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[Sonny Dearth]

I read earlier this season that this new 16-team event would try to focus on young, hungry teams with players who wanted to continue their seasons -- who, unlike a team like Virginia Tech or Georgetown, for example, would take a non-NCAA postseason berth with a smile rather than a frown.

This really came to fruition Sunday night when I stumbled upon this tournament's Web site. Among the 16 teams picked:

--Old Dominion, which I thought exceeded expectations this season by getting the CAA tournament's fourth seed with a late-season burst, beating Hofstra in a quarterfinal thriller and giving VCU a great game in the semis ... with a bunch of young guys.

--James Madison, my alma mater, which beat Seton Hall and George Mason and might have finished higher than seventh in the CAA regular season if not for untimely injuries. New coach Matt Brady, heavily emphasizing defense and a "no excuses" mentality, brought a downtrodden program to life ... with a bunch of young guys.

--Liberty, which had one of the country's best freshmen in Seth Curry, a Peninsula product in Bethel's Bill Weaver and won a lot of games ... with a bunch of young guys.

--Mount St. Mary's, JMU's first-round opponent, loaded with Peninsula connections, which had a fine season but couldn't quite repeat its Northeast Conference tournament title and 2008 NCAA play-in victory. The Mount earned the No. 2 seed and lost a heartbreaker at Robert Morris in the title game. The Colonials hit a late winning shot.

Literally, that game came down to how the ball bounces. Coach Milan Brown is from Kecoughtan High, brothers Sam and Shawn Atupem are from Woodside, and reserve Pierre Brown is from Jamestown. It's cool to see them get another game ... with a few young guys.

--The Citadel, ODU's first-round opponent at the Ted, has a great storyline involving coach Ed Conroy and his family. ESPN.com recently detailed it. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/etick...y?page=santini

It goes all the way back to the highly controversial book "The Lords of Discipline," which made author Pat Conroy persona non grata at his alma mater for many years. Now a lot of that hurt has passed, and the Bulldogs are one of the nation's most improved programs ... with a bunch of young guys.

Let's face it: Sometimes it's who you know.

When I saw that the selection committee included legendary Mount coach Jim Phelan and former JMU coach Lefty Driesell, who lives near ODU in Virginia Beach and frequently attend Monarch games, I had an inkling that the Mount, Dukes and Monarchs might make the field.

Good.

I know there are some happy players and fans around our region this evening, from the Peninsula to Emmitsburg to Harrisonburg to Lynchburg to Charleston. Not everybody can make the NCAA, but some postseason is one h--- of a lot better than none.

Especially ... with a bunch of young guys.