EVANSTON, Ill. — At three minutes past 5 p.m. on March 12, 2017, Northwestern became an NCAA tournament team for the first time. Naturally there was a wait involved. A total of 50 programs took their assigned positions on a bracket line before the first few pixels of a purple strip appeared on a television graphic and instantly overwhelmed 78 years of sad and sundry failures. The ensuing cathartic roar from the crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena made a respectable run at tearing the place down, a mega-million-dollar renovation project be damned. It brought everyone to their feet and brought a good number to tears.
Its tournament dreams finally realized, Northwestern ready to enter new era
