Monitoring the Mid-Majors: Final Four

We're through the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament and it sure has been crazy. No. 1 seeds Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse all lost before reaching the Final Four. Two No. 5 seeds have crept into the Final Four in Michigan State and Butler. No. 2 seed West Virginia is in its first Final Four since the 1950s, while Duke is picking up where it left off in the early 2000s.

While the Sweet Sixteen presented many opportunities for mid-major teams to burst onto the scene, only one (Butler) was able to do so. The rest of the Elite Eight: Kentucky, West Virginia, Duke, Baylor, Tennessee, Michigan State and Kansas State - all hail from a BCS conference.

No. 12 seed Cornell's magically run ended at the hand's of John Wall and Kentucky as the Wildcats were too athletic and fast for the Ivy-Leaguers to keep up. Northern Iowa ran out of gas against Michigan State. St. Mary's (Calif.) was totally outdone by Baylor, losing by 23 points.

But the best contest of them all was Xavier's bout with No. 2 seed Kansas State. The No. 6 seed gave Frank Martin's bunch all it could handle. The result was a 2OT battle. Several Xavier players heated up near the end of the game as they launched crazy-deep 3-pointers. But the Musketeers couldn't muster that late-game magic in the end of the 2OT and fell valiantly.

Which leaves us with Butler - a "Mid-Major" team making a huge impact on the NCAA. It reminds me of Gonzaga years back. This is not a George Mason team that has knocked off major NCAA powers in stunning fashion. This is a team that has been ranked in the top 25 the majority of the season and has several great players. While the Bulldogs' coach (Brad Stevens) looks like he could still be the team manger, this team is well-coached and focused.

Either way, a No. 5 seed that rarely received attention heading into the tournament will have the opportunity to play for the National Championship. For Michigan State, the title would cement coach Tom Izzo's legacy as one of the best ever - overcoming a number of injuries and disappointments this season. But for Butler, the title would change the way we look at the NCAA forever. It would give home to all the mid-major programs out there fighting for recruits. In the modern-NCAA, no mid-major has had the opportunity to do this. And Butler is fully capable. For a in-depth team preview of the Bulldog's, check back at the blog in the coming days.