Will Boise State join Cinderella in NCAA Tourney?

This past weekend, George Mason won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament and is bound for the Big Dance! OBNUG has been a big fan of George Mason ever since they took out the a full page ad in the Idaho Statesman, wishing us luck before the Fiesta Bowl (see above). It's good to see them back where they belong.

And it would be great if Boise State could join them. Today, the Bronco men's basketball team gets its chance in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament.

After a disappointing finish to the regular season, Boise State fell to a #4 seed and will face #5 Hawaii at noon today. Losing at home on senior night cost the Broncos the top seed, but it also hurt the team's credibility with fans. Probably the two biggest moments on Boise State's basketball floor (Tyus Edney's gamewinner for UCLA and Hampton upsettting Iowa State) didn't even involve Boise State, but a win for the WAC title could have changed that.

So, how good is this Broncos team? They won a very respectable 22 games in the regular season and finished 12-4 in the WAC, but they failed when it mattered most. The last time that I remember a Boise State team having a shot at making the NCAA tournament was Roberto Bergersen's squad back in '99, so this year's group doesn't exactly have history on its side.

We'll find out what these Broncos are made of over the next few days.

UPDATE: The Broncos beat Hawaii 80-74 and advance to play the winner of Utah State and San Jose State. BSU overcame an eight-point halftime deficit.