Cheer, Cheer For Old William And Mary

Anyone who remembers George Mason's amazing run to the Final Four a couple of years ago might find it difficult to cheer against them, but if there's ever a time to, tonight's the night. Because at 7 p.m., their opponent in the CAA Championship Game is William & Mary. And that's amazing.

Suffice it to say, William & Mary is not inherently known for its athletics. (Though their football program boasts Mike Timlin, Steve Christie and Marv Levy.) They've never made the tournament before, and this is the first season they'll finish above .500 this decade. (And that only barely, at 17-15.) Like our Illini, they've had some trouble with their mascot; they changed it from "the Indians" to "the Tribe," which, uh, is better, we guess.

The school itself is the real reason we're excited about a possible NCAA tourney berth. It was founded in 1693; Thomas Jefferson and George Washington went there. That's a bit more impressive than Karl Rove. The school's current chancellor is Sandra Day O'Connor, which is even more impressive when you consider the last two chancellors were Henry Kissinger and Margaret Thatcher.

And it's possible you might be able to fill out their name in your tournament bracket. Sorry George Mason: Tough to root against that.

Ho. Lee. Shit. [Gheorghe: The Blog]