Morry Gash / AP

Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl leads one of the NCAA Tournament's true Cinderellas —  a rarity this year, writes NBCSports.com's Mike Celizic.

So you’re down to UW-Milwaukee and Utah as the only true surprises in the tournament. My advice is to catch them quickly, because UW-Milwaukee takes on Illinois next and Utah’s next dance is with Kentucky. By Saturday, I’m guessing the odds are long that there won’t be a single unfamiliar name left.

The coaches new to the party are Bruce Weber of Illinois, Bo Ryan of Wisconsin, Lorenzo Romar of Washington, Jay Wright of Villanova, Ray Giacoletti of Utah, John Beilein of West Virginia, Bruce Pearl of UW-Milwaukee and Herb Sendek of N.C. State. Together, the eight of them have amassed 27 NCAA tournament wins. All but Weber, Sendek and Ryan won their first game this year.

Izzo — arguably the least accomplished of the big timers — has 21 all by his lonesome. Tubby Smith has 26 tournament wins. Every other name in the Elite Eight of coaches has at least 29 wins, and Knight, Olson and Krzyzewski each have at least 44. Altogether, the eight lords of the hoops have 307 tournament wins — nearly 12 times as many as the surviving competition — and 35 Final Fours.

If this were Major League Baseball, you’d accept it as a product of the financial realities of the game. But this is college sports, and you can’t just buy a championship team. And it’s basketball, which, because of the small rosters involved, should be most competitive than any sport there is.

But the survivors of two rounds suggest that while the individual games may be tight, the results aren’t changing. It’s still a game of the haves and have-nots.

On the one hand, it’s a testament to the importance of coaching in the college game. When we get all moist talking about the Krzyzewskis of the game, there’s a reason for it. He is every bit as good as his press clippings say he is.

But there are a lot of coaches and more than 300 schools trying to compete. You’d think that more newcomers would pop up. You’d think it would be tougher for the same guys to keep rising to the top year after year.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s incredibly tough as it is, and this year’s Elite Eight all-time winners are there because they never give an inch; because they’re never satisfied with what they did last year.

Just the same, look at what’s left and only Illinois looks like a good bet for the Final Four; the other three teams are very likely to be led by men who have been there before — frequently.

Cinderella never loses its popularity as a story line. But, as we’re seeing again, it’s still just a fairy tale.

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