It happens every year. For the month of March, I watch entirely too much college basketball. Conference tournaments, NIT, NCAA Round 1, 2, regional semi-finals, regional finals, The Final Four and Championship Game. The last two bleed into April, but it's still part of the entire package. I can still remember when I was five years old, standing in the street with a kickball and shooting at an imaginary basket with the final seconds ticking off the clock. Sometimes I made it, and sometimes I was fouled.

I never developed into a good basketball player, with my finest competitive moments coming in elementary school, but I've always had a habit of watching the end of a close game. Who will step up and make a play in the clutch? Will the refs (i.e. the law) try to dictate the outcome? Can a particular player make pressure free throws?

My favorite aspect about basketball tournaments is the upsets. Like in no other sport, a modestly good team can rise to the level of their opponent, and a phenomenal team can have an off night. An underdog can evoke some confidence and pick off a few great teams. Last year, an unknown Gonzaga team out of the Northwest came within a few points of the Final Four.

Upsets give me hope in my own life. If a little known group of kids can buck the odds and outplay the big boys, then maybe an unknown can come up in any field and impress folks.

This year was different in the NCAA Tournament. Although many of the tiny schools fought valiantly, the only true first round upset occurred when a prepared Pepperdine squad routed a highly touted Indiana Hoosier team, and then lost to Oklahoma State. Thirty-two games and only one surprise. A couple ten seeds beat the seven seeds, but those teams are usually evenly matched. The little guys are losing out, no matter the effort! It's the economy! Big business is swallowing up the small business man.

As a writer, I'm always looking for the metaphors in sports to apply to my life, and basketball has its share of lessons. If you push the ball to quickly, you'll lose control. Great defense beats great offense. Feed the hot shooter until they cool off. Every team needs a leader. Experience over ability. And on and on.

As it turned out, I had to wait until the second round to satiate my underdog craving. Wisconsin upset top-seed Arizona, #6 Purdue beat #3 Oklahoma, a young UCLA beat a talented Maryland, inconsistent North Carolina beat steady Stanford, and Seton Hall pulled off two overtimes against Oregon and Temple to make the Sweet 16. The big boys still fall down.

Small schools couldn't beat big schools this year, but good teams can beat great teams. That's the lesson for this year's tournament. It sounds a little like a fortune cookie, but so are most sports metaphors.

I still have another two weeks to feed my college hoops habit before they force me to quit cold turkey. There will be a little withdrawal. I'll check out a few NBA games, but usually they seem cold and meaningless until the playoffs. Baseball is starting to brew, and I'll switch my rapid fast break attitude to seventh inning stretch mode.

Until then, I'll be pulling for the good team in search of being great. I've always considered myself a good team...

Chris Jungle reminds everyone that if he's talking about sports, the world is doing all right in general.