For the next five weeks, we can cheer collectively for every underdog that ever came out from under the porch to have its day. We can watch as giants are slain and heroes are born. As various conference tournaments get under way this week, the process of elimination begins in earnest. One by one the longshots fade. Dreams are abandoned.
Reality sets in.
And yet there will be wonderful stories. Tales of Valparaisos and Princetons that rise up to capture our imagination, if only for a game or two. Indeed, March Madness has become our nation's ultimate sports lottery, and for a few weeks we all buy a ticket and enjoy the ride. But before we whittle it all down to the field of 64, there are the conference championship tournaments, where teams that have been playing each other all season get to play each other again. Only this time it really counts.