Overview: The top three seeds are high-powered with Kansas, UCLA and
Pittsburgh. The Jayhawks are loaded and were the Big 12's top club, the Bruins
won the regular-season Pac-10 crown and Pittsburgh is still a Big East power.
People will overlook Southern Illinois as a No. 4 seed and maintain the
region isn't that difficult, but it's the toughest one at the top. Then you've
got Duke as a No. 6 seed. Duke may not be Duke, but teams still don't want to
face the Blue Devils.
Throw in Indiana, Kentucky, Villanova — a trio of programs who have won
national titles — and this is an intimidating region.
Best first-round matchup: No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Villanova. Tubby
Smith's Wildcats and their big man, Randolph Morris, will go up against another
Wildcat program — Jay Wright's. 'Nova is led by versatile senior Curtis Sumpter and emerging freshman guard Scottie Reynolds.
Best potential matchup: No. 3 Pittsburgh vs. No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet
16. This one would feature UCLA coach Ben Howland against his former protégé,
Jamie Dixon. It would also feature one of the top teams on the west coast
against one of the elite on the other side of the country.
Upset special: No. 6 Duke over No. 3 Pittsburgh — This is a
second-round upset. Everyone is down on Coach K's team, but the Blue Devils will
still be a tough matchup for the Panthers.
Cinderella? Gonzaga — It's hard to call the 'Zags a Cinderella any
more, but Mark Few's team struggled this season and barely got into the Big
Dance. However, they have enough to knock off the Indiana Hoosiers.
My pick: Southern Illinois — I went back and forth between the
Salukis and Kansas on this one, but Chris Lowery's team could really out-tough
the Jayhawks if the two teams hook up.
Story Lines:
The potential Sweet 16 matchup between Ben Howland's UCLA team and his best
friend in the business and protégé, Jamie Dixon, of Pittsburgh.
- A year ago, Villanova's Jay Wright was rumored to take over at Kentucky if
Tubby Smith was fired. Now Wright's Wildcats could be the final game for
Smith in Lexington.
- Can Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils make any noise in this year's
tourney?
Five Players to Watch:
Julian Wright, Kansas
Josh McRoberts, Duke
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh
D.J. White, Indiana
Arron Afflalo, UCLA
Best Player You've Never Heard of: Jamaal Tatum, Southern Illinois
Overrated: No. 7 Indiana
Underrated: No. 14 Wright State