The Final Four

I wonder if the George Mason run is the most amazing thing to ever happen in team sports. Think about it. It is the equivalent of Utah State beating USC in football, my Dad beating Tiger in a round of golf, and the Clippers winning anything of significance.

I am not saying it is unprecedented. LSU had a similar run from the 11 seed back in 1986 but this is so much more impressive. First, LSU had the advantage of a lot of conference money being sifted into its program from the Kentucky's and Alabama's of the SEC. George Mason hardly sees any such money. Second, LSU is a school with a huge fan base and a subsequently large talent pool to recruit from. George Mason is a commuter school in the shadows of Georgetown and George Washington. And lastly, LSU had a schedule that prepared it for the tournament rigours. Nothing against Hofstra and UNC-Wilmington, but that was pretty much it in the CAA.

I think the other thing that endears them so much is their unbridled enthusiasm for the whole thing. They are genuinely blown away by the accomplishment and rightly so. I don't expect them to win in the Final Four (Florida is just too balanced and athletic to expect an underdog victory), but I expect them to be classy and exciting, and maybe, just maybe, they'll shock me yet again. I can't wait.