WEST REGIONAL
The West Regional opens Thursday but produced its first shocker Sunday. Arizona announced that center Loren Woods, who has been sidelined with back problems, is out for the tournament.
Without Woods, who set a school record for blocks this year, Arizona’s frontcourt is not nearly as intimidating. But the Wildcats went to a more athletic rotation and almost ran Stanford off the floor last week in Tucson. Depth could be a factor as the tourney wears on for a team whose lineup has been depleted by injuries and transfers all year.
Woods’ absence, coupled with Arizona’s tendency to fold under the pressure of a high seed, could make the West the wildest region. St. John’s came within a game of the Final Four a year and has looked like it is ready to take the next step, assuming the Johnnies don’t kill each other first.
If Arizona stumbles, No. 2 St. John’s, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Louisiana State and No. 5 Texas could step through the door.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, LUTE
Arizona opens in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The last time the Wildcats played there was in 1993, when they bombed out in the first round against Santa Clara. It was only the second time a 15th seed had knocked off a No. 2 seed.
TOO BAD THEY CAN’T BRING LARRY BIRD WITH THEM
The Jon M. Huntsman Center ought to look familiar to Indiana State, the West’s 12th seed. It was the site of the Sycamores’ last NCAA tourney appearance–a loss to Magic Johnson and Michigan State in the 1979 national final.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
St. John’s earned a No. 2 seed, but the committee did it no favors. Not only do the Johnnies have to fly across the country, but they have to play a Northern Arizona team that will have heavy support in Tucson’s McKale Center. NAU’s motto is “Recruit to Shoot.” The Lumberjacks nearly shot down second-seeded Cincinnati in 1998.
CONTRAST IN STYLES
Fresno State likes to run. Wisconsin prefers walking. Their first-round game in Salt Lake City shapes up as one of the more interesting matchups in the early rounds.
SHARK ALERT
Lute Olson served on Jerry Tarkanian’s staff at Long Beach State. But the two became bitter recruiting rivals when Olson moved on to Arizona and Tark to UNLV. Tarkanian, now at Fresno State, and Olson could meet in the second round.
MIDWEST REGIONAL
What do Syracuse, Ohio State, Utah, Tennessee and Cincinnati have in common?
All were No. 1 seeds in their conference tournaments, and all lost.
Michigan State took care of business in the Big Ten tournament, and that’s why the Spartans find themselves the top seed in the Midwest. They also have momentum, having put a decent hurt on a talented Illinois club Sunday.
This might be the toughest regional of the four. No. 2 Iowa State came out of nowhere–no, we’re not talking about Iowa–to surprise the college basketball world this season. But the Cyclones could face Maryland or UCLA before they get a chance to take on Michigan State.
Of course, the Spartans have their own worries, and that might include Kentucky, a team with a history of tough play in the tournament.
HOW MICHIGAN STATE COULD LOSE
The Spartans are blessed with one of the best point guards in the nation in Mateen Cleaves, and his leadership is invaluable. But his shot has a tendency to malfunction. Paired with an off-game by Morris Peterson, it could be trouble.
WHO COULD BEAT THE SPARTANS
Here’s the secret: Iowa State has an underrated point guard in Jamaal Tinsley. Everyone in college basketball knows about Marcus Fizer, a brute force inside for the Cyclones. But Tinsley, a junior-college transfer, has transformed Iowa State into a power.
DIDN’T YOU USED TO BE …
Utah? The Utes consistently are one of the better teams in the tournament, but with Hanno Mottola slowed by injuries, they find themselves with the dreaded eighth seed.
TIME FOR A BREAKTHROUGH
When UCLA upset Stanford recently, it was a reminder of just how talented the Bruins are–and how much they’ve underachieved. They could break some hearts, starting with Maryland’s in the second round.
WHAT IS A CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE?
It’s a team that went 25-5, won the Northeast Conference and is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance. It’s a team ranked fifth in the country in field-goal defense. It’s a team with a nickname that could help: Blue Devils.
EAST REGIONAL
News flash: Illinois and DePaul are playing on the same floor in Winston-Salem, N.C.!
Unfortunately, the Fighting Illini and the Blue Demons aren’t playing each other. It will take a miracle for the NCAA tournament to produce the matchup that Chicago hoop fans have wanted for years.
For the Fighting Illini and the Blue Devils to meet in the East semifinal in Syracuse, fourth-seeded Illinois has to beat Penn and either Florida or Butler. Ninth-seeded DePaul has to beat Kansas and Duke, barring the greatest upset in history by Lamar.
A tip for DePaul: Be sure to defend the correct basket from the opening tip.
NOTHING COULD BE FINER
Duke, which opens in Winston-Salem, is a monster on Carolina soil. Last year the Blue Devils launched their march to the national final in Charlotte. In 1992 they opened in Greensboro and won the national title. In the 1994 Final Four at Charlotte, Duke beat Florida before losing a thriller to Arkansas. In 1989 the Blue Devils opened in Greensboro and advanced to the Final Four. In 1988 they opened in Chapel Hill and made it to the Final Four. And in 1986 they began their run to the Final Four in Greensboro.
HOOSIER DADDY?
Sixth-seeded Indiana hasn’t won back-to-back NCAA games since 1994. Former Hoosier star Steve Alford led Southwest Missouri State to as many victories (two) in last year’s NCAA tourney as the Hoosiers have won in their last five NCAA appearances. But none of this is Bob Knight’s fault.
SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR
Lon Kruger took Florida to the 1994 Final Four but knew basketball would always be No. 2 to football in Gainesville. He moved on to Illinois, where hoop rules. Kruger and his former employers could be reunited in the second round.
THE CHEESESTEAK CHAMPIONSHIP
They ought to be playing the first-rounder between No. 2 seed Temple and No. 15 Lafayette in Philadelphia’s Palestra. The Leopards, pride of Easton, Pa., are coached by Villanova alum Fran O’Hanlon. Temple and ‘Nova are the night and day of Big Five schools.
SIDELINE SPOTLIGHT
Kansas coach Roy Williams, a 1972 North Carolina grad, has long been rumored as a possible Tar Heels coach. If Williams were to lead his eighth-seeded Jayhawks past No. 1 Duke in the second round, Carolina might offer him the job on the spot. But first Kansas has to beat DePaul in a matchup of underachievers.
SOUTH REGIONAL
There’s a price to pay when the best player in the country breaks his leg, but in the misty eyes of the selection committee, the price shouldn’t be exorbitant.
Cincinnati received a No. 2 seed despite the fact Kenyon Martin was lost for the season during the Conference USA tournament. How good are the Bearcats without him? Good question. Selectors obviously were rewarding Cincinnati for its superb season, but without Martin, this is Bearcats lite–less filling and flat.
This bracket has few other surprises. Stanford, sharing the Pac-10 title with Arizona, earned the top seed and will be a load with Mark Madsen, the Collins brothers and Casey Jacobsen.
Ohio State, a No. 3 seed, found out that it’s not a good thing to lose early in a conference tournament–even if the Buckeyes still have one of the best teams in the country.
BE VERY, VERY CONCERNED
Miami has the unenviable task of facing Arkansas, which won four games to take the Southeastern Conference tournament and an automatic berth. Nolan Richardson always has athletes, and now he has momentum.
DIDN’T YOU USED TO BE …
Connecticut? The Huskies, last year’s national champions, have had a tough year, losing to Notre Dame twice. But they still have players, and they could get past the first two rounds and meet Stanford in the regional semifinals.
THE BUBBLE GUYS
Who would have thought North Carolina would just be happy to be here? Get a good look at coach Bill Guthridge because he might not be around much longer. The Tar Heels face another bubble team–a hungrier bubble team–in Missouri.
UPSET SPECIAL
Seventh-seeded Tulsa over Cincinnati in the second round. Why not? The Bearcats have a history of folding like origami in the tournament. While Oklahoma and Oklahoma State received most of the in-state attention, Tulsa quietly won most of its games.
LOOK OUT FOR …
Ohio State. Sure, the Buckeyes struggled in the Big Ten tournament, but they have what every team wants in the NCAA tournament: a smart, talented point guard (Scoonie Penn) and a presence inside (Ken Johnson). Now, if only Michael Redd would stop shooting so much.
