By Charlie Laughtland
BDA blog editor

Viva VCU!

What a ride for the Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball team. No one saw the 11th-seeded Rams reaching the Final Four. Well, almost no one.

Of the 5.9 million entries in ESPN.com's 2011 Tournament Challenge, two people correctly picked the Final Four teams. The rest of us were lucky to have one out of four right.

Fan support of VCU is reaching new heights. The team's tournament run caused such a surge in merchandise sales, staff at the VCU Barnes & Noble Bookstore has been clocking serious overtime to keep up.

VCU Capital News Service reports the bookstore sold out of its initial supply of Final Four T-shirts in two hours and expected to sell more than 70,000 shirts prior to Saturday's semifinal game. Hats, mugs, pendants and other Rams products were also flying off the shelves.

Not bad for a team many tournament forecasters didn't even expect would make the field.

Butler, the team that ousted VCU in the semifinals to reach the title game for the second year in a row, is experiencing a similar merchandise boon. The university is making more money than ever off Bulldogs gear, according to Indystar.com.

John Mybeck, chief operating officer for Butler's licensing agency, told the Indianapolis Business Journal he anticipates selling $2.5 million worth of school and Final Four merchandise in the two-week period surrounding the Final Four. Butler's cut is 10 percent.

For both schools, the sales boost is due in large part to greater accessibility. Whereas university bookstores and websites used to be the best (if not only) outlet for official VCU or Butler products, big box stores, sporting goods shops and online retailers have secured licensing rights.

It's no surprise bracket-busting teams like VCU and Butler become fan favorites. Everyone appreciates a Cinderella story, even people whose brackets are largely upset-free.

VCU has embraced its underdog status. Kudos to the creator of the "There goes my bracket!" T-shirt on the athletic department's website featuring a crumpled piece of paper.

That's what March Madness is all about.