Ohmigod… The first casualty of the 2007 March Madness bracket battles has been passed as the powerhouse team of Duke took an early exit.

Yep, the Duke Blue Devils bowed out of the 2007 March Madness bracket tournament early, losing to the upstart team of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the first round of this year’s march for the national title.

It was a shocking turn of events as VCU guard Eric Maynor hit a 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining to give his team the upset win over the Duke Blue Devils, 79-77. Ouch.

That means we will be denied of another rivalry game between these Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2007 March Madness bracket tournament. (Boo!) Although I must admit, I’m okay with Duke out of the tournament early, it’s just that, it’s sad that Tyler Hansbrough would have to wait for next season to pop a Duke Blue Devil’s nose.

For the rest of you crying like a baby with Duke gone and out of the tournament, DEAL WITH IT! Ha-ha! Duke sucks anyway.

So, with this huge win for the VCU Rams, are they THE TEAM destined to have a Cinderella story in the tournament this year? Can these guys march all the way to the 2007 NCAA Final Four?

Hmm… Well, they did beat last year’s Cinderella boys… (That’s not too manly now was it?..) beating the George Mason Patriots with yet another upset victory, 65-59, to deny George Mason a trip to the brackets this year. Who knew that these VCU Rams will go on and shock Duke a few days after shocking George Mason?

Eric Maynor finished the game with 22 points, six of those were inside the final 1:24, including that fateful 15-foot J that ultimately sealed Duke’s fate in the 2007 NCAA College Basketball tournament.

Duke lost a first-round game for the first time since 1996. The loss also ended the Blue Devils’ string of Sweet 16 appearances at nine. It was the longest active streak and second-longest behind the awesome 13-year run of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Can the VCU Rams win the NCAA College Basketball championship? Here are some odds from Bodog sportsbook.

Florida Gators 9/2

Ohio State Buckeyes 8/1

North Carolina Tar Heels 5/1

UCLA Bruins 8/1

Crazy about this year’s March Madness? Visit OddsHQ for more NCAA College Basketball odds.

March Madness Bracket, VCU Rams