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Sporting News, The, March 19, 2001

Likely to overachieve:

Ohio State. The draw is favorable. Having Ken Johnson at the back of the defense is even more so.

Overrated player:

Jeff Trepagnier, Southern California. It may be the lingering effects from a stress fracture in his foot, but his season was a near disaster.

Underrated player:

Earl Watson, UCLA. There still are Bruins fans who do not consider him a true point guard, but the ball is secure in his hands.

Saturday

6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TROJANS

For USC to do well in the tournament, C Sam Clancy and Fs Brian Scalabrine and David Bluthenthal must come to play. Will they? Coach Henry Bibby has questioned their focus several times this season. Because this team is so frontcourt-heavy, it's fair to say Gs Jeff Trepagnier and Brandon Granville are just a sideshow. Still, Trepagnier's 40-inch vertical jump is so compelling you should hope USC shows up in prime time so you can watch him fly, hang from the rafters, dunk, then hang from the rim. USC's two best performances were losses to top-ranked Stanford by a total of eight points, but can you trust your bracket to a team that hasn't beaten a ranked opponent all season?

Coach: Henry Bibby (0-1 in NCAAs). Record: 21-9; 11-7 in Pac-10 (T 4th).

Last NCAA: Lost to Illinois in 1997 Southeast Regional first round.

11 OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

As much as anyone would like to see this team have a good run after the January 27 plane crash, it's highly unlikely. The Cowboys work hard and are a tough defensive team. F Andre Williams led the team with 57 blocks. Williams also shot 52 percent from the field in the regular season, but he averaged only 7.3 points. G Maurice Baker, a transfer, probably surprised even coach Eddie Sutton by leading the team in five categories: 19.7 points a game, 4.3 assists, 2 steals, 38.2 percent 3-point shooting and 81.2 percent free-throw shooting. But the offense is limited to Baker, G Victor Williams and F Fredrik Jonzen. Beating USC is possible, but advancing further would be surprising.

Coach: Eddie Sutton (32-21 in NCAAs).

Record: 20-9; 10-6 in Big 12 (5th).

Last NCAA: Lost to Florida in 2000 East Regional final.

Saturday

* Thursday, March 15 - Uniondale, N.Y.

3 BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

Al Skinner's cool, calm temperament has kept this team on all even keel all season. He has started the same five players for every game, and he seems to trust his players--unusual for the coach of a team that lost 19 games last season and has very little experience. The players have responded to Skinner's faith with varying degrees of individual success but undeniable results as a team. This will be an extremely tough draw in the tournament. You're not going to outwork Skinner's team, and you're certainly not going to rattle it. Sophomore G Troy Bell, co-player of the year in the Big East, is a special talent who can lead the Eagles deep into the tournament.

Coach: Al Skinner (1-2 in NCAAs).

Record: 26-4; 13-3 in Big East (1st in East Division).

Last NCAA: Lost to St, Joseph's in 1997 West Regional second round.