After sinking his second free throw attempt with just 7:13 remaining in Arizona's win over underdog Butler to give the Wildcats a 58-36 lead, UA swingman Richard Jefferson headed back downcourt with a huge grin on his face. As he crossed midcourt, he looked up into the crowd at a fan who had been riding him all day and mouthed the words, "It's over. Now what's up?"

His target was the 20-something cousin of Butler sharpshooter LaVall Jordan, whom Jefferson had been checking most of the game. Jefferson later admitted he was just having fun. Considering no one seemed to have more to lose than Arizona this weekend, that was no small feat. "That's the best part about college sports -- you can have that connection with fans," he says.

In reality, Jefferson was blowing off a huge amount of steam. He and the Wildcats have been sweating the opening weekend of the Tournament since, well, since they got KOed last season. See, everyone knows Zona is as talented as anybody in the country. Trouble is, the nucleus of the team has gotten upset every time it's gotten into the Big Dance. "We knew we had to get past the first weekend, to reach that certain milestone so we could start believing," Jefferson says. "Now we do believe."

Jefferson's classmate, junior power forward Michael Wright, still thinks about the gory details of Zona's exit two seasons ago to 13th-seeded Oklahoma. Wright had a double-double, but best remembers the game for stepping over the line while in-bounding a pass, a play he feels costs his team the game. "A lot of people kept telling me 'Y'all remember that Oklahoma game, right?'" he says. "It was like they were trying to be supportive so we don't take anyone lightly, but I was nervous."

The demons of the past appear to have been exorcised. Now the real fun begins.