Hoop themes: Molinaro on the NCAA tourney

Safety valve: As teams like Virginia Tech and Illinois fell by the wayside Sunday, Old Dominion's victory in the CAA tournament final began to look even bigger. The way things played out, the 11th-seeded Monarchs might not have rated an at-large selection despite winning the regular-season title.

Rejected, dejected The media love access to guys who love to talk, but Virginia Tech's Seth Greenberg might want to turn off his phone now and then. It's almost impossible for a disappointed coach to make the case for his team on TV without coming across as a whiner.

Chalk Everybody loves a Cinderella storyline, but talk of major upsets is pure hype. Not a single 16-seed has ever beaten a No. 1 seed. When you combine 15 and 16 seeds, their records are 4-192.

Kentucky Player to watch: John Wall. Wildcat fan to watch: Ashley Judd.

Separated at birth Villanova coach Jay Wright and actor George Clooney.

Gotta be kidding TV magpies tried to make a big deal out of a non-story - Duke being chosen as the third No. 1 seed over Syracuse. It simply doesn't make any difference, especially since Syracuse gets to open the tournament in nearby Buffalo. Not even Jim Boeheim can complain about that.

Missing Conspicuous by their absence from the Dance: North Carolina's Roy Williams and UConn's Jim Calhoun.

Off target If superior guard play is the key to advancing, Duke may be in a little trouble, judging from Jon Scheyer's cold shooting at the ACC tournament. The senior made only 13 of 40 shots.

Much ado From the breathless approach the bracket-heads take on the subject, you'd never guess that the comparable significance of a No. 1 and 2 seed - even a No. 3 - is minimal. Seeding doesn't matter as much as the match-ups.

Due Is this the year Clemson's Oliver Purnell breaks through? Maybe the law of averages is on his side when the Tigers meet Missouri; Purnell has yet to win an NCAA tournament game at any of his coaching stops.

Fun fact Las Vegas only takes bets on women's basketball games at NCAA tournament time.

Cold hard fact Excitement for the NCAA tournament peaks during the first week. It's the only major event in which interest wanes the closer the sport gets to crowning a champion.

First glance If you believe the NCAAs favor physical, defensive-minded teams from rough-and-tumble conferences, Big East tournament champion West Virginia is the most dangerous No. 2 seed.

Mini-power For Winthrop, a school in Rock Hill, S.C., this marks the fifth appearance in the NCAAs in the last six years and ninth since 1999.

Rookie Wofford, another small South Carolina school (enrollment about 1,500), is making its first trip to the NCAAs on a 13-game winning streak.

Mid-major trouble Don't sleep on the Temple Owls. The 5th seed in the East could create a little havoc after winning the underappreciated Atlantic 10. They meet Cornell in the first round for a chance to play Wisconsin, most likely.

Bad draw With size, experience, a deep bench and the outside shooting of Ali Farokhmanesh, Northern Iowa is another potent mid-major. But the seeding committee wasn't kind to the team that beat ODU in their Bracket Buster game. If the Panthers get by UNLV in the 8-9 game, they can expect to run into No. 1 Kansas.

So close, yet Richmond, the No. 7 seed in the South, is a very good team - another mid-major that could make noise - but despite its location only 90 miles up the road from us, the Spiders - unlike VCU - fly under the radar in Hampton Roads. Blame it on conference affiliation. The Atlantic 10 is a rumor around here.

Heat check Nobody comes into the tournament on more of a roll than Montana's Anthony Johnson. In the Big Sky tournament championship game, he scored 42 of his team's 66 points, 34 in the second half, and the Grizzlies' final 21.

Downtick A seeding that makes you go hmmm - Villanova, loser of five of its last seven, is slotted No. 2 in the South.

Uptick Ohio State more than earned its No. 2 seed in the Midwest by winning 16 of its last 18.

Five players you know John Wall, Kentucky; Evan Turner, Ohio State; Kyle Singler, Duke; Sherron Collins, Kansas; Greivis Vasquez, Maryland.

Five players you'll get to know Jimmer Fredette, BYU; Gordon Hayward, Butler; Omar Samhan, St. Mary's; Edwin Ubiles, Siena; Marqus Blakely, Vermont.

Roman figures As usual, the Vatican is well-represented in the field with eight teams: Georgetown, Gonzaga, Xavier, Marquette, Siena, Notre Dame, St. Mary's and Villanova.

Add Gonzaga Nobody seriously considers the Zags a mid-major anymore, right?

Some solace William and Mary, on the outside looking in, beat three NCAA tournament teams: Maryland, Wake Forest and Richmond.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com