Mike Celizic

I’ve never much liked the Cinderella plot line, at least not as it applies to the NCAA Tournament. The reason is because, just when you start to believe you’re actually watching Cinderella, the movie turns into Old Yeller.

So unless you enjoy falling in love with a mutt and then watching the mutt get shot, why bother? It may be uplifting for a while, but it never ends well.

I’m pointing this out because we’ve got some serious Cinderella candidates this year, thanks in part to the NCAA’s unpopular but prescient decision to put four Missouri Valley Conference teams into the tournament. One, Wichita State, has made it into the Sweet 16, but, with a seventh seed, can’t be considered a true Cinderella. The other, though, is the genuine article, 13th-seeded Bradley, which didn’t just luck its way into the Sweet 16, but flat-out hammered Pitt.

The other Cinderella candidate is George Mason from the Colonial Athletic Conference, which looked quite comfortable in knocking out the Tar Heels of North Carolina.

What makes these teams true Cinderellas is their utter obscurity coming in.

Admit it, unless you are a fan of a school in either the Missouri Valley or the Colonial, you weren’t even aware that Bradley and George Mason had Division I basketball teams. And even after two rounds of the tournament, you still may not be able to name any players on either team.

Other small schools have had success in the tournament, including Gonzaga, Xavier and St. Joseph's. But, like Gonzaga this year, they have been teams that came in with big name players and reputations as real contenders. Ideally, to be a true Cinderella, you have to be keeping house in the dust bin, unnoticed and unknown to anyone outside the house, and mistreated by those in it.

George Mason and Bradley fit the bill. They are lowly seeds. They are unknowns. And, when you dress them up and put them on the dance floor, you fall in love with them.

How could you not? Bradley came in with a 7-foot sophomore center, Patrick O’Bryant, who thoroughly outplayed Aaron Gray, Pitt’s 7-footer who had a much higher profile and reputation.

MEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS Sunday’s games ATLANTA REGIONAL Texas 75, N.C. State 54 West Virginia 67, Northwestern State 54 MINNEAPOLIS REGIONAL Georgetown 70, Ohio State 52 Villanova 82, Arizona 78 OAKLAND REGIONAL Bradley 72, Pittsburgh 66 Memphis 72, Bucknell 56 WASHINGTON D.C. Connecticut 87, Kentucky 83 George Mason 65, North Carolina 60

After Sunday, if you know any player on Bradley, it’s O’Bryant. And if the Braves make it into the Elite Eight, O’Bryant will be this year’s Kevin Pittsnogle, the West Virginia center who became a cult hero last year when the Mountaineers got that far.

As for George Mason, I’ve watched two games, been very impressed with the way the Patriots play, and still couldn’t name anyone on the team without checking the box score. Tony Skinn? Lamar Butler? Will Thomas? Folarin Campbell? Jai Lewis? Don’t really know them. But I hope they beat Wichita State.

There’s a real chance this year that one of the two teams will get to the Elite Eight. They both play great defense. They’re both fearless. They’re both playing teams that most people think can be had – George Mason gets Wichita State and Bradley plays Memphis, the top seed in the Oakland region.

Before you start falling in love, though, there are some facts that have to be pointed out. They have to do with that nasty reality that Cinderella doesn’t make it to the final reel in these action serial.

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