LSU Tigers

1. But These Go To 11... It has been 20 years since Louisiana State made their last Final Four — when they were a No. 11 seed, still the lowest ranked team to make the national semis. The current Tiger team, which clinched its first outright SEC regular season championship in 21 seasons, is seeded a lot higher but whether or not they return to the final four 20 years later remains to be seen. At what stage will the Tigers get 86'd in '06? Or will they?

2. "Jam"-balaya. LSU possesses a dangerous inside presence with Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas. The two Tiger underclassman have already earned their stripes; super-soph Davis racked up seven straight double doubles to end the regular season, and frosh-phenom Thomas notched four straight double doubles before getting hurt. When all is said and done Davis and Thomas could administer a Tiger mauling on clubs not seen since the likes of Montecore.

3. Eye Of The Tiger. All eyes will be on Tryus Thomas. The Tigers, who suffered numerous injuries to key players throughout the season, won t exactly be limping into the tournament. Coach Brady lionized his freshman forward stating "everyone knows we played without the freshman of the year for four straight games, and everyone knows he's going to be back next week and help our team be better than it is right now." — Shane Igoe