SCOTT JACOBS

In a tournament chalk full of nothing so far, Belmont finally gave us a show. The 15 seed from Tennessee hung neck and neck with Duke all the way to the end, even leading by a point with under 20 seconds to go. But they couldn’t hold on, and the dream dies with that.

You have to give Belmont a lot of credit. They played one hell of a game, but turning the ball over on an inbounds play with under 5 seconds to go cost them history. They came that close to becoming the 5th 15 seed to ever beat a 2.

Belmont played a gutsy game, and they were scoring when it looked they were dead in the water. But in the end Duke did just enough to keep their season going.

So there you have it. By far the best game of the tourney so far. Who woulda thunk it? And right now, the biggest upset so far, USC losing to K-State and the Fighting Beasleys, isn’t that big of an upset at all.

Having said that, the USC game and the Duke game were gems and hope reigns supreme that this tourney will be a dousy.

Can George Mason knock off the Irish? Can the Cats take down the Fighting Alexanders? God I love March Madness!

SCOTT JACOBS

For the next three weeks starting on Thursday prepare to be enveloped in college hoops hysteria. With 48 games in the next four days it’s that magical time of year where America gets introduced to the mid major. Again. Every year the “other” teams not from the big conferences get their shot to compete with the nation’s elite, and heck, even make a name for themselves and their school.

But how much do you know about the team that’s about to bust your bracket, causing you to fall from 54,789^th in your pick ‘em contest to 132,345^th. That said, let’s play, “learn that mid major”!

Let’s face it. You don’t know where Coppin State is from? (Maryland). You can’t name Boise State’s leading scorer? (Reggie Larry 19.6/game). Quick, name three teams in Portland State’s conference? (Northern Arizona, Weber State, Montana) Heck, name the conference they’re in? (Big Sky).

But wait, there’s more. Did you know that Siena actually beat Stanford in the Big Dance (1989) or that the leading assist guy in college basketball probably comes from a team that you had never heard of until the analysts started riling them up as “sleepers” (Davidson’s Jason Richards). What’s Cal State Fullerton really known for? (their baseball team). What does UMBC actually stand for? (University of Maryland Baltimore County). It could of been worse. IUPUI lost in their conference championship and we all remember that team (Indiana University, Purdue University… eh, screw it)

Here’s a fun fact. American is in the tournament for the first time, and it was costly for anyone who watched their run (second most expensive school in the country). And wouldn’t we all like to see to a second round matchup of American and USA (South Alabama). I’m feeling more patriotic already. Of course, no tournament would be complete without the Mavericks of Texas-Arlington (actually, they’ve never made the dance before). Would it humble you to find out that Oral Roberts top recruit for next year is Scott Farrington? (he’s from Humble, TX)

Did you know that Saint Mary’s has a better all time tournament record (.200 1-4) than the Miami Heat’s current regular season record? (.169 11-54) . Stanford has just one championship. Can you name the year? (1942). Austin Peay University wasn’t always called Austin Peay. What did they used to be called? (Austin Peay State Normal School for Rural White Teachers). And their most popular school cheer? (“Let’s go, Peay”). You thought your school was cool.

Top tongue twister of the tourney: MVS, which doesn’t sound bad until you consider their nickname too (Mississippii Valley State Delta Devils) And what exactly is a Delta Devil anyways? Everyone knows about Gonzaga, but what is it named after? (St. Aloysius Gonzaga). Did you know that in 1967 Kent State was the first university to run its own independent and student-operated bus service? (Campus Bus Service).

And did you know that Drake (the beloved number five seed this year) once beat North Carolina in the tourney by 20? (Yup, it was the summer (spring) of 1969, and those were probably, “the best years” of their lives. Western Kentucky’s Hilltoppers are also the name of a band that once had the chart topping song “Trying.” Coincidence? Nope, they recorded it in Western Kentucky State College’s Van Meter Auditorium.

The most diverse student body in the United States? (Temple). That according to the Princeton Review in 2007. What exatly is a San Diego Torero? (It’s actually a bull fighter). The Belmont Bruins (who play in Tennessee) actually have better odds to win it all then five others teams (They’re looking good at 4000-1). And then there’s George Mason, whose incredible 2006 Final Four run inspired the nation. They’ve got two starters left from that historic team. Can you name them? (Folaran Campbell and Will Thomas).

The moral to the story: there’s more to this whole NCAA Tournament business than meets the eye. These are more than just basketball teams, they’re also representative of schools that no one has ever heard of. It’s possible they’ll be forgotten, a blip on the underpants of history as soon as they’re eliminated, but thanks to these teams, the NCAA Tourney is as exciting and memorable as it is. Thank you mid majors. Thanks for making March a time of Madness.