It looks as though Xavier turned out a few more fans that Georgia, which is interesting because it is a much smaller school. On the other hand, though, Xavier is slightly closer (about 515 miles vs 590) and its fans have known the Musketeers would be playing this weekend for quite some time, whereas until Sunday fans of the Dawgs weren't even thinking NIT, let alone NCAA. The Georgia fans, clad in their bright red and cheering GEORGIA-BULLDGODS about 15 minutes before tip, are far more noticeable than the navy-wearing Xavier fans.

I can't see the Xavier cheerleaders, but the Georgia bunch is right in front of me and you can tell they mean business. I guess thats what happens at schools with football teams. Xavier doesn't have one of those, by the way.

The Purdue and Baylor fans have started to show up too, but overall, the arena is only about half full, tops. We'll see if that changes in the next few minutes.

So as we prepare for the first game of the 2008 tournament to get started, here are my two questions: How long will the Georgia magic last, and how much will having played in the SEC help them. Because with all due respect to the Dawgs, Xavier has a more impressive resume and a more talented roster. But is Georgia just this year's team with that 'je ne sais quoi?' And will they come out the more hardened team because they play in a Big Six conference? We're about to find out.

If you are reading, feel free to leave a comment and I'll try to address it in a subsequent post.