March Madness: Truly agitating

This past weekend has seen plenty of exciting college basketball, and frankly, more than I could handle. Regardless of the fact that 49 games were played in 5 days (you can't forget the all important play-in game), it wasn't just the volume of basketball that got to me, it was all the damn upsets. I'm not sure if anyone who knows anything about basketball could have predicted a Witchita St (7) - George Mason (11) matchup in the sweet sixteen. Furthermore, who would have believed that Bradley (13) would have gone through a scorching Kansas (4) team, and have enough left in the tank two days later to handle a powerhouse team like Pitt (5), scoring over 70 points in both games? I can say I wouldn't have believed it, and my bracket certainly proves that. The fact that brackets all over the place are being busted gives tribute to the greatness of this tournament. In my opinion, this years tournament is the most exciting in the last 10 years, or at least the ones I can remember. The way unranked Missouri Valley teams can have a shot at a national championship is really what fuels this event, and makes it the most exciting both to try and predict and to watch. I mean, who isn't secretly pulling for a Bradley - George Mason final? While the upsets are amazing in the simple event that the "better" team goes down, the last second shots to win haven't been absent this year, and are naturally the single most exciting events in the games. It started with Gerry McNamara's amazing three game streak of game winners, and flowed right into games like Iowa - Northwestern. The thought that that shot even went in after he side-stepped and faded from the corner was amazing, the thought that it won them the game made it agitating. That's right, because why would I pick a 14 seed over a 3 seed? Or almost all the 11, 12, and 13 seeds. No wonder my bracket is coming up a bit short, because I picked the strong teams over the weak teams. The UNCs over the George Masons. What was I thinking? What I should have been thinking was: It's called March Madness for a reason. Here's to a Bradley - George Mason final.