Florida, LSU and UCLA each have one seemingly impossible task this weekend – trying to steal some attention from the darlings of the Final Four.

“In the NCAA Tournament, there are two things people love to see – a Cinderella story and a team that is so powerful and explosive they look invincible,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday during a conference call with the other Final Four coaches.

George Mason (27-7) fits Donovan’s first description perfectly.

Coach Jim Larranaga spent part of Wednesday’s news conference explaining how the university has dealt with its identity crisis, being confused with nearby schools such as George Washington and James Madison.

By winning four games in the tournament and becoming the first No. 11 seed in two decades to reach the national semifinals, though, George Mason now has a place in college basketball lore.

And the only way for Florida, LSU or UCLA to reclaim the spotlight is to ruin the feel-good story.

“What I told my team right after we were seeded and placed into the brackets was that it really doesn’t matter where you’re seeded, and I think George Mason is a testament to that and the parity in college basketball,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “There’s just so much parity now and the margin for error is so slight among the teams.”

In any other year, the three other teams headed to Indy might have taken the role as the surprise team.

Florida Basketball coach Billy Donovan answers questions and signs autographs at the Gainesville Regional Airport. The Gators returned home from their Minneapolis Regional victory early Monday morning. Florida will have the first crack in the Final Four at stopping George Mason's unlikely championship run.

Florida (31-6) made it here despite starting four sophomores, losing its top three scorers from a year ago and lacking the veteran poise it usually takes to make a Final Four run.

LSU (27-8) is even younger – and further ahead of schedule. After Brandon Bass declared for the NBA draft last spring many in Bayou country thought the Tigers were likely at least a year away from such a deep tournament run. Coach John Brady made sure they didn’t waste the opportunity and reached the Final Four after taking down both top-seeded Duke and second-seeded Texas.

UCLA (31-6), of course, is hoping to add to its NCAA record-setting collection of national championship trophies as John Wooden, the godfather of the program, watches from home.

Only one coach coming to Indy – Donovan – has ever led his own team to college basketball’s most glamorous event.

The storylines span the generations from Wooden to Donovan, and from the senior-laden team of George Mason to the newcomers at LSU and Florida.

All of them, though, have been overshadowed by this mid-major.

“In this day and age with the mid-majors being pretty talented, and they can throw a couple of seniors or fifth-year seniors at you, that’s a big advantage,” Brady said. “I’ve never had the chance to coach a talented senior at LSU because they’re usually gone early.”

To steal the show this week, one of the three big-name teams will have to beat George Mason.

Florida gets the first crack Saturday night, and Donovan knows he’ll face as great a challenge in winning as he will getting fan support.

“They are a terrific team and for us it’s another challenge against a great team,” Donovan said. “They’ve proven that with what they did against Connecticut and Michigan State and North Carolina. I’m excited for George Mason and it’s great for college basketball.”

But the real test will be whether George Mason can continue its quest by beating the odds and producing the final chapter in what would easily become the greatest tournament title run in history.

“They play college basketball way they should play it,” Donovan said.

“We’re looking at this game as playing one of the best teams in the United States of America because that is what they are.”