George Mason

I'm happy to see George Mason back in the NCAA Tourney after making it to the Final Four in 2006, then not making the field of 65 last year. I know the chances are pretty much even slimmer than they were last time, but I think in the back of everybody's mind, they're going to be thinking about and dreaming about another George Mason upset run. When they did go to the Final Four in 2006, it's not like they had an easy road there. In their four tournament wins, they knocked off Michigan State, North Carolina, a good Witchita State team, and the #1 seed UConn Huskies. With the field of teams this year, I can see an underdog like GMU surviving up until the Elite Eight, such as Xavier did in 2003. Though, unlike last year, I really can see a somewhat underdog team advancing even farther than the Elite Eight. Not a complete underdog like GMU was and still is this year, but more of a team like Butler or this year's Xavier squad. As for Drake, I would love to see them get to the Final Four, but I really doubt that they'll even survive the first weekend, and I don't see them making the Sweet Sixteen. As for the bubble teams, I really would like to see Florida come back and try to defend its title, but I don't think that they're good enough to even win a game in the tourney, and the selection crew should therefore instead go with Ohio State or one of the Pac-10 teams like Arizona or Oregon. I also really think that St. Mary's deserves to get in, as does Ohio State if they can at least win a game or two in the Big 10 tournament, but really in the end, all of it is really irrelevant because North Carolina will be the team to take home the National Championship trophy. (Directly from ESPN blog)