By Eric Horowitz

Washington State 25-7, 13-5

	We bet this Washington State fan has seen the team "coug it" a couple times this season. John W. McDonough/SI

Led by junior guard Derrick Low, the Cougars came out of nowhere this season to finish second in the Pac-10. Over the years Washington State fans have coined the term "(to) Coug It", which roughly means "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" -- so before anyone jumps on the Cougars bandwagon they should know that WSU is the only team in the tournament with an expression of futility named after them.

Texas 24-9, 12-4

Kevin Durrant leads a rapidly maturing team that starts four freshmen and a sophomore. Durrant has already been named Big 12 Player of the Year, and he received yet another honor this week when the NCAA decided to go ahead and name him the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four before any games were played.

Maryland 24-8, 10-6

Maryland has a tough first-round matchup against Davidson, but the Terps are 10-0 this year against schools from the Carolinas. That's good news for College Park charities, because Gary Williams has agreed to donate $1,000 for every ounce of sweat that's rung out of his shirt after each Maryland win.

Virginia 20-10, 11-5

Despite being picked to finish eighth in the ACC, Virginia went 3-0 against Duke and Maryland and finished tied for first in the conference. Last week Dave Leitao was rewarded for his efforts by being named ACC Coach of the Year. Personally, I would have given the award to Coach K. His ability to somehow lead a talented team with five McDonald's All-Americans to a seventh-place finish was much more impressive.

Butler 27-6, 13-3

The Bulldogs should be extremely pleased that the selection committee awarded them a No. 5 seed. Guard A.J. Graves's Butler team on X-Box 360 that went 33-0 couldn't even earn that high of a seed.

Southern Illinois 27-6, 15-3

Will Billy Packer acknowledge Southern Illinois, or refer to it as "that other school from Illinois?" AP

Still enraged about the rising profile of mid-major schools, Billy Packer will refer to the Salukis as "that other school from Illinois in the tournament" for the duration of March Madness.

Virginia Tech 21-11, 10-6

Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg is one of the few coaches who has his own website. The site contains a blog-like narrative about the Hokies' season, a section called "Kosher Korner," where Greenberg interviews other coaches, and a well-written piece from three years ago in which Greenberg blasts the RPI. There's no doubt Greenberg'sblogging skills are what helped his team go 4-0 this season against ACC powerhouses North Carolina, Duke, and Maryland.

Southern California 23-11, 11-7

The men's team finally turned things around this year, using some big Pac-10 wins to earn a generous No. 5 seed from the selection committee. Before this season it had been a tough few years for Trojans basketball -- the men didn't make the tournament for five straight years, and Matt Leinart was impregnating the female players.

Duke 22-10, 8-8

Duke is the No. 6 seed in the West, its lowest seeding since 1996, but the news isn't all bad for the Blue Devils. Gerald Henderson's elbow is the No. 2 seed in the East.

Tennessee 22-10, 10-6

Yes, that big "V" is Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl rooting on the Lady Vols earlier this season. Bill Frakes/SI

Everyone at the University of Tennessee is extremely excited that the team is back in the tournament---perhaps the only person not happy is coach Bruce Pearl. The Vols selection to the tournament means Pearl will have less time to indulge in his real passion: cheering on the Tennessee women's team.

Notre Dame 24-7, 11-5

The Fighting Irish are back in the tournament thanks to a dangerous offense that shoots 40% from behind the arc and drains over nine three-pointers a game. The school's athletic department has been so pleased with the basketball team's performance this season that last week it gave Charlie Weis another lucrative contract extension worth $200 million over 10 years.

Louisville 23-9, 12-4

The Cardinals turned their season around in early February, winning seven straight before losing to Pitt in the Big East tournament. Look for coach Rick Pitino to try and fire his team up for Thursday's game against Stanford by yelling "Reece Gaines is not walking through that door!! Francisco Garcia is not walking through that door!! Pervis Ellison is not walking through that door!!"

Vanderbilt, 20-11, 10-6

Vanderbilt is one of three teams to make a three-pointer in every game they've played since the line was implemented in the 1986-87 season. This year the Commodores, who are led by SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars, rode a February win over Florida to their second tournament appearance in four years. Reaching the Big Dance will go a long way toward making Vanderbilt students aware that the school has a basketball team.

UNLV 28-6, 12-4

The Mountain West tournament champs closed out the season on an impressive seven-game winning streak. The streak is even more remarkable when you consider that the players had to overcome the NBA All-Star Game ravaging their city. I don't know how the team maintained its focus with Pacman Jones in the vicinity.

Nevada 28-4, 14-2

Coach Mark Fox may be in trouble for an alleged confrontation with an official that occurred after Nevada's loss to Utah State in the WAC tournament. Fox reportedly encountered the official in a hallway after the game, and lit into him with a profane and verbally abusive tirade. I think Fox should be cut some slack -- I also would have been livid if my guys had just lost to a team from the WAC.

Boston College 20-11, 10-6

Al Skinner's team put together another solid season, finishing tied for third in the ACC, but it has been hard for BC to get a lot of attention in the Boston area. On Monday the Boston Globe ran a front page story about Daisuke Matsuzaka's Final Four picks, while the story about BC making the tournament was relegated to page 8.

Indiana 20-10, 10-6

Kelvin Sampson has the Hoosiers in the tournament in his first year as coach. In the first round Indiana will take on Gonzaga, the team that knocked it out of the tournament last year. It should be a hotly contested match -- assuming that Gonzaga waits until after the game to get high.

Arizona 20-10, 11-7

Arizona is making its 23rd consecutive tournament appearance under coach Lute Olson. The Wildcats will be without junior guard Daniel Dillon, who was arrested this week for driving under the influence of alcohol. Nobody knows how to celebrate losing in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament quite like Arizona.

Marquette 24-9, 10-6

Jerel McNeal, the Golden Eagles' second-leading scorer, will miss the opening weekend with a thumb injury. The good news for Marquette is that because Dwyane Wade may miss the season with a shoulder injury, he has asked the National Association of Basketball Referees to give his old school the 20 phantom foul calls normally reserved for him.

BYU 20-8, 13-3

The Cougars are looking for their first tournament win since 1993, but they will have a tough time against Xavier in Lexington. Because it basically amounts to a road game for BYU, the school is attempting to rally support by telling alumnus Brian Billick to bring all the quarterbacks he thought would save the Ravens franchise since letting Trent Dilfer leave via free agency.

Kentucky 21-11, 9-7

Hey Ashley Judd -- remember that time your new movie finished a disappointing eighth at the box office, and it didn't stay in theaters past the opening weekend? Something very similar is about to happy.