, where all four semifinalists are No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2008.
Geno Auriemma's perspective reflects the ongoing conversation about the dominance of elite programs; he notes that 'Cinderellas didn't disappear a decade ago, they might not be endangered now.'
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