So close...

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

It was shaping up to be another great first round upset in the NCAA Tournament. It's become almost a sure thing, each year you can bank on a team from the MAC with a 12 or 13 seed pulling off one of the big surprises of the first two days by knocking off a 4 or 5 seed.

Miami slipped into the field of 64 knocking off Ohio, Toledo and finally Akron with a last second 3 pointer (off the glass) to win the MAC title and earn an automatic berth. That bank shot earned them a 14 seed in the Midwest bracket and a matchup in Spokane, Washington with Oregon.

I left work today and got home just in time to catch the second half of the game. As I turned on the tv, I was a little surprised to see that Miami was hanging around, only down five. Oregon couldn't build much of a lead as Miami's defense kept the Ducks normally high scoring offense in check. As the minutes ticked off the clock, Miami wouldn't go away. With less than two minutes to go, they were still in the game. I wondered, could my alma mater pull it off?

As time expired, Michael Bramos hit a half court shot that beat the buzzer. Unfortunately, that still left Miami three points shy of a win. Close, but not close enough.

IN OTHER BASKETBALL NEWS: Suck it, Duke. They lost in the first round yesterday to VCU, which absolutely made my day. And I'm proud to say that I picked VCU to win in my brackets. The only thing that would make me happier during the NCAA tournament is if UNC wins it all.