The mere mention of Georgetown's Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje excites college basketball fanatics as he does possess one of the catchiest names of all-time. The seven-foot, 260 pound post player paved the way for two other big men of Cameroonian descent to leave their mark during the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute may have led his Bruins to the Final Four that season, but on this day and in this game, UNLV's Gaston Essengue experienced his one shining moment.
Held to only two points the entire second half, Essengue connected on a jumper in the game's final seconds to hand his Rebels a 72-70 win and punch their ticket to the Cinderella Madness title game.
Wendell White led the Rebels with 16 points, while Joey Rodriguez finished with 16 for the Rams in the loss.
Player of the game: Kevin Kruger (15 points, 8 assists, 3 steals)
Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations:
'07 UNLV 51.9% - '11 VCU 48.1%
2012 College Basketball Playoff: Cinderella Madness
Results from the 2012 College Basketball Playoff Simulation
1
16
'11 Butler
'06 Bradley
68
70
8
9
'07 UNLV
'06 Wichita St.
71
63
4
13
'11 VCU
'10 N. Iowa
67
63
5
12
'04 Xavier
'05 Milwaukee
72
70
3
14
'08 Davidson
'11 Richmond
73
66
6
11
'10 St. Mary's
'08 W. Kentucky
76
75
7
10
'10 Cornell
'04 Nevada
73
74
2
15
'06 Geo. Mason
'04 UAB
71
65
16
8
'06 Bradley
'07 UNLV
69
70
4
5
'11 VCU
'04 Xavier
70
67
3
6
'08 Davidson
'10 St. Mary's
78
74
10
2
'04 Nevada
'06 Geo. Mason
69
70
8
4
'07 UNLV
'11 VCU
71
70
3
2
'08 Davidson
'06 Geo. Mason
72
69
8
3
'07 UNLV
'08 Davidson
WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012.
This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the Big Six conferences, seeded 7th or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in their bracket to participate.
Utilizing our award-winning college basketball simulation engine, we "played" each match-up 501 times.
Bob McKillop's crew is quickly gaining a rep for their last-second heroics, and the Wildcats were propelled by another buzzer-beater in Cinderella Madness, this time with backup William Archambault serving as star in Davidson's 74-72 upending of George Mason to earn its way into the championship round.
In a matchup featuring two of the more celebrated mid-majors battling for a spot to slide into Cinderella's glass slipper, the Patriots appeared in control for most of the contest, building an 11-point advantage with nine minutes to go in the second half. Davidson answered with a flurry of lay-ups and long balls, tying the game with just two minutes to go. After Lamar Butler and Steph Curry traded jumpers, the Davidson defense got a crucial stop, giving the Wildcats a chance to take the lead with just seconds remaining. The assassin Curry was wide with his attempt, but a heads-up play by the shooting guard led to his own rebound, which he then kicked out to the seldom-used Archambault. A sweet fadaway found nothing but net, propelling the Wildcats to glory.
Curry once again led the Wildcats, throwing in 25 points and coming up big on the defensive end with three steals and two swats. Andrew Lovedale added 14 points and nine boards, and Jason Richards had another solid outing with 10 points, seven assists and six boards.
Player of the game: Stephen Curry (25 points, 2 blocks, 3 steals)
Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '08 Davidson 61.9% - '06 George Mason 38.1%
In a matchup featuring two of the more celebrated mid-majors battling for a spot to slide into Cinderella's glass slipper, the Patriots appeared in control for most of the contest, building an 11-point advantage with nine minutes to go in the second half. Davidson answered with a flurry of lay-ups and long balls, tying the game with just two minutes to go. After Lamar Butler and Steph Curry traded jumpers, the Davidson defense got a crucial stop, giving the Wildcats a chance to take the lead with just seconds remaining. The assassin Curry was wide with his attempt, but a heads-up play by the shooting guard led to his own rebound, which he then kicked out to the seldom-used Archambault. A sweet fadaway found nothing but net, propelling the Wildcats to glory.
Curry once again led the Wildcats, throwing in 25 points and coming up big on the defensive end with three steals and two swats. Andrew Lovedale added 14 points and nine boards, and Jason Richards had another solid outing with 10 points, seven assists and six boards.
Player of the game: Stephen Curry (25 points, 2 blocks, 3 steals)
Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '08 Davidson 61.9% - '06 George Mason 38.1%
Simulation Info
Note: The score in the left panel (ex. Butler 68, Bradley 70) is the average score from 501 simulations. The box score recap is just an example of what could happen based on the average score. Click on the box score button for complete recap with play-by-play.
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