Every year, the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament has a Cinderella team that comes out of nowhere and shocks the sports world with an unexpected string of wins. This year that team could be the University of Northern Colorado Bears, after a 65-60 win over Montana in the 2011 Big Sky Championship final. The appearance will be the Bears’ first trip to the Big Dance, marking a dramatic turnaround for the team from Greeley that went 4-24 just four years ago (Associated Press). The NCAA announces the full tournament bracket this weekend, but there’s a chance the Bears could play in the Denver regional next week (Denver Post).

Other Colorado squads still have a chance to make the tournament, too: University of Colorado beat Iowa State 77-75 in the first game of the Big 12 Conference tournament and now faces Kansas State (CUBuffs.com), while the CSU Rams could advance by winning three games in the Mountain West Tournament, which starts today (Fort Collins Coloradoan).