North Carolina got the overall Number 1 seed for justifiable reasons. Their tenacious offense is up and running again now that their point guard, Ty Lawson is back after suffering a previous injury.
Mike Green hasn't gotten a lot of airtime or national media coverage but he may be the most valuable guard in the nation. He has greatly helped Butler in scoring, assists and rebounding this season. The transfer from Towson was the MVP of the Horizon League and the conference tournament.
Tyler Hansbrough has shown incredible efficiency and tenacity this year for North Carolina. He gets his 20 points and 10 rebounds just about every game as well as his fair share of scoring. He is extremely valued by his teammates.
Chris Lofton's long range percentage may be lower this year but Tennessee has done very well and the he still makes the shots when he has to. He hit the trey with 11.4 seconds left to lift the Volunteers over South Carolina in the SEC Tournament. The all time conference leader in three-pointers must be on target for Tennessee to reach its first Final Four.
Washington State never earned consecutive invitations to the NCAA Tournament until this season. Kyle Weaver may not be well known on the East Coast but he scores, plays defense and is a great passer.
The Patriots have gained a national following over the past few years. A few of their players even have Final Four experience. They'll be playing against Notre Dame.
Saint Joseph has had an inconsistent year. They had 2 victories against Xavier and Villanova. Oklahoma's Number 6 seed seems a little high. The Hawk may not come through in the second round but with a good coach (Phil Martelli) and scorer (Pat Calathes), Oklahoma could go down sooner rather than later.
North Carolina has too much depth and firepower to be stopped short of Charlotte, where the Tar Heels will continue to enjoy the state's hospitality. However, this seems to be a good season for Tennessee, who will probably take advantage of Carolina's defense. UCLA may be more prepared than any other team this year. Most of the Bruins have 2 years of Final Four experience. It's reasonable to assume that UCLA will be able to handle Texas in one semifinal and Wisconsin will slow Tennessee down before the Bruins win it all. We'll see.
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