Gator nation is still rocking out to its surprising victory in the NCAAs. In two of the three pools I was in, nobody picked them. Partly because they were an up and down team all year, and partly because they were young.

Which leads all of the experts to say that Florida has an excellent chance of repeating if all of their stars come back. That can be difficult in this day and age, where NBA millions await. I think Florida will have a good team along with North Carolina (what an offense), UCLA (what a defense), Ohio State (what a crop of income freshman) and UConn (what a deep team).

George Mason has also helped many (including myself) see the light. Now we all know the mid-majors can ball. Hopefully we'll see Southern Illinois, Bucknell and other mid-majors crash the power conference party known as the NCAA tournament.

Anyway, If you're like me, you're probably going through some serious hoop withdrawal right now that Lebron, Kobe and Shaq can't fix (NBA fans just can't understand). So... I'll leave you with some links of what to look forward to next season.

Here are some lists of the favorites to win it all next year, from
Sports Illustrated, CBS Sportsline, ESPN, and The Sporting News.

And a list of players who should leave for the NBA -- or stay for one more season.

And finally, ESPN's ombudsman talks about Dick Vitale's passion for the game, even though he gushes over the ACC (they didn't have anyone in the Final Four, did they?).

I'll state early that I didn't think Florida had any chance to win its second game of the tournament, much less the NCAA Championship. But the Gators laughed at the detractors, boldly overachieved when even the SEC pundits pegged them for third or fourth in the conference, and took out the Bruins with a resounding thud!

It was not a classic title matchup, and hardly an edge-of-your-seat game, but it is a model of things to come.
Picking a winner from the field of 65 was a chore, and it will be this way for years to come. Get used to it.

It's just a shame that the early games were the nailbiters. One last buzzer-beater would have capped off this set of brackets in style. But it will be memorable simply because no one can remember a tournament quite like the one just completed.

The George Mason story leads the pack. You had the Big Ten faltering again, early and often. You had the Big East flex early, then wilt when the bigger games were scheduled. And traditional powers Duke, UConn and company looked mortal.

This blog entry wraps up my contribution to the college hoops season. What a great way to toss around ideas...and along the way, voice an opinion or two. Minnesota, your Wisconsin neighbors to the east have some pretty good basketball going on in this state. Here's hoping that those Gophers get things together soon, so the cross state rivalries can become heated again.

I'm off to watch the Frozen Four in Milwaukee this weekend.
Sorry the Gophers can't join this party either!

Just as a sample, I'm in two NCAA bracket pools. My contribution to the "fund" is long gone, but the winners of these pools, and others playing thoughout the world, will no doubt be winners by default.

Come on. Who had UCLA, LSU, Florida and GEORGE MASON in their Final Four?

I'm in 83rd place out of 89 in one bracket, and 27th out of 51 in another. In the first one, there are actually two guessers who chose UCLA to win it all, and one picked Florida. In the second pool, not a single person remaining has one of the Final Four teams left to win the big prize. The field is littered with Duke, UConn, Memphis and other bigwigs. No chance, no how!

It just goes to show what us bloggers have been saying all season long...the field, the college scene in general, is balanced. No one who picked Duke, UConn or any one of the now departed No. 1 seeds can honestly say they felt strongly about the selection. I have noted before, players want to play...not just go to a top-flight school and sit on the bench. So they suck it up and attend the mid-major school instead that gives them not only a good education, but perhaps a starting roll.

Welcome to parity. Welcome to the unexpected.

With your brackets exploding, why not pull for George Mason? I think most fans will root for the underdog, although with the teams they've trashed along the way so far, nothing the Patriots will do can be considered an upset anymore.

Four teams that flew "under the radar" most of the season -- the Gators, Bruins, Tigers and Patriots -- are certainly in plain view now.

What was the deal on Thursday night with JJ Reddick and Adam Morrison crying?

Are these the same two guys who were thought to be the best college players in the land this season? The end is near, and I thought I would go out on top, so it's time to cry? What's up with that?

Reddick's game was over, and when he checked out, his career at Duke was over. Morrison was stunned that his team blew a 17-point lead, but the game was still being decided when the tears began to flow. OK, UCLA grabs the ball and the lead, but still plenty of time to regain the lead. Instead, panic and confusion. This was the time when Morrison needed to step in and calm everyone down and take the ball one more time. He never touched it once the Bruins stole the lead for good.

I know, I know. It's an emotional roller coaster, but it's also not the end of the world. Life goes on for both, and their wallets will be well-padded with NBA money next season. Reddick had a great career at Duke...won championships and broke records along the way. Don't hang your head, JJ...you had a hell of a run!

Morrison should have at least saved the crying for the end of the game, not when there was still time to pull it out of the fire. Put the hankie away, and demand the basketball as the clock winds down! You can be stunned and dramatic when the horn goes off...I guess he knew his team had nothing left in the tank.

The Crying Game. Let those with a stiff upper lip play on!

Welcome to the Sweet 16. Anyone see a Big Ten team around here?

Gone!

Is it becoming tradition to watch this conference bow out with little fanfare, or is it just me? Depending on who does the ranking, this is a conference that not only has 11 teams, in the Big Ten, but one that is supposed to be either No. 1 or No. 2 in the land.

The regular season backed that up, as night in and night out, teams battled like they were protecting their young from harm. But maybe, just maybe, they were overrated all along. It's either that, or the battle wounds were too deep to lick come tourney time.

Six teams made it in -- six are gone after just two rounds. Nice to see everyone -- drive home safely. The worst winning percentage (.333, 3-6) of any conference in the tournament. Impressive!

I won't even get into that whole Missouri Valley debate. They put up and shut up the critics. Four made it and two are still alive. Case closed!

Around these parts, Wisconsin fans like to watch with great glee when Marquette goes down in flames in the first round. But 24 hours later, the Badgers were in the same boat, and only UW-Milwaukee won its opening round game from this state.

I heard Big Ten fans yap that the Big East was overrated after Marquette, Syracuse and Seton Hall all made early exits. Time now for them to eat crow -- four teams remaining in the Sweet 16 are from the Big East. UConn, 'Nova, West Virginia and Georgetown maybe didn't get there without a stumble or two, but they got there. They survived!

The Pac 10 has been impressive. UCLA and Washington are still alive, and Arizona not only destroyed Wisconsin, but they gave Villanova a run for the money. Everyone said that conference was down and would be down and out in the tourney. Guess not!

That's why I maintain that everyone needs to relax when the pairings and seeds come out. Let the games decide the matter, and so far, they are.