Only Powerhouses Need Apply Here

By Jason Reid

March 14, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

The winner of the Syracuse Regional deserves more than just a Final Four berth.

This 16-team group appears to represent the most difficult regional of the four, and navigating it might exhaust the winner.

At the top is second-ranked North Carolina (27-4), which won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and might be the nation’s most talented team.

The Tar Heels are eager to redeem themselves after a shaky performance in the ACC tournament, where they were upset by Georgia Tech in the semifinals, and All-American center Sean May has vowed not to let them go out like that again.

Of course, May’s efforts won’t matter unless the Tar Heels get back to basics, such as playing defense and boxing out for rebounds.

Connecticut (22-7) received the second seeding in the marquee bracket. The defending national champion might have nabbed a No. 1 seeding had it won the Big East tournament, and now the Huskies potentially have to battle the Tar Heels to escape the regional.

If they get that far.

A potential showdown with third-seeded Kansas (23-6) looms in the Sweet 16. It’s one thing for the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee to put two powerhouse programs here, but three?

The Jayhawks have the nation’s top Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) ranking, according to Internet sites that attempt to re-create the formula the committee uses as a selection tool. They rolled to a 14-0 start and were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll but struggled in losing six of their last nine games.

Then there is fourth-seeded Florida (23-7), which routed Kentucky, 70-53, in the Southeastern Conference tournament final and has won seven games in a row.

The Syracuse Regional could be a monster, but the Tar Heels should advance because of the return of swingman Rashad McCants, back from intestinal problems; May’s will, and point guard Raymond Felton’s speed and toughness.

If not, it’s going to be another sad off-season in Chapel Hill, and they have had quite a few of those lately.

1. NORTH CAROLINA

Location: Chapel Hill.

* Record: 27-4.

* RPI: 7.

* Record against tournament field: 8-3.

* Road record: 8-2.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 4, Kentucky, 91-78; Feb. 13, at Connecticut 77-70; March 5, Duke 75-73.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 19, Santa Clara, 77-66.

* Top players: Jr. Sean May, F, 16.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg; Jr. Raymond Felton, G, 12.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.9 apg.

* Skinny: Coach Roy Williams has the country’s most talented team playing together. Since the early loss to Santa Clara, the Tar Heels have looked like a team going to St. Louis.

* Graduation rate: 69% (student-athletes), 80% (school).

* Little-known fact: In case you hadn’t heard, ESPN sports anchor Stuart Scott is a North Carolina alumnus.

2. CONNECTICUT

Location: Storrs.

* Record: 22-7.

* RPI: 16.

* Record against tournament field: 5-5.

* Road record: 7-3.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Feb. 7, at Syracuse, 74-66; Feb. 26, at Pittsburgh, 73-64; March 5, Syracuse, 88-70.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 9, at Massachusetts, 61-59; Jan. 22, Pitt, 76-66; March 11, Syracuse, 67-63.

* Top players: So. Charlie Villanueva, F, 13.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg; So. Josh Boone, C, 12.7 ppg, 3.0 bpg; So. Marcus Williams, G, 9.2 ppg, 8.1 apg.

* Skinny: The Huskies want a transition game, as they were 4-4 when they scored 69 points or fewer. With Boone, Villanueva and Rudy Gay, Connecticut is No. 1 in blocked shots (9.1).

* Graduation rate: 62%, 69%.

* Little-known fact: Defending champion Connecticut (five) trails only Kentucky (six) for the most elite eight appearances since 1994.

3. KANSAS

Location: Lawrence.

* Record: 23-6.

* RPI: 2.

* Record against tournament field: 9-4.

* Road record: 6-4.

* Record in last 10: 5-5.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 9, at Kentucky, 65-59; Jan. 29, Texas, 90-65; Feb. 27, Oklahoma State, 81-79.

* Disturbing losses: Feb. 19, Iowa State, 63-61 (OT); March 6, at Missouri, 72-68.

* Top players: Sr. Wayne Simien, F, 20.2 pgg, 11.1 rpg; Sr. Keith Langford, G, 14.7 ppg; Sr. Aaron Miles, G, 7.3 apg.

* Skinny: Health questions surround Langford, who twisted his ankle in the regular-season finale. No questions surround Simien, the Big 12’s player of the year, who had a league-best 14 double-doubles.

* Graduation rate: 64%, 57%.

* Little-known fact: James Naismith, basketball’s inventor, had a 55-60 record in his nine seasons as the Jayhawks’ coach, making him the only coach in school history with a career record under .500.

4. FLORIDA

Location: Gainesville.

* Record: 23-7.

* RPI: 19.

* Record against tournament field: 5-4.

* Road record: 6-4.

* Record in last 10: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 15, at Vanderbilt, 82-65; Feb. 5, Alabama, 85-54; March 6, Kentucky, 53-52.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 4, Miami, 72-65; Jan. 2, at Florida State, 82-69; Jan. 19, Tennessee, 83-76.

* Top players: Sr. David Lee, F, 13.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg; Jr. Anthony Roberson, G, 18.4 ppg, 47.8 FG%; Jr. Matt Walsh, G/F, 14.1 ppg, 47.2 FG pct.

* Skinny: The three key players are upperclassmen, a rarity of sorts these days. The Gators need to keep playing good defense to reverse a trend of early-round NCAA exits.

* Graduation rate: 55%, 73%.

* Little-known fact: With more than 46,000 students, Florida is one of the five largest universities in the nation.

5. VILLANOVA

* Location: Villanova, Pa.

* Record: 22-7.

* RPI: 15.

* Record against tournament field: 7-4.

* Road record: 7-3.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 22, Kansas, 83-62; Feb. 23, Boston College, 76-70; March 10, Pittsburgh, 67-58.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 4, Temple, 53-52; Feb. 12, Syracuse, 90-75; March 11, West Virginia, 78-76.

* Top players: Jr. Allan Ray, G, 17.3 ppg, 40.8 pct. on threes; Jr. Curtis Sumpter, F, 16.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg; Jr. Randy Foye G, 15.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg.

* Skinny: Has excellent one-on-one offensive players in Ray and Foye. Sumpter can score away from the rim, as he shot 43.2% on threes. The team was 12-19 on three-point shots against Kansas.

* Graduation rate: 82%, 85%.

* Little-known fact: This is Villanova’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 1999.

6. WISCONSIN

Location: Madison.

* Record: 22-8.

* RPI: 13.

* Record against tournament field: 6-5.

* Road record: 5-6.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 30, Maryland, 69-64; Dec. 29, Alabama, 76-62; Jan. 16, Michigan State, 62-59

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 27, at Pepperdine, 75-61; Dec. 11, at Marquette, 63-54; Jan. 25, Illinois, 75-65.

* Top players: Sr. Mike Wilkinson, F, 14.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg; So. Alando Tucker, F, 15.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg.

* Skinny: Coach Bo Ryan knows how to win NCAA tournaments. When he was at Wisconsin Platteville, he coached four Division III national champions.

* Graduation rate: 71%, 76%.

* Little-known fact: Madison has been ranked the country’s No. 1 college sports town by Sports Illustrated on Campus.

7. CHARLOTTE

Location: Charlotte, N.C.

* Record: 21-7.

* RPI: 35.

* Record against tournament field: 3-3.

* Road record: 7-4.

* Record in last 10: 7-5.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 22, at Indiana, 74-73; Jan. 22, at Marquette, 76-66; Feb. 5, Cincinnati, 91-90.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 22, Rutgers, 73-71; Jan. 29, at East Carolina, 54-51; March 5, at South Florida, 85-73

* Top players: Jr. Curtis Withers, F, 18.1 ppg; Sr. Eddie Basden, G, 15.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 3.3 steals.

* Skinny: The 49ers ended the regular season with losses at Louisville and South Florida. Withers and Basden gave Charlotte the only team in the conference with two first-team all-conference players.

* Graduation rate: 65%, 49%.

* Little-known fact: Coach Bobby Lutz has been with the program since 1995.

8. MINNESOTA

* Location: Minneapolis.

* Record: 21-10.

* RPI: 46.

* Record against tournament field: 2-7.

* Road record: 5-4.

* Record in last 10: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 19, at Ohio State 60-56; Feb. 5, Wisconsin, 60-50; Feb. 19, Ohio State, 52-50.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 26, Alabama, 78-72; Nov. 27, Oklahoma, 67-54; Feb. 9, Northwestern, 55-53.

* Top players: Jr. Vincent Grier, G, 18.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg; Sr. Jeff Hagen, 11.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg.

* Skinny: The Gophers were the surprise team of the Big Ten. They tied for fourth after being picked 10th by Street & Smith’s and the Sporting News.

* Graduation rate: 58%, 54%.

* Little-known fact: Minnesota won the inaugural Big Ten championship, going 6-1 in 1905-06.

9. IOWA STATE

* Location: Ames.

* Record: 18-11.

* RPI: 78.

* Record against tournament field: 5-5.

* Road record: 4-7.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 29, Oklahoma, 74-66; Feb. 5, at Texas, 92-80 (OT); Feb. 19, at Kansas, 63-61 (OT).

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 26, at Kansas State, 63-51; Feb. 22, at Texas A&M;, 75-59; Feb. 27, Nebraska, 76-69.

* Top players: So. Curtis Stinson, G, 17.1 ppg, 4.5 apg; Sr. Jared Homan, C, 13.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg; So. Will Blalock, G, 12.8 ppg, 4.8 apg.

* Skinny: The Cyclones had five wins over ranked teams in the regular season and an impressive late rush but were woefully inconsistent.

* Graduation rate: 59%, 64%.

* Little-known fact: Cyclones made a Final Four appearance in 1944, when only eight teams were invited to the tournament. They defeated Pepperdine and then lost to Utah, which won the national title.

10. NORTH CAROLINA STATE

* Location: Raleigh.

* Record: 19-13.

* RPI: 74.

* Record against tournament field: 4-8.

* Road record: 6-6.

* Record in last 10: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 16, Georgia Tech, 76-68; Jan. 23, Maryland, 85-69; Feb. 13, at Georgia Tech, 53-51.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 30, at St. John’s, 63-45; Jan. 19, at Virginia Tech, 72-71; Jan. 26, Florida State, 70-64.

* Top players: So. Julius Hodge, F, 17.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.6 apg; Jr. Tony Bethel, G, 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg.

* Skinny: The Wolfpack can frustrate teams with its patient play. To advance deep, Hodge must play like a star.

* Graduation rate: 56%, 62%.

* Little-known fact: Researchers at North Carolina State recently received a new $2.8-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, in hopes of improving efficiency and product quality in the multibillion-dollar global pulp and paper industry.

11. NORTHERN IOWA

* Location: Cedar Falls.

* Record: 21-10.

* RPI: 40.

* Record against tournament field: 1-5.

* Road record: 6-7.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 1, Iowa State, 99-82; Feb. 5, Southern Illinois, 67-61; Feb. 28, at Wichita State, 67-66.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 7, at Evansville, 92-73; Jan. 22, at Bradley, 71-65; Jan. 29, at Drake, 81-72.

* Top players: Jr. Ben Jacobson, G, 17.8 ppg; Jr. Erik Crawford, G, 13.3 ppg; So. Grant Stout, G, 11.4 ppg.

* Skinny: Close losses at Cincinnati and Iowa kept the Panthers from being a lock. The team’s guards make things happen for Coach Greg McDermott, a Northern Iowa graduate.

* Graduation rate: 63%, 65%.

* Little-known fact: Jacobson, like the Chicago Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich, is from Sioux City, Iowa.

12. NEW MEXICO

* Location: Albuquerque.

* Record: 26-6.

* RPI: 72.

* Record against tournament field: 2-2.

* Road record: 5-5.

* Record in last 10: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Feb. 21, Utah, 65-54; Feb. 28, at Nevada Las Vegas, 77-66; March 12, Utah, 60-56.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 22, at Oregon, 79-75; Dec. 22, Wake Forest, 81-64; Jan. 24, at Brigham Young, 68-53..

* Top players: Sr. Danny Granger, F, 19.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg; Sr. Troy DeVries, G, 11.3 ppg, 46.7 pct. 3FG; Jr. David Chiotti, F, 10.5 ppg, 55 pct. FG.

* Skinny: The Lobos won the Mountain West tournament.

* Graduation rate: 49%, 43%.

* Little-known fact: Before the Lobos won the Mountain West tournament to gain an automatic bid, Commissioner Craig Thompson adjusted the MWC tournament schedule to get the Lobos on the ESPN national games for more exposure to the East Coast and the selection committee.

13. OHIO

* Location: Athens.

* Record: 18-10.

* RPI: 33.

* Record against tournament field: 0-0.

* Road record: 4-9.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 14, Kent State, 80-54; Feb. 2, at Buffalo, 92-90.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 12, at Northern Illinois, 74-71; Feb. 16, Akron, 69-49.

* Top players: Jr. Mychal Green, G, 14.7 ppg; Fr. Leon Williams, F, 12.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg; So. Sonny Troutman, F, 12.6 ppg.

* Skinny: Four Bobcat starters average double figures, led by Green, a junior-college transfer who has had an immediate impact on the Ohio offense.

* Graduation rate: 65%, 70%.

* Little-known fact: Ohio University, established in 1804, is the oldest public institution of higher learning in the state and was the first in the Northwest Territory.

14. BUCKNELL

* Location: Lewisburg, Pa.

* Record: 22-9.

* RPI: 51.

* Record against tournament field: 2-3

* Road record: 7-7.

* Record in last 10: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 19, Rider, 69-50; Dec. 28, at St. Joseph’s, 69-62; Jan. 2, at Pittsburgh, 69-66.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 11, Princeton, 61-48; Nov. 22, St. Francis (Pa.), 70-65; Jan. 30, at Navy, 66-62.

* Top players: Jr. Kevin Bettencourt, G, 12.7 ppg, 2.3 apg; Jr. Charles Lee, G/F, 12.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg; So. Chris McNaughton, C, 12.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg.

* Skinny: The Bison stunned Pitt and St. Joseph’s, but they are legitimate because they are effective scoring inside and outside the lane. They are also pesky defensively.

* Graduation rate: 90%, 87%.

* Little-known fact: Before heading to Iona, then winning the 1983 national title at North Carolina State, Jim Valvano coached at Bucknell.

15. CENTRAL FLORIDA

* Location: Orlando.

* Record: 24-8.

* RPI: 86.

* Record against tournament field: 1-0.

* Road record: 8-5.

* Record in last 10: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 20, Utah State, 55-53.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 28, Brown, 83-82; Jan. 20, Florida Atlantic, 73-61.

* Top players: So. Josh Peppers, F, 13.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg; Sr. Gary Johnson, G, 13.2 ppg, 4 rpg; Jr. Anthony Williams, C, 11.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg.

* Skinny: UCF makes its second NCAA appearance in a row, and this year it has more balance and less fear. Keeping Williams out of foul trouble is a must, and Johnson must play under control. Six players have made at least 25 three-pointers.

* Graduation rate: 46%, 51%.

* Little-known fact: The Knights have more victories (70) the last three seasons than any Division I team in Florida.

16. PLAY-IN GAME

16a. OAKLAND

* Location: Rochester, Mich.

* Record: 12-18.

* RPI: 201.

* Record against tournament field: 0-2.

* Road record: 4-13.

* Record in last 10: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Feb. 12, at Missouri-Kansas City 60-50; Mar. 8, Oral Roberts 61-60 in final of Mid-Con tournament.

* Top players: Sr. Rawle Marshall, F, 19.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg; Sr. Cortney Scott, F, 54 FG%.