March Madness gets wilder

Sports Anchor Rafer Weigel

The text message said simply:

It's Nova!

It came from a certain weatherman gloating after Villanova advanced to the final four after a huge win over heavily favored Pitt. Said weatherman actually picked the 3rd-seeded Wildcats to win the National Championship. I laughed at him at the time. Now he's the one having the last laugh.

Oh March Madness. Danny Green of North Carolina takes home a little bit of net.

The weatherman's text is an appropriate rallying cry for Nova-a small Catholic school in Philadelphia. No one had them going to the final four and if you did, please send proof. This is the farthest the school's ever advanced in the tournament since they won it all in 1985.

The Cats tore up brackets from Atlanta to Alta Dena while tearing at the hearts of Pitt fans and those who had them picked to pick apart opponents like a peck of pickled peppers all the way to national championship – people like me (sigh). At this point, it's not about being an "expert" so much as a fortuneteller.

The Wildcats were one of two wild finishes. The other was Michigan State, stunning the number one seed overall, Louisville. The Spartans do not have an NBA Lottery pick on their team. Head coach Tom Izzo has now guided them to five Final Fours – cementing his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in history. They'll travel a mere 90 miles to Detroit to face UConn

The other Final Four berth goes to the President's pick – North Carolina. Their star guard Ty Lawson has the most talked about toe in the tournament. But Lawson's sore digit hasn't been a factor at all which means the President may get this one right. I thought Sergeant Hulka's big toe would hobble the heels since the same injury derailed San Diego Charger running back LaDainian Tomlinson's season. Whoops.

But while my brackets are worthless it's come at a worthwhile cost – some great basketball.

The two teams from Pennsylvania – Pitt and Nova – gave us one of the greatest games in tournament history, a game which reinforced why so many are mad for March Madness.

While the talent level isn't as high as the pros, the passion is undeniably higher in this tournament. These kids are not playing for money. Only a fraction of these players will play professionally. Most of them will go from the hallowed halls of the biggest stages to the hollow halls of pick up games at their local YMCA where the only chants they'll hear are "we got next!"

Which is why you see them play with so much intensity. They don't want it to end. Which is also the reason why some of these massive men will often break down and cry after a tournament loss, because it is over.

That’s also why even with busted brackets, I don't want it to end either.