If top-ranked Duke survives the Austin regional to earn its almost annual trip to the Final Four, Mike Krzyzewski should consider it one of his finest coaching jobs. Coach K’s troops seemed helpless during a midseason stretch in which the Blue Devils lost four games, including two to Maryland, which didn’t even make the field of 65.
Because of injuries and illness, Coach K had to get creative. He used 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound freshman DeMarcus Nelson as the league’s smallest power forward and got starter’s minutes from unheralded wing player Lee Melchionni. The pair supplemented Duke’s three stars: point guard Daniel Ewing, center Shelden Williams and shooter supreme J.J. Redick.
Duke then gutted out a victory over Georgia Tech in the final of the ACC tournament despite making only one field goal over the final 11 minutes.
“Efficient,” is how Coach K has described his team.
A Sweet 16 challenge should come from Syracuse or Michigan State, two teams stocked with speed and height.
The region’s other half features an Oklahoma team that won seven straight before bowing to Texas Tech in the semifinals of the Big 12 conference tournament.
Barring an unthinkable upset, No. 2 seed Kentucky will be challenged by either Cincinnati or Iowa in the second round. The Hawkeyes solidified their spot in the field by upsetting Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament. The Bearcats, meanwhile, won six in a row before getting upset by South Florida in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament.
Who’s hot: Syracuse won the Big East tournament with convincing wins over Rutgers, Connecticut and West Virginia. The victory over Connecticut was huge, considering the Huskies had dismantled Syracuse in their two previous meetings.
Who’s not: Kentucky must be shaken after losing to Florida twice in the season’s final week. The Gators throttled the Wildcats 70-53 in the finals of the SEC tournament as Kentucky made just 2 of 19 from three-point land.
Long shot: Vermont. The Catamounts have the nation’s top scoring tandem in 6-9 Taylor Coppenrath and 5-11 T.J. Sorrentine at a combined 44.1 points per game. Coach/comedian Tom Brennan, who hosts a morning radio show, will retire after the tournament.
Prediction: Duke over Oklahoma.
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First-round games
at Charlotte, Friday, Sunday
DUKE
1. Record: 25-5, 11-5 in Atlantic Coast.
RPI: 4.
Location: Durham, N.C.
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski.
Record against tournament field: 9-2.
Road record: 5-4.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Feb. 9, North Carolina, 71-70; Feb. 20, Wake Forest, 102-92.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 26, Maryland, 75-66; Feb. 17, at Virginia Tech, 67-65.
Top players: G J.J. Redick, jr. (22.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg); F Shelden Williams, jr. (15.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg).
Skinny: Not the typical great Duke team, the Blue Devils have been slowed by a lack of depth and a series of injuries. They’ll go as far as Redick, Williams and Daniel Ewing can carry them.
Little-known fact: While the school did not desegregate until 1963, Duke was the first white institution of higher education in the South to extend Booker T. Washington an invitation to speak on its campus, doing so in 1896.
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DELAWARE STATE
16. Record: 19-13, 13-4 in Mid-Eastern Athletic.
RPI: 129.
Location: Dover.
Coach: Greg Jackson.
Record against tournament field: 0-3.
Road record: 6-11.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victory: March 12, Hampton, 55-53.
Disturbing defeats: Nov. 27, Tennessee State, 75-69; Jan. 15, at North Carolina A&T, 70-66; Feb. 14, at Morgan State, 75-74.
Top players: G Jahsha Bluntt, soph. (13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 41.2 3-pt FG%); F Terrance Hunter, sr. (11.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg); G Aaron Williams, sr. (11.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg).
Skinny: Bluntt leads a team that shoots 34.7 percent from three-point range and 75.5 percent from the free-throw line but doesn’t defend well. Hunter needs to play big in the post to help a poor rebounding team.
Little-known fact: This season’s regular-season championship was Delaware State’s first in its 34 years in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
STANFORD
8. Record: 18-12, 11-7 in Pacific-10.
RPI: No. 41.
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Coach: Trent Johnson.
Record against tournament field: 4-5.
Road record: 5-5.
Record in last 10: 6-4.
Impressive victories: Jan. 8, Arizona, 87-76; Jan. 20, at UCLA, 75-64; March 5, Washington, 77-67.
Disturbing defeats: Nov. 22, Tennessee, 69-57; Nov. 28, at Santa Clara, 86-76; March 3, Washington State, 59-48.
Top players: G Chris Hernandez, jr. (15.3 ppg); F Matt Haryasz, jr. (12.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg); F Nick Robinson, sr. (8.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg).
Skinny: After leading scorer Dan Grunfeld (17.9 ppg) was lost for the season with a knee injury, Stanford responded by winning five of seven.
Little-known fact: After winning the 1942 NCAA championship in Kansas City, Mo., Stanford’s share of the pot, after expenses, was $93.75.
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MISSISSIPPI STATE
9. Record: 22-10, 9-7 in Southeastern.
RPI: No. 29.
Location: Starkville.
Coach: Rick Stansbury.
Record against tournament field: 2-8.
Road record: 6-5.
Record in last 10: 5-5.
Impressive victories: Nov. 19, St. Mary’s, 67-54; Feb. 1, Florida, 71-57.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 12, at Tennessee, 64-63; Feb. 5, at Auburn, 90-76.
Top players: F Lawrence Roberts, sr. (16.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg); G/F Winsome Frazier, sr. (12.2 ppg, 1.3 steals); G Gary Ervin, soph. (7.6 ppg, 4.8 apg).
Skinny: The Bulldogs have been a slight disappointment. Frazier was hurt midway through the season, and the Bulldogs suffered without him. Roberts is a stud, but inconsistent point guard Ervin is the key guy.
Little-known fact: The school’s Web site touts that it’s “the first Web site in Mississippi, established July 1993.”
First-round games
at Indianapolis, Thursday, Saturday
SYRACUSE
4. Record: 27-6, 11-5 in Big East.
RPI: 20.
Location: Syracuse, N.Y.
Coach: Jim Boeheim.
Record against tournament field: 5-6.
Road record: 6-3.
Record in last 10: 6-4.
Impressive victories: Jan. 10, at Notre Dame, 70-61; Feb. 12, at Villanova, 90-75; Mar. 11, Connecticut, 67-63.
Disturbing defeats: Feb. 14, Pittsburgh, 68-64; Feb. 19, at Boston College, 65-60; Mar. 5, at Connecticut, 88-70.
Top players: F Hakim Warrick, sr. (21.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg); G Gerry McNamara, jr. (16.0 ppg, 5.0 apg); F Josh Pace, sr. (10.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg).
Skinny: A seasoned group from the 2003 national championship team was bolstered by its impressive Big East tournament semifinal victory over UConn as Big East player of the year Warrick scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds.
Little-known fact: This is the 24th NCAA tournament appearance in Boeheim’s 29 seasons.
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VERMONT
13. Record: 24-6, 16-2 in America East.
RPI: 26.
Location: Burlington.
Coach: Tom Brennan.
Record against tournament field: 0-4.
Road record: 10-6.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Jan 5, at Northeastern, 75-60; Jan. 16, Boston University, 69-58; March 12, Northeastern, 80-57.
Disturbing defeat: Feb. 27, at Maine, 87-66.
Top players: C Taylor Coppenrath, sr. (25.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg); G T.J. Sorrentine, sr. (18.8 ppg, 4.2 apg, .405 3-pt.%); F Germain Mopa Njila, sr. (6.9 rpg, 41 steals.)
Skinny: Coppenrath has won 23 awards for athletics and academics and is a finalist for the Wooden Award All-America Team and national player of the year.
Little-known fact: The Catamounts have been playing basketball since 1900 and have been in the NCAA tournament three times–in 2003, ’04 and ’05.
MICHIGAN STATE
5. Record: 22-6, 13-3 in Big Ten.
RPI: No. 21.
Location: East Lansing.
Coach: Tom Izzo.
Record against tournament field: 8-5.
Road record: 7-4.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Dec. 11, Stanford, 78-53; Feb. 24, Wisconsin, 77-64.
Disturbing defeats: Nov. 30, at Duke, 81-74; Dec. 4, at George Washington, 96-83; Feb. 1, Illinois, 81-68.
Top players: F Alan Anderson, sr. (13.6 ppg); C Paul Davis, jr. (11.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg); G Maurice Ager, jr. (13.3 ppg).
Skinny: Coach Tom Izzo has taken the Spartans to the tournament for eight straight years. Their record going in is as good as it was in 2000, when they won the national championship.
Little-known fact: After four years of being the Big Nine, the Big Ten was born again when Michigan State was admitted in 1950.
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OLD DOMINION
12. Record: 28-5, 15-3 in Colonial Athletic.
RPI: 35.
Location: Norfolk, Va.
Coach: Blaine Taylor.
Record against tournament field: 0-0.
Road record: 11-4.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Nov. 22, Kent State, 64-59; Dec. 22, St. Joseph’s, 66-62; Feb. 12, Virginia Commonwealth, 82-76.
Disturbing defeats: Nov. 28, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 71-67; Feb. 16, George Mason, 74-58.
Top players: C Alex Loughton, jr. (13.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 51.1 FG pct.); G Isaiah Hunter, jr. (13.4 ppg, 53 3-pts); G Drew Williamson, soph. (6.2 ppg, 4.8 apg); F Arnaud Dahi, jr. (10.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Skinny: The 6-9 Loughton is a more complete player than his stats indicate. Williamson is smart and efficient. Hunter is the spark. Dahi’s shoulder injury may impact his frontcourt play.
Little-known fact: Clemson coach Oliver Purnell was the point guard on Old Dominion’s Division II national championship team in 1975.
First-round games
at Worcester, Mass., Friday, Sunday
KENTUCKY
2. Record: 25-5, 14-2 in Southeastern.
RPI: 11.
Location: Lexington.
Coach: Tubby Smith.
Record against tournament field: 6-4.
Road record: 7-3.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Dec. 18, at Louisville, 60-58; Feb. 19, Mississippi State, 94-78; Feb. 26, at Alabama, 78-71.
Disturbing defeats: Feb. 15, at South Carolina, 73-61.
Top players: G/F Kelenna Azubuike, jr. (14.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg); G Patrick Sparks, jr. (11.8 ppg, 3.9 apg); F Chuck Hayes, sr. (10.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg).
Skinny: This isn’t an overly talented team. But it is a team that’s well-coached, plays good defense and has clearly defined roles. How far the Wildcats go ultimately will be determined by two freshmen, guard Rajon Rondo and center Randolph Morris.
Little-known fact: Basketball began on campus in 1902, but only as a women’s sport. The men’s team was organized the next year.
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EASTERN KENTUCKY
15. Record: 22-8, 11-5 in Ohio Valley.
RPI: 116.
Location: Richmond.
Coach: Travis Ford.
Record against tournament field: 0-2.
Road record: 8-7.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Nov. 21, at Dayton, 73-66; Jan. 13, at Austin Peay, 67-63.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 22, Samford, 67-61; Feb. 3, at Tennessee State, 75-63.
Top players: F Michael Haney, sr. (62.6 FG%); G Matt Witt, jr. (6.4 apg).
Skinny: Coached by former Kentucky standout Ford, the Colonels relied on balanced scoring and teamwork to win the Ohio Valley tournament and earn their first NCAA bid since 1979.
Little-known fact: Eastern Kentucky graduate Lee Majors played the $6 Million Man in the TV series.
CINCINNATI
7. Record: 24-7, 11-4 in Conference USA.
RPI: 24.
Location: Cincinnati.
Coach: Bob Huggins.
Record against tournament field: 3-5.
Road record: 7-4.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Jan. 6, DePaul, 83-54; Feb. 24, Marquette, 80-68; March 5, at Memphis, 62-60.
Disturbing defeats: Feb. 2, at Louisville, 77-70; Feb. 5, at Charlotte, 91-90; Feb. 12, at DePaul, 85-66.
Top players: F Jason Maxiell, sr. (15.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg); F Eric Hicks, jr. (13.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg); G James White, jr. (3.1 apg).
Skinny: The Bearcats finished the regular season with seven victories in their last eight games. DePaul was their only loss. Before that streak, they had lost three of four.
Little-known fact: The Bearcats have no players from Cincinnati and just one from Ohio.
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IOWA
10. Record: 21-11, 7-9 in Big Ten.
RPI: 43.
Location: Iowa City.
Coach: Steve Alford.
Record against tournament field: 7-7.
Road record: 3-6.
Record in last 10: 6-4.
Impressive victories: Nov. 22, Louisville, 76-71 at Maui Invitational; Nov. 23, Texas, 82-80 at Maui Invitational; Nov. 21, Texas Tech, 83-53 in Chicago.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 5, Michigan, 65-63; Jan. 26, at Northwestern, 75-74 (OT); Feb. 16, at Purdue, 66-63.
Top players: F Greg Brunner, jr. (14.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg); G Adam Haluska, soph. (14.3 ppg); G Jeff Horner, jr. (14.1 ppg, 5.6 apg).
Skinny: The Hawkeyes were 11-1 in non-conference play. After their best player, Pierre Pierce, was kicked off the team, they hit a 1-5 skid but recovered to win their last three in the regular season.
Little-known fact: Playwright Tennessee Williams went to Iowa.
at Tucson, Ariz., Thursday, Saturday
OKLAHOMA
3. Record: 24-7, 12-4 in Big 12.
RPI: 18.
Location: Norman.
Coach: Kelvin Sampson.
Record against tournament field: 7-6.
Road record: 6-3.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Jan. 24, Oklahoma State, 67-57; Feb. 21, Kansas, 71-63; Feb. 28, at Texas, 74-58.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 29, at Iowa State, 74-66; Feb. 12, at Missouri, 68-65.
Top players: F Taj Gray, jr. (14.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg); G Terrell Everett, jr. (12.6 ppg, 5.1 apg); F Kevin Bookout, jr. (11.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg).
Skinny: Strong down low, but improved guard play is what pushed the Sooners to the top of the Big 12. How those guards hold up in March will determine how far they go.
Little-known fact: Bookout is a shot putter and discus thrower and was an All-American in the shot put in 2003.
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NIAGARA
14. Record: 20-9, 13-5 in Metro Atlantic
Athletic.
RPI: 95.
Location: Lewiston, N.Y.
Coach: Joe Mihalich.
Record against tournament field: 0-1.
Road record: 6-8.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victory: Nov. 27, St. John’s, 102-81.
Disturbing defeats: Dec. 5, at Loyola (Md.), 97-89; Dec. 22, at Bucknell, 76-74.
Top players: F Juan Mendez, sr. (23.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg); G David Brooks, sr. (17.1 ppg); G Alvin Cruz, sr. (13.1 ppg, 6.5 apg).
Skinny: Mendez can be a force inside and shoot the three. He will need every ounce of what he can give to pull off an upset in the Purple Eagles’ first NCAA tournament since 1970.
Little-known fact: Niagara’s last NCAA team featured Calvin Murphy and was coached by Frank Layden.
UTAH
6. Record: 27-5, 13-1 in Mountain West.
RPI: 23.
Location: Salt Lake City.
Coach: Ray Giacoleti.
Record against tournament field: 2-5.
Road record: 7-3.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Jan. 3, Louisiana State, 69-55; Jan. 22, New Mexico, 69-58; Feb. 1, at Brigham Young, 72-58.
Disturbing defeats: Nov. 25, at Washington, 78-71; Dec. 4, Utah State, 71-41.
Top players: F Andrew Bogut, soph. (20.7 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 2.3 apg); G Marc Jackson, sr. (10.6 ppg, 3.8 apg).
Skinny: Bogut, an Australian, probably will turn pro after the tournament. Jackson left the Running Utes after the 2002-03 season in a dispute with former coach Rick Majerus.
Little-known fact: Since the 1992-93 season, Utah has played in the NCAA tournament 10 times. Five of those times, including the 1998 final, it lost to Kentucky.
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TEXAS-EL PASO
11. Record: 27-7, 14-4 in Western Athletic.
RPI: 33.
Location: El Paso.
Coach: Doc Sadler.
Record against tournament field: 2-4.
Road record: 7-4.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Nov. 26, Arizona State, 66-65; Jan. 12, at Nevada, 83-80.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 15, at Fresno State, 66-63; Jan. 29, at Louisiana Tech, 80-65; Feb. 3, Tulsa, 65-54.
Top players: F Omar Thomas, sr. (20.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg); G Filiberto Rivera, sr. (13.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg); F Jason Williams, jr. (11.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
Skinny: Texas-El Paso’s 24 regular-season victories were the most since the 1984-85 season, when the Miners won 27 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
Little-known fact: The Miners set a school record with 14 victories in Western Athletic Conference play.
