OK, so by now you know that the Fresno State women's basketball team won the WAC Tournament. Confetti flares went off, people hugged, trophies were passed out, and pretty much no one cheered because it was in New Mexico and everyone there was kinda hoping the New Mexico State Aggies would win. They pretty much had no shot. The Bulldogs played the worst half you can imagine and still beat them by 16 on their own court.

In my opinion, Erica Henry was the MVP of the final, as evidenced by my entire column about her in Sunday's paper. As if on cue, she wasn't named to the all-tournament team, illustrating my point that she is always underappreciated. She's not what you would call a great player, but at times she does exactly what the Bulldogs need, rebound, take charges, play pretty good defense. The Bulldogs who did make the all-tourney team were senior Tierre Wilson, freshman Emma Andrews and freshman Jaleesa Ross, the tournament MVP. All had good tournaments, obviously. (Not sure what made me type that last sentence.) Hayley Munro would have made it, probably in place of Andrews or Wilson, but she had a pretty blah final game.

Maybe it was the dominating way they won the final, or just the personality of the team, but it was probably the most subdued celebration you could imagine for a team that just became the first in the history of its school's program to make the NCAA Tournament. Forty-some years of Fresno State women's basketball without a tournament, and then they just kinda high-five and smile and hug and stuff. No one even jumped. Maybe it's the fact that they have so many low-key personalities. Players who live in their own little worlds. Tierre Wilson was the MVP of the WAC regular season and up until this year's tournament had no idea who Jaycee Carroll was. He would be the men's MVP of the same conference, the one they've both been playing in for four years.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's good to be insulated, a little understated, especially this time of year. When you want your team to avoid nervousness. Especially since Fresno State found out Monday they will be a huge underdog, No. 14 seed in the NCAAs, playing No. 3 Baylor in Albuquerque, N.M. A buddy of mine saw the brackets today and wrote me an email with the subject line: "have you gotten your New Mexico drivers license and voter ID yet?" Indeed, I'm spending so much time in New Mexico*, they should have let me vote in their primary. Not that you needed to know, but the blog voted for Barack Obama in the California primary. My voting location was barely a block away, a church in eastern Fresno, yet I still barely got there in time, pretty much the last person to vote in the state. If it weren't for the last minute, I'd get nothing done. Not sure what scares me about Hillary Clinton, but she ... oh, wait. Yes I do. Go to YouTube.com right now and search for "Hillary" and "cackles." I can't have my President laughing like that. Sorry, I just can't. Call me petty, but it's a crazy, fake laugh and I can't respect people who laugh insincerely**. Laughter is too important to be used as mockery. Also, I think typing LOL when you didn't actually Laugh Out Loud, should be a $500 fine.

*Ten points to anyone who can guess the state nickname of New Mexico. Not the state motto. That's different. For example, Kansas is "The Sunflower State," Florida is "The Sunshine State," etc. Kansas' state motto is "Ad astra per aspera," or "To the stars through difficulties." The state motto of Florida is, "Watch out for our elderly drivers." Maybe we should do the New Mexico state motto as well. Ten points for that, too. Don't just Google it. Take a wild guess! Entertain us a little here. Yes, you'll still get 10 points if you Google it, but you'll feel so much better if you tell us New Mexico is "The Moon-Boot State," and its motto is "You could easily bury a body here."

**One of this blog's favorite shows is "Scrubs," a show known for its cameos. One show had Mandy Moore, the singer/actress on it as the latest girlfriend of Zach Braff's character, "J.D." It seems Moore's character would always say, "That's so funny," to everything J.D. said, but she never actually laughed. This kinda drove J.D. crazy, and in the end, he had to dump her over it. Obviously reasonable. After the breakup, she is out in the yard at a party, being consoled by other females, and J.D. says to Turk -- at least I think it was Turk -- something like, "You'll notice she's not saying, 'That's so sad.' She's actually crying." Classic line. I think that's my problem with Hillary, besides the fact that she never dumped Bill for all his cheating. How am I supposed to know when she actually finds something funny if she's cackling at every question from a reporter? OK, no more politics.

I'm not actually in Las Cruces any more. Got back to Fresno late Sunday night because I took the later, "Look, it's cheaper!" flight out of El Paso, with a stop in Vegas, and so I was stuck in the hotel and airports for most of the day. It did lead to an exchange between an Idaho reporter and I, where we discussed Dr. Seuss and how that movie "Horton Hears a Who" is No. 1 at the box office, and the next thing I knew, I was writing a "Green Eggs and Ham" tribute column on how if I were a No. 3 seed in the Women's NCAA Tournament, I wouldn't want to play Fresno State in the first round. Not sure if it worked, but got some good compliments on it today, mostly from women over the age of 55, which I'll take any day of the week. Women over the age of 55 care about grammer, so I respect their comments. Here it is. (I'd have just put a link to it, but for whatever reason, italics don't show up when my columns are posted online.)

If I were a No. 3 seed in the Women's NCAA Tournament, with apologies to Dr. Seuss ...

I would not like them, in Round 1.
I would not like them, not for fun.
I would not like them, here or there.
I would not like them, anywhere.
---
Not with a lead.
Not with their speed.
Not in a race.
Not at THAT pace.
---
I'll watch today, the selection show.
Don't give me Fresno, I might not go.
I played so well, now what's my fate?
How 'bout a shot, at Jackson State?
---
They're winning now, I've seen their score.
I do not want them, on any floor.
Not at Stanford, or Baton Rouge.
They might not know, they're s'pose to lose.
---
That Emma, Hayley, and Miss Ross.
Too many threes, they stop to toss.
You say they're frosh, it isn't right.
Don't make me boycott, out of spite.
---
I would not like them, in Round 1.
Don't make me use an awful pun.
I do not like, that Bulldog red.
How about 'giving me Liberty' instead?
---
I would not like them, here at home.
I would not like them, up in Nome.
I would not like them, on the road.
I'm a No. 3, I've earned a toad.
---
Would you like them, shooting fast?
Would you like them, here at last?
I would not like, a tough first game.
If you were me, you'd say the same.
---
Not with their press.
No need for that stress.
Not in the Tourney.
At least not that early.
---
Would you, could you, play them first?
I would not, could not, think of worse.
Would you, could you, make them a 10?
I would not, could not, ask again.
---
Forgive me if, I'm being rude.
They played ranked teams, their record's skewed.
Would you like them, in your way?
At College Park, or the San Fran Bay?
---
Wilson's fast, there is no lack.
She's MVP, helped win the WAC.
I do not want, her flashy style.
I'd rather our starters, rested a while.
---
They have not been, this far before.
They're a winner, a part of lore.
They have it all, the vets and rooks.
Give me a team, that's good with books.
---
I would not like them, in Round 1.
I would not like them, on the run.
Would you, could you, keep them away?
I would not, could not, start this way.
---
Not in a gym! Not on a whim!
Not in the lane! Not in vane!
Not in a scrap! Not in a trap!
Not in gladness! Not in the Madness!
---
I do not like them, here or there.
I do not like them, anywhere.
I do not like, Bulldogs that can.
I do not like them, No. 3-I-am.

The men's final was much more exciting, and I'm so glad I stayed for the end of it. (Not sure what else I'd have done in Las Cruces on a Saturday night, but still, I'm glad.) Boise State beat New Mexico State in three overtimes. It was an absurd game, with so many big shots that it would take 1,000 words to explain it all. Boise's Reggie Larry was unstoppable. He's like a skinnier Charles Barkley. He shuts down players two, three, four inches taller than him on a regular basis. Can't believe how many shots he blocks. Their guards hit big 3-pointer after big 3-pointer. On a neutral court, the Broncos win that game easily, but in Las Cruces, New Mexico definitely had an advantage. As the game went on and the noise become nearly painful, the referees really let the rough play go. New Mexico State's full-court press was hands-on, let's just say that. The fight for rebounding position was a full-on shoving match. Loose balls would result in at least five people lying on the floor. New Mexico State got a lot of favorable calls, and at least two were plays where Broncos fouled out. I think I can say that guilt free, since I have no connection to Boise State or New Mexico State.

The blog spoke to Fresno State AD Thomas Boeh today at the made-for-TV, Selection-Show-watching-gathering today at the university. What an odd event that was, the media sitting around waiting for the team's reaction to the name of their school being flashed on a TV screen. Exciting stuff, let me tell you. There wasn't even the drama of whether they would make it or not, since they were an automatic berth and everybody pretty much knew they were going to be a No. 14 seed. And sure enough, Fresno State was one of the last schools named, so there was plenty of awkward silence and sitting through commercials. I guess there was a sort of tension-filled moment when they announced that Maryland was a No. 1 seed, which meant Stanford would be the No. 2 seed, which meant Fresno State might have been placed as the No. 15 seed, playing at Stanford, against Stanford. That would have been scary. Not that Baylor isn't good, and not that Waco, Texas, isn't close to Albuquerque*, N.M., so it will be a lot like a home game, but still, better than playing Stanford at its gym.

*Just looked it up. It's 700 miles from Waco to Albuquerque. Wow. How many times per day can this blog be amazed at the size of Texas? The answer is nearly 5. That's a lot of hours in the car. Still, you'd have to expect Baylor fans will make the trip more easily than Bulldogs fans.

Almost forgot about Thomas Boeh. He said he was glad neither New Mexico State team won the tournament, not because he has some personal vendetta against the Aggies, but because now he says when the athletic directors argue for a neutral site for the tournament for 2011 and 2012, "It won't seem like sour grapes." Good point. He was one of four ADs in the WAC who were willing to pay extra to have the tournament in Salt lake City instead of Reno for 2009 and 2010. Unfortunately, five wanted to pay less, so it's going to Reno. Having the tournament on someone's home court is too much of an advantage. Still can't believe Boise State won there. That team is tough. There's a good upset pick for NCAA Tournament. Boise State beats Louisville in Round 1. All my picks, coming soon.