Last year at tourney time only four mid-majors received at-large bids to the big dance. Formidable teams such as St. Mary's and Davidson where forced into the NIT, because of failure to win their conference tournaments and the lack of notable non-conference victories.

This season mid-majors have handed BCS conference foes and handful of early losses. That, mixed with the fact that the Pac-10 is having a horrible season, could lead to a spike in the number of mid-majors in the dance.

Personally I think that this would be great. It is very important to maintain a good balance of teams from the power conferences, and the smaller conferences. Take for example last years first round match-up between fifth seeded Florida St. and 12th seeded Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is a nice team, but that upset was just as satisfying as say Western Kentucky's upset over Illinois. That's not because the Badgers play a methodical, relatively unentertaining and hard for the average fan to appreciate half court offense, but because they where a very successful program from the Big 10, and they wouldn't have even been in the tournament if there was a stronger crop of mid-majors.

Small schools are what make the big dance what it is. See Wisconsin probably forgot their win over FSU in a matter of a week, but for schools like WKU winning one game in the tournament is a something that people around the program will remember for at least five years.

This years crop of non-BCS teams is pretty strong. Teams at the top of the A-10, C-USA, MWC, and MVC all have a good win, if not several against teams from power conferences.

In the tournament it is all about the match-ups, but I wouldn't be surprised to see four or five teams from these conferences in the sweet sixteen.