What’s happened to the Sport Illustrated jinx? It was put to the test this past week when the magazine when with six “regional covers” in time for the NCAA Sweet 16 showdown. The cover boys represented Gonzaga, Wichita State, Bradley, Florida, George Mason and Boston College, respectively. Only two of those schools survived. A 67 percent attrition rate suggests the jinx remains pretty much in tact.

As the spouse of a George Mason Law School alum, I can claim a genuine affinity to this local school that of a sudden has become the darling of the entire Washington area — not bad for a basketball program whose home games attracted an average of 4,500 viewers to the 10,000 seat Patriot Arena. Has there ever been a bandwagon more overloaded?