We’ve seen something during this NCAA Tournament that we haven’t seen in quite some time.

No, I’m not talking about early round games in Boise, Idaho or an impressive three teams represented from the SEC. Instead, let’s count the amount of teams seeded lower than No. 3 represented in the Elite Eight.

Now I know I have poor eyesight, but I’m pretty sure I know how to read, and if I’m not mistaken, there wasn’t one team with those credentials.

So what exactly does that mean? Simply put, very few of those oh-so-desired Cinderella stories we all hope for come tournament time are still in the mix for the national championship.

OK, now upsets are great and all, but believe me, there is more than one reason why everybody loves the NCAA Tournament.

Aside from the thrill of simply qualifying for the field of 65, playing a single game in the Big Dance can be a dream come true for some teams. But when those unlikely teams get unexpected victories, it means so much more for them, and it gives us — the fans — quite a bit of entertainment in the process.

Well, as all of you have probably noticed, that aspect of the tournament has been absent, aside from a couple of upsets in the first round.

By now, people are getting over No. 13 seed Cleveland State’s big win over No. 4 seed Wake Forest, which might be the closest thing to a Cinderella story in the NCAA Tournament.

But when Arizona beat the Vikings in the second round, the Wildcats became the new team to shine. That didn’t last too long either.

After the most lopsided defeat in Arizona’s history, a 103-64 rout at the hands of Louisville, any chance of a Cinderella story beyond the Sweet 16 turned from a small likelihood to an impossible feat to accomplish.

So in the Elite Eight, we were left with all four No. 1 seeds with no team below a No. 3 seed to account for any huge upsets. That makes for a yet another boring two weeks of college basketball, right? No low seeds, no upsets, no drama, right? Not exactly.

To everyone who saw the game between Pittsburgh and Villanova on Saturday, you know what I’m talking about.

Don’t get me wrong, though — I love upsets. I don’t know if I watched one game during the tournament without rooting for the lower seed, and I know a lot of people are with me on that one.

But when it’s all said and done, I love a good game more than an upset, and in that regard nobody should be disappointed. Nearly every game played so far has been worth watching, and that’s an understatement.

Undeniably, no Cinderella would be able to compete with these teams; they’re all just way too good.

Like last year — the first such year with all four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four — the best teams in the country are actually competing for the championship. This year, the lone team that got hot during the tournament, Arizona, got a pretty big wakeup call when Louisville crushed them in the third round.

So there might not be the same drama of a George Mason or a Davidson advancing to the Elite Eight or Final Four, but this year, it doesn’t really matter.

We’re not watching mediocre teams with standout players. What we’re seeing is the best teams with the best coaches playing the best games possible.

So forget the glass slipper. Right now, there’s nothing more we could ask of college basketball. Aside from giving us ultimate entertainment before baseball season starts next week, the type of play exhibited over the past weekend proved that the NCAA Tournament is still perhaps the most interesting and competitive three weeks in all of sports.

Jonah is a sophomore majoring in journalism and Hebrew and Semitic studies. Is the NCAA Tournament missing a Cinderella story? How does the Final Four match up to years past? Send your thoughts to [email protected].