TODAY’S GAMES / WASHINGTON REGIONAL

NO. 7 WICHITA STATE VS. NO. 10 SETON HALL

* Site: Greensboro, N.C. * Time: 9:20 a.m. PST

* The Buzz: The Missouri Valley Conference received a record four bids -- as many as the Atlantic Coast Conference -- and it’s time to see whether the conference was that strong or the MVC’s scheduling simply outsmarted the Ratings Percentage Index. Wichita State won the MVC regular-season title and finished with a No. 27 RPI. Seton Hall, seventh in the Big East, was No. 58. Both teams defeated Providence -- Wichita State by eight and Seton Hall by three.

NO. 2 TENNESSEE VS. NO. 15 WINTHROP

* Site: Greensboro, N.C. * Time: 11:50 a.m. PST

* The Buzz: Winthrop has become an NCAA tournament regular, with six trips in the past eight years, but the Eagles have never won a game. Winthrop played three games against Southeastern Conference opponents, losing at Alabama by three points, at South Carolina by 14 and at Auburn by three. High-scoring Tennessee stumbled late,

losing four of its last six. G Chris Lofton, who shoots 45% from three-point range, has made as many as nine three-point baskets in a game.

NO. 4 ILLINOIS VS. NO. 13 AIR FORCE

* Site: San Diego. * Time: 4:25 p.m. PST

* Buzz: A victory over Illinois would silence the critics who claimed that Air Force didn’t belong in the NCAA tournament after its first-round loss to Wyoming in the Mountain West Conference tournament. To pull off the upset, the Falcons must continue to apply the stifling defensive pressure that allowed them to lead the nation by giving up only 53.8 points a game. After losing to North Carolina in last year’s title game, Illinois G Dee Brown and C James Augustine will be satisfied by nothing less than a return trip to the Final Four.

NO. 5 WASHINGTON VS. NO. 12 UTAH STATE

* Site: San Diego. * Time: 6:45 p.m. PST

* Buzz: Has anyone figured out Washington? The Huskies swept UCLA and were swept by Washington State. They beat Arizona in Tucson to close the regular season, then lost to Oregon in a Pacific 10 Conference tournament quarterfinal. Such inconsistency doesn’t bode well for a deep run in the NCAA tournament, but Washington should get past

Utah State. The Aggies are one of only five teams to win at least 23 games in each of the last seven seasons, , although they haven’t done much in the postseason besides upsetting Ohio State in the first round in 2001.

-- Robyn Norwood and Ben Bolch