OpenSecrets | The K Street College Classic - Capital Eye (via TPM)

The colleges and universities competing in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament aren’t just powerhouses on the court. Some of them are influential in Washington, too. In their pursuit of research funding, financial aid for students and other federal money, colleges and universities have become big spenders on Washington lobbyists. In total, higher education spent $75 million on federal lobbying last year. So we at the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics wondered how March Madness would turn out if these schools’ 2008 lobbying spending determined the tournament’s outcome.