EVERYBODY loves an underdog.
It's an old adage that will forever ring true, all the more in college basketball where dynastic runs are more of the norm than the exception.
And the NCAA is no different.
But once every few years, underdog teams were able to reach the pinnacle, completing their Cinderella runs and etching their names in the history books.
Spin.ph lists five NCAA underdogs that went all the way.
Letran (2019)

San Beda has been the league's elite for the better part of the past decade, and the Red Lions of coach Boyet Fernandez were intent on keeping the status quo as they eyed a four-peat in NCAA Season 95.
An immaculate 18-0 elimination run to advance outright to the Finals was further proof of the strength of the Mendiola side, with Calvin Oftana, Evan Nelle, James Canlas, and Donald Tankoua leading the way.
Meanwhile, Letran was just among those chomping on their behind, with the Knights still feeling their way with new coach Bonnie Tan and leaning on holdovers Jerrick Balanza, Fran Yu, and Larry Muyang.
The Knights' promising campaign netted them a 12-6 slate, good for the three-seed as the Final Four braced for a stepladder semis. This turned out to be a blessing-in-disguise for the Muralla squad in the long run. Letran hurdled four-seed San Sebastian and the hot-shooting pair of Allyn Bulanadi and RK Ilagan, 85-80, before outlasting Mike Nzeusseu and twins Jaycee and Jayvee Marcelino of two-seed Lyceum, 92-88.
With their mettle tested and confidence at an all-time high, the Knights showed no fear taking on the top-seed Red Lions, taking the 65-64 Game One and almost completing the upset if not for a slim 79-76 Game Two defeat.
Still, Game Three beckoned and after a nip-and-tuck battle that even led to overtime, it was Letran which nosed out San Beda, 81-79, with Balanza firing 27 points and punctuated his final collegiate game with game-saving block on Nelle to deliver the school's 18th NCAA crown.
Yu, the emotional driving force of the Knights and the season's Most Improved Player, was hailed as the Finals MVP.
Letran (2015)

It was almost the same scenario four years prior, with an upstart Letran looking to prove that it is indeed a legitimate contender against a six-peat-seeking San Beda in NCAA Season 91.
But their rivalry game three games into the season should have been a premonition of what's to come, with the Knights, helmed by first-year coach Aldin Ayo and an equally hungry crew led by Mark Cruz, Kevin Racal, and Rey Nambatac, going over the Red Lions, 93-80.
Letran showed that it's no fluke, going 13-5 in the eliminations and only settling for the two-seed after an 83-78 defeat to the same San Beda team in the first-place playoff, but still had to escape the might of Season MVP Allwell Oraeme to escape Mapua, 91-90 in the semis.
Humbled but not unbowed, the Knights stunned the Red Lions again in Game One to take the 94-90 win, but the Jamike Jarin-coached San Beda team were no pushovers, with the trio of Art dela Cruz, Baser Amer, and Ola Adeogun leveling the series, 68-61 in Game Two.
Game Three, however, was worth the hype as the game went to overtime and was even delayed by an errant release of the confetti. The suspense only built up from there, with Cruz finding Jom Sollano for the go-ahead jumper and Mcjour Luib outsmarting dela Cruz on the rebound play to force a lane violation and secure the possession for Letran. That series of events sealed the 85-82 win for the Knights, with Cruz adjudged as the Finals MVP.
San Sebastian (2009)

Everyone know their names now, but back in 2009, Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang, and Ronald Pascual were relative nobodies who arrived in San Sebastian.
But it wasn't long before they introduced themselves, helping the Ato Agustin-coached Golden Stags to surprise the field and go 16-2 in the eliminations. The team, however, failed to cop the top-seed after losing, 71-65, to the Sudan Daniel-paced San Beda, but they still were able to secure the twice-to-beat advantage in the semis.
That edge came in handy after John Wilson powered Jose Rizal University to a 72-65 Game One shocker, and allowed San Sebastian to regroup and take the clincher in emphatic fashion, 79-64.
And in the Finals, the Golden Stags showed no mercy with Finals MVP Jimbo Aquino going supernova in San Sebastian's 72-68 double-overtime Game One victory and in its dominant 76-61 Game Two triumph to claim the NCAA Season 85 crown and in the process, denying San Beda, which also had Garvo Lanete, Borgie Hermida, and Jake Pascual, a four-peat.
PCU (2004)

Philippine Christian University's turnaround from whipping boys to champions is a stuff of legends.
After just going 5-9 the season prior, the Dolphins came to NCAA Season 80 revitalized with the arrival of Gabby Espinas, who wouldn't just win the Rookie of the Year honors but also the Season MVP award. His entry, together with holdovers Jayson Castro, Rob Sanz, Ian Garrido, and Beau Belga, changed the fate for the Pedro Gil-based squad of coach Ato Tolentino as they went 10-4 in the eliminations and took the two-seed.
But the road to immortality wasn't easy, especially with defending champion Letran standing in their way as seen in Jonathan Aldave's late three-pointer to give the Knights the 65-64 Game One victory to extend the series. Espinas, though, powered the Dolphins in the do-or-die affair to take the 85-80 conquest and set up the historic duel against Perpetual, led by Noy Javier and Vladimir Joe.
With Tolentino serving his one-game suspension, Castro played the role of the hero for PCU as he drilled the game-winning trey with five seconds remaining for the 70-68 Game One win over the Altas. Finals MVP Sanz, then, wrapped the series up five days later with a superb Game Two showing to take the 72-60 clincher.
It was the Dolphins' first and only NCAA crown since it joined the league in 1996.
St. Benilde (2000)

St. Benilde joined the NCAA in 1998, but it only took them two years to get to the men's basketball food chain. Quite a feat, really, as it was the era where San Sebastian were the league's elites.
But coach Dong Vergeire turned the Blazers not just into gate-crashers but legitimate contenders, with Sunday Salvacion, Mark Magsumbol, Jondan Salvador, and Al Magpayo helping the Taft side snag the three-seed with a 9-5 record in the eliminations.
With St. Benilde facing a twice-to-win disadvantage against Perpetual side led by Season MVP Jojo Manalo and Chester Tolomia, Salvacion came to his team's rescue, drilling the game-winning triple to take the 73-70 Game One win, before the rest of the team joined the party as the Blazers clobbered the Altas, 86-73 in Game Two.
San Sebastian, though, are no pushovers, especially with the four-seed Stags leaning heavily on Christian Coronel, Mark Macapagal, Jam Alfad, and Paul Reguerra, setting up the tense championship affair.
And a highly competitive duel, it truly was, with Game One ending in a pulsating connection from Magpayo to Magsumbol for the game-winning layup to grab the 66-64 win for St. Benilde. The Blazers closed it out two days later with a 74-61 triumph with Magsumbol once again shining to take home the Finals MVP plum as they won their first NCAA trophy.
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