The NCAA Tournament has enough Cinderella candidates of its own on a regular basis. With four titles for the WIAC in the past decade and multiple Final Four appearances for the CCIW, OAC, NESCAC and MIAA, the "power" in Division III is consolidated in a handful of conferences.

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So there are many conferences a candidate could come from. But when a team that was a seventh seed in its own conference tournament makes a run to the NCAA Tournament, that's even more special.

It shouldn't be a surprise that it's not just academics and basketball that student-athletes have to worry about at this military academy. And D3hoops.com has had a chance to observe the U.S. Coast Guard Academy very closely in recent years, but even this surprise comes as a surprise. Get the full story on the Bears -- even the reason why a maritime institution chose a land-based animal as a mascot. A Road to Salem feature.