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East
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1 MARYLAND
Strong defensively
Strong guards
Experienced in NCAAs
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MARYLAND
SWAC's Braves bring sweet band, little else in sacrificial lamb role. But they can say they went 1-1 in NCAAs!
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MARYLAND
What chance do Badgers have of knocking off Maryland at MCI Center, a.k.a. Terrapin Station? Almost none. So much for neutral sites.
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MARYLAND
Terps' tournament graybeards know how to win with smart guards pounding ball in to Lonny Baxter, who then kicks it out for knockout punch.
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MARYLAND
This year may be Tom Izzo's best coaching job yet, but his skill isn't enough to beat gifted Terps, whose speed and power will overwhelm young Spartans.
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16 ALCORN STATE*
Strong guards
Superior rebounding
Too many bricks from foul line
Little NCAA experience
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8 WISCONSIN
Above-average foul shooting
Shaky ball handling
Too many bricks from foul line
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WISCONSIN
Shouldn't 8-9 games be attractive pairings? Scrappy Badgers will have their way with rim-clanging Johnnies.
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9 ST. JOHN'S
Star can carry team
Weak rebounding
Shaky ball handling
Too many bricks from foul line
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5 MARQUETTE
Strong defensively
Superior rebounding
Good 3-point shooters
Shaky ball handling
Little NCAA experience
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MARQUETTE
Silky three-point shooting will keep Tulsa close, but Golden Eagles will blow away Hurricane on boards.
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MARQUETTE
Tough, cohesive Eagles will outshoot and outhustle Wildcats and hand Tubby Smith first back-to-back-to-back 10-loss seasons in Kentucky history.
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12 TULSA
Above-average foul shooting
Good 3-point shooters
Weak rebounding
Poor defensively
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4 KENTUCKY
Star can carry team
Superior rebounding
Experienced in NCAAs
Too many bricks from foul line
Shaky ball handling
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KENTUCKY
Wildcats stagger into NCAAs, but experienced Tayshaun Prince will conquer dangerous Crusaders.
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13 VALPARAISO
Strong defensively
Strong guards
Too many bricks from foul line
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6 TEXAS TECH
Strong defensively
Weak rebounding
Little NCAA experience
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S. ILLINOIS
Hype aside, Bob Knight's teams have failed miserably in tournament of late: 2-6 in last seven years.
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S. ILLINOIS
Saluki here! Buoyed by partisan Chicago crowd, underdog rides guards Kent Williams and Stetson Hairston to upset of Bulldogs, who finished 5-6.
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MICHIGAN STATE
Salukis coach Bruce Weber, former Purdue assistant, would love to beat another Big Ten team, but Spartans are just too tough up front.
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11 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Strong defensively
Strong guards
Too many bricks from foul line
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3 GEORGIA
Above-average foul shooting
Strong guards
Thin bench
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GEORGIA
Seeded-too-high Dawgs escape upset thanks to Racers' bench, which is even thinner than Georgia's.
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14 MURRAY STATE
Above-average foul shooting
Superior rebounding
Thin bench
Little NCAA experience
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7 N.C. STATE
Above-average foul shooting
Weak rebounding
Little NCAA experience
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MICHIGAN STATE
Spartans ready to exploit monster rebounding differential 8.0 to Pack's 0.0) in quick N.C. State exit.
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MICHIGAN STATE
Down year for Spartans? Hardly. State's Marcus Taylor will be better than Huskies' Taliek Brown in battle of sophomore point guards.
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10 MICHIGAN STATE
Strong defensively
Above-average foul shooting
Shaky ball handling
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2 CONNECTICUT
Strong defensively
Star can carry team
Superior rebounding
Shaky ball handling
Little NCAA experience
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CONNECTICUT
Can Pirates repeat upset magic? Not this time. Wary Huskies have too much speed and size inside.
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15 HAMPTON
Good 3-point shooters
Experienced in NCAAs
Too many bricks from foul line
Shaky ball handling
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* Alcorn State will beat Siena in NCAA play-in game
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