Bittersweet 16

What does it take to get into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament these days? How about a fifth-place finish in the stacked Pac-10? In the case of the ASU Sun Devils, the answer would be “false.” What about a sweep of your in-state rival? In the case of the ASU Sun Devils, the answer, once again, would be “false.”

So we’ll ask yet again, what does it take to get into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament these days? Aw, hell. We don’t freaking know. All we’re sure of is that March Madness goes on even though our hometown overachievers didn’t get the prestigious invite to the Big Dance.

Here’s your March Madness: The underachieving UofA Wildcats did.

On Thursday, March 27, and Saturday, March 29, we can all buck up, because the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds of the men's Western bracket take place at U.S. Airways Center.