False Starts: St. John's & Temple Again Lose Opening Game in NCAA Playoffs

North Carolina A&T State appeared in the NCAA playoffs the most times (nine) without winning a tournament game until prevailing in a First Four outing earlier this decade. But N.C. A&T still has a long way to go to join the ranks of "quick-exit" schools such as St. John's and Temple. This season, the Johnnies exhibited all the frailty of a club completely unworthy of an at-large berth.

Connecticut, after absorbing nine opening-round losses in 17 years from 1951 through 1967, had the most opening-round setbacks for an extended period. But the Huskies didn't incur an opening-round reversal for 28 years until suffering two in a recent five-year span. Similarly, St. John's suffered eight opening-round losses in a 20-year stretch from 1973 through 1992.

Maryland was the first school to incur at least 10 NCAA Tournament defeats but never absorb an opening-round setback until the Terrapins lost to Santa Clara in 1996. Mizzou's mauling by a mediocre Florida State squad, six years after bowing against Norfolk State despite being favored by more than 20 points, left the Tigers among the five schools most prone to sustaining an opening-round NCAA tourney defeat: