COLLEGE BASKETBALL : TEAM-BY-TEAM LOOK AT NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : EAST REGIONAL

NORTH CAROLINA

* Record: 25-5. Seeding: 1.

* Coach: Dean Smith.

* Key player: Tough choice. This isn’t a team shaped around one player. Instead, it is designed around Smith’s philosophy of patience, half-court offense and intelligent decisions. Still, Rick Fox is North Carolina’s best player.

* Little-known fact: Smith’s teams have reached the Sweet 16 10 consecutive times, but haven’t been to a Final Four since 1982.

* Outlook: The Tar Heels probably will extend Smith’s Sweet 16 streak to 11 years, but don’t look for them to advance to Indianapolis.

SYRACUSE

* Record: 26-5. Seeding: 2.

* Coach: Jim Boeheim.

* Key player: Billy Owens. Case closed. There are flashier players in the country, but few can match Owens for consistency. He has carried the Orangemen all season. Boeheim should send him daily thank you notes.

* Little-known fact: Entering this season, Boeheim still hadn’t viewed a videotape of Syracuse’s last-second loss to Indiana in the 1987 championship game.

* Outlook: Enveloped in controversy and rumor, the Orangemen have performed well. If Syracuse is to go anywhere, it will need inspired performances from LeRon Ellis, the Orangemen’s reigning enigma.

OKLAHOMA STATE

* Record: 22-7. Seeding: 3.

* Coach: Eddie Sutton.

* Key player: Byron Houston, forward. What’s that line that former OSU coach Leonard Hamilton used to describe Houston?--”When I recruited him, I told our staff he talked like Jane and played like Tarzan.” True enough. The somewhat high-pitched Houston leads the Cowboys in almost every category: scoring, rebounding, blocks, steals and angry glares. Houston is used mostly down low, although he can play the perimeter game surprisingly well. The most-fouled player in the Big Eight, Houston has made more free throws than any other conference player has attempted this season.

* Little-known fact: In an irony of sorts, Sutton replaced Hamilton, who served as a Sutton assistant at Kentucky.

* Outlook: The Cowboys should do well in the tournament for these reasons: Sutton, Houston, strong guard play and the ability to play defense.

UCLA

* Record: 23-8. Seeding: 4.

* Coach: Jim Harrick.

* Key player: The Pouty One: Don MacLean. A Wooden Award finalist, MacLean is the third-leading scorer in UCLA history, which is indication of his offensive touch. MacLean isn’t a bad rebounder, either. He averages almost eight a game.

* Little-known fact: The last time the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Final was 1980, when Larry Brown led UCLA to a championship game appearance (and loss) to Louisville. The site? Indianapolis.

* Outlook: UCLA will go as far as its transition game will take it. Another key is Tracy Murray’s perimeter shooting. The Bruins are good enough to make it to the final eight and inconsistent enough to be bounced in the first round.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

* Record: 20-8. Seeding: 5.

* Coach: Richard Williams.

* Key player: Without a doubt, Williams’ choice for team MVP would be senior forward Greg Carter. Known first as a defensive specialist, Carter has become a fine outside shooter and driver. He is an outstanding shot blocker and almost always draws the toughest defensive assignments.

* Little-known fact: Williams was an assistant coach on Bob Boyd’s Mississippi State staff.

* Outlook: The Bulldogs aren’t the most talented team in the tournament, but they might be one of the most experienced. They returned all five starters this season, and their roster includes five seniors and one junior. Williams says this is a team that can do well--if it keeps its mistakes to an absolute mininum. Otherwise, see you later.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE

* Record: 19-10. Seeding: 6.

* Coach: Les Robinson.

* Key player: In a little bit of a surprise, forward Tom Gugliotta is the choice. He gives the Wolfpack scoring from the inside and outside. And he can rebound, too. North Carolina State is short on that kind of player.

* Little-known fact: A former N.C. State player, Robinson returned to his alma mater in 1965 as an assistant coach. The head coach? Press Maravich.

* Outlook: North Carolina State has maybe the best backcourt in college basketball (Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe), a pretty good front line led by Gugliotta and a successful coach in Robinson. What it doesn’t have is a bench, which is death in tournament play.

PURDUE

* Record: 17-11. Seeding: 7.

* Coach: Gene Keady.

* Key player: Jimmy Oliver, forward. The 6-6 senior leads the team in scoring (18.9) and just about every other category except rebounding. He is the only Purdue player to start all 28 games.

* Little-known fact: Contrary to popular belief, Purdue, not Indiana, has won more Big Ten basketball titles (18) than any school in the conference.

* Outlook: Things are looking up for the Boilermakers now that they’ve returned to the Keady philosophy of play: pound the ball inside, shoot the three-point shot sparingly, play physical defense and get to the foul line. Keady is a good coach who gets the most from his teams. Oliver and Chuckie White, who leads the Big Ten in rebounding, gives Keady a decent chance to win a couple of games.

PRINCETON

* Record: 24-2. Seeding: 8.

* Coach: Pete Carril.

* Key player: Since Kit Mueller arrived at Princeton four seasons ago, the Tigers have gone 79-26. Mueller does everything Carril asks of a player in the Princeton system: play smart, set screens, play hard on defense, pass and score. Mueller was a high school star destined for a big-time Division I basketball program when he injured his Achilles tendon on a fishbowl. (Yes, a fishbowl). Enter Princeton.

* Little-known fact: The surgeon who repaired Mueller’s tendon was a Princeton alumnus.

* Outlook: Maybe this is the year the Tigers make it past the first round. They lost to Georgetown, 50-49, two years ago. Last season, they drew Arkansas, losing, 68-64. Carril deserves an NCAA victory.

VILLANOVA

* Record: 16-14. Seeding: 9.

* Coach: Rollie Massimino.

* Key player: This is a very balanced team. Right now, the best player is Marc Dowdell, a 6-9 junior who has been starting at center. Dowdell averaged 13.3 points during the Big East tournament, but it was his defense that earned him a place on the conference all-tournament team.

* Little-known fact: Villanova beat Syracuse twice this season.

* Outlook: The Wildcats’ record doesn’t do this team justice. They were 9-5 against very strong non-conference opposition and seem to flourish in postseason pressure. Count on at least one tournament victory.

TEMPLE

* Record: 21-9. Seeding: 10.

* Coach: John Chaney.

* Key player: Mark Macon, senior guard. Macon’s game has been analyzed to death. After a spectacular freshman season, Macon was declared the best guard in the land. When he didn’t repeat the performance every year, the critics appeared. The question is: Would you want him on your team? Of course, you would. Macon is tough, an excellent defender and a very effective offensive threat. Like Georgia Tech and Kenny Anderson, Temple owes a lot to Macon.

* Little-known fact: The Owls haven’t recorded an NCAA tournament victory since 1988.

* Outlook: A first-round victory is probable; a second-round victory isn’t.

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

* Record: 21-7. Seeding: 11.

* Coach: M.K. Turk.

* Key player: Clarence Weatherspoon, whose playing style is somewhat similar to Charles Barkley’s, receives most of the attention. But the Golden Eagles’ most valuable player might be guard Darrin Chancellor.

* Little-known fact: Guess how many NCAA tournament bids USM has earned? Two--this season and last.

* Outlook: At least one tournament victory, maybe two.

EASTERN MICHIGAN

* Record: 24-6. Seeding: 12.

* Coach: Ben Braun.

* Key player: Lorenzo Neely, point guard. The Hurons’ best offensive and defensive player.

Little-known fact: Braun actually picked his own team to win the Mid-American Conference. How many coaches go on the record with that sort of prediction?

* Outlook: The Mid-American is a good conference, so the Hurons shouldn’t be lightly dismissed. They lack size but could spring a first-round surprise.

PENN STATE

* Record: 20-10. Seeding: 13.

* Coach: Bruce Parkhill

* Key player: Forward James Barnes carried the Nittany Lions right into the tournament. A senior, Barnes saved his best season for last.

* Little-known fact: Penn State hasn’t played in the NCAA tournament since the 1965-66 season.

* Outlook: The Nittany Lions are experienced and, despite their annual no-shows in the NCAA, know how to handle tournament pressure. After all, Penn State advanced to the NIT Final Four last year. Still, it will take some doing to coax more than one tournament victory out of this team.

NEW MEXICO

* Record: 20-9. Seeding: 14.

Coach: Dave Bliss

* Key player: Luc Longley, center. The 7-2 senior from Perth, Australia, is constantly accused of not showing enough intensity on the floor. Maybe there’s a grain of truth to the charge, but who cares? Longley blocks about three shots a game, shoots about 68% from the field, passes as well as most point guards and gives you double figure scoring. What else do you want?

* Little-known fact: New Mexico has averaged 20 victories during the last eight years. This is the first of those eight years that the Lobos earned an NCAA tournament bid.

* Outlook: If Longley falters, so do the Lobos.

RICHMOND

* Record: 21-9. Seeding: 15.

* Coach: Dick Tarrant.

* Key player: Curtis Blair, guard. How important is Blair? Well, when he recently injured his ankle shortly before the start of the recent Colonial Athletic Conference tournament, Richmond followers started to worry--and with good reason. Blair is the Spiders’ most experienced and best offensive player. He’s OK now and so is Richmond.

* Little-known fact: Since 1981, Richmond has been to the NCAA tournament five times.

* Outlook: Spider fans will be crawling back to Richmond after a first-round loss.

NORTHEASTERN

* Record: 22-10. Seeding: 16.

* Coach: Karl Foger.

* Key player: Ron Lacey, forward. He averages 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and was the North Atlantic Conference MVP. Lacey has played extremely well down the stretch.

* Little-known fact: Not one Northeastern player finished among the top 10 scorers in the conference. But spots 11-15 were Northeastern players.

* Outlook: The Huskies need to continue rebounding well (they were among the nation’s leaders in rebounding margin). Steve Carney is a key: he averages 11.6 rebounds. Even then, the Huskies aren’t expected to go far.