It wasn’t our Butler, but I didn’t care.

Fortunate enough to have a ticket for Thursday’s NCAA Basketball Tournament second-round games at the Consol Energy Center — courtesy of a Christmas gift from generous family members — I figured it would only be appropriate to wear a shirt with the words “Butler basketball” printed on it.

After all, Butler University was taking on Texas in the second of four games in Pittsburgh that day.

While hanging out in the concourse after Notre Dame edged Northeastern in the first game, a man wearing a Texas shirt approached me.

“You don’t really think Butler’s gonna beat us, do you,” he said, a big grin on his face.

“We’ll handle it,” I replied.

“You know you’re only favored by a point and a half,” he smirked.

“That’s half a point more than we’ll need,” I retorted.

And just like that, I became a Butler Bulldog fan.

Of course, the fact I had Butler winning on my bracket didn’t hurt, either.

Butler wound up winning, sinking enough free throws to hold off the Longhorns.

I never saw the Texas guy again — not that I wanted to.

He was bigger than me, anyway.

My bracket survived that game. The North Carolina State-LSU game? Not so much.

The Tigers missed their last 12 field goal attempts, their last six free throws, gave up a buzzer-beating layup and watched a 14-point lead fade away down the stretch.

Ah, well. Let the Madness continue.

This tournament has become the greatest sporting event in America.

Forget about the brackets and the office pools that captivate this nation annually at this time of year. It’s the volume of games and countless David vs. Goliath match-ups that are gripping.

The upsets come every year. No one knows when or where. Sometimes it’s hard to explain why.

They just happen.

And everybody loves an underdog.

When Notre Dame received the benefit of three borderline charging vs. blocking calls late in its four-point win Thursday, boos rained down from all over the building.

There were not thousands of Northeastern fans in the building. But there are thousands of people in every arena — and in front of TV sets — who love to see an upset.

That’s what this tournament offers — that and last-second, game-deciding finishes — over and over again.

My chance to see history faded quickly Thursday night, however, when No. 1 seed Villanova rolled through No. 16 Lafayette, 93-52. No No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1.

Even Lafayette’s cheerleading squad was scant — four girls total, one of them with a broken foot.

Now that’s an underdog.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle