These Dogs Will Hunt Just Fine

Apparently, Lute Olson was correct -- a No. 1 seeding in the NCAA tournament was still open, as he claimed during a couple of harangues during the Pacific 10 Conference tournament. Sadly for Arizona’s Hall of Fame coach, it was Washington, not his Wildcats, that snatched a top seeding at the last moment. The Huskies became top dogs by upsetting Arizona in the Pac-10 tournament final, outscoring the Wildcats, 19-4, down the stretch. Lording over the top of the Albuquerque Regional, the run-and-gun Huskies symbolize the high-scoring and quirky personality of the bracket, which features such dangerous gunners as Wake Forest, Gonzaga, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Pacific and, at times, UCLA.

The bracket is also loaded with schools that may feel slighted and have something to prove, such as Wake Forest, Louisville and Pittsburgh. Call it the fat-around-the-middle bracket.

How else to describe a region in which such mid-major champs as the West Coast Conference’s Gonzaga, Conference USA’s Louisville and the Big West’s Pacific are Nos. 3, 4 and 8, while Georgia Tech, which played in last year’s national championship game against Connecticut and returned four starters, is at No. 5?

With Washington, Louisville, Gonzaga and Wake Forest expected to advance to the regional semifinals, the scoreboard operator at the Pit in Albuquerque had better stretch his fingers.

But while the Huskies use a frenetic and disruptive brand of man-to-man, full-court pressing and trapping defense to ignite their high-powered offense, their Achilles’ heel is lack of size in the post. That’s what the other 15 teams in the region hope to exploit. Especially bruising Pittsburgh, which could meet the Huskies in the second round; Georgia Tech, which could throw skilled 7-foot-1 center Luke Schenscher at them in the regional semifinal; or Wake Forest, which has playmaker Chris Paul to negate the Huskies’ quick backcourt, in the regional final.

Don’t be surprised if Wake Forest, a highly regarded choice before the season began, derails the Huskies and advances to its first Final Four since 1962.

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1. WASHINGTON

* Location: Seattle.

* Record: 27-5.

* RPI: 3.

* Record against tournament field: 9-4.

* Road record: 6-5.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 25, Utah, 78-71; Nov. 27, Alabama, 79-76; Feb. 26, Arizona, 93-85.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 1, at Gonzaga, 99-87; Jan. 8, at UCLA, 95-86; Feb. 13, at Oregon State, 90-73.

* Top Players: Jr. Nate Robinson, G, 16.7 ppg; Sr. Tre Simmons, F, 16.3 ppg; Sr. Will Conroy, G, 9.2 ppg.

* Skinny: Since dropping their first five Pac-10 games of the 2003-04 season, the run-and-gun Huskies have lost only five of their next 31 league games.

* Graduation rate: 68% (student-athletes), 70% (school).

* Little-known fact: Coach Lorenzo Romar is the second former Husky to return and coach his alma mater, joining Lynn Nance.

2. WAKE FOREST

* Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.

* Record: 26-5.

* RPI: 6.

* Record against tournament field: 10-4.

* Road record: 8-4.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 26, vs. Arizona, 63-60; Jan. 15, North Carolina, 95-82; Feb. 2, Duke 92-89.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 18, at Florida State, 91-83.

* Top players: So. Chris Paul, G, 14.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.6 apg; Jr. Eric Williams, C, 16.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg.

* Skinny: With Paul running the show, the Demon Deacons can score (85.4 ppg.) They also can give them up -- in each of their four losses they allowed more than 90 points.

* Graduation rate: 76%, 87%.

* Little-known fact: The late Brian Piccolo, former Chicago Bear and inspiration for the movie “Brian’s Song,” was an alumnus of Wake Forest.

3. GONZAGA

* Location: Spokane, Wash.

* Record: 25-4.

* RPI: 8.

* Record against tournament field: 4-2.

* Road record: 6-3.

* Record in last 10: 10-0.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 1, Washington, 99-87; Dec. 19, Georgia Tech, 85-73; Dec. 28, Oklahoma State, 78-75.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 30, at Missouri, 63-61; Jan. 20, at San Francisco, 73-70.

* Top Players: So. Adam Morrison, F, 18.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg; Sr. Ronny Turiaf, F, 16.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 54 blocks; Jr. J.P. Batista, C, 12.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg; So. Derek Raivio, G, 13.5 ppg, 4.9 apg, 47.8% 3-pt FG.

* Skinny: The Bulldogs have not made it past the second round the last two seasons but are peaking at the right time. Morrison is a big-time scorer and Turiaf and Batista are tough to handle in the post.

* Graduation rate: 73%, 72%.

* Little-known fact: Of course John Stockton went there but so did Bing Crosby, the school’s most famous alum.

4. LOUISVILLE

* Location: Louisville, Ky.

* Record: 29-4.

* RPI: 12.

* Record against tournament field: 8-2.

* Road record: 11-1.

* Record in last 10: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 11, at Florida, 74-40; Jan. 15, at Cincinnati, 69-66; Jan. 26, Marquette, 99-53.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 5, at Houston, 70-67; Feb. 9, Memphis, 85-68.

* Top players: Jr. Francisco Garcia, G, 15.4 ppg, 3.9 apg; Jr. Taquan Dean, G, 14.2 ppg; Sr. Ellis Myles, F, 9.3 rpg.

* Skinny: Coach Rick Pitino’s team won its first Conference USA title in its last season in the league. Next year the Cardinals will play in the Big East.

* Graduation rate: 45%, 33%.

* Little-known fact: This was the last Conference USA tournament for the Cardinals.

5. GEORGIA TECH

* Location: Atlanta.

* Record: 19-11.

* RPI: 31.

* Record against tournament field: 2-9.

* Road record: 4-6.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 27, Wake Forest, 102-101; Feb. 26, at Miami, 76-72.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 22, Virginia Tech, 70-69; Feb. 13, N.C. State, 53-51.

* Top players: Jr. Jarrett Jack, G, 15.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.6 apg; Sr. Luke Schenscher, C, 10.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg.

* Skinny: Last year’s run to the championship game created high expectations this season, and the Yellow Jackets have come up short. An inconsistent Georgia Tech won back-to-back conference games only once.

* Graduation rate: 58%, 68%.

* Little-known fact: Buzz is the name of the Yellow Jacket mascot for Georgia Tech.

6. TEXAS TECH

* Location: Lubbock

* Record: 20-10.

* RPI: 30.

* Record against tournament field: 6-7.

* Road record: 5-5.

* Record in last 10: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Feb. 5, at Oklahoma, 88-81; Feb. 14, Kansas, 80-79 (2OT); Feb. 22, Texas, 69-65.

* Disturbing losses: Feb. 12, at Iowa State, 81-68; Feb. 26, at Texas A&M;, 85-63.

* Top players: Sr. Ronald Ross, G, 16.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg; So. Jarrius Jackson, G, 15.0 ppg, 3.6 apg; Fr. Martin Zeno, G, 13.2 ppg.

* Skinny: Earned the No. 4 seeding in the Big 12 tournament, highest in school history. The Red Raiders depend heavily on Ross, who scored in double figures in all but two games, and their offense, which averaged a league-best 78.7 ppg.

* Graduation rate: 56%, 51%.

* Little-known fact: Ross was a walk-on as a freshman and averaged only 3.1 points and 1.1 rebounds that season.

7. WEST VIRGINIA

* Location: Morgantown.

* Record: 21-10.

* RPI: 44.

* Record against tournament field: 4-6.

* Road record: 6-5.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Feb. 23, at Pittsburgh, 70-66; March 10, Boston College 78-72; March 11, Villanova, 78-76.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 5, at Villanova, 84-46; Feb. 12, at Georgetown, 67-60; March 5, at Seton Hall, 66-63.

* Top players: Sr. Tyrone Salley, F, 12.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg; Jr. Mike Gansey, G, 11.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg; Jr. Kevin Pittsnogle, C, 11.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg.

* Skinny: Excellent showing in Big East tournament pushed the Mountaineers into tournament. Their 1-3-1 defense, spread offense and three-point shooters make them a difficult tournament foe.

* Graduation rate: 56%, 55%.

* Little-known fact: Mountaineers’ 10-0 start was their best since the Jerry West team of 1959-60.

8. PACIFIC

* Location: Stockton.

* Record: 26-3.

* RPI: 20.

* Record against tournament field: 4-2.

* Road record: 13-1.

* Record in last 10: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 11, at Nevada, 72-69; Dec. 21, at Fresno State, 88-77; Feb. 20, Texas El Paso, 73-66.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 18, San Francisco, 67-64.

* Top players: Sr. Christian Maraker, F, 13.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 51.9 pct. FG; Sr. Guillaume Yango, C, 13.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 30 blocks; Sr. David Doubley, G, 12.2 ppg, 4.0 apg, 42.7% 3-pt FG.

* Skinny: The Tigers did not lose a Big West Conference game in the regular season. Maraker, Yango and forward Tyler Newton are an imposing front line.

* Graduation rate: 62%, 65%.

* Little-known fact: Pacific’s home arena, the Spanos Center, is named after Alex Spanos, the owner of the San Diego Chargers and a Stockton resident.

9. PITTSBURGH

* Location: Pittsburgh.

* Record: 20-8.

* RPI: 48.

* Record against tournament field: 4-6.

* Road record: 6-3.

* Record in last 10: 5-5.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 22, at Connecticut, 76-66; Feb. 14, at Syracuse, 68-64; Feb. 28, at Boston College, 72-50.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 2, Bucknell, 69-66; Jan. 18, at St. John’s, 65-62; March 10, Villanova, 67-58.

* Top players: Jr. Carl Krauser, G, 15.6 ppg, 5.9 apg ; Sr. Chevon Troutman, F, 15.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg; So. Chris Taft, F, 13.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg.

* Skinny: Physical defense is a major attribute. To advance in the tournament, Panthers must make three-pointers, after shooting a season-low 17.6% against Villanova, to loosen up defenders’ sagging defense.

* Graduation rate: 58%, 63%.

* Little-known fact: The Panthers overcame 17-point deficits to defeat Connecticut and Syracuse.

10. CREIGHTON

* Location: Omaha.

* Record: 23-10.

* RPI: 45.

* Record against tournament field: 2-2.

* Road record: 7-5.

* Record in last 10: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 23, at Missouri, 78-54; Nov. 24, at Ohio State 65-62; Dec. 11, at Nebraska, 50-48.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 31, at San Diego, 82-70; Jan. 12, at Indiana State, 74-72.

* Top players: Jr. Nate Funk, G, 17.6 ppg; Jr. Johnny Mathies, G, 11.6 ppg; Sr. Tyler McKinney, G, 5.4 apg.

* Skinny: Coach Dana Altman’s teams show improvement as the season goes on and finish strong. The Bluejays, led by Funk, made 265 three-pointers this season on 41.5% shooting.

* Graduation rate: 65%, 70%.

* Little-known fact: The Bluejays are the first Missouri Valley team to have won 20 games for seven seasons in a row.

11. UCLA

* Location: Los Angeles.

* Record: 18-10.

* RPI: 41.

* Record against tournament field: 1-7.

* Road record: 6-5.

* Record in last 10: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 8, Washington, 95-86; Feb. 10, Arizona State, 95-76; Feb. 27, at Notre Dame, 75-65.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 20, Stanford, 75-64; Jan. 22, California, 64-51.

* Top players: Sr. Dijon Thompson, F, 18.3 ppg., 8.0 rpg.; Fr. Jordan Farmar, G, 13.6 ppg., 5.3 apg.; Fr. Arron Afflalo, G, 11.0 ppg.

* Skinny: The leader has been Thompson, who nearly doubled his rebounding production from a season ago.

* Graduation rate: 61%, 83%

* Little-known fact: This is the third time UCLA has started two freshman guards since 1980. In 1979-80, Michael Holton and Rod Foster led the Bruins to the national championship game. In 1997-98, Earl Watson and Baron Davis took the Bruins to the Sweet 16.

12. GEORGE WASHINGTON

* Location: Washington, D.C.

* Record: 22-7.

* RPI: 58.

* Record against tournament field: 1-2.

* Road record: 8-4.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 4, Michigan State, 96-83; Dec. 5, Maryland, 101-92; Feb. 5, at Temple, 74-58.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 25, Xavier, 66-65; Feb. 23, at Xavier, 81-62; March 1, St. Joseph’s, 71-56.

* Top players: Sr. T.J. Thompson, G, 13.8 ppg, 2.9 apg; So. J.R. Pinnock, G, 13.5 ppg, Jr. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, F, 12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg.

* Skinny: The Colonials were the most athletic team in the Atlantic 10, but they were a little lost at times when they weren’t able to run and dunk at will.

* Graduation rate: 69%, 74%.

* Little-known fact: The Colonials’ highest-ranking ever was No. 7 in 1954. They finished that season 23-3.

13. LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE

* Location: Lafayette.

* Record: 20-10.

* RPI: 38.

* Record against tournament field: 1-4.

* Road record: 5-9.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 5, S. Illinois, 63-61; March 8, Denver, 88-69.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 2, at Vanderbilt, 71-44.

* Top Players: Jr. Tiras Wade, G, 20.4 ppg.; Sr. Brian Hamilton, F, 13.5 ppg., 7.5 rpg.; Jr. Dwayne Mitchell, G, 10.6 ppg., 3.5 apg

* Skinny: Louisiana Lafayette picked up its fifth Sun Belt championship, tying Western Kentucky for the most in league history. Robert Lee became the first rookie coach to lead the Cajuns to the NCAA tournament.

* Graduation rate: 43%, 29%.

* Little-known fact: Louisiana Lafayette is probably the only university in the world with its own swamp.

14. WINTHROP

* Location: Rock Hill, S.C.

* Record: 27-5.

* RPI: 70.

* Record against tournament field: 0-0.

* Road record: 9-4.

* Record in last 10: 10-0.

* Impressive victory: Nov. 30, at Providence, 60-54.

* Disturbing loss: Jan. 5, at Coastal Carolina, 76-68.

* Top players: So. Torrell Martin, G, 12.8 ppg, 42.2 pct 3-pt FG; Jr. James Shuler, G, 12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg; So. Craig Bradshaw, F/C, 8.0 ppg, 43.7% 3-pt. FG.

* Skinny: The Eagles, making their fifth NCAA appearance in seven years, won the Big South tournament title after winning the league’s regular-season crown. They have an 18-game winning streak, but they’re small and have no shot at an NCAA win unless their opponent shoots abysmally.

* Graduation rate: 62%, 55%.

* Little-known fact: Consumers Digest rated Winthrop among the nation’s top 50 “Best Value” public universities for 2004.

15. CHATTANOOGA

* Location: Chattanooga, Tenn.

* Record: 20-10.

* RPI: 122.

* Record against tournament field: 0-1.

* Road record: 7-7.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 5, at Tennessee, 69-68.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 30, Birmingham Southern, 64-59; Feb. 5, Elon, 62-59.

* Top players: Sr. Mindaugas Katelynas, F, 12.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg; Sr. Chris Brown, F, 11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg; So. Casey Long, G, 9.6 ppg, 80% FT.

* Skinny: The Mocs were the surprise winner of the Southern Conference. They are athletic and prefer an up-tempo game. This also is a solid rebounding team (plus-11.3 margin per game), but the schedule was weak.

* Graduation rate: 54%, 43%.

* Little-known fact: Not only is the school in the NCAA tournament, but the committee searching for a new chancellor is scheduled to finish its eight interviews this week.

16. MONTANA

* Location: Missoula.

* Record: 18-12.

* RPI: 158.

* Record against tournament field: 0-2.

* Road record: 4-10.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victory: Nov. 30, Cal State Northridge, 90-80.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 18, at UC Santa Barbara, 55-46; Jan. 15, Montana State, 62-60; Feb. 17, at Sacramento State, 83-80.

* Top players: Sr. Kamarr Davis, F, 14.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg; Jr. Kevin Criswell, G, 12.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg; So. Matt Dlouhy, F, 9.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg.

* Skinny: The Grizzlies are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002, when they lost to Oregon in the first round of the Midwest Regional, 81-62.

* Graduation rate: 59%, 43%.

* Little-known fact: Montana Coach Larry Krystkowiak, the Grizzlies’ all-time leading scorer, is the school’s only former player whose number was retired.