The What-If Heels are as good as some NBA teams. In fact, with five first-round picks and another future lottery choice in Tyler Hansborough, there is no Achilles Tar Heel. UNC likes to get out and run with Felton and Smith and McCants on the wing, but if opponents take the air out of the ball, UNC can also pound the post with twin bulldozers May and Howard.

After winning only five games two years ago, the Great Danes have turned things around with their best season ever: a 20-10 record and the regular season America East Conference title. They are led by junior guard Jamar Wilson, who was named the AEC Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is complemented by sophomore forward Brent Wilson, who averaged 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in his first season as a starter, and 7-foot-1 senior center Kirsten Zoellner from Hanover, Germany, who averaged 7.6 points, ranked third among America East leaders in blocked shots (1.32), and led the team in field goal percentage (.568).

The biggest question is the health of star center Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who had knee surgery on Feb. 28, but is expected back for the tournament. With him, the Colonials became only the fourth team to make it through the Atlantic 10 schedule without a loss. Without him, they didn't even make the A-10 finals. If Pops makes it back and junior guard Danilo Pinnock (15 points and 5 rebounds) continues his strong play, the Colonials are a tough draw.

Would jumping bean Gerald Green steady an OSU team that beat Texas by 21 and lost to UAB by the same score? Would the stud freshman's insane athletic ability be enough to keep Coach Sutton from falling off the wagon? Add JamesOn Curry (13.7 points) and Mario Boggans (14.8) and the Cowboys no longer have an N.I.T. look to them.

Mike Davis would likely have signed a contract extension if he had the versatile Josh Smith to line up at small forward next to Marco Killingsworth. Smith not only adds athleticism to the Hoosiers line-up (he'd immediately be one of the top three leapers in the NCAA), he is the lockdown defender every team needs if they intend to make a deep run. Bracey Wright provides much needed scoring help and veteran experience.

You can no longer refer to this team as "UNC what's it called" as one USC player did prior to being upset by Wilmington in the first round of the 2003 tournament. The Seahawks (25-7) won their fourth Colonial Athletic Association championship in seven years and are headed back to the Big Dance thanks to their defense, which held teams to 59.0 points and a field goal percentage of .386 (eighth best). They are led by their backcourt tandem of T.J. Carter (13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists) and John Goldsberry (11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists).

Just the return of all-world point guard Chris Paul helped transform the Deacons from a 17-16 disappointment into a serious contender. Paul's bowling partner Justin Gray thrived without having to switch positions and shoulder the load. Paul's unparalleled penetrating ability also freed up Eric Williams, once considered a firs- round draft pick, for the easy buckets he was used to.

The Grizzlies (21-6) shot 49.9 percent from the field (fifth best in the country) while their motion offense netted them 18.3 assists per game (fourth) and 80 points per game. Montana is led by sophomore forward Andrew Straight (team-high 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 63 percent from the field). Senior guard Kevin Kriswell played a large role, scoring 16.6 points, grabbing 4.4 rebounds and hitting 46.6 percent of his three point attempts.

Bruce Pearl and his signature orange jackets have made the Vols a high-octane team that. is one of only three ranked in the top ten in points (81.7) and steals (10.3) per game. The Vols boast one of the nation's best backcourts with Chris Loften – who averaged 17.5 points per game and ranked in the top in three-point field goals (3.8) and percentage (.458) -- and C.J. Watson (15 points, .876 free-throw percentage). The surprising SEC East champs swept Florida for the first time in six years and upset Texas and Kentucky on the road.

After last year's improbable final-second win over Kansas, the Bison are back. This year, Bucknell won a school-record 26 games, which included a 74-69 win over Syracuse. When it comes to scoring, the squad is a three-headed monster led by Chris McNaughton, Charles Lee and Kevin Bettencourt who all averaged between 12 and 13 points per game.

Losing no key players to NBA riches, the Wildcats never had a down year in the SEC. Kelenna Azubuike (who wasn't drafted) returned with an increased shooting range to complement his slashing prowess, while Randolph Morris never had to sit out 14 games for contact with an agent. Having these two horses for a full season freed PG Rajon Rando (4.9 assists) from the burden of carrying the offensive load.

The Racers will try to win it with tough man to man defense and a balanced attack, which features seven players averaging between 6 and 11 points. The key will be junior forward Shawn Witherspoon. His numbers won't put him in contention for Player of the Year (11 points, 8 rebounds), but he is a coach's dream who does all the little things well. The biggest weakness for the Racers is poor free throw shooting (65%), which especially hurts them when they play their slow-down style of play.

What a difference two years make. In '04, the Yellow Jackets played in the NCAA championship game against UConn, but this year's team lacked a true point guard and an established big man. Adding Jack and Bosh solved both those problems and kept the Ramblin' Wreck from becoming an 11-17 train wreck.

The streaky Badgers went on winning and losing streaks at the drop of a hat, but were able to depend on the junior tandem of forward Alando Tucker (18.9 points, 5.7 rebounds) and guard Kammran Taylor (14.6, 3.1). Tucker was the only junior consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection, and the Badgers' leader. He led the Big Ten in conference game scoring (20.0 points) and scored at least 20 in 10 of the Badgers' 16 Big Ten games. Despite being inconsistent, the Badgers did a good job of holding on to the ball, averaging only 11.7 turnovers, eleventh best in the country.

Louisville's first season in the Big East may not have been a cake walk with UConn and Villanova on the schedule, but the Cardinals would've at least improved their 6-10 conference record with none-and-done stars such as Smith, Johnson and Telfair, who Rick Pitino has gone on record as saying would've been the best point guard he ever coached. Add seniors Garcia and Taquan Dean (16 points) to the stable and Telfair picks teams apart with his 20/20 court vision.

The Big South champs make their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last eight years, thanks to the three-pronged attack of senior James Shuler (13 points) and juniors Torrell Martin (14) and Craig Bradshaw (13). Coach Greg Marshall demands a defensive intensity that should help, but after regular season losses to Liberty and Coastal Carolina (twice), it will be a challenge to finally win a tournament game.