That first round of games in the NCAA tournament is a test of wills — when the #3 rated Iowa Haw-geyes, the Big Ten Tournament Champion, took on the #14 seeded Northwestern State, from Natchitoches, La., one would think it would be a “show up, win, and get ready for the next” game for Iowa. But, no, they fiddled around and dinked around and then threw it away and went back to Iowa to start thinking about cornfields again. And Wisconsin, what happened there? They got smoked by Arizona. They get to to back home and start thinking about fishing for the summer and wearing those (you can only get by with this in Wisconsin) cheesehead hats. And tonight (I write this Saturday night) the Michigan State Spartans, another one of our favorite teams, took it on the chin (#6 beaten by #11) at the hands of George Mason — another team filled with slashing, aggressive, “I want to win” players. There is a good thing to do back in Lansing — watch the Lansing Lugnuts all summer! Nothing quite like minor league ball.

Three big-time programs erased from the brackets on Day One.
How Indiana pulled it out last night I don’t know — fell asleep before it ended. Illinois looked good. Ohio State, a team that has amazed me all year with its sniper-like perimeter shooters, managed another win, too.