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Sporting News, The, March 12, 2001

As the minutes tick away until the NCAA Tournament pairings are announced (6:30 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS), some players will see their dreams realized, others will see theirs crushed, and still others will be forced to sit and ponder, awaiting their fate.

Our third annual Guide to Selection Sunday will help direct you through the frenzy of this weekend. First, we let you know where every contender stands entering the last conference tourney games. Then, to help you fill out your bracket after the tournament pairings are announced, we have a rundown of each tourney team's strengths and weaknesses--and what type of opponent it should watch out for. You'll be able to compare your picks to those made by our expert, Mike DeCourcy, in next week's big NCAA Tournament Preview issue, which also will include TSN's 2001 awards.

TSN's projected top seeds by region

    Midwest

(1) Michigan State
(2) UCLA
(3) Kentucky
(4) Texas

    South

(1) Illinois
(2) North Carolina
(3) Mississippi
(4) Arizona

    East

(1) Duke
(2) Iowa State
(3) Boston College
(4) Wisconsin

    West

(1) Stanford
(2) Florida
(3) Kansas
(4) Maryland

TSN's 65

Alabama State
Arizona
Arkansas
Boston College
Butler
California
California-Irvine
CS Northridge
Cincinnati
Creighton
Connecticut
Duke
Eastern Illinois
Florida
Fresno State
George Mason
Georgetown
Georgia
Georgia State
Georgia Tech
Gonzaga
Hampton
Hofstra
Holy Cross
Illinois
Indiana
Indiana State
Iona
Iowa State
Kansas
Kent State
Kentucky
Maryland
McNeese State
Michigan State
Mississippi
Missouri
North Carolina
UNC-Greensboro
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Penn State
Princeton
Providence
Richmond
St. Francis-N.Y.
St. Joseph's
So. California
Southern Utah
Stanford
Syracuse
Temple
Tennessee
Texas
UCLA
Utah
Virginia
Wake Forest
West, Kentucky
Winthrop
Wisconsin
Xavier

Chance to Dance

Ask Iowa coach Steve Alford how Luke Recker's knee injury might affect the Hawkeyes' chances to wrap up an at-large NCAA berth, and he'll tell you his team's ticket already has been punched. "As far as getting in, I think we've just got to keep doing what we're doing," Alford said last week. "Our RPI is 30, and it's been pretty much a given that teams with an RPI under 39 make it. In our case, an injured player will probably affect the seeding." Not so fast. Iowa may have started 16-4 and climbed to No. 20 in the national rankings, but since Recker was diagnosed with a broken kneecap, it has limped down the stretch, going 2-7. When the selection committee meets this week, it will take the injured right knee into consideration. But that only will work in Iowa's favor if Recker is expected to return this season. "Right now his knee is pain-free," says Alford, who will have to submit a report on Recker's status to the NCAA, "and as long as everything stays on schedule and he has no setbacks, we should be in good shape."

--Jason Langendorf

A win at Florida State in its regular-season finale likely would have cinched a bid for Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets couldn't get the job done. Their 69-59 loss left them needing at least one win at the ACC tourney, where they are seeded fifth. "If we don't win," coach Paul Hewitt says, "I'll be on pins and needles on Selection Sunday. But if we win another game and don't get in, the system's really flawed." There haven't been many flaws in Hewitt's performance in his debut campaign at Tech. He has breathed new life into a program that became destitute under Bobby Cremins and was expected to finish seventh in the league. According to TSN's rankings, Hewitt will welcome the ACC's third-best recruiting class in the fall. But Hewitt thinks this could be the best chance he'll have for a couple of years to coach in the NCAA Tournament. "We're going to lose five seniors," he says. "You don't have to look any further than (preseason Big East favorite) Seton Hall to see that young talent doesn't always translate into success."

--Steve Greenberg

The top scout of one NBA club tells a typical Tony Harris story. "I went to see him play a handful of times early this season," he says of Tennessee's 6-0, 165-pound senior point guard. "The first game he was unbelievable, making great decisions, showing great shot selection. The second time he was solid, under control. Then I saw him a couple more times, and he was right back to his old self: inconsistent shooting, poor decision-making and terrible defense." The scout didn't attended any of Harris' conference games in 2001, and that was good--Harris largely was to blame for the Vols' egregious collapse, in which the team plummeted from a possible No. 1 seed to the bubble. Thanks to some late-season salvaging, the Vols are in, providing Harris one last chance to reverse his reputation as a postseason underachiever. "One thing you're always looking for is, how they handle pressure," says the scout. "If Harris plays well, it could really help him. He's got NBA range and quickness, but he's also shown a real downside."

--S. G.