SOUTH
First-round games
at Greensville, S.C., Thursday
DUKE (29-3)
1 Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
Conference: Atlantic Coast
How they made it: The Blue Devils finished second in the ACC regular-season race, behind Maryland. This is Duke’s 26th NCAA tournament appearance and its 18th under Coach K.
Key to advancing: Two things could keep the Blue Devils from reaching the Final Four–an injury to Jason Williams or a horrible slump from beyond the three-point arc. Anything less than a national title will be a disappointment.
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WINTHROP (19-11)
16 Coach: Gregg Marshall
Conference: Big South
How they made it: Won the conference tourney with a 70-48 win over High Point. Its top player is forward Greg Lewis, who leads it in scoring (14.7) and rebounding (9.9).
Key to advancing: Lost last year to Northwestern State in the play-in game, and again has little chance of going far. Depends on tough defense and physical play down low. But the 6-foot-6-inch Lewis is its tallest key contributor.
NOTRE DAME (21-10)
8 Coach: Mike Brey
Conference: Big East
How they made it: The Irish finished with 20 regular-season wins, 10 in the Big East. And they knocked out the heaviest hitter in the conference, beating Pittsburgh twice.
Key to advancing: Freshman point guard Chris Thomas almost always handles the ball well, averaging a Big East-best 7.5 assists per game. But the Irish also need Thomas, who averages 16 points, to score.
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CHARLOTTE (18-11)
9 Coach: Bobby Lutz
Conference: Conference USA
How they made it: Helped by a tough non-conference schedule that included Indiana, Miami and Florida, the 49ers are a young team that improved during the year.
Key to advancing: They must get strong inside-outside work from guard Jobey Thomas (19 points) and forward Cam Stephens (13.3 points). They also need a strong effort from a defense that on the average holds opponents to 67 points.
at Sacramento, Thursday
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (22-9)
4 Coach: Henry Bibby
Conference: Pac-10
How they made it: The Trojans were in the Pac-10 race until the final weekend of the regular season. They defeated UCLA and Arizona and lost four games on last-second shots.
Key to advancing: Bibby has built a team in his image–hard-nosed and intense. The Trojans need center Sam Clancy, who averages a team-best 19.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, to dominate at both ends of the floor.
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UNC-WILMINGTON (22-9)
13 Coach: Jerry Wainwright
Conference: Colonial
How they made it: Brett Blizzard scored 22 points to lead the Seahawks to a 66-51 triumph over Virginia Commonwealth for the tournament championship, Wilmington’s second title in three years.
Key to advancing: The Seahawks’ trio of Blizzard (17.5 ppg), Craig Callahan (13.1) and Ed Williams (10.1) must continue its hot shooting, especially from three-point range.
INDIANA (20-11)
5 Coach: Mike Davis
Conference: Big Ten
How they made it: Big Ten player of the year Jared Jeffries and the shooting of Dan Fife, Kyle Hornsby and Tom Coverdale. The Hoosiers faded at the end of the regular season, but not before beating the Spartans, Illini and Buckeyes.
Key to advancing: Keeping Jeffries healthy (sore ankle) and out of foul trouble. With Jeffries on the bench, the Big Ten co-champs have to rely too much on outside shooting.
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UTAH (21-8)
12 Coach: Rick Majerus
Conference: Mountain West
How they made it: The Utes finished second in the regular-season standings but claimed a bid with a semifinal finish in the conference tournament.
Key to advancing: Utah is always a team to be fearful of come tournament time. The Utes spread the offense around, with Nick Jacobson, Britton Johnson and Chris Burgess each averaging 13.2 points per game during the regular season.
at Greensville, S.C., Thursday
ALABAMA (26-7)
2 Coach: Mark Gottfried
Conference: Southeastern
How they made it: By winning the SEC West. Tide’s chances of grabbing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, though, were severely damaged by an embarrassing 84-56 loss to Ole Miss in regular-season finale.
Key to advancing: Keeping ferocious rebounding forward Erwin Dudley (team-high 16 points, nine rebounds) on the court. The Tide overcame a lack of front-court depth this season.
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FLORIDA ATLANTIC (19-11)
15 Coach: Sidney Green
Conference: Atlantic Sun
How they made it: Raheim Brown had 19 points and eight rebounds as Florida Atlantic beat Georgia State 76-75 to win the conference tournament and earn an automatic bid to its first NCAA tournament.
Key to advancing: Brown, a 6-10 forward, is the Owls’ top scorer (16.4) and rebounder (8.4). He must help the team get over the jitters of playing in its first NCAA tourney.
OKLAHOMA STATE (23-8)
7 Coach: Eddie Sutton
Conference: Big 12
How they made it: The Cowboys opened the season 13-0, knocking off Cincinnati in the opener, but they tailed off badly in the new year.
Key to advancing: The Cowboys have the Big 12’s best defense, yielding only 64 points per game. Defense will carry them in March, but they’ll need increased scoring production from leading scorers Maurice Baker and Victor Williams, who average fewer than 30 points per game combined.
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KENT STATE (27-5)
10 Conference: Mid-American
Coach: Stan Heath
How they got there: Kent won its last 18 games, finishing with 70-59 victory over Bowling Green in the finals of the MAC tournament. This earned Kent its third automatic bid in the last four years.
Keys to advancing: All-MAC guards Trevor Huffman and Andrew Mitchell are keys. Mitchell scored 26 vs. Toledo in MAC semifinal. Huffman had 17 vs. Bowling Green.
at Pittsburgh, Friday
PITTSBURGH (27-5)
3 Coach: Ben Howland
Conference: Big East
How they made it: Pitt hit the ground running this season and hasn’t shown any signs of letting up. The Panthers had the best regular-season record in the Big East and ended the regular season ranked No. 7 in the country.
Key to advancing: The Panthers simply have to play as they have all season–solid offensively and unrelentingly on the defensive end. Big East player of the year Brandin Knight guides the team.
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CENTRAL CONNECTICUT ST. (27-4)
14 Coach: Howie Dickenman
Conference: Northeast
How they made it: Rolled through the NEC regular season and defeated Quinnipiac in the conference tournament championship for its 19th straight win.
Key to advancing: Central Connecticut amassed a 27-4 record, which still resulted in a tough first-round matchup and a victory would be a major upset. Corsley Edwards scored 15.5 points per game to lead four players in double figures.
CALIFORNIA (22-8)
6 Coach: Ben Braun
Conference: Pac-10
How they made it: The Golden Bears surged late. They went 7-1 in February and their resume includes victories over Pac-10 heavyweights USC, UCLA, Oregon and Stanford.
Key to advancing: The Bears won’t light up the scoreboard; their leading scorer Joe Shipp, a 6-4 swingman, averages about 14 points per game. Cal does it with defense, allowing only 63 points per game.
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PENNSYLVANIA (25-6)
11 Coach: Fran Dunphy
Conference: Ivy League
How they made it: The Quakers won their final nine games, including a playoff game over Yale to grab the Ivy League’s automatic bid.
Key to advancing: Penn, which hits nearly 40 percent of its three-point shots, must continue to connect from long range. Ugonna Onyekwe, third in the Ivies with 17.6 points per game, needs to put up the points.
WEST
First-round games
at Pittsburgh, Friday
CINCINNATI (30-3)
1 Coach: Bob Huggins
Conference: Conference USA
How they made it: Unranked at season’s start, the Bearcats rose to No. 4 behind a tough defense and guard Steve Logan. They won regular-season title for the seventh straight season.
Key to advancing: Cincinnati will always make it hard for opponents to score, which means it’ll be in every game. But it needs steady inside work from center Donald Little and a consistent scorer to complement Logan.
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BOSTON UNIVERSITY (22-9)
16 Coach: Dennis Wolff
Conference: America East
How they made it: The Terriers defeated Maine to win the conference tournament and the league’s automatic bid.
Key to advancing: The Terriers’ offense needs to catch up with their league-leading defense to get past the opening round.
UCLA (19-11)
8 Coach: Steve Lavin
Conference: Pac-10
How they made it: The Bruins had a typically inconsistent regular season, defeating No. 1 Kansas and Arizona but losing to Ball State and Villanova.
Key to advancing: If the Bruins can concentrate for two weeks, they could make a dark-horse run to the Final Four. But while this team has all sorts of weapons, it suffers inexcusable mental lapses.
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MISSISSIPPI (20-10)
9 Coach: Rod Barnes
Conference: Southeastern
How they made it: An 84-56 rout of then-No. 6 Alabama in the last regular-season game certainly didn’t hurt. The Rebels made the field despite a dismal 1-7 road record in the SEC.
Key to advancing: Defense and outside shooting. When forward Justin Reed, last year’s SEC freshman of year, is hot (16 points, 11 rebounds in last five games), Ole Miss is tough to beat.
at Albuquerque, Thursday
OHIO STATE (23-7)
4 Coach: Jim O’Brien
Conference: Big Ten
How they made it: By getting out of the gate fast and then hanging on down the stretch. The Big Ten co-champs’ 15-2 start covered up a 5-5 finish in the regular-season, but the Buckeyes rebounded to win the conference tournament.
Key to advancing: Quickness, depth and free-throw shooting. Speedy Brian Brown and Brent Darby are a nightmare to guard. But Ohio State has been a nightmare at the line (66 percent).
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DAVIDSON (21-9)
13 Coach: Bob McKillop
Conference: Southern
How they made it: Won the North Division regular-season title and defeated Furman in the tournament title game for the automatic bid.
Key to advancing: Emeka Erege led a balanced Davidson attack that had five players average in double figures. Davidson will have to improve an assist-to-turnover ratio that was 1/1 during the regular season.
MIAMI (24-7)
5 Coach: Perry Clark
Conference: Big East
How they made it: The Hurricanes played extremely efficiently at home, losing only twice on their home floor en route to 23 regular-season victories.
Key to advancing: Despite being tall and athletic, the Hurricanes have been outrebounded by an average of almost two per game. All five starters average in double digits, but the Hurricanes have to get the rebounding numbers up.
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MISSOURI (21-11)
12 Coach: Quin Snyder.
Conference: Big 12.
How they made it: Tigers got one of the last at-large bids and have been more competitive down the stretch than their 4-6 record in the last 10 games indicates.
Keys to advancing: Kareem Rush (20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds per game) needs to take charge. Arthur Robinson leads Tigers with 8.0 rebounds per game.
at Dallas, Friday
OKLAHOMA (27-4)
2 Coach: Kelvin Sampson
Conference: Big 12
How they made it: The Sooners beat Maryland and UConn on their way to 24 victories. They went 16-0 at home, their first perfect home record in seven years.
Key to advancing: Like all elite teams, the Sooners respect the basketball. That means they don’t give it away. They lead the Big 12 with a plus-3.9 turnover margin. If they can keep forcing turnovers, they could make a long run.
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ILLINOIS-CHICAGO (20-13)
15 Coach: Jimmy Collins
Conference: Horizon League
How they made it: The Flames won eight of their last 10, including a 76-75 overtime victory on Cedrick Banks’ final basket over Loyola in the title game of the Horizon tournament.
Key to advancing: Depth, point guard Martell Bailey and three-point shooting. Jordan Kardos, Jon Schneiderman, Cory Little, Jon-Pierre Mitchom and Banks shared 11 three-pointers against Loyola.
XAVIER (25-5)
7 Coach: Thad Matta
Conference: Atlantic 10
How they made it: The Musketeers clearly were their league’s best in the regular season, which they closed by winning 17 of last 19.
Key to advancing: After getting routed by Cincinnati in mid-December, the Musketeers regrouped and started playing them not a game at a time, but in four-minute increments at a time. Leading scorer David West must continue to get help from sophomore swingman Romain Sato.
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HAWAII (27-5)
10 Coach: Riley Wallace
Conference: Western Athletic
How they made it: Finished tied with Tulsa for the regular-season WAC championship and claimed the automatic bid with the conference tournament title.
Key to advancing: Yugoslavian native Predrag Savovic, a 6-6 guard, can pose some matchup problems. He led the Rainbows in scoring at better than 19 points per game. Carl English added 16 points per game.
at Albuquerque, Thursday
ARIZONA (22-9)
3 Coach: Lute Olson
Conference: Pac-10
How they made it: Arizona won the conference tournament despite losing most of the key ingredients from last spring’s national finalist. But Olson did a masterful job blending talented youngsters with a handful of veterans.
Key to advancing: This is a young team whose best days are still to come. With point guard Jason Gardner and veteran forward Luke Walton, the Wildcats have enough skill to reach the Sweet 16.
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UC SANTA BARBARA (20-10)
14 Coach: Bob Williams.
Conference: Big West
How they made it: Gauchos won the Big West tournament to clinch NCAA berth.
Key to advancing: Mark Hull (14.6 ppg) must continue to lead a balanced scoring team and hit three-pointers–he leads team with 70.
GONZAGA (29-3)
6 Coach: Mark Few
Conference: West Coast
How they made it: The Zags shared the West Coast Conference regular-season title with Pepperdine; it’s the fourth time in five years Gonzaga has finished atop the conference.
Key to advancing: Having made it to the Sweet 16 three years in a row, Gonzaga won’t sneak up on anyone. But the Bulldogs won’t have to. With point guard Dan Dickau spearheading the offense, Gonzaga has plenty of firepower to reach Atlanta.
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WYOMING (21-8)
11 Coach: Steve McClain.
Conference: Mountain West.
How they made it: Earned at-large bid after winning regular-season conference title. The Cowboys featured balanced scoring throughout the season with six players averaging more than eight points a game.
Key to advancing: The Cowboys will need to maintain their scoring balance. Guards Marcus Bailey (14.6 ppg) and Donta Richardson (12.4 ppg) lead a veteran team.
MIDWEST
First-round games
at St. Louis, Thursday
KANSAS (29-3)
1 Coach: Roy Williams
Conference: Big 12
How they made it: The Jayhawks went 16-0 in the Big 12 regular season on their way to earning their 31st NCAA tournament berth.
Key to advancing: Kansas has so many weapons, it is virtually impossible to stop. Do opponents key on forwards Drew Gooden and Nick Collison? Or do they try to strap down guards Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Boschee? Their weakness is turnovers: They barely broke even in turnovers and takeaways.
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HOLY CROSS (18-14)
16 Coach: Ralph Willard
Conference: Patriot
How they made it: The Crusaders successfully defended their Patriot League title by defeating American in the conference tournament.
Key to advancing: Naperville native Tim Szatko, who averages nearly 14 points per game, must continue to put up the points. And the Crusaders, only 5-7 away from home, must find a way to win on the road.
STANFORD (19-9)
8 Coach: Mike Montgomery
Conference: Pac-10
How they made it: The Cardinal, which lost four starters from last year’s West Region finalist, finished tied for second in the Pac-10. Stanford’s best victory came Feb. 28 at Arizona.
Key to advancing: Stanford will go as far as guard Casey Jacobsen can carry it. And that could be pretty far. The sharpshooting junior is averaging 23.8 points per game, tops in the Pac-10.
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WESTERN KENTUCKY (28-3)
9 Coach: Dennis Felton
Conference: Sun Belt
How they made it: The winner of 18 in a row, Western Kentucky got 24 points from Chris Marcus, including 11 straight in the final five minutes, in a 76-70 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in the tournament championship.
Key to advancing: The 7-1 Marcus (16.4 points and 9.4 rebounds) must continue to dominate.
at Chicago, Friday
ILLINOIS (24-8)
4 Coach: Bill Self
Conference: Big Ten
How they made it: Bubble, bubble, at 4-5 in the Big Ten the Illini were in trouble. But a torrid regular-season finish–eight wins in a row–clinched a berth.
Key to advancing: Frank Williams. Brian Cook. Defense. If Williams (16 ppg) stays excited in his last go-round, if Cook (13 ppg) shoots and rebounds (6.6) the way he has lately and if the team plays defense, Illinois is looking Sweet (16).
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SAN DIEGO STATE (21-11)
13 Coach: Steve Fisher
Conference: Mountain West
How they made it: Beat UNLV in the Mountain West championship game to gain the automatic bid.
Key to advancing: Forward Randy Holcomb led the Aztecs in scoring at 17.2 points per game and in rebounds with 9.2. Al Faux, junior guard, added 16.7 points per game.
FLORIDA (22-8)
5 Coach: Billy Donovan
Conference: Southeastern
How they made it: Intimidating inside presence of Udonis Haslem (16 ppg), long-range shooting of Brett Nelson (15 ppg) and steady all-around play of Matt Bonner (16 ppg, 7 rpg).
Key to advancing: Florida’s bench was outscored 30-0 by Kentucky on March 2, but the Gators are a threat to go a long way because of Bonner and two heroes of their 2000 Final Four team, Haslem and Nelson.
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CREIGHTON (22-8)
12 Coach: Dana Altman
Conference: Missouri Valley
How they made it: Claimed the automatic bid by winning the conference tournament for the third time in four years.
Key to advancing: Missouri Valley player of the year Kyle Korver was injured early in the season but is healthy now and leads the Bluejays with solid all-court play. Terrell Taylor gives Creighton a spark off the bench both offensively and defensively. Brody Deren is an inside presence.
at Sacramento, Thursday
OREGON (23-8)
2 Coach: Ernie Kent
Conference: Pac-10
How they made it: The Ducks won the Pac-10 regular-season title outright. They went 16-0 in cozy MacArthur Court.
Key to advancing: Oregon, whose 87.7 points per game ranks third in Division I, tries to force opponents to play an up-tempo style. The Ducks’ three-pronged backcourt might be the best in the nation. Luke Ridnour, the Pac-10 freshman of the year, is joined by Luke Jackson and Freddie Jones.
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MONTANA (16-14)
15 Coach: Don Holst.
Conference: Big Sky.
How they made it: Won conference tournament.
Keys to advancing: David Bell (13.9 ppg) and Dan Trammel (10.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg) must take over for the Grizzlies to stand a chance.
WAKE FOREST (20-12)
7 Coach: Skip Prosser
Conference: Atlantic Coast
How they made it: The Demon Deacons won 11 ACC games, their highest total since 1997, when Tim Duncan still wore black and old gold.
Key to advancing: Wake Forest needs to play defense more consistently. Scoring typically isn’t a problem for the Demon Deacons, who average 82.3 points per game, eighth in Division I.
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PEPPERDINE (22-8)
10 Coach: Paul Westphal
Conference: West Coast
How they made it: The Waves split the West Coast Conference regular-season title with Gonzaga. They defeated USC and UCLA on the road and Gonzaga at home.
Key to advancing: The Waves have to force opponents to run up and down the floor with them; Pepperdine ranked 10th in Division I with 81.9 points per game. The Waves have five players averaging at least 10 points a game.
at Dallas, Friday
MISSISSIPPI STATE (26-7)
3 Coach: Rick Stansbury
Conference: Southeastern
How they made it: Picked to finish last in the SEC West by some, the Bulldogs rallied around the scoring of 6-9 center Mario Austin (16 ppg, 8 rpg), Marckell Patterson (13.3 ppg) and Timmy Bowers (10 ppg).
Key to advancing: Austin’s leadership. The first McDonald’s All-American to play for Mississippi State is starting to live up to his potential.
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MCNESSE STATE (21-8)
14 Coach: Tic Price.
Conference: Southland
How they made it: Cowboys won Southland Conference tournament to gain their first bid since 1989.
Key to advancing: Jason Coleman (14.8 ppg) must continue to lead the way offensively. Fred Gentry leads Cowboys with 7.2 rebounds per game.
TEXAS (20-11)
6 Coach: Rick Barnes
Conference: Big 12
How they made it: Texas had few notable wins (it beat Stanford) but plenty of impressive losses, including defeats to Arizona, Utah and Indiana. The Longhorns finished third in the Big 12 regular-season race.
Key to advancing: Texas ranked 10th in Big 12 scoring defense. Coaches like to say defense wins titles. If the Longhorns don’t improve quickly, they won’t hang around long.
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BOSTON COLLEGE (20-11)
11 Coach: Al Skinner
Conference: Big East
How they made it: Boston College firmed up a shaky argument for a bid by surviving a dismal shooting day and upending Rutgers in the first round of the Big East tournament.
Key to advancing: The Eagles shot just 15 percent in the first half against the Scarlet Knights. Such subpar efforts will not cut it if they hope to make any more than a cursory appearance in the NCAA tournament.
EAST
First-round games at Washington, Friday
MARLYAND (26-4)
1 Coach: Gary Williams
Conference: Atlantic Coast
How they made it: The Terrapins, who defeated Duke and Illinois, have been ranked in the Top 10 all season. They won the regular-season ACC title.
Key to advancing: Maryland returned four starters from last year’s Final Four team. Juan Dixon hurts teams from the perimeter and Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox provide inside punch, but the key to the Terps’ attack is point guard Steve Blake.
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ALCORN ST. (21-9) OR SIENA (16-18)
16 Maryland plays the winner of the Alcorn State-Siena game, which will be played Tuesday.
How Alcorn State made it: Alcorn won the regular-season Southwestern Athletic title with a 16-2 record and won the conference tournament.
How Siena made it: The Saints, playing for the third coach in three years, won four games in four days to win the Metro Atlantic tournament and an automatic bid.
WISCONSIN (18-12)
8 Coach: Bo Ryan
Conference: Big Ten
How they made it: By not believing the “experts,” who picked them to finish ninth or 10th in the Big Ten. By beating Michigan State, Indiana, Marquette and Illinois. By following their leader, Kirk Penney (15 ppg).
Key to advancing: Patience and poise. The Badgers won a share of their first Big Ten title in a half-century because they seldom beat themselves. Can they keep it up in the tourney?
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ST. JOHN’S (20-11)
9 Coach: Mike Jarvis
Conference: Big East
How they made it: The Red Storm moved off the bubble and into the NCAA tournament with its first-round victory over Seton Hall in the Big East tournament.
Key to advancing: Junior-college transfer Marcus Hatten has been the catalyst for the Red Storm, averaging better than 20 points. Hatten needs to play up to that standard if St. John’s is to go deep into the tournament.
at St. Louis, Thursday
KENTUCKY (20-9)
4 Coach: Tubby Smith
Conference: Southeastern
How they made it: Guard Gerald Fitch hit a three-pointer with 29 seconds to go to beat Florida in regular-season finale for win No. 20.
Key to advancing: When Tayshaun Prince (17 ppg) and Keith Bogans (10.8 ppg) withdrew from the NBA draft, the Wildcats looked like NCAA title contenders. Despite getting beat up in the tough SEC they still can be–if they start playing with more consistency.
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VALPARAISO (25-7)
13 Coach: Homer Drew
Conference: Mid-Continent
How they made it: For the seventh time in the last eight years, the Crusaders won the Mid-Con tournament and its automatic bid to the NCAA tourney.
Key to advancing: International players hold the key: 6-8 Mid-Con MVP Lubos Barton from the Czech Republic, 6-11 Raitis Grafs from Latvia and guard Stalin Ortiz from Columbia.
MARQUETTE (26-6)
5 Coach: Tom Crean
Conference: Conference USA
How they made it: Surprised by finishing only a game behind Cincinnati in league’s regular-season race. A tough defensive team that’s also blessed with dynamic sophomore guard Dwyane Wade (18 points, six rebounds per game).
Key to advancing: Point guard Cordell Henry must provide the senior leadership that’s crucial in the tourney. Toughness and defense have been its calling card, and those too must stay in place.
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TULSA (26-6)
12 Coach: John Phillips
Conference: Western Athletic
How they made it: Finished tied with Hawaii for the regular-season championship and finished second in the conference tournament.
Key to advancing: Hot shooting. Tulsa averaged more than 80 points a game and shot better than 40 percent as a team from three-point range. Junior forward Kevin Johnson led Tulsa at 14.6 points per game.
at Washington, Friday
CONNECTICUT (24-6)
2 Coach: Jim Calhoun
Conference: Big East
How they made it: After a one-year hiatus in NIT land, the Huskies bounced back with a vengeance, collecting 21 regular-season wins.
Key to advancing: One of the keys to the Huskies’ resurgence has been the play of Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor, who lead the team in scoring and rebounding, respectively. These two freshmen must continue to play with poise and patience if the Huskies are to go deep into March.
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HAMPTON (26-6)
15 Coach: Steve Merfeld
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic
How they made it: The Pirates won their conference regular-season championship with a 17-1 record and followed it up with the tournament title.
Key to advancing: Hampton was the feel-good story of last season’s West Regional in Boise, upsetting second-seeded Iowa State. They won’t sneak up on anyone this year. The Pirates averaged nearly 80 points per game.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE (22-10)
7 Coach: Herb Sendek.
Conference: Atlantic Coast
How they made it: The Wolfpack feasted on creampuffs to fatten its record to 10-2, although a victory at Syracuse wasn’t shabby. Reality set in during the ACC regular season, but the Wolfpack finished second in the conference tournament.
Key to advancing: It can be painful to watch the Wolfpack try to score. Guard Anthony Grundy is their only double-figure scorer. He’s also the team’s leading rebounder with 5.5 per game.
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MICHIGAN STATE (19-11)
10 Coach: Tom Izzo
Conference: Big Ten
How they made it: By playing like Michigan State, what else? In typical fashion Izzo has the young Spartans playing their best when it counts. They closed the regular season with five straight wins.
Key to advancing: Depth and leadership. MSU has talent but only goes about seven deep. It’s up to sophomore point guard Marcus Taylor and junior forward Adam Ballinger to show the way.
at Chicago, Friday
GEORGIA (21-9)
3 Coach: Jim Harrick
Conference: Southeastern
How they made it: By overcoming the loss of their entire front line to graduation. Four SEC road wins helped the Bulldogs earn a share of the conference crown and the top seed in their tournament.
Key to advancing: Finding ways to ensure that leading scorer Jarvis Hayes (18 ppg), top rebounder Chris Daniels (8) and assist leader Rashad Wright (5) keep doing what they’re doing.
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MURRAY STATE (19-12)
14 Coach: Tevester Anderson
Conference: Ohio Valley
How they made it: A running jumper by Justin Burdine with 9.1 seconds left for a 70-69 upset of regular-season champ Tennessee Tech in the Ohio Valley tournament title game.
Key to advancing: Rebounding. The Racers failed to grab a single offensive rebound in the first 17 minutes against Tennessee Tech but won anyway behind Burdine (24 points) to earn their ninth NCAA bid in 15 years.
TEXAS TECH (23-8)
6 Coach: Bob Knight
Conference: Big 12
How they made it: The Red Raiders feasted on their non-conference schedule, then became one of the nation’s bigger surprises when they roared to a third-place finish in the Big 12.
Key to advancing: Tech is one of the Big 12’s best-shooting teams, averaging 46.8 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the three-point arc. That’s what will carry the Red Raiders, a weak road team, in the postseason.
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SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (26-7)
11 Coach: Bruce Weber
Conference: Missouri Valley
How they made it: Won the regular-season Missouri Valley title, lost to Creighton in the tournament championship game and received at-large bid.
Key to advancing: Rolan Roberts needs to make more of an impact than he did in the MVC tournament, in which he scored in double figures just once. Kent Williams gives the Salukis an outside threat.
