Encapsulating the Southeast Region
No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 16 Play-in winner | |
1. PITTSBURGH | |
RECORD: 27-5 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Gibbs is Pitt's best scorer and essentially the Panthers' only 3-point threat. The Panthers won all three games (including road trips to West Virginia and Villanova) when Gibbs was injured, but they shot 4-of-19 from 3-point range during that stretch. While Gibbs may be their most dynamic player, Wanamaker is probably the Panthers' most important player. He's not flashy, but he's as sound a player there is in the Big East. He's the second player in school history to have at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists. He's also solid defensive player. Woodall is the top guard - and essentially the only guard - off the bench. - DAVID FOX |
UNC ASHEVILLE | |
RECORD: 19-13 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Dickey and Primm make the Bulldogs go. They are the Bulldogs' top two scorers, combining for nearly 30 points per game. They also were among the Big South leaders in steals for a team that led the league in that category. Dickey's steal of an inbounds pass and 27-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Coastal Carolina in the regular season was one of the more memorable plays of the season. Primm has played his best against the toughest competition this season, and you'd expect that to continue during the Big Dance. Stephenson also plays a big role in the backcourt. He had 14 points and eight rebounds in UNCA's victory over Coastal in the final of the Big South tournament. - GARY MONDELLO |
ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK | |
RECORD: 19-16 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Bozeman, who began his career at USF, was the Sun Belt Conference player of the year. He averages 16.5 points and is the only Trojan in double figures. He is excellent from 3-point range, hitting at a 46.4 percent clip (that's 3 percent better than his 2-point percentage). He's athletic and also can get to the rim, and he has attempted 270 free throws, a figure that's in the top three nationally. He has made 80.4 percent of those attempts. Garcia-Mendoza, from Mexico, is one of three Trojans who attended high school outside of the United States before being signed out of American junior colleges by UALR (Louzeiro is from Brazil and Sutherland is from Canada). He's another solid 3-point shooter, hitting 40.0 of his shots from beyond the arc, and he also drains 81.6 percent of his foul shots. Mouzy is all about the 3-point shot, and he leads the teams in makes (72) and attempts (186). Williams is a solid distributor and a willing defender. Guy is an effective backup point guard who can hit the 3-pointer, while Sutherland adds backcourt size off the bench. - MIKE HUGUENIN |
No. 8 Butler vs. No. 9 Old Dominion | |
8. BUTLER | |
RECORD: 23-9 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Mack is a fearless player who has grown accustomed to playing against top-level competition; he played for the USA Basketball Select Team, then sparked Butler on last season's Final Four run. He isn't shooting as well overall or from 3-point range this season, but he started to heat up late in the season. Nored is an outstanding leader and perimeter defender, though he won't provide much scoring. Vanzant has come on strong lately and heads into the tournament having shot 7-of-11 from 3-point range over his past four games. Stigall has made major strides as a spot starter this season. He's bigger than most of Butler's other guards and can help out on the boards. Hahn has a reputation as a good shooter, but he enters the tournament having gone 1-of-13 from 3-point range in his past five games. - STEVE MEGARGEE |
9. OLD DOMINION | |
RECORD: 27-6 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Bazemore was the CAA's defensive player of the year (2.3 steals per game) and a second-team all-league pick. He's also the Monarchs' second-leading scorer. The lefty is ODU's most efficient 3-point shooter (but that's not saying that much; more on that in a moment). Bazemore is a great athlete who has a nice all-around game. James is another lefthander who is tied for team lead with Finney in assists; he's not a great shooter, but ODU wants him at the free-throw line as often as possible (82.1 percent). Finney's offensive efficiency plunged this season, but he has made up for it in other ways. He's a good passer and a tough rebounder who's also a solid defender. Iliadis, an Australian, is probably ODU's best outside shooter, while De Lancey provides adequate relief at the point. - MIKE HUGUENIN |
No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Utah State | |
5. KANSAS STATE | |
RECORD: 22-10 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Not many players in the country finished the regular season on as high of a note as Pullen, who led Kansas State to wins in eight of its final nine regular-season games. Pullen averages just below 20 points and has failed to score in double figures just twice all season. The numbers are even more impressive when you consider that opponents focus their entire defensive game plan on stopping Pullen, who at times can seem like a one-man show. One of the reasons the Wildcats bounced back from their poor start was because McGruder and Spradling improved offensively, which took some of the pressure off Pullen. McGruder is a slasher who can get hot from beyond the arc. The presence of Spradling, a point guard, allows Pullen to move off the ball, which allows him to be a more productive scorer. - JASON KING |
12. UTAH STATE | |
RECORD: 30-3 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Pane has been a textbook example of how Utah State is able to add junior college players seamlessly to the mix. Pane was the only new starter this season and he became an all-conference guard, replacing another All-WAC guard in Jared Quayle. Pane is best around the basket; he's not much of a threat from the perimeter. Those responsibilities fall to Green - who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation - and Williams. Between Pane, Green and Williams, Utah State has three legitimate scoring options in the backcourt. - DAVID FOX |
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Belmont | |
4. WISCONSIN | |
RECORD: 23-8 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Taylor is perhaps the nation's best pure point guard. He has more than four times as many assists as turnovers and is the only player to rank in the top five in the Big Ten in scoring and assists. His ability as a floor general has helped give Wisconsin one of the nation's most efficient offenses. He also plays his best in clutch situations. Gasser, the first Big Ten freshman to deliver a triple-double since Magic Johnson, can play either guard position and does a great job of avoiding turnovers. He also has improved his 3-point shooting after an ice-cold start. Jarmusz is a solid 3-point shooter who also is extremely careful with the ball. - STEVE MEGARGEE |
13. BELMONT | |
RECORD: 30-4 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: The most impressive thing is that every guard or swingman on the roster has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Clark, a Memphis native, is the team's most talented player. He's a solid offensive player with excellent range, and he puts his quickness to good use on defense. He's also excellent from the line. Hanlen isn't asked to do much scoring, but he is the leading assist man and has an almost 3-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. He has 3-point range and shoots 86.4 percent from the line. Johnson, a former Alabama "Mr. Basketball" who was a starter last season, is a key performer off the bench. He can hit the 3-pointer, too, but he is much more dangerous with his forays to the hoop. He is quick and surprisingly strong, and frequently goes to the foul line. He is the Bruins' best defender. Campbell is the Bruins' best 3-point shooter, and 161 of his 195 shot attempts have come from beyond the arc. He's a good passer and a willing defender. - MIKE HUGUENIN |
No. 6 St. John's vs. No. 11 Gonzaga | |
6. ST. JOHN'S | |
RECORD: 21-11 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Hardy sparked the Red Storm's resurgence this season by emerging as one of the nation's most improved players. After being one of the Red Storm's top reserves last season, he has developed into a true star with a flair for the dramatic. He made a game-winning basket in the closing seconds against Pittsburgh and exceeded the 30-point mark against UCLA, Connecticut and Villanova. St. John's suffered a major blow in the Big East tournament when G/F D.J. Kennedy tore the ACL in his right knee. He was the Red Storm's top rebounder and third-leading scorer. Horne is a solid perimeter defender, while Boothe is probably the Red Storm's best distributor. - STEVE MEGARGEE |
11. GONZAGA | |
RECORD: 24-9 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Gray is Gonzaga's laid-back leader. Until the WCC tourney final against Saint Mary's, maybe he was too laid back. He's Gonzaga's go-to player, but he had a quiet two weeks before scoring 15 points and adding seven rebounds in the title game despite picking up a cut above his eye that required stitches. Gonzaga knew it had a proven player in Gray, but the rest of the backcourt needed to develop as the season went on. PGs Marquise Carter, a junior college transfer, and former walk-on David Stockton (John Stockton's son) were seldom-used early in the season, but took some of the burden off Gray late in the season. - DAVID FOX |
No. 3 BYU vs. No. 14 Wofford | |
3. BYU | |
RECORD: 30-4 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Everything about BYU's offense is driven by Fredette, the nation's leading scorer. He's best-known for his seemingly limitless range, yet what makes him perhaps the country's most formidable offensive player is that he can also finish at the rim or set up his teammates if opposing defenses focus too much on him. The lone knock on Fredette is his defense. BYU sometimes will hide him in a zone defensively and typically will have him guard an opposing team's least effective perimeter scorer. In addition to Fredette, Emery is an excellent scorer and Abouo has emerged as a scoring threat as well in the past month. - JEFF EISENBERG |
14. WOFFORD | |
RECORD: 21-12 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Rundles, who scored 21 points in the Southern Conference tournament final against College of Charleston, has really developed in his second season with the team (after transferring from Montana). He has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games. Diggs averages double figures on the season and had a big SoCon tourney, and Loesing leads the team in assists. Giltner contributes off the bench. The Terriers are efficient on offense, take good shots and don't turn it over a lot. Guard play is a big reason. - GARY MONDELLO |
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Michigan State | |
7. UCLA | |
RECORD: 22-10 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: As a result of UCLA's inability to find an heir apparent to Jordan Farmar, Russell Westbrook and Darren Collison at point guard, the Bruins are left with the solid but unspectacular duo of Jones and Anderson. Both have shown an ability to sink an open spot-up jumper, but neither are dynamic creators off the dribble or elite on-ball defenders. Lee, on the other hand, has blossomed into one of the Pac-10's best defensive stoppers as a result of his length, quickness and athleticism. In addition to guarding an opposing team's best perimeter scorer, Lee can get to the rim off the dribble and finish in transition, though his 3-point shot is a weakness. - JEFF EISENBERG |
10. MICHIGAN STATE | |
RECORD: 19-14 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Michigan State has had its share of changes in the backcourt, starting in the offseason with the departure of Chris Allen, followed by the midseason suspension of Korie Lucious. The constant, as it has been for four seasons, is Lucas. Through all the turmoil, Lucas put the team on his back through stretches of the season. Perhaps the most telling number of the team's struggles: Lucas likely will set career-highs in scoring and average minutes played and a career-low in assists. His supporting cast has changed through the season, the latest combo being Appling and Kebler, a former walk-on. Appling isn't a great scorer, but he's a top-notch perimeter defender and a good rebounder for a guard. Summers was Michigan State's top player during last season's Final Four run, but he disappeared over the second half of the Big Ten season. - DAVID FOX |
No. 2 Florida vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara | |
2. FLORIDA | |
RECORD: 26-7 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Walker and Boynton are the Gators' leading scorers. Walker is jet-quick with the ball and has great range; he can get to the basket because of his quickness, but his lack of size means he sometimes struggles to finish. He also can be exploited defensively on the perimeter by bigger point guards. Boynton is a former elite recruit who hasn't been the offensive force that was expected. But his defense has been a constant and he works hard on that end of the floor. He uses his strength to get to the rim. He likes to fire away from 3-point range, but he's not all that proficient from beyond the arc. He is streaky, though, and if he makes a 3-pointer, you can bet another one is going up quickly. Both starting guards are good free-throw shooters. Wilbekin plays about 18 minutes per game, but he's not much of a scorer or even much of a shooter. He takes good care of the ball, though, and is a willing defender. - MIKE HUGUENIN |
15. UC SANTA BARBARA | |
RECORD: 18-13 PROBABLE STARTERS | BACKCOURT: Johnson, who began his career at Loyola Marymount, was the Big West's player of the year last season and repeated as a first-team all-league selection this season. He's a physical, well-rounded player; he can shoot from the outside (40.1 percent from 3-point range), hit the mid-range jumper, get to the rim, rebound (a team-leading 6.3 per game) and pass effectively. Nunnally is a solid perimeter player who is the team's second-leading rebounder. He and Johnson are the only Gauchos averaging in double figures in points. Joyner isn't an offensive threat, but he's a good distributor who takes care of the ball; he's also a crafty defender who leads the team in steals. Weiner has some 3-point ability. Brew provides no offense, but plays good defense. - MIKE HUGUENIN |