The Jayhawks jumped from a No.4-seed in last year's tournament to a No. 1-seed this year, thanks largely to their star sophomores: Brandon Rush (13.8 ppg), Mario Chalmers (12.3) and Julian Wright's (12.1). Managing the tournament inexperience of this team is Bill Self's toughest challenge. --Jay St. Pierre

The Purple Eagles started the season 1-6 after six players were suspended for an off-court brawl. But the team rallied late to finish with a 22-11 record, including 11 straight victories and a MAAC tournament title. Coach Joe Mihalich's team is led by junior Charron Fisher (21.0 ppg) but teams will also have to be weary of Cliff Brown, a 6-7 senior forward who tied a career high with 32 points in Niagara's preliminary round win over Florida A&M. --Dakota Rubin

The return of Rondo, now with the Celtics, could screw up the chemistry of the Wildcats. Freshman Jodie Meeks would lose time with Rondo back and there would be less shots for Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris (a team-best 15 ppg). But Rondo's return would give the Wildcats one of the most athletic teams in the tournament. It could also buy Tubby Smith a few more years in Lexington. --Nick Zaccardi

Ask Kyle Lowry what he would rather be doing this March -- playing amidst the pride and pageantry that is the NCAA tournament or playing in front of apathetic Memphis Grizzlies fans who are rooting for him to lose so they can watch Greg Oden or Kevin Durant next year. Lowry chooses the former, so he teams with super-frosh Scottie Reynolds and Mike Nardi, restoring the Wildcats' renowned backcourt. Curtis Sumpter (17 ppg, seven rpg) plays his first tournament game since tearing his ACL against Florida in 2005. Jay Wright now has more flexibility with his bench and less expectations than his top-seeded squad from last season. -- Mark Selig

The Hokies better hope games don't come down to the wire. The team is shooting only 66 percent from the free-throw line. Virginia Tech also struggles on the boards, but there is good news: Senior guards Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell both average double figures in scoring and are excellent ballhanders. Sophomore guard A.D. Vassallo hit 44 percent of his three-pointers this season. Coach Seth Greenberg is looking for his first career tournament win in three tries. --Amy Brittain

Andrew Bogut-ted the Utes with his early defection in the 2005-06 NBA Draft. But he was the top pick, so can you blame him? Obscene gestures aside, Bogut was a beast in the middle for Utah during his two years. Given two more of seasoning, he might've grabbed the Wooden Award this year -- if not for that Kevin Durant kid. With Bogut playing alongside fellow Aussie Luke Nevill and guard Johnnie Bryant, the Utes could've been a very high seed. At the very least, maybe head coach Ray Giacoletti would have kept his job. -- Jon Gold

Adding Farmar to the UCLA lineup is like Elvis Presley joining the Beatles. The Bruins are loaded with talent this season, with juniors Aaron Afflalo and Josh Shipp leading the way. With Farmar in the mix, the team would be even more dangerous, as his passing (5.1 assists per game as a sophomore) and scoring (13.5 ppg) would balance Afflalo's all-around game. While UCLA certainly would've been a No. 1-seed, Farmar would've likely stunted the growth of budding playmaker Darren Collison. The 6-1 sophomore has excelled at the point in Westwood, with 179 assists and just 88 turnovers. -- Jon Gold

The Crusaders make it back to the tournament for the first time since 2003 by virtue of winning the Patriot League. Holy Cross is a young team, but it gets the job done with senior guards Keith Simmons (17 ppg, six rpg) and Torey Thomas (13 pppg, five rpg, five apg). Ralph Willard's bunch gave eventual Final Four-bound Marquette and Dwyane Wade a scare last time they were in the dance, so don't underestimate the Crusaders, even if they appear to be overmatched. -- Mark Selig

While an NCAA bid for the Blue Devils baffled some as their 22-10 record and No. 7 seed heading into the ACC tournament hardly seemed satisfactory for a top D-I school, the addition of Shaun Livingston (sans the injury) and Luol Deng would quash any doubts. Livingston, a 6-7 guard, would add versatility and speed to the Duke lineup, while the real help would come from 6-9 Luol Deng, who's averaging 7.1 rebounds (second to current Duke forward Josh McRoberts who averages 7.8) and 18.7 points per game for the Chicago Bulls this season -- more than any player for the Blue Devils. Adding Deng down low and Livingston at the point (benching Greg Paulus), keeping Jon Schcyer as a shooter, putting Gerald Henderson on the other wing and keeping McRoberts in the post would give Duke a clear advantage over its opponents. --Nicki Jhabvala

Champions of the CAA tournament in March, the Rams may not have had the toughest schedule -- they only played a total of two tournament teams all season (Xavier once, Old Dominion twice), and still dropped two of those games. Still, VCU has racked up 27 wins and head to the NCAAs on a five-game winning streak. The Rams' backcourt is a force to be reckoned with: with senior guards B.A. Walker (14.8 ppg) and Jesse Pellot-Rosa (13.0 ppg), and sophomore guard Eric Maynor (13.5 ppg), the Rams on-court leader. VCU can shoot, shoot and shoot. -- Steffi Chan

As if Pittsburgh hasn't been dominant enough, now former Big East Freshman of the Year Chris Taft joins 7-footer Aaron Gray (14.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg) in the Panthers frontcourt. Taft might not be on an NBA roster at this moment, but make no mistake, he would be an intimidating force in the Big East in his would-be senior year. Throw in the contributions of All-Big East second team pick Levance Fields and you have an experienced team that becomes an immediate national championship contender. --Joshua Mayers

Wright State isn't exactly a one-man team, but let's put it this way: No DeShaun Wood, no way. The Horizon League Player of the Year was simply fantastic for the Raiders, averaging 19.8 points per game with five boards and two steals. Wood had 17 games of 20-plus points, including several during the team's stretch run. Things will only go Wright's way if Wood is on, as he is the only Raider in double figures. -- Jon Gold

The Hoosiers battled all season without a legitimate sidekick to aid D.J. White in the post. The addition of All-World leaper Josh Smith would give IU exactly the kind of forward it has been lacking. With Smith and White on the boards the Hoosiers can do what they do best – launch three-pointers. With Rod Wilmont, A.J. Ratliff and other shooters beyond the arc, IU might shoot itself all the way to the Sweet 16. --Matt Dollinger

After deciding to spurn the NBA draft for one more year, National Player of the Year Adam Morrison (31 points) led the nation in scoring while the Zags finished the season 31-2 and have a legit claim to a No. 1 seed. Add guards Derek Raivio (18 ppg) and Jeremy Pargo (6 apg) to the mix and coach Mark Few could be leading his team to its first Final Four. Morrison is motivated to overcome last year's "Teargate" episode after the Sweet 16 loss to UCLA and the Bulldogs haven't loss since a double-overtime thriller in December against Nevada. --Mike Donovan

The Salukis used the same starting lineup in 32 of 33 games this season. The only game missed by a starter this season was by Jamaal Tatum (15.0 ppg), the team's senior leader. Inside the Salukis have Randal (Gaylord) Falker, whose name is exceeded only by his play (12.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg). The Salukis' marquee victory came last month, when they knocked off No. 12 Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. But buyers beware: Southern Illinois lost to Northern Iowa, Bradley and Evansville this season in a span of 11 days. --Matt Dollinger

Once the No. 7-ranked team in the nation, Washington hit a wall when the Pac-10 season started. Particularly poor on the road, a dominant Huskies frontcourt of Jon Brockman (14.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg) and Spencer Hawes (14.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) couldn't make up for inconsistent guard play. Webster, a would-be sophomore, adds a dominant scorer and stability in his second year on the team – he is the sole reason that this team gets a sniff at the postseason. A dominant force offensively, if UW is going to make any tournament run, defense will be key. --Joshua Mayers