St. John's and No. 8 Wisconsin over No. 1 Arizona. Sunday, we all tossed our brackets in the shredder. Tulsa drilled No. 2 Cincinnati. To say this was the most upsetting first weekend in NCAA Tournament history would not be a stretch. Only the end matters.
Schools fight and claw and scratch all season to win conferences and conference tournaments.
Hayseed coaches moan about the difference between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeded teams, and then the tournament starts and you can't tell the difference between a No. 3 and No. 14. Big surprise, the regular season meant squat. St. John's won the Big East tournament and is tournament toast. Stanford and Arizona dominated the Pac-10, yet UCLA is the team left standing. Wisconsin finished 8-8 in the Big Ten and plays on.