East Region Overview

Overview: The Tar Heels and their puzzling nature could be written off to youth – if only almost all the great teams weren't so young. Carolina hung with the pack in an ACC that wasn't stocked with great teams. At their best, Tyler Hansbrough, Brandan Wright and Ty Lawson still form the nation's best offensive/defensive balance. More
Y! Sports Prediction: Region champion and National champion

Overview: John Thompson III and Patrick Ewing Jr. are the natural NCAA tournament stories. But the stars of the Hoyas are Jeff Green and 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert. Green, the Big East player of the year, is one of the nation's best passing big men, averaging 3.5 assists. Hibbert led the nation by shooting 70.3 percent. More
Y! Sports Prediction: Elite Eight

Overview: They were picked to finish 10th in the Pac-10, which is about how high they wound up being ranked nationally. For that, Tony Bennett will win national coaching honors in his first season since taking the job from his pop, Dick. Do-it-all Kyle Weaver is a five-rebound, five-assist guy whos the key to the Cougars' deliberate approach. More
Y! Sports Prediction: Sweet 16

Overview: By now, the world knows about Kevin Durant, who could be the national player of the year. Now it's time to meet D.J. Augustin, who rivals Ohio State's Mike Conley Jr. as the nation's top freshman point guard. Could Durant and Augustin be the equivalent to Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara in Syracuse's 2003 national title run? More
Y! Sports Prediction: Sweet 16

Overview: The Trojans mourned the loss of slain teammate Ryan Francis, their starting point guard in 05-06, and then toughened up and became one of the nation's better defensive teams (64.1 ppg). The future is bright under Tim Floyd: USC christened a new arena, and will welcome prep stars O.J. Mayo and Brandon Jennings over the next two seasons. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round

Overview: Senior forward Derrick Byars (16.9 ppg) had showed no signs of being anyone's MVP during his two seasons at Virginia or his junior year at Vandy. Yet, he was the SEC coaches MVP for putting up 25 against Tennessee, 23 and 26 against Kentucky and 21 and 24 against Florida, leading to four wins in five games. More
Y! Sports Prediction: Second round

Overview: The Eagles shrugged off rumors of their demise after shot-blocker Sean Williams was dismissed from the squad in mid-January. Jared Dudley played like the MVP he was, while Tyrese Rice and Sean Marshall have helped make up for Williams' lost offense, and little-used Tyrelle Blair picked up many of his blocks. More
Y! Sports Prediction: Second round

Overview: The Golden Eagles figure to go as far as their talented trio of guards take them. Dominic James makes the big shots. Big East defender of the year Jerel McNeal averaged 2.6 steals and, according to Marquette stats, about 12 deflections, which is in Dwyane Wade territory. Wesley Matthews plays big, grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round

Overview: Disappointing as 2005-06 was for the Spartans, the departures of Paul Davis, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown figured to make this season even worse. Not so, as point guard Drew Neitzel evolved from playmaker to big-time scorer, freshman Raymar Morgan became an instant contributor and a committee of big men was at least competitive. More
Y! Sports Prediction: Second round

Overview: Say what you will about Bob Knight's motion offense and man-to-man defenses. If college basketball's all-time winningest coach is to add to his 45 NCAA tournament victories, it likely will be because guards Jarrius Jackson and Martin Zeno go off on someone. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round

Overview: The Colonials exceeded expectations after losing four starters from a special team that was 26-1 going into last season's Atlantic 10 tournament. But they still had lone returning starter Carl Elliott and former A-10 sixth man of the year Maureece Rice, who broke Wilt Chamberlain's high school scoring records in Philadelphia. Skinny forward Rob Diggs went from a guy who averaged 1.7 ppg to 10.7. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round

Overview: Three wins in the SEC tourney got Arkansas a controversial at-large bid despite a 7-9 SEC record. The Razorbacks have plenty of size and block a lot of shots, but Charles Thomass ankle injury in the SEC title game could be a concern. More
Y! Sports Prediction: Second round

Overview: Sharp-dressed Reggie Theus brings the Aggies and some style to the tournament. He turned the program around in a hurry with a number of transfers, including Justin Hawkins of Utah, Tyrone Nelson of Prairie View A&M, Elijah Ingram of St. John's and Fred Peete of Kansas State. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round

Overview: Seniors Caleb Green and Ken Tutt brought basketball back to ORU, sending the Golden Eagles to back-to-back NCAA tournaments for the first time. It would be the third in a row if not for Oakland's miracle shot in the Mid-Continent title game two years ago. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round

Overview: The Bears have something that every low seed covets – a 6-foot-10 center. In fact, they have two of them. Boomer Herndon was set back by a health scare during summer exhibitions in Taiwan. Now Herndon and Andrew Preston combine for 19.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, a post presence any high major would envy. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round

Overview: Jeff Neubauers second set of Colonels took on the personality of the John Beilein-coached teams that Neubauer assisted at West Virginia and Richmond. Thats a good thing. They won't grab rebounds or get to the line, but they shoot high-percentage shots, load up on 3-pointers, limit their turnovers and rarely put opponents on the line. More
Y! Sports Prediction: First round