Wall-to-wall basketball - the thing that gives March its madness - is here. Sixty-five teams will begin a 64-game trek that winds up in San Antonio.
North Carolina is the overall No. 1 seed, but before you hand the Tar Heels the title, you'd best check with Memphis... and UCLA... and Kansas. And Tennessee and Georgetown and...
EAST REGION
Star power 1. North Carolina (32-2), 2. Tennessee (29-4); 3. Louisville (24-8), 4. Washington State (24-8).
Four stars Tyler Hansbrough, UNC (23.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg), Eric Gordon, Indiana (21.3 ppg), Chris Lofton, Tennessee (16.1 ppg), Luke Harangody, Notre Dame (20.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg).
Final Four Star UNC has an easy path to San Antonio - at least geographically. The Tar Heels open in Raleigh, N.C., then stay in their home state for a trip to Charlotte.
Wish upon a star Rick Pitino has had a lot of NCAA success and his Cardinals open in not-so-far-away Birmingham, Ala.
Pilot picks in bold
1 NORTH CAROLINA (32-2)
16 PLAY-IN game WINNER
7:10 p.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C. UNC is the top overall seed, so the Tar Heels get to feast on Mount St. Mary's (18-14) or Coppin State (16-20). North Carolina just won the ACC tournament, a good sign since the Heels have made the Final Four 11 of the 16 years they've won the league tournament.
2 TENNESSEE (29-4)
15 AMERICAN (21-11)
12:15 p.m. Friday in Birmingham, Ala. American is making its first trip to the NCAAs since joining Division I in 1967. Guard Garrison Carr averages 18.1 points a game for the Eagles, who are fourth in the nation in 3-point shooting. Tennessee briefly was No. 1 last month after handing Memphis its only loss. Chris Lofton averages 16.1 points a game.
3 LOUISVILLE (24-8)
14 BOISE STATE (25-8)
9:40 p.m. Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. If Louisville reaches the Final Four, the Cardinals will do it without a star. No player averages more than 11.7 points. Louisville's Rick Pitino has coached three schools to the Final Four and has won 74 percent of the tournament games he has coached in. Boise State is back in the NCAAs for the first time in 14 years.
4 WASHINGTON STATE (24-8)
13 WINTHROP (22-11)
7:20 p.m. Thursday in Denver. Winthrop was the sleeper pick of the bracket gurus last season and the Eagles face an opponent with little tournament tradition in their opener. Washington State, playing in consecutive NCAA tournaments for the first time, has been led by Derrick Low (13.9 ppg) and Kyle Weaver (11.6), but the Cougars have lost three of their past six games.
5 NOTRE DAME (24-7)
12 GEORGE MASON (23-10)
9:50 p.m. Thursday in Denver. Two years ago as an 11 seed, the Patriots made a shocking run to the Final Four. Jim
Larranaga's crew faces an Irish team that averages 80.5 points and dishes out more assists than any team in the country. Notre Dame is smarting from its first-round exit last year, when it lost to 11-seed Winthrop.
6 OKLAHOMA (22-11)
11 SAINT JOSEPH'S (21-12)
7:10 p.m. Friday in Birmingham, Ala. Jeff Capel is back in the NCAA tournament - this time as a coach. The former Duke player and ODU assistant led VCU to the tournament in 2004 and this year leads an Oklahoma team short on experience. Saint Joseph's snuck into the tournament despite finishing 9-7 in the Atlantic 10.
7 BUTLER (29-3)
10 SOUTH ALABAMA (26-6)
9:40 p.m. Friday in Birmingham, Ala. On paper, this match-up between top mid-majors seems to favor Butler. The Bulldogs have won 13 of 14 and never showed signs of fading after climbing the rankings. But they will be playing about 260 miles from South Alabama's campus. The Jaguars have wins against tournament teams Mississippi State and Western Kentucky.
5-star game
8 INDIANA (25-7)
9 ARKANSAS (22-11)
9:40 p.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C. This is a battle between basketball-rich programs trying to recapture the magic. Between them, the two have made 14 Final Fours. Indiana has gone 3-3 since Kelvin Sampson resigned amid accusations of NCAA violations. Arkansas is a model of inconsistency: It is 5-1 against ranked opponents but also has lost to Appalachian State and South Carolina.
Local star: Brian Gilmore The American University junior (who played at Great Bridge and Norfolk Collegiate) has helped the Eagles make their first tournament appearance.
Child star: Eric Gordon The Indiana freshman guard is one of the most prolific scorers in the Big Ten. He averages 21.3 points per game.
Star trek: George Mason The Patriots made it to the 2006 Final Four, but the selection committee didn't do the Patriots any favors. With regionals in Washington and Raleigh, N.C., the CAA tournament champs were sent to Denver.
Falling star: Indiana The Hoosiers have been in turmoil since coach Kelvin Sampson resigned last month amid accusations that he committed NCAA violations. Indiana is 3-3 since and lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.
- Compiled by Rainer Sabin
SOUTH REGION
Star power 1. Memphis (33-1); 2. Texas (28-6); 3. Stanford (26-7); 4. Pittsburgh (26-9).
Four stars D.J. Augustin, Texas (19.8 ppg, 5.6 apg), Brook Lopez, Stanford (19.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg), Derrick Rose, Memphis (13.9 ppg, 4.5 apg ), Jarvis Varnado, Miss. State (7.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 4.8 blocks)
Final Four star The Tigers, beaten just once, should cruise into the Sweet 16. They have the depth and talent to go on from there.
Wish upon a star Kentucky as a Cinderella? The 'Cats are under the radar as an 11th seed, but they've won 11 of 14.
Pilot picks in bold
1 MEMPHIS (33-1)
16 TEXAS-ARLINGTON (21-11)
9:55 p.m. Friday in Little Rock, Ark. The Tigers had an argument to be the top overall seed and are unlikely to become the first No. 1 to fall to a 16. The Mavericks, champs of the Southland, are already making history with their first NCAA appearance. UT-A's Jermaine Griffin is fourth nationally in FG percentage (64.9) and Rog'er Guignard has 97 3-pointers. Still...
2 TEXAS (28-6)
15 AUSTIN PEAY (24-10)
3 p.m. Friday in Little Rock, Ark. The Governors, OVC champs and 9-1 in their past 10, feature a starting five all averaging in double digits. Drake Reed (14.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg) leads the way. Texas has won 8 of 10, including a close loss to Kansas in a Big 12 title game shootout. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams account for 36 ppg; Damion Jones is a double-double machine (13.2 ppg, 10.5 rpg).
3 STANFORD (26-7)
14 CORNELL (22-5)
4:55 p.m. Thursday in Anaheim, Calif. This battle of the brains could be interesting. The Big Red is rolling, having won 16 straight, while the Cardinal played Pac-10 champion UCLA to the wire twice in 10 days. Cornell, the Ivy League champ, is led by Ryan Wittman (46.6 percent on 3-pointers). Stanford's Lopez brothers, Brook and Robin, average 29.2 points and 14.1 rebounds between them.
4 PITTSBURGH (26-9)
13 ORAL ROBERTS (24-8)
3 p.m. Thursday in Denver. The Golden Eagles have won 17 of 20, including a Summit League title. They also have mighty mite Robert Jarvis, a 5-11 guard hitting 41 percent of his
3-pointers and 85 percent of his free throws. That may not be enough for the surging Panthers, surprise Big East champs, led by Sam Young (18.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and DeJuan Blair (11.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg).
5 MICHIGAN STATE (25-8)
12 TEMPLE (21-12)
12:30 p.m. Thursday in Denver. No. 12 seeds have a history of upsets and the Owls look like a threat. The Atlantic 10 tourney champ features a dynamic duo in Dionte Christmas (20.2 ppg) and Mark Tyndale (15.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg). MSU - just 5-5 in its past 10 games - will try to slow Temple by imposing that brutal Big Ten pace. It will also look to the inside-out combo of guard Drew Neitzel (14.2 ppg, four apg) and forward Raymar Morgan (14.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg).
5-star game
6 MARQUETTE (24-9)
11 KENTUCKY (18 -12)
2:30 p.m. Thursday in Anaheim, Calif. This one has upset written all over it. The Wildcats didn't look like they would even make t he Dance when they were 7-9 in January, but they're
11-3 since. Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley each average 15.8 ppg or more. Guard play is key for Marquette, with Jerel McNeal and Dominic James combining to average 27.3 ppg.
7 MIAMI (22-10)
10 ST. MARY'S (25-6)
12:30 p.m. Friday in Little Rock, Ark. The Hurricanes' surprise season continues. Picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC, Frank Haith's squad started 11-0 and managed wins against Mississippi State, Clemson and Duke. James McClinton (17 ppg) is the Hurricanes' catalyst. The Gaels will try to play spoiler behind Patrick Mills (14.5 ppg) and Diamon Simpson (13.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg).
8 MISSISSIPPI STATE (22-10)
9 OREGON (18-13)
7:25 p.m. Friday in Little Rock, Ark. The Bulldogs are armed with enough talent to make a surprise run. Jamont Gordon (17.3 ppg, 4.8 apg) starts things off; Charles Rhodes (16.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg) often finishes. Jarvis Varnado (4.8 bpg) keeps foes from the basket. The Ducks feature Maarty Leunen (15.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg) but limp in, having gone 5-5 in their past 10.
Rising star: Pittsburgh The Panthers started the season 11-0, then cooled. A week ago, they had lost seven of 13. Now, they've won five straight, including going 4 for 4 to win the Big East tourney.
Star director: John Calipari Memphis' big whistle is a postseason whiz. In 14 seasons, he has taken teams to nine NCAA tourneys, with three Elite Eights and a Final Four (1996). He has also been to four NIT Final Fours.
Child star: Jarvis Varnado The Mississippi State sophomore was the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year, leading the nation with 4.8 blocks a game. The 6-9 swatter had three games with double-digit rejections.
Shooting star: D.J. Augustin Perhaps the most complete player in the region, the Texas star can fill it up. He's averaging 19.8 points but also 5.6 assists and has dropped in at least 24 points 11 times.
- Compiled by Kyle Tucker
MIDWEST REGION
Star power 1. Kansas (31-3); 2. Georgetown (27-5); 3. Wisconsin (29-4); 4. Vanderbilt (26-7).
Four stars Michael Beasley, Kansas State (26.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg); O.J. Mayo, Southern Cal (20.8 ppg); Stephen Curry, Davidson (25.1 ppg); Shan Foster, Vanderbilt (20.5 ppg, 47.3 on 3-pointers).
Final Four star Kansas has a margin of victory of 19.9, tops in the nation, and four players averaging in double figures.
Wish upon a star Watch out for Tennessee-slayer Vanderbilt, which opened 16-0.
Pilot picks in bold
1 KANSAS (31-3)
16 PORTLAND STATE (23-9)
12:25 p.m. Thursday in Omaha, Neb. Portland State has put together its best season, winning 14 of 15. But the Vikings face a Kansas squad with four players averaging in double figures. Still, look for Portland State sharpshooter Jeremiah Dominguez (82 3-pointers) to put a scare into the Jayhawks - at least for a half.
2 GEORGETOWN (27-5)
15 UMBC (24-8)
2:55 p.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C. The Hoyas, a Final Four team a year ago, have local product Vernon Macklin, a sophomore forward from Portsmouth. But their star is clearly senior center Roy Hibbert. Ray Barbosa, a 1,000-point scorer at James Madison, makes it to the NCAAs in his only year with UMBC, which is in the tournament for the first time.
3 WISCONSIN (29-4)
14 CAL STATE FULLERTON (24-8)
9:40 p.m. Thursday in Omaha, Neb. The Badgers come in as Big Ten regular-season and tournament champions but have flown under the radar much of the season. In what has to qualify one of the weirdest facts of the tournament: The Titans' entire roster is made up of transfers, five of whom played for other teams in this year's field.
4 VANDERBILT (26-7)
13 SIENA (22-10)
7:20 p.m. Friday in Tampa, Fla. The Commodores, a Sweet 16 team last season and in 2004, caught the nation's eye when they knocked off then-No. 1 Tennessee. Siena, champion of the MAAC, might be better than some think. Three of its losses were to NCAA tournament teams: Cornell, Saint Joseph's and Memphis.
5 CLEMSON (24-9)
12 VILLANOVA (20-12)
9:50 p.m. Friday in Tampa, Fla. With five players averaging in double figures, the Tigers have one of the most balanced attacks in the field, led by K.C. Rivers at 14.7 points a game. Villanova won't be scared, not after playing in the rugged Big East. Wildcats guard Scottie Reynolds, who averages 15.6 points, can take over.
5-star game
6 SOUTHERN CAL (21-11)
11 KANSAS STATE (20-11)
7:10 p.m. Thursday in Omaha, Neb. USC's O.J. Mayo came in as the season's most highly touted freshman and hasn't disappointed, averaging 20.8 points a game. But Kansas State's Michael Beasley quickly grabbed the honor as the year's best freshman, going for 30 points or more 13 times and 40 or more three times. The "wow" factor is huge in this game.
7 GONZAGA (25-7)
10 DAVIDSON (26-6)
12:25 p.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C. With wins against Saint Joseph's and UConn, Gonzaga must be taken seriously. So must Davidson, which has won 22 straight, by far the nation's longest streak. Half of Davidson's losses have been the impressive kind: 72-68 to North Carolina, 79-73 to Duke and 75-63 to UCLA.
8 UNLV (26-7)
9 KENT STATE (28-6)
2:55 p.m. Thursday in Omaha, Neb. The Runnin' Rebels are led by a dynamic guard with a catchy name: Wink Adams, a junior who averages 16.6 points. The Rebels handily beat a solid Brigham Young squad in the Mountain West Conference final. Kent State has won 11 of 12 - including five straight - so it's coming in hot.
Rising star: Clemson The Tigers made an impressive run to the ACC final, where they ran into eventual overall No. 1 NCAA seed UNC. Clemson beat Duke in the semis, proving it not only can play with the best but can beat them, too.
Child star: Michael Beasley, Kansas State The 6-10, 235-pound freshman averaged 26.5 points and led the nation at 12.4 rebounds per game. He also shot 53.5 percent from the field and blocked 53 shots.
Lucky star: Villanova Ranked No. 51 in the RPI, the Wildcats are this year's highest seeded at-large team. Translation: They were the last team in.
Star trek: Gonzaga The Zags, a media darling for the past decade, will travel 2,135 miles from Spokane, Wash., to play Davidson, which will drive about three hours from its campus near Charlotte to Raleigh, N.C.
- Compiled by Rich Radford
WEST REGION
Star power 1. UCLA (31-3); 2. Duke (27-5); 3. Xavier (27-6); 4. UConn (24-8).
Four stars Darren Collison, UCLA (15.2 ppg, 3.9 apg), DeMarcus Nelson, Duke (15.2 ppg), Adam Emmenecker, Drake (6.1 apg), Hasheem Thabeet, UConn (7.9 rpg, 4.6 blocks).
Final Four star A semifinalist the past two years, Pac-10 champion UCLA knows what it takes to make a deep run.
Wish upon a star Drake is just the kind of mystery mid-major power that gives the big boys fits.
Pilot picks in bold
1 UCLA (31-3)
16 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (17-15)
9:50 p.m. Thurs. in Anaheim, Calif. The Delta Devils already scored one victory in the tournament by avoiding the dreaded play-in game. But their fun stops there. It doesn't help that this is a virtual home game for the Bruins, but it wouldn't matter if this game were being played on Mars. Match-ups like this are the reason No. 16 seeds are 0-92 all-time.
2 DUKE (27-5)
15 BELMONT (25-8)
7:10 p.m. Thurs. in Washington. ACC followers already know Duke digs the long ball, and Belmont led the nation in 3-pointers made (349). If enough of its bombs fall, who knows? Then again, a 15th seed hasn't won in this tournament in six years. More good news for Duke: The teams that ousted Belmont the past two years advanced to the Final Four.
3 XAVIER (27-6)
14 GEORGIA (17-16)
12:20 p.m. Thurs. in Washington. Based on what happened over the weekend, we'd love the chances of startling SEC champ Georgia if the NCAA tournament started this afternoon. With time to think, the Bulldogs may remember they're really just a four-win team in the SEC. Xavier, with six players averaging double figures, has the talent to jog Georgia's memory.
4 UCONN (24-8)
13 SAN DIEGO (21-13)
3 p.m. Fri. in Tampa. Victories over St. Mary's and Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference tournament prove the Toreros will bring more to this match-up than just a cool nickname. Good thing, too, for they'll need everything they've got against the Huskies, who led by Big East shot-blocking king Hasheem Thabeet once again topped the nation in rejections.
5-star game
5 DRAKE (28-4)
12 WESTERN KENTUCKY (27-6)
12:30 p.m. Fri. in Tampa. Ah, the sexy 5-12 match-up. Bracket builders love to look here for upsets, and since no No. 12 produced a victory last year, odds are one of this year's 12s is due. But Drake is tough to pick against. It won the rugged Missouri Valley Conference regular season with ease, then won the conference tournament final by 30 points.
6 PURDUE (24-8)
11 BAYLOR (21-10)
2:50 p.m. Thurs. in Washington. Last week's loss to Colorado - the Big 12's last-place team - in the conference tournament completed a stunning freefall for the Bears, who cracked the top 25 in January, then stumbled to a 5-8 finish. As for youthful Purdue, it suffered an equally humbling loss to Big Ten also-ran Illinois in its own conference tournament.
7 WEST VIRGINIA (24-10)
10 ARIZONA (19-14)
9:40 p.m. Thurs. in Washington. West Virginia surged late behind forward Joe Alexander, who averaged 29.8 points during a five-game stretch until Georgetown held him to 12. So it's simple. If Alexander has a hand or two in his face whenever he shoots, the Wildcats will probably have control. If you hear them yelling, "Where's Joe?" on defense, they're in trouble.
8 BRIGHAM YOUNG (27-7)
9 TEXAS A&M (24-10)
7:25 p.m. Thurs. in Anaheim, Calif. The Mountain West champ had won five straight and 15 of 16 until a loss to UNLV in the conference tournament final, so BYU earned its way in. But the Aggies can probably thank the rest of the Big 12, as the league's No. 2 conference RPI may be the single biggest reason Texas A&M isn't NIT-bound this morning.
Rising star: San Diego The Toreros are 13-2 since mid-January and upset fellow tournament teams St. Mary's and Gonzaga to snag the West Coast Conference title.
Falling star: Baylor The resurgence of the Bears is a great story, but it'll probably have to be a quick read; Baylor lost eight of its last 13.
Child star: Kevin Love The freshman and Pac-10 Player of the Year gives UCLA the only element it has been missing the past two years: a stud on the low block.
Local star: Terrance Woodbury The All-SEC tournament performer (also Granby, Coastal Christian) was at the center of Georgia's epic title run.
- Compiled by Paul White
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
