It wasn’t supposed to end like this – not in the first round. Not again.
The Pirates had danced before. They had an easier road trip. They had more time to prepare and focus. They had the confidence of a team that nearly took it to Villanova its last time out, the confidence of a team that went 8-3 in the last 11 games prior to Selection Sunday.
They thought anything was possible heading into Friday’s NCAA Tournament game with Arkansas.
“We really feel like we can play for a national championship,” Myles Powell said earlier in the week.