Won't Be Fooled Again

Matt Howard cuts down a piece of the net after beating Florida to reach the

Final Four. Don't be surprised if the Bulldogs are cutting down more nets in

Houston this weekend.

Alright, raise your hand if you correctly predicted all four teams that reached the Final Four. Those people with their hands raised are either lying or should be taking the next flight to Las Vegas.

If your like me, chances are your bracket was fried by the first weekend – if not the first day. The addition of four more teams to this year's tournament has somehow created a multitude of upsets and ruined approximately 5.9 million brackets on espn.com and countless others worldwide.

So here we are, heading into the final weekend of college basketball and it already appears that the championship will feature David vs. Goliath. 

But why should we be surprised that Butler or Virginia Commonwealth will be playing for a national championship Monday night?

The Bulldogs made an improbable run to last year's Final Four. Everybody – including myself – figured it was a fluke, especially knowing Butler had to go through the might and Big East-tested Pitt just to reach the Sweet 16.

Butler's run consisted of hard work, a little luck and basically everything that makes the NCAA Tournament great. Led by Matt Howard – an all-elbows-and-knees player who looks like he was just pulled from the stands – the Bulldogs and their coach Brad Stevens continue to show the world mid-majors can compete with the big boys. Perhaps that's why Stevens' name has been on every team's wish list since early last year.

Then there's VCU. At this point, the Rams are just happy to be in Houston. Last year, they may not have even made the tournament, but because of the play-in games, they got a shot. After taking care of USC, VCU proved to be an atomic bomb for brackets across the nation – capping their run off with a stunning upset of overwhelming favorite Kansas with a barrage of 3-pointers.

While the big boys – Kentucky and UConn – duke it out in the night's second semifinal, don't sleep on the little guy in Monday's championship. These two teams have been playing like they have nothing to lose all tournament. Chances are they will play the same way in the championship.

And when March rolls around next year, don't automatically count out the little guy. I learned my lesson and, as The Who once sang, I won't be fooled again.