All over the nation, beloved brackets took the mightiest blow of the NCAA tournament as the unheralded, 11th seeded George Mason University knocked out U Conn to advance to the Final Four in a stunning turn of overtime events by an 86-84 margin.
The Patriots (27-7) are only the second double-digit seed to make the Final Four, matching LSU's run, also as an 11th seed, in 1986. They are the first true outsider to crash the quartet since Penn and Indiana State both got there in 1979.
Denham Brown of U Conn, who made the reverse layup at the regulation buzzer to send the game to overtime, was just off the mark from the left wing with a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer that finally sealed it.
John Feinstein reminds us at the Washington Post how fragile that victory had been.
"So close to the Final Four, yet so far. In as improbable a basketball game as anyone watching had ever seen, Mason had come from 12 points down late in the first half and nine points down early in the second half to seemingly have control of the game, leading 74-70 with 18 seconds left after two free throws by Lamar Butler. But after Brown's spectacular reverse layup finally dropped after banging the rim over and over, Mason's impossible dream looked just about dead.
Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing: So close..."
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Lost In The Hoopla, Another Upset
Meanwhile, the Florida Gators, led by Joakim Noah, who had 21 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, five blocks and was selected most outstanding player of the regional, knocked off the much-heralded Villanova in another upset of much lesser proportion, by a suprisingly simple 75-62 margin.
The quadruple of upsets sees a Final Four of George Mason, Florida, UCLA and LSU.
It's the first time since the field expanded to 64 back in 1985 that not a single No. 1 seed has earned a spot in the Final Four.
The only one of the quartet that was even ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll was UCLA at No. 19.
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"...As B*rry Bonds continues his assault on the home run records of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron while baseball fans lash out at how much he may have "juiced" to get there, here is the best tack:
Pretend it never happened..."
--Gonzo Sports Journalist, Norman Chad dispenses advice on dealing with the steroid scandals in baseball. Just bury your head.
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Fox Sport's Dayn Perry finally wrote something I like. NL MVP - Carlos Delgado.
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Nice photo feature in SI of the major players who changed teams this season, playing in their new uniforms. Old Faces In New Places.
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