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

1. WAKE FOREST (24-5)

* Player to watch: There are those in the Atlantic Coast Conference who think Tim Duncan, not Maryland’s Joe Smith, or North Carolina’s Rasheed Wallace, or Duke’s Cherokee Parks, is the best center in the league. Consider the last regular-season meeting between Wallace and Duncan. Wallace was 0 for 3 from the field, had seven rebounds and four points, while Duncan was 11 of 17 from the floor, had 12 rebounds, two blocked shots and 25 points. Duncan, a sophomore, is considered to be one of the most fundamentally sound big men in the country. After only two seasons, he is 10th on the ACC career list of blocked shots.

* Little-known fact: The 6-10 Duncan, who was born and raised in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, used to be one of the top 400-meter freestyle swimmers in his age group before becoming involved with basketball.

* Outlook: Looking for a team that could squeeze its way into the Final Four? Think long and hard about the Demon Deacons, who have been all fire and brimstone in the late going. They’ve got a great center in Duncan, a great guard in Randolph Childress and have received unexpected help from freshman guards Jerry Braswell and Tony Rutland, who was a high school teammate of Georgetown’s Allen Iverson.

2. MASSACHUSETTS (26-4)

* Player to watch: Say what you want about sophomore center Marcus Camby, but senior forward Lou Roe is the heart and soul of this team. Roe is the consummate worker bee. He scores, rebounds, blocks shots, plays physical and inspires.

* Little-known fact: The Minutemen become only the second team in NCAA history to win four regular-season titles outright and four league tournaments. The last team to do it was North Carolina State in 1947-51 as a member of the Southern Conference.

* Outlook: When UMass is playing well, which is most of the time, you’ll see eight players scoring about 12 points and averaging about 23 minutes. We figure the Minutemen will reach the Elite Eight before the dismissal of guard Mike Williams, their best outside shooter, catches up with them.

3. VILLANOVA (26-7)

* Player to watch: Junior swingman Kerry Kittles was named the Big East Conference’s player of the year and is easily among the top 10 players in the country. Kittles has shooting range, can run the court and can finish a play better than anyone except North Carolina’s Jerry Stackhouse. Against Boston College Feb. 28, Kittles outscored the Eagles, 29-24, in the first half.

* Little-known fact: Kittles is the first Villanova player to win the Big East scoring title.

* Outlook: The Wildcats, who won the NIT championship last season, have all the ingredients to become a Final Four sleeper candidate. They have a star in Kittles, a great perimeter shooter in Eric Eberz and lots of inside power with Jason Lawson and Chuck Kornegay, a North Carolina State transfer. Also, senior point guard Jonathan Haynes is back on the active roster after suffering an early season stress fracture. In other words, Kittles and (the) Bits.

4. OKLAHOMA STATE (23-9)

* Player to watch: Senior center Bryant (Big Country) Reeves and senior guard Randy Rutherford get most of the attention, but the key Cowboy might be Chianti Roberts, a 6-5 sophomore swingman whose play fluctuates between fine wine and the twist-off cap variety. Roberts is the first player off the bench, a tough defender and the most athletic guy on the Oklahoma State roster.

* Little-known fact: When the Cowboys were struggling earlier this season, Coach Eddie Sutton received a call of encouragement from President Bill Clinton. Last year, Sutton and his wife were invited to the White House by the Clintons.

* Outlook: Oklahoma State isn’t a very deep team and will go as far as Reeves can take it, which is probably two rounds and out. For the Cowboys to win, they have to keep the score and tempo down (they’re holding teams to about 40% from the field) and keep Reeves in the game. Reeves averaged about 37 minutes in Big Eight play. . Rutherford also has to hit the outside shot.

5. ALABAMA (22-9)

* Player to watch: Sophomore forward Antonio McDyess is the best player on this very athletic team.

* Little-known fact: Alabama has been to the NCAA tournament 14 times, but never advanced past the regional semifinals.

* Outlook: For what it’s worth, the Crimson Tide has shot the ball better on the road than at home. Along with Arkansas, the Crimson Tide is one of the most athletic teams in the country, but Alabama has more limitations. If it expects to go far, Alabama has to get solid performances out of point guard Marvin Orange and shooting guard Eric Washington. Guard play has been a concern all season for the Crimson Tide.

6. TULSA (22-7)

* Player to watch: Sophomore guard Shea Seals leads Tulsa in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. The first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference selection won’t be a secret much longer.

* Little-known fact: Coach Tubby Smith comes from a family of 17 children.

* Outlook: Before dismissing Tulsa’s tournament chances, do a flashback to 1994, when the Golden Hurricane beat UCLA and Oklahoma State before losing to Arkansas in the Sweet 16. If Tulsa can get some consistent perimeter scoring, it could deliver another tournament surprise.

7. NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE (19-8)

* Player to watch: Senior forward Jarvis Lang already has more than 90 double-doubles in his career. The Metro Athletic Conference player of the year is third in scoring and rebounding and among the league leaders in free-throw percentage.

* Little-known fact: Other than Lang, the 49ers don’t have another player on all-conference first team.

* Outlook: The 49ers might want to make their hotel reservations on a per-night basis.

8. MINNESOTA (19-11)

* Player to watch: Senior guard Voshon Lenard, who tested the NBA draft but returned because of his low selection (46th pick), has had a disappointing season. Lenard is averaging about 17.5 points, about 1.5 points less than last season. His shooting percentage is significantly down, from 47% to 41% a as is his three-point accuracy, from 41% to 33%. Lenard hasn’t looked comfortable. At times, he has forced his shot and his statistics reflect it.

* Little-known fact: Minnesota won the 1993 NIT, reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1989 and advanced to the Elite Eight in 1990.

* Outlook: Unless Lenard undergoes some sort of postseason transformation and senior forward Jayson Walton continues to play well, the Golden Gophers will be gone early.

9. SAINT LOUIS (22-7)

* Player to watch: Senior guard Erwin Claggett, who averages about 18 points, is the leading scorer in the brief history of the Great Midwest Conference. Claggett also holds the school record for most three-pointbaskets.

* Little-known fact: Senior guard H Waldman, who also played at Nevada Las Vegas during its glory seasons, was 104-16 during his college career.

* Outlook: The Billikens struggle against teams that feature big and quick perimeter players, such as those at Maryland, Memphis and Cincinnati. Also, Saint Louis needs to keep Waldman out of foul trouble and get some bench production out of senior guard Carl Turner.

10. STANFORD (19-8)

* Player to watch: When point guard Brevin Knight has struggled, it usually has been 6-7 senior Andy Poppink who has bailed out the Cardinal. Poppink is always around the ball and does an effective job scoring inside.

* Little-known fact: Authorities were considering pressing charges against the Stanford and California mascots for engaging in a recent on-court fight.

* Outlook: Knight and Dion Cross are one of the best backcourt combinations in the Pacific 10, Poppink is solid, and the Cardinal is well coached by Mike Montgomery. A first-round victory wouldn’t be a surprise, though certainly landmark--Stanford hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game since winning it all in 1942.

11. ILLINOIS (19-11)

* Player to watch: Sophomore point guard Kiwane Garris is a star in the making. He always plays tough defense, has improved his three-point shooting and can drive the lane.

* Little-known fact: In a recruiting rarity, Illinois’ roster is stocked entirely of in-state players for the second consecutive season.

* Outlook: Illinois is a streaky team, capable of beating anyone . . . or losing to anyone. Garris and junior guard Richard Keene give the Illini a decent perimeter game and center Shelly Clark can muscle inside. But if Coach Lou Henson has to depend on his bench for much help, Illinois is in serious trouble.

12. PENNSYLVANIA (22-5)

* Player to watch: Senior guard Jerome Allen could start anywhere in the country and will probably be a first-round NBA selection. Allen leads Penn in assists (5.9), is second in steals (1.3) and scoring (14.2) and third in rebounds (4.8).

* Little-known fact: Scott Kegler, a senior swingman, is among the best three-point shooters in the country. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Kegler was fifth in three-point percentage. The Quakers were 14th overall.

* Outlook: Penn doesn’t have a player taller than 6-7, so if the perimeter shooting and defense falter, the Quakers are in for a brief tournament experience.

13. DREXEL (22-7)

* Player to watch: Junior center Malik Rose is second in the nation in rebounding (13.5 per game) and leads the Dragons in scoring (19.5). The North Atlantic Conference player of the year also led the league in field-goal percentage (.577). He scored his 1,000 point and got his 1,000th rebound this season.

* Little-known fact: This is Drexel’s third NCAA tournament appearance.

* Outlook: Drexel is holding opponents to 40.6% from the field. Unfortunately, this isn’t the North Atlantic Conference anymore.

14. OLD DOMINION (20-11)

* Player to watch: Senior forward Petey Sessoms is averaging 22.1 ponts and 8.3 rebounds.

* Little-known fact: First-year Coach Jeff Capel Sr., whose son, Jeff Jr., is the starting point guard at Duke, took North Carolina A&T; to the NCAA tournament last season.

* Outlook: Capel’s Old Dominion team is likely to repeat North Carolina A&T;’s NCAA fate of a season ago--one game and out. But unlike A&T;, the Monarchs won’t lose by 15 points.

15. ST. PETER’S (19-10)

* Player to watch: Junior point guard Mike Frensley gets a lot of attention because of his pony tail, but it was his late-game heroics that got St. Peter’s to the tournament. In the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament final against Manhattan, Frensley tied the game in overtime with a three-point basket and later won it with 4.2 seconds left with a medium-range jumper. Frensley has a reputation for performing his best when the game is on the line.

* Little-known fact: Frensley had a crew cut last year.

*Outlook: Sorry, only one postseason miracle per season for St. Peter’s.

16. NORTH CAROLINA A&T; (15-14)

* Player to watch: Senior forward John Floyd, who is averaging 17.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, was selected to the all-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference first team.

* Little-known fact: This is the Aggies’ second consecutive NCAA appearance and ninth overall. They went every year from 1982 to 1988.

* Outlook: The Aggies have experience (four senior starters), but no height (two 6-6 players, one 6-3, one 6-2 and one 6-0), no depth (only a 10-man roster) and no chance.