So, how's your bracket doing?In the waning moments of George Mason University's improbable regional final game against the University of Connecticut, it seemed certain that the clock had finally struck midnight on this year's NCAA tournament's Cinderella team. Up 72-70 Patriots' guard Tony Skinn missed a free throw with six seconds left and the Huskies' Denham Brown found the basket on a reverse baseline lay-up. George Mason's draining and improbable second-half comeback was negated in a single heartbreaking moment. David, it seemed, was out of rocks for his slingshot.

But when the No. 11 Patriots downed the No. 1 Huskies 86-84 in overtime to reach the Final Four, ending years of frustration and close calls in the Big Dance for teams from mid-major conferences, they did more than turn my bracket into a shameful embarrassment. They became the first of what will hopefully be many more mid-major teams to ensure that the future of the NCAA tournament is one with plenty of parity and even more excitement.

Is there any question that mid-majors belong in the tournament? There were plenty after the brackets were announced, but certainly not now after No. 7 seed Wichita State University and No. 13 seed Bradley University from the Missouri Valley Conference both made the Sweet 16 to accompany George Mason halfway through its road to the Final Four.

"Bracketologists" across the country have been biting their collective tongues after calling out the selection committee for its unprecedented selection of four teams from the mid-major MVC. But in all fairness, no one would have even dreamt of a scenario where a Sweet 16 game pitted two mid-major teams against each other: No. 7 Wichita State and those hardscrabble Patriots.

For years, we thought this honor would belong to Gonzaga University. Ever since the team's breakthrough run to the Elite Eight in 1999, it had been knocking on the doorstep, with Sweet 16 runs in each of the next two seasons as No. 10 and No. 12 seeds. But when the selection committee started considering Gonzaga a contender, it fell hard, first losing to No. 11 seed Wyoming University in 2002, then being upset as a No. 2 seed by the No. 10 seed University of Nevada in 2004 and finally in last year's upset by No. 6 Texas Tech University. The Bulldogs finally returned to the Sweet 16 as a No. 3 seed this year, but in an instant classic, blew a 17-point lead against the University of California, Los Angeles Thursday and lost 73-71. When the Bulldogs' national scoring leader Adam Morrison sat in the middle of the court and cried in front of a television audience, all the mid-majors cried with him. They would almost certaintly have to wait another year to break through to the Final Four. Then, along came the Patriots.

George Mason, from the Colonial Athletic Association, was one of the most controversial additions to the 65-team field after losing to Hofstra University in its conference tournament. Its match against Connecticut is arguably the most groundbreaking and exciting game in tournament history. Even more amazing is the fact that it came during an NCAA tournament that is breaking the scale in terms of comebacks, buzzer-beaters and overtime contests. There was No. 14 Northwestern State (La.) University's three-pointer to knock off Iowa in round one, the University of Texas' Kenton Paulino beating the buzzer to gun down West Virginia in the Sweet 16 and Gonzaga's historic collapse against UCLA later that night.

Before anyone could even catch a breath, we had another overtime thriller in the Atlanta regional final with Louisiana State University knocking off the Texas Longhorns. Then came that fateful Sunday for George Mason, their fans, and the four people out of over three million who actually got the Final Four correct in the ESPN.com bracket.

We will still be hearing their collective laughter for years to come.

Every number-one seed made the Sweet 16, but none moved on to Indianapolis. Such is the age of parity in college basketball. As one of the millions of fans who spent money or tears watching a beloved team get ousted from the tournament by a team you have never heard of before, you may be licking your wounds right now.

But look at the tournament from the standpoint of a fan of the game and you will be unable to deny how awesome it has been to witness this history in the making. As the first four rounds have aptly proven to all the Blue Devils, Huskies and Jayhawks out there, and every other Final Four "lock", when you treat mid-majors like underdogs, you'd better be prepared to be bitten.