Coach Calipari's gotta be salivating about a pick-your-poison starting lineup of Darius Washington, Kendrick Perkins, Sean Banks, Rodney Carney and Amare Stoudamire. Without the rigors of an 82-game season, Amare's knee never blew and the possibility of the possibility of a national championship means Banks got his act together last year.

Despite losing seven of its first eight games and finishing third in the NEC, the Hawks (18-14) earned the automatic bid with an improbable 49-48 win over Farleigh Dickinson (20-11) on a last-second shot by senior guard Chris Kenny. Monmouth's season turned on the backs junior duo of guard Dejan Delic (12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists) and forward Marques Alston (12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists). They were one of the NEC's best defensive teams in the NEC: 64.5 points-allowed.

The return of go-to-guy John Gilchrist freed up Nik Caner-Medley (15.6 points, 82% FT) to operate without being the point of focus for the opposition. Would Gilchrist's return have encouraged the team's most consistent player, senior Chris McCray (15.2 points) to hit the books? McCray was booted for academic reasons in January. We say yes, and the Terps enter the tourney as an underachieving team that nobody wants to face.

First-team all Big East pick 6'10" forward Steve Novak led the team in scoring (17.5 points) and set a conference record with 70 threes but it was the surprise play of Big East Freshman of the Year Dominic James (15.1 points, 5.4 assists) that helped propel Coach Tom Crean's team to an impressive sixth place Big East finish, which included a 15-point win over UConn.

The Adam Morrison Show reaches its last act, but how far can he lead the Zags? J.P. Batista (19 points, 10 rebounds) has been dominant in the paint all season, but domination in the West Coast Conference isn't the same as against the Dukes and Connecticuts of the world. Morrison has captivated college basketball fans but the Zags hopes may rest in the hands of PG Derek Raivo and his ability to penetrate the defense.

After making it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 12 seed last year, the Panthers waltzed to another Horizon League championship. This senior-led team could make noise again. Joah Tucker, who has scored in double figures in 26 straight games, Boo Davis (16 points) and Adrian Tiggert (13) lead the way. The only question is whether first year coach Rob Jeter can muster the same tournament magic as his predecessor, Bruce Pearl.

It didn't take Ben Howland long to bring the Bruins their first Pac-10 title since 1997. Led by sophomores Aaron Afflalo (17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds), Jordan Farmar (14.0 points, 5.5 assists) and Josh Shipp (11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds), the Bruins topped the conference in field-goal percentage (47.5) and were second in field-goal defense (42.5). The only thing the Bruins lack is senior leadership and that would have been addressed by Trevor Ariza. The explosive small forward would have teamed with Cedric Bozeman and Ryan Hollins to form a senior backbone on a roster stocked with 12 underclassmen.

After starting out a disappointing 2-2 in the Big West, the Tigers hit the on switch and won 10 straight conference games to earn a spot in the Big Dance. Christian Maraker (17 points, 9 rebounds) looks like the second coming of Micahel Olowokandi. Sharpshooters Johnny Gray (15 points) and Mike Webb (11) are deadly from the outside. If Maraker can inflict the same damage to the rest of the country that he did to the Big West, the Tigers could be a big surprise.

It isn't Craig Smith's tenth year of college, it just seems that way. Junior Jared Dudley, the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year, is the other big gun, but there's not much difference between this year's squad and last year's, which was eliminated in the second round by Milwaukee-Wisconsin. A strong tournament from Smith could boost the Eagles and dramatically improve Smith's draft position.

The Shockers did just that while winning their first outright regular season conference championship since 1983. The team was led by Paul Miller, a 6-10 senior center who averaged 13.0 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 51.8 percent from the field as Wichita State reached its fourth-straight postseason. The Shockers, who nearly upset Illinois on the road before losing 55-54, were powered by the sophomore guard combo of Sean Ogirri (11.9 points, 2.8 rebounds) and PJ Cousinard (10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds).

The Gators came out of their mid-season swoon and play their best ball of the season. Sophomores Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and Corey Brewer have been giving SEC opponents fits. Walsh and Roberson would provide veteran leadership, which is just about the only thing missing. The key is sophomore point guard Taurean Green, who could boost his NBA stock with a strong tournament.

The Sun Belt champs are an undersized team without any true stars. Shooting guard Mario Jointer (13.5 points) is the one starter to average in double figures and at 6' 2", he's also the team's leading rebounder. John Pelphrey’s squad counters their lack of size by spreading the floor and putting in five guys that are legitimate threats to shoot from anywhere.

If Chris Taft had to do it all over again, the Big East Rookie of the Year would still be in school. Add his 6-10, 260-pound shot blocking presence to a front line that includes seven-footer Aaron Gray (14 points, 10.4 rebounds) and it gives the No. 14 Panthers the third scorer they desperately need. Only Gray and senior guard Carl Krauser (15.3 points, 4.7 assists) average more than eight points per game.

John Thompson III returned this team to its former glory by running the Princeton offense and spreading the scoring wealth. The Hoyas don't have a player among the Big East's Top 20 scoring leaders, but five averaged more than 9 points. Dominating the paint is a formula for a national championship and this team has the bodies: 7—2 sophomore Roy Hibbert and 6-9 forwards Jeff Green and Brandon Bowan. The Hoyas ended Duke's undefeated season in January and play in the nation's toughest conference. Could they be this year's Cinderella story?

With their appearance in the Final Four last season, the Illini proved that they can hang with the big boys. Combine James Augustine, Deron Williams and Dee Brown with freshman guard Jamar Smith and the Illini may just be a big boy. Augustine is an absolute beast in the paint, averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds, but Williams' high basketball IQ is the X-Factor that make the Illini a team to beat.

No team in the tournament dishes the ball better than the Wildcats, who averaged 18.5 assists per game (second best in the country) and are guided by senior guard Kenny Grant (6.6 assists per game, fourth best). They struggled at times, but are one of the most well rounded teams in the country, ranking in the top 25 in three-point field-goals (9.1), free throw percentage (.761), rebound margin (6.2), scoring offense (78) and scoring margin (9.1). They are led by the senior trio of forward Brendan Winters (17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds per game), forward Ian Johnson (15.7, 6.2) and guard Jason Morton (10.9, 2.8).