The Boise State men's basketball team and Bronco Nation is in Alabama with hopes of moving past the first round of the tournament and upsetting a legendary program on a national stage.

The task is big, but it is the shared dream of many underdog teams in the tournament.

Updated 3 p.m. (CT) - Greetins' from Birmingham, Ala. WIth Boise State's loss to Louisville, Friday night, the Broncos run in the NCAA tournament is officially over. We had a wild ride and even though it's over, it's not too late to experience March Madness through The Arbiter's eyes.

They might not always live in the spotlight, but that doesn't mean they aren't making an impact. They are the band, cheerleaders and dance team members, and just because their presence isn't always acknowledged, but it is most certainly always felt.

It didn't take long for Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino to get figure out what his team is up against when the Cardinals (24-8, 14-4) face Boise State (25-8, 12-4), Friday night, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Although Pitino has only been scouting the Broncos for four days, the challenges that BSU present are easy to see.

For the No.14 seeded Boise State men's basketball team (25-8, 12-4), an upset tomorrow night over the No.3 seeded Louisville Cardinals (24-8, 14-4) in the NCAA tournament would be monumental. As previous tournaments have shown, nothing is impossible. To do so, however, the Broncos will have to find a way to cage Louisville's big birds.

There are plenty of things, other than X's and O's, surrounding Friday night's NCAA tournament game between Boise State and Louisville. Here are five good side notes about the Broncos and Cardinals.

Finishing 14-4 in the Big East Conference, 24-8 overall, should give Louisville Men's Basketball Coach Rick Pitino plenty of confidence heading into NCAA tournament play tonight.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -No. 6 Oklahoma did its part in trying to secure a Fiesta Bowl rematch with Boise State. This time, however, the schools would meet on the basketball court. The Sooners defeated No. 11 Saint Joseph's 72-64 in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament Friday evening in Birmingham, Ala. OU is now scheduled to play the winner of No. 14 BSU and No. 3 Louisville. If the Broncos are able to upset UL, BSU will face OU for the first time in postseason competition since the historic 2007 bowl game.

The Louisville Cardinal(24-8) gave the Boise State(25-8) men's basketball team all it could handle Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Louisville handed the Broncos a 61-79 defeat, which eliminates the Broncos from the tournament.

The Boise State men's basketball team spent most of this season putting on a shooting clinic from 3-point range. The Broncos were so good, in fact, they finished the regular season as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. That threat was supposed to be the thing that would give BSU a chance at an upset of No. 3 Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday. Instead, it turned out to be the shot that sunk the Broncos' ship.