MIDWEST

1 – Kansas – The Jayhawks have something for everyone – perhaps the best big man in Cole Aldridge, one of the best guards in Sherron Collins, scoring from the wing in freshman Xavier Henry, consistent defense and the steady hand of coach Bill Self.  No discernible weaknesses.

Comment: Anything less than a national title will be a disappointment.

16- Lehigh – C.J. McCollum averaged 26 points over the final eight games and hit 43 percent of his three-pointers for the season.  But there are no good wins, and that 19-point home loss to Stoney Brook is an unpleasant sight.

Comment: Patriot League teams don’t pose a threat.

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8 – UNLV – Coach Lon Kruger took Florida to the Final Four and Kansas State to the NCAA quarterfinals, so he knows his way around the tournament.  He will depend on guard Tre’Von Willis this time.  The Mountain West was good this season.

Comment: Not enough talent to do much

9 - Northern Iowa – The Panthers return all five starters from the team that gave No. 5 seed Purdue a scare in last year’s NCAA Tournament.   That’s why people are whispering that the Missouri Valley champs have a chance to win a few postseason games this year. Adam Koch was MVC player of the year and scholar-athlete of the year.

Comment:  It will take a good team to beat the Panthers.

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5 – Michigan State – Much the same team that got to the championship game last season, and Tom Izzo’s bunch usually plays well in the postseason.   Kalin Lucas must play well every game, but there is no reason to think he won’t.

Comment: Don’t bet against the Spartans in March – or April for that matter.

 12 – New Mexico State – The starters are from Canada, New Jersey, Maryland, Northern California and Southern California and the sixth man is from Quebec.  Not exactly a New Mexico production.  The Aggies beat Utah State in the WAC title game, and Jamar Young averages more than 20 points a game.

Comment:  Lousy seeding will do in a team that’s not bad.

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4 – Maryland – Venezuelan point guard Greivis Vasquez does just about everything for the Terps, who did well in an Atlantic Coast Conference that wasn’t as good as usual.  Landon  Milbourne is the other offense threat.

Comment: Vasquez not enough to get the Terps far.

13 – Houston – The Cougars finished seventh in Conference-USA with a 7-9 record, but won the conference tournament.  Aubrey Coleman scored 30 points or more nine times this season and is one of the best rebounding guards in the country.

Comment: Unless Coleman scored 50, Cougars will exit early

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6 – Tennessee – The Vols have hung tough all season, and their press can create momentum that is difficult to stop, but too many things can go wrong for this team.   Tennessee is a team that could get knocked out early.

Comment: Could pull an upset – or lose badly

11 – San Diego State – Aztecs coach Steve Fisher won a national title at Michigan in 1989 and got to the finals in 1992 and 1993 with Chris Weber, Jalen Rose and company.   A loss to Pacific and a 22-point loss to St. Mary’s early in the season don’t look good, but Aztecs finished tied for third in the Mountain West and finished strong.

Comment: Hard to imagine Aztecs winning more than one game.

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3 – Georgetown – If the Hoyas could bottle that Jan. 30 game against Duke when the President was on hand, they would unstoppable.   Versatile Greg Monroe is fun to watch, but guard Austin Freeman’s excellent three-point shooting is the keys.

Comment:  If Freeman is hot, Hoyas are Final Four caliber.

14 – Ohio – Injuries and suspensions plagued the Bobcats, who lost their first four conference games and finished ninth in the Mid-American Conference with a 7-9 record but then won the conference tournament.   Armon Bassett averaged 29.0 points and 41.2 minutes over the final four games.

Comment: Bobcats are hot, but not hot enough.

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7 – Oklahoma State – If you have not seen James Anderson, catch his act.   The guy is good.  The Cowboys beat Kansas and have some dangerous outside shooters.   But not enough depth or stars, and Cowboys are really small.

Comment: They advance only if Anderson is spectacular.

10 – Georgia Tech – This team looked a lot more threatening early in the season than it does now.    Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors give the Yellow Jackets two big-time rebounders, but offensive firepower in the backcourt is a must in the postseason.

Comment: Tech’s performance in ACC tournament gives renewed hope.

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2 – Ohio State – The Buckeyes have the best player in the country in Evan Turner.  Ohio State will live or die with his performance, even though it has three other players averaging better than 12 points a game.

Comment: Sometimes one player can carry a team in the postseason

15 – UC Santa Barbara – Orlando Johnson, a transfer from Loyola Marymount, is the star for the Big West champs, who won 12 of their last 14 games.   Early-season losses to UC Irvine and Santa Clara suggest the Gauchos are a cut below the rest.

Comment: Headed nowhere.

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WEST

1 – Syracuse – Wesley Johnson could be something special in the NBA, and he may emerge as the star of the postseason.   A lot of teams play zone now, but few play it as well as the Orange, and that should be enough for a few postseason wins.   

Comment: A good outside shooting team will pose a problem.

16 -Vermont – The Catamounts have won 11 of their last 12 games, and forward Marqus Balkely can score, rebound and defend.   But this is an America East Conference team that lost to Providence by 42 points and to Loyola-Maryland by 13.

Comment:  Fourth NCAA berth in past eight years

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8 – Gonzaga – The Bulldogs looked lousy in the WCC title against St. Mary’s, but they played one of the nation’s toughest nonconference schedules and fared well, beating Wiscons and Memphis away from home.   Freshman Elias Harris is the best pro prospects, but guard Matt Boulding is the key.

Comment:  Not feeling good about Gonzaga these days

15 – Florida State – The Seminoles figured to slide this season after losing Toney Douglas to the NBA, but coach Leonard Hamilton has cobbled together a balanced team without stars.  Solomon Alabi, a 7-foot-1 sophomore, is probably the best of this no-name crew.

Comment: You need a star to go far, so it will be a shot postseason.

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5 – Butler – Fundamentally sound, the Bulldogs are a good outside shooting team, though not as good from long range as last season.  Matt Hayward can do a little bit of everything, which is true of several Butler players.  A powerful, athletic team can overwhelm Butler.

Comment:  Bulldogs’ pick-and-roll is like a clinic

12 – UTEP – The Miners dominated Conference USA and won 14 straight games heading into the conference tournament.  But  they did not having any noteworthy results outside the conference.  Randy Culpepper is their star, but Louisville transfer Derrick Caracter is the player who pushed them over the top.

Comment: Good enough to stay competitive, but not win.

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4 – Vanderbilt – The Commodores are an underrated team, one that could be dangerous.   Perimeter players Jermaine Beal and Jeffery Taylor are good enough, and so is center A.J. Ogilvy.  And we know Kevin Stallings can coach.

Comment: Vandy a nice long-shot bet if you’re willing to take a risk.

13 – Murray State – The Racers dominated the Ohio Valley Conference (no team from Ohio is in the conference) and gave Cal a scare in Berkeley early in the season.  Former Cal assistant Billy Kennedy is the coach, and the balance is amazing.  Five players average 10.3 points or better but none more than 10.6.

Comment: Don’t sleep on Racers, who can surprise someone.

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6 – Xavier – Even though Sean Miller left for Arizona, the Musketeers continue to win under Chris Mack.   This year, the scoring of Jordan Crawford is the chief reason.    They have been a hot team lately, and they don’t have a single bad loss.   No earth-shattering wins, though, either.

Comment:  Tough team to figure so don’t bet with or against the X-men.

11 – Minnesota – The Gophers did well in the Big Ten tournament, beating Michigan State and Purdue, to squeeze into the NCAAs despite a 9-9 Big Ten record.   Ralph Sampson III (yes, he’s the son) is one of Tubby Smith’s best players.

Comment: Momentum is the only Gophers’ only asset, and that’s not enough

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20 – Pittsburgh – The Panthers have been surprisingly successful with all the talent they lost after last season, and wins over Villanova, West Virginia and Syracuse, the latter on the road, is impressive indeed.  Pitt does with grit and hustle, more than talent.

Comment: And a lack of talent usually catches up to you in the postseason.

14 - Oakland – The Summit Conference champs have won 11 in a row and 20 of their past 21, but they got drilled by all decent nonconference opponents.  Keith Benson, a 6-11 center, is a good scorer and rebounder, and an excellent  shot-blocker, swatting at least four shots in 19 games.

Comment: That’s Oakland, Michigan, not Oakland, California

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7 – BYU – Point guard Jimmer Fredette has an odd-looking shot, but he can make it from waaaaay outside.   The Cougars beat Arizona by 30 points in Tucson, which is an accomplishment even in the Wildcats’ off years.

Comment: If Fredette is controlled, BYU will lose early

10 – Florida – Billy Donovan is back in the NCAA  Tournament for the first time since winning it all in 2006 and 2007.   This team is not remotely comparable to those Gator squads, and they did not play well at the end of the season.  Their best basketball was played in November.

Comment: No stars, so no postseason success.

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2 – Kansas State – More and more K-State is looking like a Final Four team.  This is a  tough, rugged team with an animated coach (Frank Martin) and two good guards, Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente (the second cousin of Roberto Clemente).

Comment: Watching Martin is entertaining, and his team is good.

15 -North Texas – The Mean Green has won 11 in a row and is great in close game, going 12-2 in games decided by five points or less.  Unfortunately, the Sun Belt champs are unlikely to be that close.  George Odufuwa, a 6-8 transfer from Arizona State, is the best player for this team from Denton, Texas.

Comment: North Texas lost to Memphis by 15 in NCAA first round in 2007.

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EAST

1 – Kentucky – The adage that you can’t win in the postseason with freshmen point guards no longer applies.   John Calipari nearly pulled it off two years ago with Derrick Rose.   Having three freshmen in the starting lineup would be a concern if they weren’t so darned talented.

Comment: The first and last look at super-quick John Wall

16 – East Tennessee State – Two starters are back from the ETSU team that gave No. 1 seed Pittsburgh a scare in the first round last season.   The Buccaneers won at Arkansas this season and have won six straight. Last summer, reserve sophomore center Seth Coy was killed in a car crash.  

Comment – Atlantic Sun Conference teams seldom with NCAA games.

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8 – Texas — It’s hard to believe how far this team has fallen after starting 17-0 and being ranked No. 1 in mid-January.   Damion James is a good player, but the Longhorns are just not very good right now without a proven floor leader.

Comment: One win is all Longhorns can expect

9 – Wake Forest – To go far in the NCAA Tournament, you typically need a future NBA lottery pick, and the Demon Deacons have one in Al-Farouq Aminu, one of the best rebounders in the country.  They are not a good outside shooting team, though.

Comment: Lack of three-point shooters will bite the Deacons.

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5 – Temple – John Chaney is no longer there, but Fran Dunphy has the Owls playing just as well.   A win over Villanova proved that.   It’s hard to explain a 31-point loss home loss to Kansas, though.  Lavoy Allen can board.

Comment: Put the Owls in the dark horse column.

12 – Cornell – The best Ivy League team in ages and the best three-point shooting team in the country, the Big Red is being called a dark horse by virtually everyone – with good reason.  Cornell led Kansas with less than a minute left on the Jayhawks’ homecourt this season.

Comment: If Ryan Wittman is hot, a win or two is possible.

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4 – Wisconsin – You will hear a lot about Bo Ryan swing offense, but it is the Badgers’ defense that has made them a consistent winner.  Trevon Hughes and Jon Leuer are the top scorers in a balanced attack.   Badgers are consistently good, but seldom outstanding.

Comment: A star is needed to go far, and the Badgers don’t have one.

13 – Wofford – This is the first Division I postseason tournament appearance for Wofford, which was a Division II school  until 1996 and has less than 1,500 undergraduate on its Spartanburg, S.C., campus.  But the Terriers beat South Carolina and Georgia this season and nearly beat Pittsburgh.

Comment: Turn on the blinker, this team is exiting

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6 – Marquette – A favorable schedule over the last month has helped the Golden Eagles build momentum heading into the postseason, and that should not be underestimated.  Lazar Hayward is no joke, because he can do a lot of things.

Comment: We could see Marquette upsetting someone.

11 – Washington – This team should have been better than it is, but if Quincy Pondexter is hot and Isaiah Thomas is making plays, the Huskies have the quickness to beat good teams.    Their lousy road record suggests they can’t maintain a high level for long, but they are playing well now.

Comment: Maybe one win if they stay hot.

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3 – New Mexico – Steve Alford has produced a pretty good team in relative anonymity.   The addition of do-everything junior-college transfer Darington Hobson this season is the difference for the  Lobos, who are small but quick.

Comment: Darington might win an NCAA game himself .

14 – Montana – The Grizzlies finished tied for third in the Big Sky but overcame a 22-point deficit on their opponent’s home floor to win the conference tournament as Anthony Johnson scored 42 points.   Their best results are a road victory against Oregon and a four-point road loss against Washington.

Comment: Not much offense besides Johnson

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7 – Clemson – Wins over Butler and Maryland look pretty good, but we’re not overly impressed.   Forward Trevor Booker is the closest thing the Tigers have to a star, and he’s a senior who’s been productive a long time.

Comment: Don’t bet the house – even a fixer-upper – on the Tigers.

10 – Missouri – Most of the Tigers’ good wins came at home, and that makes me suspicious.   A pretty good shooting team, Missouri has a good backcourt in Kim English and Mark Denmon, and guard play is what wins in the postseason.

Comment:  Not comfortable with this team.

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2 – West Virginia – The results say we should be impressed but for some reason we’re not.   The Mountaineers have made a habit of second-half comebacks, which shows character, but not dominance.  Da’Sean Butler is the top threat on a balanced team.

Comment: Just have a bad feeling about these guys

15 – Morgan State – Former Cal coach Todd Bozeman may be in line for a bigger job after turning a team that was 4-26 in 2006 into the class of the MEAC .  Reggie Holmes is streaky, but Morgan State is dangerous if he gets it going.

Comment:  Bears may not win a game, but they are not a pushover

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SOUTH

1 – Duke – The Blue Devils have outstanding guards, but they have been disappointing in the NCAA Tournament in recent years because they don’t not have that inside presence – like a Christian Laettner or Shelden Williams or Carlos Boozer or Elton Brand.

Comment: If center Brian Zoubek  plays well, Duke is dangerous

16 a – Arkansas Pine Bluff – The Golden Lions started the season 0-11, but here they are after winning 11 of their last 12 games to win the SWAC.  No one averages more than 10.6 points a game, but few teams score more than 60 against them.

Comment:  The road ends quickly.

16 b – Winthrop – The Eagles finished third in the Big South and are not the threat they were three years ago under Gregg Marshall, who is now at Wichita State.   Nine players play a lot, and their best win was against Coast Carolina in the conference tournament finals.

Comment: Move along, nothing to see here.

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8 – Cal – Bears are erratic defensively and winning the Pac-10 was no great accomplishment this year.   But their three great shooters (Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, Theo Robertson) could facilitate an upset with a favorable matchup.

Comment: It all depends on their outside shooting

9 – Louisville – Close losses at midseason hurt the Cardinals’ record but may have strengthened the team.   They are playing pretty well now, and Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa give Rick Pitino a nice-inside-outside threat.

Comment: Never discount a Pitino-coached team in March.

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5 – Texas A&M – Donald Sloan is a guard, he’s a senior and he can score.  Those three qualities can take you places in the postseason.   Aggies have played a ton of close games and won a good share of them,

Comment:  Just good enough to pull one surprise, not two

12 – Utah State – Four reasons to fear the Aggies: They beat BYU by 10. They have been hot lately.   They have had some success in past NCAA Tournaments.   They can shoot from long range as well as any team in the country.

Comment: The WAC is not great but it’s not as bad as people think.

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3 – Purdue – One of the most complete teams in the country before they lost Robbie Hummel, the Boilermakers now must depend on guard E’Twan Moore and shot-blocker JaJuan Johnson.   This could have been a Final Four team.

Comment:  The more you see Moore, the more you like Moore

13 – Siena – Though not as good as the Siena teams that won first-round NCAA Tournament games each of the past two seasons, the Saints are still a threat.   Alex Franklin, Edwin Ubiles and Ryan Rossiter are all quality players, and Ronald Moore leads the nation in assists.

Comment: Still has upset potential with the right matchup.

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6 – Notre Dame – Strangely enough, the Irish got going when their star, Luke Harangody, was sidelined.   They can shoot, and Tim Abromaitis is one of the best three-point shooters in the country.    The Irish are feeling pretty good about themselves at the moment.

Comment:  If they are hitting from distance, look out.

11 – Old Dominion – The Monarchs won at Georgetown and performed well in the Colonial Athletic Association, which is a darn good conference.  Gerald Lee is the closest thing balanced ODU has to a star.

Comment:  Colonial teams scare the big boys.

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3 – Baylor –LaceDarius Dunn is the star but his backcourt mate Tweety Carter has the name and game people remember.  Coach Scott Drew has raised this program from rock bottom to be a national player.

Comment: Copy the comment for Texas A&M and put it here

14 – Sam Houston State – The Bearkats are ninth in the nation in scoring, averaging better than 80 points a game, and they have four players who are outstanding three-point shooters.  They are 17-2 in their last 19 games, with both losses coming in overtime.

Comment: Pretty good for a Southland Conference team, but not good enough

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7 – Richmond – Spiders beat Florida, Temple and Mississippi State and took Wake Forest to overtime on the road.  Spiders’ 37-year-old coach Chris Mooney is the star, and nobody wants to face Richmond’s patient Princeton offense.

Comment: Richmond was first No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 seed (Syracuse) in 1991

10 – St. Mary’s – The Gaels had the best win in school history when they beat Gonzaga in the WCC finals, so they will be flying high.   St. Mary’s in a good passing team and excellent three-point shooting team, and they play well as a unit.   Omar Samhan is one of the best centers in the country.  

Comment: An athletic, physical team can overwhelm the Gaels.

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2 – Villanova – Loaded with quick, talented guards, the Wildcats need to shoot well to win.   They are capable of going to the Final Four or losing on the first weekend.   Scottie Reynolds can save them sometimes, but not if they are shooting poorly.

Comment: A risky bet at lousy odds.

15 – Robert Morris – The Northeast Conference champs are from Moon Township, Pa., and they lost to Michigan State by 15 in the NCAAs last year.  This season the Colonials lost to Syracuse by 40, to Penn State by 19 and to Pittsburgh by 24.

Comment: Robert Morris signed the Declaration of Independence and helped fund the Revolution.