Maryland Primed for Final Four Return

No. 1 MARYLAND (26-4)

First-round opponent: Alcorn State-Siena winner.

Season in brief: Ranked No. 2 at the end of the regular season, the Terrapins lost in the ACC tournament semifinals. They reached the Final Four last season but stumbled in season-opening loss to Arizona and were defeated soundly at Oklahoma and Duke. Then the Terrapins stunned everyone by blowing out Duke in the rematch and winning the ACC regular-season title.

Player to watch: Juan Dixon. The high-scoring 6-3, 160-pound senior guard overcame an unimaginable family tragedy--the death of both parents from AIDS contracted as drug-users.

Tidbit: Chris Wilcox, a sophomore forward with eye-popping athleticism, was once the top high school recruit in North Carolina, but Maryland took him away from the state’s bevy of basketball schools.

NCAA bio: Gary Williams did what Lefty Driesell never managed, taking Maryland to its first Final Four last season in the school’s 18th NCAA appearance.

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No. 2 CONNECTICUT (24-6)

First-round opponent: Hampton.

Season in brief: The Huskies won the East division of the Big East and the conference tournament. They are once again one of the national leaders in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams under 40%.

Player to watch: Caron Butler. The 6-7 sophomore forward shared conference player of the year with Pittsburgh’s Brandin Knight.

Tidbit: Coach Jim Calhoun has won more than 600 games, ranking 10th among active coaches.

NCAA bio: Won NCAA title over heavy favorite Duke in 1999. Eliminated in second round in 2000.

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No. 3 GEORGIA (21-9)

First-round opponent: Murray State.

Season in brief: Jim Harrick’s team was picked to finish well back in the SEC after major losses from last season’s NCAA team. Despite rape allegations involving players, the Bulldogs thrived on the court, gaining the No. 1 seed for the SEC tournament.

Player to watch: Jarvis Hayes. The 6-6 sophomore swingman, an extremely athletic scorer, transferred from Western Carolina along with his twin, Jonas.

Tidbit: Harrick is one of only three coaches to take four schools to the NCAA tournament. Lefty Driesell and Eddie Sutton are the others.

NCAA bio: Best showing was 1983, when Georgia, under Hugh Durham, lost to North Carolina State in a Final Four semifinal.

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No. 4 KENTUCKY (20-9)

First-round opponent: Valparaiso.

Season in brief: A disappointing season included a home loss to Western Kentucky and a sweep at the hands of Georgia. Still, an overtime loss to Duke showed the Wildcats’ potential. Off-court turmoil ranged from center Marvin Stone’s departure to suspensions to Gerald Fitch and Erik Daniels for using false identification to try to enter a nightclub.

Player to watch: Tayshaun Prince. The 6-9 senior forward withdrew from the NBA draft and returned for his senior season but has not improved his draft status.

Tidbit: Coach Tubby Smith was one of 17 children.

NCAA bio: Seven NCAA titles, including 1996 and ’98. Lost to USC in the East semifinal last season.

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No. 5 MARQUETTE (26-6)

First-round opponent: Tulsa.

Season in brief: Marquette unexpectedly burst back onto the national scene, earning its highest ranking in more than 20 years in the Golden Eagles’ third season under Tom Crean, the former Michigan State assistant.

Player to watch: Dwyane Wade. The 6-4 sophomore guard sat out last season after not meeting academic requirements for freshman eligibility, but made an impact this season.

Tidbit: Marquette has unveiled plans for the Al McGuire Center, a $31-million practice facility to be named in honor of the late coach and broadcaster.

NCAA bio: First appearance since 1997. Won title in 1977 under McGuire.

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No. 6 TEXAS TECH (23-8)

First-round opponent: Southern Illinois.

Season in brief: Bob Knight took over the remnants of a 9-19 team, added some junior college transfers and helped Texas Tech reach the Top 25.

Player to watch: Andre Emmett. The 6-5 sophomore went from a seven-points-a-game scorer to a first-team all-conference player.

Tidbit: Knight was only 35 when he won the first of his three NCAA championships at Indiana in 1976--making him the fourth youngest ever to win a national title.

NCAA bio: Ten appearances overall, the most recent in 1996 when the Red Raiders reached the Sweet 16 under James Dickey.

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No. 7 N. CAROLINA STATE (22-10)

First-round opponent: Michigan State.

Season in brief: Coach Herb Sendek’s job was on the line after going 13-16 last season, but the Wolfpack’s resurgence has given him a reprieve. North Carolina State defeated Maryland in the ACC semifinals

Player to watch: Anthony Grundy. The 6-3 senior guard was the only non-Duke and Maryland player to be an all-ACC first-team selections.

Tidbit: Some people think freshman forward Ilian Evtimov will be a better player for the Wolfpack than highly touted Julius Hodge.

NCAA bio: First appearance since 1991, but forever remembered for the moment Lorenzo Charles slammed home Dereck Whittenburg’s airball just before the buzzer to upset Houston in the 1983 championship game.

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No. 8 WISCONSIN (18-12)

First-round opponent: St. John’s.

Season in brief: Bo Ryan was named Big Ten coach of the year after his first season for guiding the Badgers to a four-way tie for the conference title--their first since 1947.

Player to watch: Kirk Penney. The 6-5 junior guard is a sharpshooter who played for New Zealand in the Sydney Olympics.

Tidbit: Ryan guided Division III Wisconsin Platteville to four national titles before a two-year stop at Wisconsin Milwaukee.

NCAA bio: Made 2000 Final Four--and scored only 41 points in semifinal loss to Michigan State. Won 1941 title.

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No. 9 ST. JOHN’S (20-11)

First-round opponent: Wisconsin.

Season in brief: The Red Storm lost seven of its final 14, including a 20-point loss to Notre Dame in the Big East quarterfinals.

Player to watch: Marcus Hatten. The 6-6 junior guard, who averages close to 20 points a game, played at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, the school that produced former St. John’s star Bootsy Thornton.

Tidbit: With its 27th appearance, St. John’s has played in more NCAA tournaments than all but six other schools. (Kentucky leads with 44.)

NCAA bio: Missed tournament last season after three consecutive appearances--including a run to the 1999 Elite Eight that ended in a loss to Ohio State.

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No. 10 MICHIGAN STATE (19-11)

First-round opponent: North Carolina State.

Season in brief: The defections of Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph to the NBA and the loss of seniors Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson knocked Michigan State--which had appeared in three consecutive Final Fours--from its elite status. However, the Spartans won their final five Big Ten regular-season games and advanced to the conference quarterfinals before losing.

Player to watch: Marcus Taylor. The 6-3 sophomore guard had consecutive 30-point games to end the regular season as Big Ten scoring champion (17.7 points a game).

Tidbit: Coach Tom Izzo is 16-3 in NCAA games.

NCAA bio: Won national championship with Mateen Cleaves in 2000, the first for the school since 1979, when led by Magic Johnson.

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No. 11 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (26-7)

First-round opponent: Texas Tech.

Season in brief: The Salukis became a bubble team after losing to Creighton in the Missouri Valley final, but their regular-season title and 26 victories helped them claim one of the final at-large berths.

Player to watch: Kent Williams. The 6-2 junior guard leads the team in scoring and assists.

Tidbit: A Saluki is a tall, slender dog originally bred in the Arab world.

NCAA bio: Fifth appearance, but first since 1995. The Salukis’ only victory was in 1977 over Arizona.

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No. 12 TULSA (26-6)

First-round opponent: Marquette.

Season in brief: The Golden Hurricane shared the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title with Hawaii, but lost to the Rainbow Warriors at Tulsa in the tournament final for the second consecutive season.

Player to watch: Greg Harrington. The 6-2 senior guard is Tulsa’s career assist leader and sixth on the school’s scoring list.

Tidbit: Tulsa has 107 victories over the last four seasons.

NCAA bio: Thirteenth appearance overall. Made Elite Eight in 2000 in Bill Self’s final season before becoming coach at Illinois.

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No. 13 VALPARAISO (25-7)

First-round opponent: Kentucky.

Season in brief: Here’s an old favorite, back again after winning the Mid-Continent tournament for the sixth time in eight years. The Crusaders lost by four points to Arizona and by eight to Kansas.

Player to watch: Lubos Barton. The 6-8 senior forward is one of those European big men who can shoot outside.

Tidbit: The roster includes players from the Czech Republic, Latvia, Angola, Puerto Rico and Finland.

NCAA bio: Still famous for Bryce Drew’s heroics during 1998 run to the Sweet 16.

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No. 14 MURRAY STATE (19-12)

First-round opponent: Georgia.

Season in brief: The Racers upset Tennessee Tech in the Ohio Valley final after Justin Burdine drove the length of the court and made a game-winning jumper with 9.1 seconds left. Murray State struggled early in the season, falling to 9-11, but won 10 of its last 11 games.

Player to watch: Burdine. The 6-1 senior guard averages 20 points and made nine three-point shots in a 37-point performance against Eastern Kentucky.

Tidbit: Murray State lost to Western Kentucky by 34 and to Louisville by 15.

NCAA bio: Eleventh appearance, but only one victory--a 1988 upset of North Carolina State.

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No. 15 HAMPTON (26-6)

First-round opponent: Connecticut.

Season in brief: The Pirates were the first team to serve notice that North Carolina was in trouble this season, defeating the Tar Heels, 77-69, on Nov. 16. They won the Mid-Eastern Athletic tournament.

Player to watch: Tommy Adams. The senior guard leads the team with 19 points a game.

Tidbit: Hampton is located in Hampton, Va., a city near the Chesapeake Bay that is the site of the NASA Langley Research Center.

NCAA bio: Upset No. 2-seeded Iowa State in first round last year. Only four No. 15s have ever won a game.

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No. 16 ALCORN STATE (21-9)

First-round opponent: Maryland, if Alcorn State wins play-in game against Siena.

Season in brief: Won the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title and tournament.

Player to watch: Jeff Cammon. Assist leader is a former walk-on from Upland High.

Tidbit: Coach Davey Whitney is in his 26th season at the school.

NCAA bio: Victory over South Alabama in 1980 first round was considered a landmark for historically black colleges.

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No. 16 SIENA (16-18)

First-round opponent: Maryland, if Siena wins play-in game.

Season in brief: A rare team to make the NCAA field with a losing record by winning the Metro Atlantic tournament.

Player to watch: Dwayne Archbold. The senior swingman scored a Metro Atlantic-record 111 points in four games.

Tidbit: Coach Rob Lanier is a cousin of former St. Bonaventure and NBA star Bob Lanier.

NCAA bio: Third appearance. Upset Stanford team led by Todd Lichti in the first round in 1989.