Mid-major Final Four would be a dream come true

By Bob Herman

Matt and I have been highlighting mid-majors and underdogs throughout this entire men's NCAA tournament, and deservedly so. Butler, Northern Iowa, Saint Mary's, Cornell, Murray State, Old Dominion, and Ohio have made their marks with huge victories against good competition.

Naturally, the mainsteam media doesn't pay attention until they have to, but that's the whole appeal of the mid-majors that play the role of spoiler: They're the little guys, the non-flashy, down-to-earth, right-to-basics teams that everyone can relate to, be it as an alumnus/alumna who has lived off that basketball for ages or as a regular basketball fan who appreciates the game outside of the self-promoting dunks and large, big-program egomaniacs.

That's why I was appalled upon reading this article today by Gary Parrish, who normally defends the mid-majors. Gary, are the Big 6 conferences paying you off to say a "BracketBuster Final Four" would be a bore? Because that's complete rubbish.

Not only would a Final Four of Butler, Northern Iowa, Cornell, and Saint Mary's be incredibly entertaining, it's what I'm hoping will happen. Clearly, the odds are stacked against it, as Butler and Cornell both play No. 1 seeds this week, but if it were to happen, this would be the greatest string of upsets in the history of sport. Period. Nothing would really compare because it would hypothetically involve four small schools playing the best basketball of their lives--and beating the "best" competition in the country. It is the ultimate David vs. Goliath scenario.

Yet Gary Parrish is telling us that the greatest string of upsets in the history of sports won't be entertaining because the Cinderella storylines don't match up well against...other Cinderellas. Seriously? The more I think about it, the more idiotic that sounds.

Think about it. There hasn't been an upset winner of the men's tournament since 1985 when Villanova won as an 8-seed. Whenever a smaller team makes a run at the big boys (most recently, George Mason in 2006), it most definitely makes things interesting because no one sees it coming.

I, apparently unlike Gary Parrish, do not need a high-tempo game with 42 turnovers and a couple of "thunder" dunks. Yes, it depends a little on the a person's proximity to a given program, and I'll admit I'm a sucker for a good dunk. But that's one moment. It's fleeting. And I'm a fan of my team and the sport. They aren't mutually exclusive. I'd rather see a well-played basketball game end in a 54-52 nail biter than a sloppy yet TV-friendly display of "athleticism."

I can only hope that by the end of this week, I will see Northern Iowa, Butler, Cornell, and Saint Mary's in the Final Four. It probably won't happen (then again, 98 percent of the 4.8 million people in the ESPN.com bracket had Kansas in the Sweet 16...), but it would be a spectacle to see. To those who are anti-mid-major and are more concerned with your bracket, get a grip and realize how great the sport is right now. It's not every year that this many Cinderellas have such a good chance at taking the prize.

(A semi-unrelated and very homerish closing thought and link: How's this for athleticism?)