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East Region: No. 1 North Carolina (30-4) vs. No. 4 Gonzaga (28-5)
When: Thursday, 9:57 p.m., EDT
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

1) Make it Wayne Let's get this out of the way for those waking from comas: Tyler Hansbrough is the ACC's all-time leading scorer and Tywon Lawson's got an injured toe. If the Heels make some noise in the Big East Invitational, it will be because two OTHER players step it up. Wayne Ellington has been on fire, shooting 50% from beyond the arc in March. At times he's been the best player on the court, leading the team in scoring three of the last four games. However, he's been strangely inconsistent at the free throw line. More »
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West Region: No. 2 Michigan State (28-6) vs. No. 3 Kansas (27-7)
When: Thursday, 9:37 p.m., EDT
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

1) START THE CLOCK! I would like to thank Pete for reminding me about one of the darkest moments in MSU basketball history. (See below.) Michigan State used to have a troubled history with the Sweet 16, getting robbed twice in third round appearances in 1986 and 1990, but Tom Izzo has managed to erase most of those demons since taking over for Jud Heathcote. The Spartans are 5-2 in regional semifinals under Izzo, with both losses coming against No. 1 seeds. Yes, they probably should have won both of those earlier games despite the tragic injustices perpetrated against them, but try explaining that to Scott Skiles. More »
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South Region: No. 2 Oklahoma (29-5) vs. No. 3 Syracuse (28-9)
When: Friday, 7:27 p.m., EDT
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

1) So we meet again The last time Oklahoma and Syracuse met on the hardwood, it was in the East regional final of the 2003 NCAA tournament. The third-seeded Orange, led by this guy named Carmelo Anthony, beat 1-seed OU 63-47 en route to the National Championship. Syracuse's 2-3 zone drove the Sooners absolutely nuts, forcing All-American guard Hollis Price into one of the worst shooting performances of his career (3-17 from the field, eight points). As a team, the guard-oriented Sooners hit just 31 percent from the field and basically made Sooner fans want to jump into a volcano with their poor shooting. But this current OU team is a bit different. This time instead of an All-American guard, OU's got an All-American big man, so they won't be necessarily be relying entirely on outside jumpers to beat the zone. That 2003 team was counting on Johnny Gilbert and Kevin Bookout's one-inch vertical to get the job done on the inside. Yeeeah. More »
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Midwest Region: No. 1 Louisville (30-5) vs. No. 12 Arizona (21-13)
When: Friday, 7:07 p.m., EDT
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

1) Introducing T-Will Terrence Williams, better known as T-Will, is as exciting and athletic as any player entering the dance. He is Mr. Everything for this Cardinal team, whether it be due to his court leadership, quirky demeanor that keeps the team loose or scissor-kick windmill dunks that rile up the crowd and leave the opposition in amazement. The man is a triple-double waiting to happen (he holds two of the programs three all-time). In the Big East title game, he put up a ridiculous 11 points, 7 boards, 7 steals and 6 assists. A mid-season tweak of his shooting motion has turned a once poor stroke into a deadly weapon. T-Will is among the most complete players in the land and the Cards would be nothing without his leadership. It is very comparable to how David Padgett led the squad last year, but better in many ways. Some in Louisville think he was spited on postseason honors, but the man is not looking for high fives and handshakes from the media through awards and accolades. He's looking to finish off his senior year with a national title. More »
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East Region: No. 2 Duke (30-6) vs. No. 3 Villanova (28-7)
When: Thursday, 9:57 p.m., EDT
Where: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

1) Zoooooooooooubek Anyone who watched Villanova pound UCLA into frightened little schoolgirls knows that the key to this weekend's matchup is for Duke to try and bang with Nova at least a little bit. And anyone who has watched Duke at all over the past, oh, 40 years or so knows that banging is not their specialty, and as a result has a creeping sense of dread about the game. This year's model is classic Duke: lots of finesse, not a lot of beef. Except for Greg Zoubek. The junior center is listed at 7' 1" and 280 pounds, which is roughly the size Shaq was in college. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the fact that, well, he's still at Duke and not in the pros, he doesn't exactly put up Shaq numbers: in about 10 minutes a game, he averages 4 points and 4 rebounds. Granted, he's been improving all season, and even managed to contribute against Texas on Saturday, but the Pride of Haddonfield will have to put his broken schnozz out of his mind and step up big time for Duke to really have a chance. More »
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West Region: No. 2 Memphis (33-3) vs. No. 3 Missouri (30-6)
When: Thursday, 9:37 p.m., EDT
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

MEMPHIS TIGERS

1) Crack open those history books Although the casual college basketball fan knows Memphis for their recent run of Elite 8 appearances (2006-2008) including last year's title game collapse or perhaps the days of Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, the Tigers actually have a storied basketball history. They were the runner-up in 1973 to a UCLA team led by John Wooden and Bill Walton and made the Final Four in 1985. Those two years were notable for several reasons. In 1973, Walton scored 44 points on 21/22 FG and the victory was part of UCLA's record 88-game win streak. The Tigers (then Memphis State) were coached by Gene Bartow who eventually succeeded John Wooden. In 1985, the Tigers (still Memphis State) were the only non-Big East team to make the Final Four. That appearance was later vacated by the NCAA for use of ineligible players. More »
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West Region: No. 1 Connecticut (29-4) vs. No. 5 Purdue (27-9)
When: Thursday, 7:07 p.m., EDT
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES

1) More Than the Sum of their Parts The Huskies have made a habit of winning without key individuals all season long. Forward Stanley Robinson sat out eight games of this season as part of a voluntary suspension from the team, returning shortly before conference play began. Right about the time Robinson shook the rust off, Junior Guard Jerome Dyson went down with a season-ending knee injury. UConn was still able to finish the season with four wins and two losses (both to Pitt), garnering a #1 seed. More »
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East Region: No. 5 Florida State (25-9) vs. No. 12 Wisconsin (19-12)
When: Friday, 9:55 p.m., EDT
Where: Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

1) Douglas 3:16 says "You just got scalped." Florida State point guard, ACC first teamer, and conference player of the year runner-up Toney Douglas was born on March 16th, 1986. Douglas shares this remarkable day of birthing with several celebrities, including the gorgeous Brooke Burns, the hot-but-not-as-hot-as-Brooke-Burns Nicole Trunfio, everyone's favorite Tiger Curtis Granderson, Eddie's kid Wolfgang Van Halen, fellow college hoops star Blake Griffin, the illustrious Flavor Flav, and comedian Jerry Lewis. Lewis, of course, is huge in France, where he was recently inducted into the French Legion of Honor. Also big in France? Another scoring point guard named Tony, Tony Parker. More »
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Midwest Region: No. 2 Michigan State (26-6) vs. No. 15 Robert Morris (24-10)
When: Friday, 9:50 p.m., EDT
Where: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

1) Man dates This March marks the 30th anniversary of Michigan State's first national championship, their legendary 1979 win over Indiana State. On the 20th anniversary, in 1999, State reached the Final Four for the first time since that title, starting a run of three straight that included their second national championship. (In 1989, they made the NIT's final four.) This is the twelfth consecutive tournament bid for the Spartans, but only the second time in their history that the school has been seeded No. 2. The previous time was ... 1979. Is your mind blown? More »
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Midwest Region: No. 8 Ohio State (22-10) vs. No. 9 Siena (26-7)
When: Friday, 9:40 p.m., EDT
Where: University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

1) They don't reload; it's an automatic Few programs have been as affected by the NBA age limit rule as Ohio State's, perhaps because few coaches seem to care less if any of their players stay for more than one year or not. Thad Matta watched three freshmen leave from a Final Four team in '07, then saw another one-and-done player leave the following season, but he doesn't blink twice when signing up even more high school All-Americans that seem intent on leaving Columbus without even unpacking their bags. That would probably frustrate most fan bases—imagine Mike Conley, Daequan Cook and Greg Oden still playing together as juniors ... IMAGINE IT!—but Buckeye fans just have to roll with the punches. Matta's two conference titles and high-70s winning percentage make it easier to take, but just think what he could do with a little continuity on his roster. More »
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Midwest Region: No. 4 Wake Forest (24-6) vs. No. 13 Cleveland State (25-10)
When: Friday, 9:40 p.m., EDT
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

1) James Johnson knows the Crane Technique Note to tournament teams: don't fight James Johnson. James, 21-0 in his fighting career, is the son of a seven-time kickboxing champion who wrote a book entitled "The Complete Martial Artist." Johnson, 6' 9", 245 lbs, averaged 14.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and two assists on the season. He made his biggest strides in his sophomore campaign on defense averaging 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals. When focused, he can completely shut down opponents (ask Rakim Sanders of Boston College who went 1-15 with seven turnovers in the teams' two meetings). More »
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East Region: No. 4 Xavier (25-7) vs. No. 13 Portland State (23-9)
When: Friday, 7:25 p.m., EDT
Where: Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho

XAVIER MUSKETEERS

1) A-10 bad, non-conference good Coach Sean Miller has Xavier prepared for the tournament. The Muskies have non-conference wins over the Big 12 tourney champs (Missouri), SEC regular season champs (LSU), and C-USA overlords (Memphis). In addition they played tourney teams Duke, Butler, and Robert Morris winning one of the three. (Guess which one.) More »
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Midwest Region: No. 7 Boston College (22-11) vs. No. 10 USC (21-12)
When: Friday, 7:20 p.m., EDT
Where: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

1) The Rice Man Cometh When Tyrese Rice debuted on the Heights four years ago he made Jamal Crawford look like a guy who was bashful when it came to looking for his shot. Precocious bordering on irresponsible, Rice seemed to have little use for teammates. Or the shot clock. He was scorer. And he was darn good at it, having broken J.J. Redick's Virginia record for most three-point field goals made during a high school career. Which was seemingly the biggest problem he faced as far as fitting into head coach Al Skinner's button-down offense. But then a strange thing happened on the way to the D-League. Rice matured. He watched the way that upper classmen Jared Dudley, Sean Marshall and Craig Smith went about their business. He saw the measured way that Louis Hinnant ran the point and trusted in the offensive philosophy. During the next two seasons, Rice rose through the ranks from sniper to floor general. Slowly and surely he learned to harness his talents. He became the heart and conscience of the Eagles. He was named to the All-ACC first team during his junior season with an average of 21 points per game while playing with a supporting cast composed largely of freshman. He averaged more than 38 minutes per contest during the 2007-08 campaign and hung 46 on UNC in one of the great single-game performances of the season. A year later, he still has the ability to take over each game he plays but he no longer tries to take over every possession. Rice-who plays with the same ebullient aggression that made Iverson so entrancing at Georgetown-may have seen his scoring dip slightly this year (17.1) but his assists, and rebounds are up. And, most importantly, his team is better. Rice led the Eagles to a win @ No. 1 UNC and over No. 6 Duke (the first time in school history that BC dropped both teams in one year). He's the guy on the roster with the ability to take over any game and the potential to be one of this tourney's marquee names. More »
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Midwest Region: No. 1 Louisville (28-5) vs. No. 16 Morehead State (20-15)
When: Friday, 7:10 p.m., EDT
Where: University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

1) Introducing T-Will Terrence Williams, better known as T-Will, is as exciting and athletic as any player entering the dance. He is Mr. Everything for this Cardinal team, whether it be due to his court leadership, quirky demeanor that keeps the team loose or scissor-kick windmill dunks that rile up the crowd and leave the opposition in amazement. The man is a triple-double waiting to happen (he holds two of the programs three all-time). In the Big East title game, he put up a ridiculous 11 points, 7 boards, 7 steals and 6 assists. A mid-season tweak of his shooting motion has turned a once poor stroke into a deadly weapon. T-Will is among the most complete players in the land and the Cards would be nothing without his leadership. It is very comparable to how David Padgett led the squad last year, but better in many ways. Some in Louisville think he was spited on postseason honors, but the man is not looking for high fives and handshakes from the media through awards and accolades. He's looking to finish off his senior year with a national title. More »
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Midwest Region: No. 5 Utah (24-9) vs. No. 12 Arizona (19-13)
When: Friday, 7:10 p.m., EDT
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

UTAH UTES

1) Fun Facts The men's basketball team won the NCAA title in 1944 and the NIT crown in 1947. Arnie Ferrin, the only four-time All-American in Utah basketball history, played for both the 1944 and 1947 teams. He also went on to help the Minneapolis Lakers win NBA Championships in 1949 and 1951. Wat Misaka, the first person of Asian descent to play in the NBA, also played for Utah during this era. The University of Utah's mascot started out as the "Runnin' Redskins", which was changed in 1970 because of its lack of political correctness. More »
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West Region: No. 3 Missouri (28-6) vs. No. 14 Cornell (21-9)
When: Friday, 3:00 p.m., EDT
Where: Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho

MISSOURI TIGERS

1) Forty Minutes of...well, something. Here's what's so awesome about this year's Missouri team: you really, reeeeally don't know what you're going to see when the Tigers are on a neutral floor. At home, it's pretty simple. There's lots of pressure defense (Mike Anderson has always been a fan of the full court press), tons of deflections and steals and a whole lot of scorin' going on. On the road, Mizzou is just as likely to hack up a big, ugly hairball as they are to win (ask Nebraska and Kansas State). At a neutral site...well, who knows, really? They fell to Xavier early in the year thanks to middle school-esque free throw shooting, won a few laughers over USC and Cal, and had their stripes handed to them in St. Louis courtesy of Illinois. So what happens when Missouri has to play in Boise and then (hopefully) Phoenix, both places distinctively not Columbia, Missouri? More »
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Midwest Region: No. 6 West Virginia (23-11) vs. No. 11 Dayton (26-7)
When: Friday, 3:00 p.m., EDT
Where: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota


WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

1) Can I Get One In Napping or Work Avoidance...or Chemistry? In 2008 it was reported that WVU had granted an MBA to the daughter of the governor, even though she hadn't even completed half of the credits needed for such a degree. In fact, six of her courses had grades changed from "Incomplete" to a grade of "A" based on..."work experience." This leads me to believe that, in addition to being the governor's daughter, she either 1) REALLY worked a lot and gained some valuable real-world insights, or 2) she was pretty hot. Anyway, numerous heads rolled because of this, and an audit of other records of MBA and undergraduate students revealed inconsistencies involving almost 400 students. WVU rescinded the guv's daughter's MBA, thereby living up to the billing of what the Princeton Review calls "One of the 368 best colleges in the nation." More »
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East Region: No. 1 Pittsburgh (28-4) vs. No. 16 East Tennessee State (23-10)
When: Friday, 2:55 p.m., EDT
Where: University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

1) Gary McGhee plays for Pitt. Well, kinda. I'll try and make this as objective as possible, but he might be the worst basketball player to see significant playing time for a team, any team, ever given a realistic shot to win an NCAA title. When the season began, fans had hope that the Gary McGhee project had seen improvements in the off-season and that Pitt would have a solid backup down low for Tyrell Biggs and DeJuan Blair. None of that worked out. When the Big East season began, a friend and I began a Deadspin commentor-esque style of awarding points to Gary. +1 for every good play, -1 for every time we rolled our eyes and thought "put Blair back in." We usually lost count at -9. Instead, we began giving Head Coach Jamie Dixon -5 for every time McGhee subbed in. So, to put my Pitt education to use, more specifically college level algebra, -9 + -5 + (Blair + 5 personals) = Pitt loses in the Sweet 16 or earlier for the 8th time in 8 years. To any coach scouting Pitt for a potential match-up this March, it's that easy, get Blair and Biggs into foul trouble, you win! . Dante Taylor can't get here soon enough. More »
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South Region: No. 6 Arizona State (24-9) vs. No. 11 Temple (22-11)
When: Friday, 2:45 p.m., EDT
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS

1) What about the Devil's haircut? The Sun Devil "pitchfork" is a well-known symbol among the Arizona State faithful, but ignorance of this practice outside the Grand Canyon State led to a bit of a (non)controversy in certain corners of the internet last fall. The "pitchfork" is a hand gesture in which the middle ring finger is tucked down against the palm while the other three fingers are spread out to resemble a makeshift trident. Unfortunately, this hand signal is also used as a marker for a well-known but rarely attempted sexual practice. So while getting the President of the United States to be photographed making such a gesture is, of course, awesome—it was briefly confusing to other fans of semi-consensual hand love. More »
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West Region: No. 6 Marquette (24-9) vs. No. 11 Utah State (30-4)
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m., EDT
Where: Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho

MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES

1) More Dominic James Melodrama The oft-maligned Dominic James was Marquette's most important player, despite Doug Gottlieb-esque 46% free throw shooting. In his absence, opponents are shooting 49% and point guards are pouring in nearly 20 ppg. Watch how Marquette's defense holds up, particularly Maurice Acker, against dribble penetration and fighting through high screens. Marquette will rarely go over a high screen, increasing their vulnerability to a hot shooting guard (paging A.J. Price). On offense, MU misses Nic's ability to finish on the break and his dribble penetration. End of game execution is also a question mark as James was the clear go-to guy in tough situations. More »
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Midwest Region: No. 3 Kansas (25-7) vs. No. 14 North Dakota State (26-6)
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m., EDT
Where: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

1) Robbing the Cradle The big programs in college basketball have been getting younger and younger thanks to things like the NBA's idiotic age limit, and KU is no exception. The Jayhawks' roster currently sports a whopping 7 freshmen, which is understandable since the top 6 players from last year's championship squad are currently drawing paychecks from professional basketball teams, 5 of whom were drafted by NBA teams. The freshmen haven't all developed equally; the most notable examples are freshman twin (literally) towers Markieff and Marcus Morris, who alternate brilliant moments of athletic prowess with equally blinding moments of basketball stupidity. Still, for a team that started the season with so many question marks that several veteran observers questioned whether they would even make the tournament, the Jayhawks and their stable of young student-athletes have impressed this season more often than not. More »
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East Region: No. 8 Oklahoma State (22-11) vs. No. 9 Tennessee (21-12)
When: Friday, 12:25 p.m., EDT
Where: University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

1) Bet the over In his first year at Oklahoma State, coach Travis Ford has installed a more up-tempo style of play than the Sutton years of old. This has resulted in the Cowboys averaging 81.1 points per game, tied with Mizzou for tops in the Big 12. The Pokes also finished fourth in the country in made 3-point field goals (308). This style of play was made necessary by the personnel available to coach Ford. The Cowboys start a four guard line up. The lone starting forward, Marshall Moses, stands at a towering 6'5'', and two of the starting guards, Byron Eaton and Keiton Paige, are under 6 foot. This frantic style of play has led to some exciting finishes. This team can erase large deficits if they get hot from 3-point range, or lose large leads if they go cold. More »
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South Region: No. 3 Syracuse (26-9) vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (24-7)
When: Friday, 12:15 p.m., EDT
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

SYRACUSE ORANGE

1) Sweep The Legs If you're looking for the weak link in Syracuse players, look no further than their cruciate ligaments. The Orange feature not one but two key players who missed extensive time last season due to torn ACL injuries. Andy Rautins, the team's three-point specialist, missed all of last season after tearing his ACL while playing for the Canadian national team. America's Sweetheart, Eric Devendorf, missed most of the 2007-2008 season when he ruptured his ACL against East Tennessee State. Both have recovered to become two of the top playmakers on the team. Their resurgence must make incoming recruit Brandon Triche feel good about his chances for success...he tore his ACL two years ago. More »
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South Region: No. 5 Illinois (24-9) vs. No. 12 Western Kentucky (24-8)
When: Thursday, 9:55 p.m., EDT
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI

1) They're not that bad offensively. Fine, fine, so the Big Ten isn't exactly stacked with a bunch of Bo Kimbles and Kiki Vandeweghes. Sorry: We play defense in the Big Ten. (Even if it's just because we're not all that good at recruiting anymore.) Bashing the Big Ten has become vogue on the East Coast because, well ... because it's the Midwest, and when the hell has the Midwest ever given us anything that matters? (Obama's from Hawaii originally: Doesn't count.) It's a blue collar league, and no one represents this more than Illinois, the team that somehow won 24 games even though they went without a field goal for almost 14 minutes on national television and, mostly, scored only 33 points in a loss to Penn State. This is not Bruce Weber's most talented team, not to any stretch, but they do have some scorers, particularly Mike Davis (who's like Marcus Liberty but faster, taller, a better shooter and more aware of his surroundings) and Demetri McCamey (who's like Nick Anderson, but sleepier). Sometimes the shots don't fall, but the Illini play stifling, obnoxious defense, which means even when the shots aren't falling, they can keep it close. That's not so bad, is it? Why is that such an affront again? More »
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East Region: No. 6 UCLA (25-8) vs. No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth (24-9)
When: Thursday, 9:50 p.m., EDT
Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

UCLA BRUINS

1) Sometimes when lose, you actually win. Disappointed with losing to Memphis and failing to bring home a 12th banner to UCLA, Darren Collison decided to put his NBA dreams on hold and returned for his senior season. Josh Shipp lost some of his explosiveness after suffering hip injuries in consecutive seasons, but now finds himself the quiet leader of this team. The loss of Kevin Love thrust Alfred Aboya into the starting role at center and was a compelling factor in Aboya's decision to come back to UCLA for one more year (he has already received his bachelor's degree). As a result, despite not winning a championship, the three players now comprise the winningest senior class in UCLA's storied history. Three consecutive Final Fours will do that. So will playing in an era of 33 game regular seasons, expanded tournaments, and freshman eligibility. More »
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South Region: No. 2 Oklahoma (27-5) vs. No. 15 Morgan State (23-11)
When: Thursday, 9:40 p.m., EDT
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

1) Trendy If you're an OU fan or you're planning on picking the Sooners and like me, you get caught up in trends and history then pay attention: Jeff Capel was recently asked at a press conference if he's ever seen or been a part of a team that was so dominant for the first 30 games or so of a season and then struggled to finish like this OU squad. He said, "Yeah, my senior year at Duke." (Yeah, did you know Capel played at Duke and I guess he hit this famous half court shot against a rival team or something?) That Duke team was an elite squad for most of the year, struggled at the end of the regular season and then lost in the opening round of the ACC tournament to a big underdog, just like OU. Well, how did they end up doing in the Dance? "We got a two-seed in the South and lost in the second round." Yikes. More »
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East Region: No. 2 Duke (28-6) vs. No. 15 Binghamton (23-8)
When: Thursday, 9:40 p.m., EDT
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

1) ELL-E-UT Elliot Williams has changed the entire makeup of this team. When he was the 12th man, this team was a slow, low scoring team that would have loved to walk the ball up and down the floor and score 65 points to beat you. Now that Williams has been added to the starting lineup this team scores more but more importantly also plays better defense. Williams is a shut down defender who can guard anyone in the country one on one. On the offensive end he allows Jon Scheyer to play shooting guard on offense, which has subsequently increased his scoring per game. Williams is 6'4" so the defense has to put their bigger guard on him, which allows Scheyer to be guarded by a less physical, smaller defender. More »
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South Region: No. 4 Gonzaga (26-5) vs. No. 13 Akron (23-12)
When: Thursday, 7:25 p.m., EDT
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

GONZAGA BULLDOGS

1) The Rose City, Home Away From Home Gonzaga plays Akron in the first roundin Portland, OR. This is practically a home game for Gonzaga, who plays the University of Portland once here every year, outnumbers the Pilot fans in their own gym, chants "You're not Jesuit" at UP after they win, and hasn't lost a game in Portland this millennium. More »
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East Region: No. 3 Villanova (26-7) vs. No. 14 American (24-7)
When: Thursday, 7:20 p.m., EDT
Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

VILLANOVA WILDCATS

1) Home Sweet Home Villanova plays most of their home games at The Pavilion. The 6,500 seat arena is located just outside Philadelphia on the campus of the university. John du Pont, of the wealthy du Pont family in Philadelphia, funded the construction of the facility in 1986. The arena was originally called John Eleuthère du Pont Pavilion but was later shortened after du Pont shot and killed Olympic wrestler David Shultz. Oops. The Wildcats put together a perfect season this year at the Pavilion going an impressive 13-0 and extending their winning streak at the building to 28 straight games. Villanova also plays a limited number of home games at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, where the Wildcats will open on Thursday vs. American. More »
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South Region: No. 7 Clemson (23-8) vs. No. 10 Michigan (20-13)
When: Thursday, 7:10 p.m., EDT
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri

CLEMSON TIGERS

1) Clemson Tigers, Naughty By Nature? Clemson University is a public school located in the northwest corner of South Carolina in Clemson, South Carolina, the "golden corner" of the Upstate. Though established in 1869, the Clemson Tigers long for the 1990s. The Tiger faithful call themselves Oliver Purnell's Posse (O.P.P.), a nod to Naughty By Nature's 1991 "Yo! MTV Raps" classic "O.P.P ," which is played at home games to get the crowd excited. The 1990s was also the last time the Clemson Basketball program sustained any success. The parallels between the 1996-1997 team and this year's team are uncanny, which may bode well for the team in this year's tournament, as the 1996-1997 team made it to the sweet 16. Both 1996-1997 and the 2008-2009 Clemson teams started 16-1 and were then assigned to Kansas City, Missouri. for the first two rounds of NCAA tournament. Both teams finished with a 9-7 ACC record, including a 4-4 road record and a home loss to Wake Forest when each team was ranked in the top ten. Both teams were lead by 2nd team All-ACC Juniors Greg Buckner in 96-97 and Trevor Booker in 08-09. And while the faces have changed, Clemson has indeed returned to the success of the 1990s. More »
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East Region: No. 7 Texas (22-11) vs. No. 10 Minnesota (22-10)
When: Thursday, 7:10 p.m., EDT
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

TEXAS LONGHORNS

1) Foreign Point One thing Texas desperately lacked entering the season was a true point guard. Without a ball handler that could penetrate, smooth shooting guard A.J. Abrams couldn't get a clean look at the rim. Rick Barnes' solution was to bring in the Turks. A native of Turkey, Dogus (pronounced Douh-oosh) Balbay saw his playing time skyrocket as the season progressed. He's a great perimeter defender and can penetrate with ease. The only problem is that Dogus can't shoot. Literally, he couldn't hit beer if he were floating in a keg. In 668 minutes on the court this season, he has only attempted three 3-pointers. More »
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West Region: No. 4 Washington (25-8) vs. No. 13 Mississippi State (23-12)
When: Thursday, 4:55 p.m., EDT
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

WASHINGTON HUSKIES

1) Balanced Squad The Huskies are a very balanced team with 4 players averaging over 11 points per game. If you had to pick some "star" players they are Senior forward Jon Brockman who averages 14.9 PPG and 11.2 REB and Freshman point guard Isaiah Thomas who averages 15.4 PPG. Isaiah was given his name because his dad lost a bet on the NBA Finals (Lakers v. Pistons) with a friend and had to name his soon to be born son after Isiah Thomas. The mom only signed off on the deal after she was able to change the spelling to the biblical version of the name. More »
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West Region: No. 1 Connecticut (27-4) vs. No. 16 UT-Chattanooga (18-16)
When: Thursday, 3:00 p.m., EDT
Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES

1) Six Feet Under Coach Jim Calhoun created a media firestorm earlier this season when he told a freelance reporter who was questioning his high salary to "shut up" and then said he would "not [give] a dime back." Of course Calhoun wouldn't give his money back; he knows the value of a buck. Calhoun's father died when he was 15 and he dropped out of school to work at a variety of jobs including granite cutter, headstone engraver, scrapyard worker, shampoo factory worker, and gravedigger. I'd venture to say that no other NCAA basketball coach has ever been a gravedigger, but maybe I'm wrong. Temple's old coach, John Chaney, had a morbid look to him. More »
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West Region: No. 7 California (22-10) vs. No. 10 Maryland (20-13)
When: Thursday, 2:55 p.m., EDT
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS

1) Lowered Expectations Projected to finish eighth in the pre-season PAC-10 poll, I had all but written the Bears off this year. With the announcement of Mike Montgomery as head coach, there was reason for both hope and skepticism: he had turned hated rival Stanford into a perennial contender, but had done nothing to rejuvenate the Warriors during his brief stint in the NBA. Nevertheless, he had been handed a couple of fantastic-yet-raw talents in point guard Jerome Randle and swingman Patrick Christopher, so there was reason for some cautious optimism. However, 22-9 and 11-7 in conference, including road wins at UNLV, Utah, Arizona and Washington. (Actually a sweep of Washington, yet Romar gets PAC-10 Coach of the Year?) Well played, Montie. More »
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South Region: No. 1 North Carolina (28-4) vs. No. 16 Radford (21-11)
When: Thursday, 2:50 p.m., EDT
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

1) No Time to Stop When last we saw the Tarheels, they were losing to Florida State while their coach stubbornly refused to call any timeouts in the final two minutes. When last we saw the Tarheels in the NCAA tournament, they were losing to Kansas while their coach stubbornly refused to call any timeouts until the lead was 26 points and a grumpy old bastard was declaring the game over. Head Coach Roy Williams aka Soulja Roy has places to go. It's hard to maintain a perfect orange tan, master all of the southern colloquialisms for dirty words, and recruit top-notch talent if you're busy extending games. Roy has called only 45 timeouts in 32 games this season (1.4 per game), but the number skyrockets to 2.75 per game during the team's four losses. The 2.75 average would be an even 2 if it weren't for the Wake Forest loss, the lone game where the team used their full compliment of timeouts this season. Unused timeouts at first glance have very little value, but Coach Williams has been collecting them in a two-liter bottle to help pay for dialysis for local children. Matriculating at the Dean Smith school of coaching, Williams is more than willing to endure a tough stretch to keep his timeouts for late game situations and isn't above not calling a timeout to teach his team a lesson, but effective use of timeouts may be the Achilles ... could prove vitally important for a deep run. More »
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West Region: No. 5 Purdue (25-9) vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa (23-10)
When: Thursday, 2:30 p.m., EDT
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

1) Consistently Decent. You hear all the time about how some programs are "consistently great," and others are mocked for being "consistently mediocre." Well, Purdue teams are consistently … decent, but rarely more. The most Big Ten titles in history—yet no Final Fours since 1980. Our last national title was 1932, with John Wooden shooting at peach baskets. And that infuriating trend has continued this season. A nationally televised, early-season matchup at home against Duke: a complete flop of a loss. Oh, but wait—a huge matchup with Michigan State in February? A blowout win. Two weeks later: a loss to Northwestern at home on senior night. Then a successful run to the Big Ten Tournament title. So who will we see in the NCAA Tournament? The overachieving, sky's-the-limit, 3-point-shooting, smothering defense Boilermakers? Or the unable-to-make-a-free-throw, ice-cold shooting, standing-around-on-offense, deer-in-headlights group? Rarely is there a team for whom neither a first round exit nor an Elite Eight appearance would be surprising, but that's what this Purdue squad is. More »
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West Region: No. 8 BYU (25-7) vs. No. 9 Texas A&M (23-9)
When: Thursday, 12:30 p.m., EDT
Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS

1) Still a Cougar BYU Head Coach Dave Rose played his college ball at Houston as a co-captain of the 1983 Phi Slama Jama team (front row, third from right) featuring Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. NBA fans can also thank him for unleashing the elastic madness that was the pre-alcoholism Keon Clark, whom he coached at Dixie State. In his fourth season at BYU after inheriting a 9-21 team, Rose's teams have won at least a share of the regular season conference title three years in a row. More »
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West Region: No. 2 Memphis (31-3) vs. No. 15 Cal State Northridge (17-13)
When: Thursday, 12:25 p.m., EDT
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri

MEMPHIS TIGERS

1) A little charity? Last year, everyone told Memphis that their horrendous free-throw shooting would come back to haunt them, but no one really thought it would come back in the final minute of the national championship game. (We all know how that turned out.) This year's team has made a huge leap, bring their overall free throw shooting from 61% up to 70% and only once this season has poor shooting at the line really seemed to bite them. (They were 15-30 in a November loss to Xavier.) So since that one bad game is out of the way, all their problems are should be solved! More »
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South Region: No. 8 LSU (26-7) vs. No. 9 Butler (26-5)
When: Thursday, 12:20 p.m., EDT
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

LOUISIANA STATE TIGERS

1) Welcome to the Century Club. LSU celebrated its 100th year of existence this season by naming its All Century Team, an impressive squad that boasts 13 All-American Awards and 5 Final Four appearances among them. The team includes the likes of Bob Pettit, Pete Maravich, Chris Jackson (pre-National Anthem craziness), Shaq, and Big Baby Davis. As part of Century Team celebration, the program held an alumni game featuring the startlingly obese stylings of former center Stanley Roberts as well as breakout star of the Whoopi Goldberg classic Eddie, one Vernel Singleton. More »
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Midwest Region: No. 16 Alabama State (22-9) vs.
No. 16 Morehead State (19-15)
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., ET
Where: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio

ALABAMA STATE HORNETS

1) Let's talk some SWAC: Alabama State comes out of the SWAC, where they have been regular season champions each of the past two seasons. Mississippi Valley State won the tournament title last year and summarily embarrassed themselves against UCLA. This year, Alabama State was able to win both the regular season and tournament championships. The SWAC is a conference for Historically Black Colleges, probably making me the only Caucasian from Minnesota to own this shirt. More »
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