Sifting Through the Madness

What in the holy name of James Naismith is going on in college basketball this March? March Madness is one of the most over-used phrases in sports, but never has a tournament so lived up to the adage. This year's spring classic could be deemed the greatest tournament ever.

Here's some stats to back up the claim. Twenty-three games have been decided by five or fewer points. Five games have gone to overtime. Five of this year's Sweet 16 games went down to the final seconds, and three of the regional finals either went into OT or kept up the incredible drama into the final minute. Oh yeah, and did I mention a No. 11 seed made the Final Four?

There have been some unforgettable moments in each and every round. Northwestern State's Jermaine Wallace burying a fall-away three-pointer and Iowa in the process to lift a 14-seed over a three. LSU's Darrell Mitchell erasing a 57-55 Texas A&M lead in the second round with a three to win it. West Virginia's Kevin Pittsnogle burying a trey to tie the game against Texas only to see Kenton Paulino end it with a three of his own. UCLA going on a 11-0 run in the final minutes to end Gonzaga's season and send Adam Morrison into a tear tantrum. And George Mason's baffling overtime win over No. 1 Connecticut has Jim Calhoun's jaw permanently dropped to the hardwood.

Everyone's bracket in your office is in shambles, and we wouldn't want it any other way. All of the experts were completely wrong. Dick Vitale got only UCLA correct, and he was the best finisher of the analysts on ESPN.com. There isn't a single number one seed left in the tournament. There was no pre-tournament indicator that could have helped anyone predict what happened.

If you decided to pick your brackets by power conferences, you're definitely scratching your heads right now. Let's take a look at the break down of each conference:

The Big East was the number one rated conference coming into the tournament. The newly-reformed super-conference sent eight teams into the field of 64, more than any other conference. As a whole, the Big East finished 11-8. The two number one seeds, Connecticut and Villanova, both reached the Elite Eight. Georgetown and West Virginia had good showings. However, Syracuse, Marquette and Seton Hall were both knocked out in the first round, and Pittsburgh was bounced in the second round.

The Big 10 came in heavily-touted and ranked second in the RPI prior to the tournament. They sent six teams into the field with Ohio State being the highest seed at number two. However, despite the hype, the Big 10 was by far the biggest disappointment in the entire tournament. After sending both Michigan State and Illinois to the Final Four in 2005, the six Big 10 teams finished 3-6 with not one team advancing out of the second round. In fact, No. 3 Iowa, No. 6 Michigan State, and No. 9 Wisconsin didn't even make it out of the first round.

The usually very strong Atlantic Coast Conference only sent four teams to the big dance this season. Duke received a number one seed, UNC a three, Boston College a four, and NC State a 10. The ACC finished 6-4 overall with not one team advancing past the Sweet 16. Duke was bounced by LSU and Boston College lost a heart-breaker in overtime to Villanova.

But enough about the disappointments what about the pleasant surprises. Let's start with the Missouri Valley Conference.

Experts had warned us all year that the MVC would be a force to be reckoned with and they didn't let us down in March. There were rumblings before Selection Sunday that the MVC would send six teams, which didn't happen. Instead, they sent four: No. 13 Bradley, No. 10 Northern Iowa, No. 11 Southern Illinois, and No. 7 Wichita State. The conference finished 4-4, but sent both Bradley and Wichita State to the Sweet 16. Bradley defeated both No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Pittsburgh before falling to No. 1 Memphis. And Wichita State went through No. 10 Seton Hall and No. 2 Tennessee before falling to George Mason, who we'll get to soon. All in all, it was a great showing for an up-and-coming conference.

With all of the talk about the Big East, Big 10, and ACC, the Southeastern Conference obviously felt neglected this season. The conference sent six teams, with Tennessee receiving the highest seed at No. 2. However, the SEC faired better than any other conference in America. The SEC sits at 10-3 in the tournament and has a chance to have the championship game all to themselves. Florida's Billy Donovan is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2000 when his Gators fell to Michigan State in the championship game. And Louisiana State is in the Final Four for the first time since 1986 when they were an 11-seed.

The Pac-10 was equally neglected this year, and sent just four teams to the dance. UCLA rightfully received the highest seed of the group at No. 2, joining No. 8 Arizona, No. 7 California, and No. 5 Washington. The Pac-10 has held its own putting up an impressive 7-3 record. Arizona played exceptionally well in advancing to the second round and giving No. 1 seeded Villanova everything they could handle before falling by four. Washington reached the Sweet 16 barely getting knocked off by Connecticut in overtime. And UCLA is going to the Final Four for the one-millionth time in its history.

Then, of course, there's the nation's new darling, George Mason. The Patriots, as we all know by now, almost didn't make the tournament because of their loss in the Colonial Athletic Association conference semifinals to Hofstra. GMU has had the most improbable run into the Final Four in NCAA history. They are just the second No. 11 seed to ever advance to a Final Four, and the first CAA team ever to accomplish the feat.

The Patriots have been tested more than any other team on their road to the national semifinals. GMU defeated three teams that have accounted for three of the last six national championships. They beat Michigan State (2000 champ) in the first round, followed by North Carolina (2005 champ) in the second round, then Wichita State and Connecticut (1999, 2004 champs) in overtime in the Elite Eight.

George Mason is the reason why Billy Packer and all of his followers are dead wrong about their views towards the game of college basketball. This is Rolly Massimino's Villanova, Jim Valvano's NC State, and Gene Hackman's "Hoosiers" all rolled into one. The only difference is no one's ever heard of George Mason. George Mason is forcing every media mogul to take a look at the mid-major and realize its worth to the game. And along the way, they're capturing the attention and hearts of sports fans all across the nation.

If the Patriots were to win the next two games and capture a most improbable first NCAA title, it could be the best thing to happen to college basketball. Hell, it could be one of the best things that's ever happened in sports. Let's face it, who really wanted to see North Carolina, Duke, or Connecticut back in the Final Four? I take great joy in seeing a no-name team who couldn't get regular news coverage in their hometown before this run taking these big boys to the woodshed.

All I have to say is keep it rolling, Patriots. Make some history.