 #1 DukeOverall Record: 29-5
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 8-4
Tournament Criteria: ACC co-regular season champions, ACC Tournament champions
Best Player: Kyle Singler, Forward
Biggest Strength: Trio of guards
Biggest Weakness: Frontcourt production
Notes: Duke is at its best when the Blue Devils have a low-post scoring threat to go to, but so far, Kyle Singler may be the most dangerous option in the post, though he is really a 3-man. The trio of Jon Scheyer, Singler and Nolan Smith is a fantastic tandem offensively, but defensively, they could struggle with a more physical or quicker set of guards. To make their first Final Four since 2004, Duke will most likely need to establish a relatively-decent low-post threat to complement Scheyer, Singler and Smith.
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 #16 Arkansas-Pine BluffOverall Record: 18-15
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 0-5
Tournament Criteria: SWAC Tournament champions and play-in game winner
Best Player: Terrance Calvin, Guard
Biggest Strength: Road tested
Biggest Weakness: Ability to win against high quality teams
Notes: Arkansas-Pine Bluff set up a schedule built to help them in the late-season and that's just what it did. They played the first 14 games of the season on the road, playing games against UTEP, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Missouri and Kansas State. The Golden Lions went 8-2 the rest of the season in games away from home, including sweeping through the SWAC Tournament.
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 #8 CaliforniaOverall Record: 23-10
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 3-6
Tournament Criteria: Pac-10 regular season champions, At-large berth
Best Player: Jerome Randle
Biggest Strength: Backcourt depth
Biggest Weakness: Inconsistent play/ did they peak too soon?
Notes: Cal was the preseason favorite in the Pac-10, returning two all-league performers to their backcourt, but the Golden Bears' non-conference schedule featuring Syracuse, Ohio State, New Mexico and Kansas did not do any wonders for them. After losing games to teams they should be beating, Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher began to pick up their play and Cal rallied behind them for six straight wins, before losing to Washington in the league title game.
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 #9 LouisvilleOverall Record: 20-12
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 5-7
Tournament Criteria: At-large berth, Big East
Best Player: Samardo Samuels, Forward
Biggest Strength: Offensive post presence
Biggest Weakness: Frontcourt depth
Notes: Louisville's two biggest wins this season are clearly their wins over Syracuse, giving them big upset potential come Tournament time. But aside from those victories, Louisville has looked very mediocre in the rest of their games and playing poorly on the road and in neutral court games. Since his 36-point outburst, Samardo Samuels has been quiet. Will he continue slumping or is he due for a big one?
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 #5 Texas A&MOverall Record: 23-9
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 7-8
Tournament Criteria: At-large berth, Big 12
Best Player: Donald Sloan, Guard
Biggest Strength: Post defense
Biggest Weakness: Knocking down foul shots
Notes: On the offensive end, Texas A&M has two good shooters on the perimeter, Donald Sloan and B.J. Holmes. Sloan is more of a natural scorer with the ability to knock down shots in the mid-range game and get to the rim, while Holmes is more comfortable as a jump shooter. On the defensive end, forward, Bryan Davis, is the team's best defender- averaging more than a steal and almost 2 blocks per game.
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 #12 Utah StateOverall Record: 27-7
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 2-3
Tournament Criteria: WAC regular season champions, At-large berth
Best Player: Jared Quayle, Guard
Biggest Strength: Team defense
Biggest Weakness: Getting to the foul line
Notes: Utah State made the field of 65 after missing out on the WAC Tournament championship to New Mexico State. They have solid contributors at all positions, including two All-League players in guard, Jared Quayle and forward, Tai Wesley. The Aggies play excellent team defense, holding opponents to under 60 points per contest, but their Achilles Heel could be when USU needs some buckets and their perimeter shots aren't falling. They get to the foul line at one of the worst rates in college basketball, living and dying by the jumper.
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 #4 PurdueOverall Record: 27-5
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 8-4
Tournament Criteria: Big Ten co-regular season champions, At-large berth
Best Player: JaJuan Johnson, Forward/Center
Biggest Strength: Team defense
Biggest Weakness: Perimeter shooting and frontcourt depth
Notes: With Robbie Hummel out, Purdue's lack of perimeter scoring has become very much apparent. Purdue's strength still lies in its ability to play tenacious team defense, using those rebounds and stops to get the ball out in transition. The less time they spend in the half-court setting on offense, the better. The Boilermakers need to give the keys to JaJuan Johnson, their junior big men. He is their best offensive threat without Hummel, as he uses his excellent positioning and touch to score around the rim, but also possesses the ability to knock down shots from the perimeter. E'Twaun Moore is struggling and needs to find his perimeter game quickly.
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 #13 SienaOverall Record: 27-6
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 0-4
Tournament Criteria: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season champions, MAAC Tournament champions
Best Player: Alex Franklin, Forward
Biggest Strength: Balance in the starting five and leadership
Biggest Weakness: Ability to beat high-caliber teams
Notes: With Siena matching up against the Robbie Hummel-less Boilermakers, many fans are picking Siena to upset Purdue. However, Siena has not proven the ability to win big games yet this season. The Tournament is all about how anything can happen, so why not? Alex Franklin and Ryan Rossiter are two of the Saints' forwards who can cause problems for opposing frontcourts, while Edwin Ubiles, Clarence Jackson and Ronald Moore are a set of experienced and talented guards.
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 #6 Notre DameOverall Record: 23-11
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 5-4
Tournament Criteria: At-large berth, Big East
Best Player: Luke Harangody, Forward
Biggest Strength: Experienced seniors and perimeter shooting
Biggest Weakness: Offensive philosophy
Notes: Is there a hotter team in the nation as of late? The Fighting Irish knocked off Pittsburgh twice, Georgetown and Marquette before falling to West Virginia. Most of this happened while the team's best player and All-American candidate, Luke Harangody was out nursing an injury. So when he came back in, he bought into Coach Mike Brey's new offensive philosophy of sharing the basketball and working for better shots and Notre Dame seemed potent. Will Harangody continue to buy in? These days off before the Tournament should only help the team as they continue to gel and learn a new system this late in the season. They have the point guard play (Tory Jackson), the perimeter shooters (Tim Abromaitis, Ben Hansbrough) and the frontcourt depth (Harangody, Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott) to make a run.
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 #11 Old DominonOverall Record: 26-8
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 1-2
Tournament Criteria: CAA regular season champions, CAA Tournament champions
Best Player: Gerlad Lee, Forward
Biggest Strength: Frontcourt depth and versatility
Biggest Weakness: Perimeter shooting
Notes: After upsetting Georgetown in Washington DC, ODU became a favorite amongst fans and analysts to pick in March Maddness as a team to upset others, but this task of Notre Dame may be too great. Or is it? The Monarchs have great frontcourt depth and have two 6'5" wings who can keep a hand up in shooters' eyes, but their own guard play is very mediocre. They have one of the worst 3-point accuracy rates in the country and when they need some points in a hurry, where will they go?
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 #3 BaylorOverall Record: 25-7
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 7-5
Tournament Criteria: At-large berth, Big 12
Best Player: LaceDarius Dunn, Guard
Biggest Strength: Guard play and frontcourt depth
Biggest Weakness: Guard depth
Notes: Baylor is a well-oiled offensive machine. They have an extremely quick point guard running their attack, with an excellent shooter in LaceDarius Dunn spotting up on the wing and Ekpe Udoh filling the lanes for a dump-off dunk. Quincy Acy, a sophomore forward continues to grow as an offensive player. He utilizes his athleticism, throwing down punishing dunks on any opponent in his way. The post defense between Udoh and Acy make the two a lethal combination to swat and alter shots, causing turnovers or better yet, a fast break going the other way.
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 #14 Sam Houston StateOverall Record: 25-7
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 0-1
Tournament Criteria: Southland Conference regular season champions, Southland Conference Tournament champions
Best Player: Corey Allmond, Guard
Biggest Strength: 3-point shooting
Biggest Weakness: Reliant on the 3-point shot
Notes: Over half of Sam Houston State's shot attempts have come from beyond the arc this season, leading the Bearkats to become reliant on their outside shooting abilities. They make an average of 9 a game, but clearly have the potential to scorch teams with their distance shooting, giving them the ability to upset any team, on any given night.
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 #7 RichmondOverall Record: 26-8
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 7-3
Tournament Criteria: At-large berth, A-10
Best Player: Kevin Anderson, Guard
Biggest Strength: Perimeter shooting
Biggest Weakness: Post play
Notes: The Spiders, led by A-10 Player of the Year, Kevin Anderson, have been excellent all season long. David Gonzalvez has stepped up his play as of late, giving Richmond two #1 options down the floor every time. One prospect to keep an eye on is Justin Harper, a 6'10" small forward, who can really shoot the ball from beyond the arc. The Spiders' lone true post player is Dan Geriot, a former 1st Team All-League player, but blew out his knee last season. His minutes and production are still limited.
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 #10 St. Mary'sOverall Record: 26-5
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 4-3
Tournament Criteria: West Coast Conference Tournament champions
Best Player: Omar Samhan, Center
Biggest Strength: Post defense and perimeter shooting
Biggest Weakness: Frontcourt depth
Notes: St. Mary's, behind the leadership of Omar Samhan, the WCC's Defensive Player of the Year, Mickey McDonnell and Ben Allen can seemingly knock out any team of the NCAA Tournament. Samhan, a 6'11", 260-pound center, is a defensive force, but bullies his way around the basket to score the ball offensively. McConnell, Allen, Clint Steindl and freshman Matthew Dellavedova prevent defenses from collapsing in on Samhan in the post because of the threat to knock down outside shots.
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 #2 VillanovaOverall Record: 24-7
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 7-6
Tournament Criteria: At-large berth, Big East
Best Player: Scottie Reynolds
Biggest Strength: Backcourt Depth
Biggest Weakness: Post play and frontcourt depth
Notes: Villanova was making a run at the Big East title and a #1 seed in the NCAAs, but then they hit a slide. The Wildcats have lost five of their last seven games, but they are so overwhelmingly talented, that they can bounce back to make another Final Four run. The Wildcats have six guards that could start on most teams in the country, giving them excellent depth, but the two most important ones, are their main ball handlers, Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher. Both players have a knack for getting in the lane and scoring at the rim, while also demonstrating the ability to be cool under pressure; in fact, Reynolds might just be the most clutch player in the country. Forward, Antonio Pena, has done a great job battling against the bigs in the front court, but he is their only realistic option in the frontcourt.
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 #15 Robert MorrisOverall Record: 23-11
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 0-4
Tournament Criteria: Northeast Conference co-regular season champions, NEC Tournament champions
Best Player: Rob Robinson, Forward
Biggest Strength: Backcourt depth and getting to the foul line
Biggest Weakness: Connecting on foul shots
Notes: With a guard-oriented lineup, RMU matches up well against the 2-seeded Wildcats. They could make or break the game based on their foul shooting. They get to the charity stripe at one of the most consistent rates in the country, but only connect on 66% of these shots. They are just giving away free points. Despite playing a 4-guard lineup, only Karon Abraham is a proven outside shooter. Rob Robinson, a 6'8" forward, could be the key to the game. He is a solid low-post player and rebounder. Keeping out of foul trouble is a must.
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