EAST REGIONAL AT A GLANCE: WHAT TO LOOK FOR

* The draw: This is Kentucky and the 15 dwarfs. Forget that SEC tournament loss to Mississippi State. The Wildcats will run like thoroughbreds through the field until a semifinal game against Utah. They will win that one by only 15, then wait to see how things shake out on the other side of the bracket. No. 2 Wake Forest is the logical choice to survive, although beating the winner of Michigan-Texas in the second round is no lock. Looming down the line is No. 3 Villanova, a consensus powerhouse until star Kerry Kittles phoned home using someone else’s calling card and was handed a three-game suspension.

* Best first-round game: No. 10 Texas versus No. 7 Michigan. Prepare the oxygen masks. This promises to be a wild romp up and down the court with a final score in the 80s. Both teams are talented but tend to be erratic. The Wolverines have as much freshman talent as anyone else, although no one has mistaken this group for the Fab Five. The Longhorns are a spirited bunch but never quite got the hang of that shooting thing (41%).

* Sleeper: No. 12 California. Yes, the Bears were lousy on the final week of the regular season. Yes, sensational Shareef Abdur-Rahim played like a freshman at times. But here is a team loaded with talent and attitude. If Jupiter aligns with Mars, and Tremaine Fowlkes with Coach Todd Bozeman, Cal will upset No. 5 Iowa State and give Utah all it wants in Round 2.

* Upset waiting to happen: No. 11 Tulsa over No. 6 Louisville. Tulsa has five seniors who played in last year’s Sweet 16 and dominated opponents in winning the Missouri Valley tournament. Coach Denny Crum did a great patch-work job at Louisville this year, but his team seemed to have chemistry problems after center Samaki Walker returned. He missed 10 games because of an NCAA inquiry.

* The impact coach: Rick Majerus, Utah. His Utes are the only team standing in Kentucky’s way until the finals, and Majerus is a seasoned tournament coach.

* The impact player: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest. If Duncan plays as he did in the ACC tournament, the Demon Deacons can make the Final Four. If he doesn’t, it’s back to St. Croix for a little R and R before the NBA draft.

* The pick: Kentucky will refocus after the Mississippi State setback and wreak havoc in its bracket. Wake Forest will await in the final but will succumb to Kentucky’s swarm of talent.