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

UCLA

Record: 25-4. Seeding: 1.

Coach: Jim Harrick.

Key Player: Forward Don MacLean’s scoring ability is well documented. You don’t become the all-time UCLA scoring leader by accident. But MacLean remains an enigma of sorts. He can score, but can he play defense when it counts? Is he a little bit selfish? The questions persist. Now is the time for MacLean to provide the definitive answers--during the tournament. Key player, Part II: Tyus Edney, point guard. His first UCLA start comes in the NCAA tournament.

Little-known Fact: Don’t ever invite Harrick and Jerry Tarkanian to the same dinner table. They dislike each other. A lot.

Outlook: Different season, same story. UCLA has a roster full of talent, including forward Tracy Murray, but it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t beat the Penn States of the world. Put it this way: UCLA isn’t good enough to have off-games and win. Duke is, the Bruins aren’t. If Edney can handle the pressure and if UCLA can play with some heart--as it did twice against Arizona, against Duke and Indiana--the Bruins can go the distance. Will they? No.

INDIANA

Record: 23-6. Seeding: 2.

Coach: Bob Knight.

Key Player: Freshman forward/center Alan Henderson is the one to watch, mostly because his tournament performance will determine exactly how far the Hoosiers will advance. Henderson doesn’t play like a newcomer. He has a nice touch around the basket and, along with forward Calbert Cheaney, gives Indiana a constant scoring threat.

Little-known Fact: When then-Indiana athletic director Bill Orwig hired Knight in 1971, one of the Indianapolis newspaper headlines read, “Bobby Who?”

Outlook: We’re still not entirely convinced Indiana is a Final Four team. But if anyone knows how to lead the Hoosiers to Minneapolis, it is Knight. That said, we figure they’ll make it to the final eight and no further. Just a feeling, nothing more.

FLORIDA STATE

Record: 20-9. Seeding: 3.

Coach: Pat Kennedy.

Key Player: Power forward Doug Edwards gets most of the attention--and deservedly so--but we happen to think point guard Sam Cassell is the reason for much of Florida State’s success in this, the Seminoles’ first year in the ACC. Considered the best junior college point guard a year ago, Cassell has allowed Kennedy to use a three-guard offense. The lineup has caused opponents fits. Cassell has done his part by leading the team in scoring (18.6 points), averaging a little less than four assists and adding an average of 4.6 rebounds.

Little-known Fact: So much for regular-season revenge against the two schools--Duke and Maryland--that voted against Florida State’s entry into the ACC. The Seminoles went 1-3 against the Blue Devils and Terrapins.

Outlook: With a little luck, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Seminoles advance to the Sweet 16 and or even the final eight.

OKLAHOMA

Record: 21-8. Seeding: 4.

Coach: Billy Tubbs.

Key Player: As usual, the Sooners lead the nation in scoring offense. Everyone is given the green light in the Oklahoma attack, especially forwards Jeff Webster (about 14 points), Damon Patterson (20.9 points), guard Brent Price (19.4 points) and junior center Bryan Sallier (14.3 points).

Little-known Fact: Tubbs once coached at Georgetown. OK, it’s a trick. Tubbs coached at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Tex.

Outlook: The Sooners struggled during the early part of the Big Eight schedule. For assorted reasons, Oklahoma had trouble winning conference games--so much so, there was talk that the Sooners might miss the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year. But Tubbs finally found the right combinations and Oklahoma has played well when it matters most--heading into the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners aren’t a great team, and they don’t have much of a bench, but nonetheless, they could have an outside chance of reaching the Sweet 16. A lot depends on the knee injury suffered by Sallier in Saturday’s Big Eight Conference semifinal game.

DEPAUL

Record: 20-8. Seeding: 5.

Coach: Joey Meyer.

Key Player: David Booth, forward. Booth is skinny, but he can score lots of points. When DePaul needs a tough, important shot taken, Booth is usually the guy who does it.

Little-known Fact: This is the 50th year a Meyer has coached DePaul. Ray Meyer was there for 42 years, Joey for eight.

Outlook: The Blue Demons are used to tough games. Their schedule included Memphis State, Kansas, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Florida State and Notre Dame, among others. After a disheartening loss to San Francisco in early January, DePaul has regrouped and become a team worth watching. A Sweet 16 appearance wouldn’t be a shock.

GEORGETOWN

Record: 21-9. Seeding: 6.

Coach: John Thompson.

Key Player: Center Alonzo Mourning, in a landslide vote. Mourning, the Big East player of the year and defensive player of the year, averaged 21.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.1 blocked shots and shot 59.2%. He is the reason the Hoyas are in the tournament.

Little-known Fact: Mourning is the first player in the history of the conference to win both awards in the same season. His selection as league player of the year was unanimous.

Outlook: If Mourning stays out of foul trouble and somebody can start sinking the perimeter shots, Georgetown is capable of reaching the Sweet 16. The players to watch (other than Mourning): guards Joey Brown and Irvin Church, a freshman.

LOUISIANA STATE

Record: 20-9. Seeding: 7.

Coach: Dale Brown.

Key Player: If center Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t on this team, LSU might be 9-20 instead of 20-9. He is among the nation’s leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and menacing glares. As long as O’Neal is in the lineup, the Tigers have a shot at doing some serious damage in the tournament.

Little-known Fact: This is LSU’s 12th NCAA tournament appearance for Brown. He has reached the Final Four twice, but never won. A sign in his office reads: “We will win a national championship. God just hasn’t decided on the date yet.”

Outlook: Brown seems to thrive in these situations. He has a decent team with a great player. In 1986, under somewhat similar circumstances, Brown led a so-so Tiger team to the Final Four. Can he do the same with the O’Neal version? Our mind says no, but our heart says a Sweet 16 appearance.

LOUISVILLE

Record: 18-10. Seeding: 8.

Coach: Denny Crum.

Key Player: Sophomore forward Dwayne Morton and guard/forward Everick Sullivan, a senior, are tied for the team scoring lead (13.7 points).

Little-known Fact: Only John Wooden and Dean Smith have led more teams to the Final Four than Crum.

Outlook: After surviving a dismal 1990-91 season (the Cardinals finished 14-16), Crum is back in the tournament. A victory against Wake Forest wouldn’t be a surprise. If the Cardinals beat the Demon Deacons, it would set up a second round showdown against UCLA. Remember, Louisville registered road victories against Kansas, Tulane, Notre Dame, Arizona State and Louisiana State.

WAKE FOREST

Record: 17-11. Seeding: 9.

Coach: Dave Odom.

Key Player: In 1990, his first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, forward Rodney Rogers was named freshman of the year. This year he earned first-team all-ACC honors. Rogers, 6-7, 235 pounds, has no real weaknesses. He is incredibly strong, averages 20.2 points and 8.4 rebounds and shoots 61% from the floor.

Little-known Fact: At one point in his career, Odom resigned as the head coach of East Carolina to become an assistant coach on Terry Holland’s staff at Virginia.

Outlook: Wake Forest, one of only two teams to beat Duke during the regular season, has been a confusing study. Rogers and senior forward Chris King (15.6 points) give the Demon Deacons a strong inside game, but the team is wildly inconsistent. They beat No. 1-ranked Duke and then lost to Maryland and North Carolina State. In the tournament, they will go as far as Rogers can carry them.

BRIGHAM YOUNG

Record: 25-6. Seeding: 10.

Coach: Roger Reid.

Key Player: Though he only averages 9.7 points, guard Nathan Call has become the most important part of the Cougar attack. Call, the lone returning starter from last season’s 21-13 team, dishes out 6.5 assists per game and has accounted for the second-highest number of assists in Western Athletic Conference history in his career. Without him, BYU is lost.

Little-known Fact: Reid had both hips replaced a year ago. To watch Reid constantly pace the sidelines, you would never suspect the guy had a problem.

Outlook: The Cougars confounded everyone last year by finishing second in the Western Athletic Conference, winning the league tournament and then upsetting Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Even without star center Shawn Bradley, who is on a two-year Mormon mission, BYU is a team to fear. Bradley’s replacements--Gary Trost, who leads the team in scoring (14.5) and Russell Larson (WAC freshman of the year)--have been the biggest surprises. All things considered, another first-round NCAA victory wouldn’t be unexpected. After beating UTEP on a 50-foot desperation shot in the conference tournament finals, anything is possible.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Record: 19-9. Seeding: 11.

Coach: Bobby Paschal.

Key Player: Radenko Dobras, a 6-7 point guard from Yugoslavia, leads the Bulls with an 18.8-point average and six assists. How important is Dobras? When he missed eight games because of an ankle injury, South Florida went 2-6. With him, the Bulls went 17-3.

Little-known Fact: South Florida is the second-largest school in the state. Only the University of Florida has more students.

Outlook: Don’t automatically dismiss the Bulls. First-round opponent Georgetown is formidable, but the Bulls are used to tough games. They have beaten Florida State, Iowa, Texas Christian, Florida and split games with North Carolina Charlotte, Tulane and Louisville. One problem: the Bulls are small. They have no player taller than 6-7. Still, they are a good rebounding team. Gary Alexander averages 11 rebounds.

NEW MEXICO STATE

Record: 23-7. Seeding: 12.

Coach: Neil McCarthy.

Key Player: This is another team that has two important contributors. Point guard Sam Crawford is one of the best assists men in the country, and junior forward Eric Traylor, a prized junior college recruit, gives the Aggies scoring and rebounding. A perfect example of their worth? Crawford scored only nine points in New Mexico State’s Big West tournament championship victory, but he added 10 assists. Traylor, who has the potential of being a star, had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Little-known Fact: McCarthy has a little mini-dynasty in Las Cruces. In the last four seasons, the Aggies are 93-29, 72-18 during the last three seasons. This is New Mexico State’s third consecutive visit to the NCAA tournament.

Outlook: Playing the winner of the Big West tournament won’t put the fear of God in anyone this year. Still, we think New Mexico State could provide the NCAA with an upset worth talking about. After that, the Aggies are gone.

SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA

Record: 20-10. Seeding: 13.

Coach: Marty Fletcher.

Key Player: Forward Marcus Stokes is ranked seventh nationally in rebounds (11.7), which is more than his scoring average (9.7). He is the only Southwestern Louisiana player to average more than 30 minutes.

Little-known Fact: This team has six players who score more than nine points, but none who score more than 14.5.

Outlook: Southwestern Louisiana relies on patience and ball control. As a team, it shoots 48.4%. After starting the season 1-5, the Ragin’ Cajuns have have gone 19-5. After their first NCAA tournament game, the record will have to be readjusted to 19-6.

MONTANA

Record: 27-3. Seeding: 14.

Coach: Blaine Taylor.

Key Player: Center Daren Engellant gives the Grizzlies a presence in the middle, an inside scoring threat and a decent rebounder. Guard Roger Fasting and forward Delvon Anderson are also worth mention.

Little-known Fact: In one of those quaint local customs, Montana basketball followers never call the team by its given nickname--the Grizzlies. Instead, they simply say, the Griz.

Outlook: Last season, Montana finally won the Big Sky championship, the conference tournament and the automatic bid that goes with it. For its trouble, the NCAA Selection Committee made Montana the No. 64 seed and had it play No. 1 Nevada Las Vegas. This time, what with the kinder seeding, the Grizzlies actually have a chance to come away with a tournament victory. The reason? They play great team defense, allowing about 63 points and holding the opposition to 39.3% shooting.

EASTERN ILLINOIS

Record: 17-13. Seeding: 15.

Coach: Rick Samuels.

Key Player: Guard Steve Rowe averaged 15.3 points and five rebounds during the regular season. During the Mid-Continent tournament, he averaged 20.3 points and seven rebounds.

Little-known Fact: This is the Panthers’ first visit to the NCAA tournament.

Outlook: Eastern Illinois lives and dies with its three-point shooting. During the Mid-Continent tournament, when they upset Wisconsin Green Bay, the Panthers shot 61.5% from three-point range. Don’t look for them to put up those same numbers in the tournament.

ROBERT MORRIS

Record: 19-11. Seeding: 16.

Coach: Jarrett Durham.

Key Player: Only a sophomore, 6-4 Myron Walker scored 599 points this season and 939 in two years. He leads the team in scoring (20 points) and was the Northeast Conference player of the year--the first sophomore to win the honor. He also leads the team in rebounding, with a 6.1 average.

Little-known Fact: Center Magdi Bilall was a backup to Manute Bol on the Sudanese national team for two years (1984-85). The 7-6 Bol now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Outlook: The Colonials are a strong rebounding team, but they have little depth in the backcourt--a must in tournament play. Our prediction: one game and out.