by Justin Goodrum
Daily Lobo
Last Thursday and Friday, without school and no planned Spring Break trip, it was the perfect time to see if my bracket would survive the first round or be crushed by upsets.
Usually I watch the selection specials for a perspective on which teams would be contenders.
This year I wasn't going to take the lazy approach because I actually watched the conference tournaments to see which teams were coming into the tournament with some momentum.
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As usual, teams such as Syracuse University, the University of Connecticut, Villanova University and Boston College University stood out.
None of those teams had it more than Syracuse as Gerry McNamara hit game-winning shots to win the Big East Tournament. That told me that Syracuse might have the mojo to make it all the way to the Final Four.
However, like many hoop fans, my attention on the big conferences totally wrecked my bracket on the first days of the tournament with top seeds like Kansas, Iowa and my eventual tournament champion Syracuse all going down.
There were questions whether the smaller conferences such as the Mississippi Valley Conference deserve a bunch of bids in the tournament, but their play has earned the props of fans and critics alike.
Bradley University and Wichita State University didn't even win their conference tournament, and yet they combined to beat three ranked opponents to advance to the Sweet 16.
George Mason University, out of the Colonial Athletic Conference, proved to be another dark horse to reach the Final Four with wins over Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina.
While the small conference teams are making an impact, powerhouse teams remain on the dance floor such as Duke, Gonzaga and No.1-seeded UConn.
The bottom line is that the small conference schools feel like they are the ugly girl at the prom and want to crash the last dance.
All of the small schools have a tough road to the Final Four with two of the top players in the country - J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison - on top of their game.
George Mason has the best shot of making it the Final Four as they only have to beat No. 7-seeded Wichita State and then face UConn in the Elite Eight.
Though my bracket is ripped to shreds, March Madness still remains the best college sporting event because even the little guy has a shot to win it all.
