After Duke, There’s a Huge Gap

Sometimes the NCAA gives us what we want. Sometimes not.

If the seedings hold in the Atlanta regional, No. 1 Duke will play No. 2 Texas for a spot in the Final Four. This would be a replay of one of the most disappointing games this season -- when No. 1 Duke dominated then No. 2-ranked Texas, 97-66, Dec. 10 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. No one demanded a rematch.

After winning both the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles, the Blue Devils were awarded the No. 1 seeding both in the region and overall, which means the tournament committee gave them the least bumpy path to the Final Four.

Duke gets to play its first two games at nearby Greensboro, where it just finished playing three games in the ACC tournament.

George Washington, despite its No. 6 national ranking and gaudy 26-2 record that included an undefeated run through the Atlantic-10 Conference regular season, was given a pedestrian No. 8 seeding and a likely second-round matchup with Duke. The Colonials have been without their best player, senior Pops Mensah-Bonsu, the last two weeks. Mensah-Bonsu has a knee injury, though Coach Karl Hobbs has said he hoped to have his center back for the NCAA tournament.

Third-seeded Iowa will be arriving on the high of having won the Big Ten Conference tournament and will be followed by the constant questions about whether its coach, Steve Alford, is on his way to Indiana whenever the Hawkeyes lose.

The hottest player in the region might be Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara, who almost single-handedly brought the Orange from an NIT berth to a No. 5 seeding.

But the region seems set for a Duke coronation. The Blue Devils had lost two straight games going into the ACC tournament and J.J. Redick seemed to be struggling. Sunday afternoon, though, Redick made seven of his 11 three-point attempts as his team beat Boston College, 78-76, and his coach, Mike Krzyzewski, was beaming. “I’m feeling pretty good about this team,” he said. That’s bad news for the rest of the region.

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1. DUKE

* Location: Durham, N.C.

* Conference: Atlantic Coast.

* RPI: 1.

* Record: 30-3.

* Against tournament field: 11-2.

* Away from home: 16-2.

* In last 10 games: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 25, at New York vs. Memphis, 70-67; Dec. 10, at East Rutherford, N.J., vs. Texas, 97-66.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 21, at Georgetown, 87-84; March 1, at Florida State, 79-74.

* Top players: J.J. Redick, G, Sr., 27.4 ppg.; Shelden Williams, F, Sr., 18.4 ppg., 10.3 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Blue Devils shot better than 50% from the field, best in the ACC, and also led the conference in scoring, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and three-point shooting percentage.

* Revenue/expenses: $12,394,050/$7,400,772.

* Little-known fact: Redick’s 92.1% career mark from the free-throw line is second all-time in NCAA Division I.

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2. TEXAS

* Location: Austin.

* Conference: Big 12.

* RPI: 8.

* Record: 27-6.

* Against tournament field: 10-5.

* Away from home: 11-5.

* In last 10 games: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 2, at Memphis, 69-58; Jan. 14, vs. Villanova, 58-55; March 5, vs. Oklahoma, 72-48.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 10, at East Rutherford, N.J. vs. Duke, 97-66; Dec. 17, vs. Tennessee, 95-78; Feb. 19, at Oklahoma State, 81-60.

* Top players: P.J. Tucker, F, Jr., 16.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg; LaMarcus Aldridge, C, So., 15.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg; Daniel Gibson, G, So., 13.9 ppg.

* Scouting report: The Longhorns have a talented starting five but are inconsistent.

* Revenue/expenses: $11,953,231/$5,088,407.

* Little-known fact: Tucker -- whose academic ineligibility last season contributed to Texas losing in the first round -- reportedly had a 3.4 grade-point average last semester.

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3. IOWA

* Location: Iowa City.

* Conference: Big Ten.

* RPI: 7.

* Record: 25-8.

* Against tournament field: 10-5.

* Away from home: 8-8.

* In last 10 games: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 21, at Kansas City vs. Kentucky, 67-63; Nov. 30, vs. North Carolina State, 45-42; Jan. 7, vs. Illinois, 63-48; Jan. 28, vs. Ohio State, 67-62.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 6, at Northern Iowa, 67-63 (OT); Dec. 9, at Iowa St., 72-60; Jan. 21, at Michigan St., 85-55; Feb. 8, at Northwestern, 51-48.

* Top players: Greg Brunner, F, Sr., 14.1 ppg., 9.2 rpg; Adam Haluska, G, Jr., 13.8 ppg.; Jeff Horner, G, Sr., 12.0 ppg.

* Scouting report: Allowed an average of only 58.8 points in the regular season.

* Revenue/expenses: $10,535/$4,489,063.

* Little-known fact: The Hawkeyes just finished their seventh undefeated home season in history.

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4. LOUISIANA STATE

* Location: Baton Rouge.

* Conference: Southeastern.

* RPI: 13.

* Record: 23-8

* Against tournament field: 7-6.

* Away from home: 9-6.

* In last 10 games: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 26, at West Virginia, 71-68 (OT); Jan. 14, vs. Tennessee, 88-74; Feb. 25, vs. Kentucky, 71-67.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 29, vs. Houston, 84-83.

* Top players: Glen Davis, F, So., 18.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg; Darrel Mitchell, G, Sr., 17.3 ppg; Tyrus Thomas, F, Fr., 12.7 ppg.

* Scouting report: Davis was the SEC player of the year and had a streak of eight consecutive conference games with a double-double.

* Revenue/expenses: $4,570,748/$2,217,358.

* Little-known fact: Davis -- nicknamed “Big Baby” -- took a ballet class in high school, and posed for Sports Illustrated wearing his LSU uniform in a dance class.

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5. SYRACUSE

* Location: Syracuse, N.Y.

* Conference: Big East.

* RPI: 17.

* Record: 23-11.

* Against tournament field: 6-9.

* Away from home: 9-6

* In last 10 games: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 14, at Cincinnati, 77-58; Feb. 20, vs. West Virginia, 60-58; March 9, at New York vs. Connecticut, 86-84 (OT).

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 27, vs. Bucknell, 74-69; March 2, at DePaul, 108-69.

* Top players: Gerry McNamara, G, Sr., 16.4 ppg., 90.1 FT%.; Terrence Roberts, F, Jr., 10.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Orangemen shot only 42% in conference play and Coach Jim Boeheim gets only decent production from seven players.

* Revenue/expenses: $12,418,446/$5,612,173.

* Little-known fact: McNamara is the Big East leader in career three-point field goals with 183.

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6. WEST VIRGINIA

* Location: Morgantown.

* Conference: Big East.

* RPI: 38.

* Record: 20-10.

* Against tournament field: 7-8.

* Away from home: 7-8.

* In last 10 games: 4-6.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 22, at Oklahoma City vs. Oklahoma, 92-68; Jan. 8, at Villanova, 91-87; Jan. 21, at UCLA, 60-56.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 22, at Kansas City vs. Kentucky, 80-66; Jan. 25, at Marshall, 58-52.

* Top players: Kevin Pittsnogle, C, Sr., 19.5 ppg., 5.7 rpg.; Mike Gansey, F, Sr., 17.2 ppg.

* Scouting report: Pittsnogle and Gansey are both shooting better than 40% from three-point range.

* Revenue/expenses: $4,866,720/$3,066,014.

* Little-known fact: The Mountaineers take nearly 11 more three-point shots per game than opponents and are 12-4 in games in which they make at least 10 of them.

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7. CALIFORNIA

* Location: Berkeley.

* Conference: Pacific 10.

* RPI: 52.

* Record: 20-10.

* Against tournament field: 4-5.

* Away from home: 8-6.

* In last 10 games: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 31, at UCLA, 68-61; Jan. 26, vs. Washington, 71-69; Feb. 16, vs. Arizona, 75-66.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 18, at Eastern Michigan, 67-65; Jan. 7, vs. Oregon State, 72-64; Feb. 18, vs. Arizona State, 65-64 (2OT).

* Top players: Leon Powe, F, So., 20.7 ppg., 10.0 rpg.; Ayinde Ubaka, G, Jr., 14.8 ppg., 3.1 apg.

* Scouting report: Powe and 6-11 DeVon Hardin give the Golden Bears a top front line, and guards Richard Midgley and Ubaka are prolific three-point scorers.

* Revenue/expenses: $5,955,824/$3,124,581.

* Little-known fact: Cal has suited up all 14 players on the roster only once.

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8. GEORGE WASHINGTON

* Location: Washington.

* Conference: Atlantic 10.

* RPI: 37.

* Record: 26-2.

* Against tournament field: 1-1.

* Away from home: 11-2.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victory: Dec. 5, at MCI Center in Washington, vs. Maryland, 78-70.

* Disturbing loss: March 9, at Cincinnati vs. Temple, 68-53.

* Top players: Pops Mensah-Bonsu, F, Sr., 13.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg; Danilo Pinnock, G , Sr., 14.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg., 3.1 apg.

* Scouting report: The Colonials were upset victims in the Atlantic 10 tournament, but Mensah-Bonsu -- the center who hasn’t played since Feb. 22 because of arthroscopic knee surgery -- is expected back for the NCAA tournament.

* Revenue/expenses: $2,645,055/$2,368,201.

* Little-known fact: Coach Karl Hobbs was a high school teammate of Patrick Ewing at Cambridge Rindge and Latin in Cambridge, Mass.

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9. N.C. WILMINGTON

* Location: Wilmington.

* Conference: Colonial Athletic Assn.

* RPI: 28.

* Record: 25-7.

* Against tournament field: 1-2.

* Away from home: 13-6.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 14, at Wyoming, 62-59; Jan. 12, at Drexel, 66-60; Jan. 21, vs. George Mason, 69-63.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 18, at Colorado, 73-54; Jan. 14, vs. College of Charleston, 81-77; Jan. 14, at Hofstra, 69-62 (3OT).

* Top players: T.J. Carter, G, Jr., 13.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg; John Goldsberry, G, Sr., 11.2 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.8 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Seahawks rely heavily on the backcourt duo of Carter and Goldsberry.

* Revenue/expenses: $439,964/$904,152.

* Little-known fact: Three starters were part of the 2003 NCAA tournament team that lost to Maryland at the buzzer.

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10. NORTH CAROLINA STATE

* Location: Raleigh.

* Conference: Atlantic Coast.

* RPI: 51.

* Record: 21-9.

* Against tournament field: 3-6.

* Away from home: 6-6.

* In last 10 games: 5-5.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 12, at Alabama, 68-64; Dec. 30, vs. George Washington, 79-58; Jan. 10, at Boston College, 78-60.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 25, vs. Seton Hall, 83-65; March 4, at Wake Forest, 76-63.

* Top players: Cameron Bennerman, G/F, Sr., 13.9 ppg.; Cedric Simmons, C, So., 11.8 ppg., 6.4 rpg.; Engin Atsur, G, So., 11.4 ppg., 3.6 apg.

* Scouting report: The Wolfpack is winning with defense. It led the ACC in nearly every defensive statistical category.

* Revenue/expenses: $11,392,888/$2,438,502.

* Little-known fact: Coach Herb Sendek and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski are the only active coaches with a winning record in the ACC tournament.

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11. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

* Location: Carbondale.

* Conference: Missouri Valley.

* RPI: 29.

* Record: 22-10.

* Against tournament field: 7-4.

* Away from home: 11-8.

* In last 10 games: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 28., at Murray State, 57-53; Jan. 2, vs. Wichita State, 58-49; Feb. 7, vs. Missouri State, 66-64; March 5, at St. Louis vs. Bradley, 59-46.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 25, at Anchorage-Alaska, 72-64; Feb. 1, vs. Indiana State, 63-54; Feb. 21, at Evansville, 64-59.

* Top players: Jamal Tatum, G, Jr., 15.1 ppg; Tony Young, G, Jr., 11.7 ppg.; Randal Falker, F, So., 9.1 ppg., 8 rpg.

* Scouting report: Tatum and Young are dangerous from the perimeter, but Falker was the MVC tournament MVP.

* Revenue/expenses: $1,184,294/$1,283,685.

* Little-known fact: Nickname is the Salukis. The Saluki is one of the oldest dog breeds known, and originally came from the Middle East.

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12. TEXAS A&M;

* Location: College Station.

* Conference: Big 12.

* RPI: 44.

* Record: 21-8

* Against tournament field: 3-6.

* Away from home: 5-6.

* In last 10 games: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: March 1, vs. Texas, 46-43; March 10, at Dallas, vs. Colorado, 86-53.

* Disturbing loss: Jan. 18, at Kansas State, 58-54.

* Top players: Acie Law, G, Jr., 15.9 ppg, 4.0 apg; Joseph Jones, F, So., 15.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg.

* Scouting report: Texas A&M; is making its first NCAA appearance since 1987 after claiming an at-large bid by winning eight consecutive games -- including a regular-season upset of Texas -- before losing to Texas in a Big 12 tournament semifinal, 74-70.

* Revenue/expenses: $6,534,211/$4,895,939.

* Little-known fact: Texas A&M; was 7-21 -- and 0-16 in the Big 12 -- two seasons ago before Billy Gillispie was hired as coach.

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13. IONA

* Location: New Rochelle, N.Y.

* Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic.

* RPI: 64.

* Record: 23-7.

* Against tournament field: 0-2.

* Away from home: 12-3.

* In last 10 games: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 26, at Iowa State, 89-72; Jan. 3, at Fresno State, 70-69; March 4, at Albany, N.Y., vs. St. Peters, 80-69.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 31, at Seton Hall, 73-59; Feb. 23, vs. Siena, 82-76; Feb. 26, at Manhattan, 78-74.

* Top players: Steve Burtt Jr., G, Sr., 25.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg; Ricky Soliver, G, Sr., 16.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.4 apg.

* Scouting report: Burtt is the second-leading scorer in school history, trailing only his father, Burtt Sr.

* Revenue/expenses: $64,425/$1,348,159.

* Little-known fact: Coach Jeff Ruland is a former NBA player.

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14. NORTHWESTERN STATE

* Location: Natchitoches, La.

* Conference: Southland.

* RPI: 60.

* Record: 25-7.

* Against tournament field: 0-3.

* Away from home: 11-7.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 5, at Oklahoma State, 68-64; Dec. 21, vs. Oregon State, 72-61; March 12, vs. Sam Houston State, 95-87.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 23, at Hawaii, 80-76; Jan. 14, at Sam Houston State, 80-73; Feb. 18, at Utah State, 66-63.

* Top players: Clifton Lee, F, Sr., 14.2 ppg., 6.4 rpg.; Jermaine Wallace, G, Sr., 9.8 ppg.; Luke Rogers, G, Jr., 9.4 ppg.

* Scouting report: The Demons set a school record for most wins in a season and have played every opponent tough.

* Revenues/expenses: $346,236/$473,853.

* Little-known fact: Twenty-five wins is the most since Northwestern State became a Division I team 30 years ago.

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15. PENNSYLVANIA

* Location: Philadelphia.

* Conference: Ivy.

* RPI: 98.

* Record: 20-8.

* Against tournament field: 0-2.

* Away from home: 8-4.

* In last 10 games: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 21, vs. Siena, 82-77; Jan. 29, at Hawaii, 58-55; March 4, at Brown, 74-68.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 28, vs. St. Joseph’s (PA), 47-44; March 7, at Princeton, 60-59.

* Top players: Ibrahim Jabber, G, Jr., 18.4 ppg; Mark Zoller, F, Jr., 12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Quakers, led by Jabber, the unanimous Ivy League player of the year, are making their second consecutive tournament appearance. Penn made 374 turnovers this season; their opponents had 505.

* Revenue/expenses: $834,385/$714,753.

* Little-known fact: The Quakers won their 10th Ivy League title under Coach Fran Dunphy.

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16. SOUTHERN

* Location: Baton Rouge, La.

* Conference: Southwestern Athletic.

* RPI: 132.

* Record: 19-12.

* Against tournament field: 0-5.

* Away from home: 9-12.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 2, at Louisiana Tech, 61-52; Jan. 6, vs. Grambling, 72-57; March 11, at Birmingham, Ala. vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 57-44.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 16, at Sacramento State, 67-64; Dec. 5, at Southeast Louisiana, 65-62.

* Top players: Chris Alexander, G, Sr., 15.8 ppg.; Deforrest Riley-Smith, G/F, Jr., 10.6 ppg.

* Scouting report: The Jaguars won their first conference tournament in 13 years and appear to have benefited from a tough preseason schedule.

* Revenue/expenses: $349,746/$349,746.

* Little-known fact: According to the school’s website, Southern University came into existence on April 10, 1880.

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REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME

No. 6 W. Virginia vs. No. 11 So. Illinois

This is the fifth straight NCAA appearance for Southern Illinois. As an 11th seeded-team in 2002, the Salukis beat No. 6 Texas Tech and No. 3 Georgia. In 2003, as a No. 11, they lost, 72-71, to No. 6 Missouri, and in 2004, as a No. 10, they lost, 65-64, to No. 7 Alabama. Last year, as a No. 7, they beat St. Mary’s, 65-56, before losing to No. 2 Oklahoma, 85-77. West Virginia, with passing ability and long-distance shooting, is troublesome for teams not used to its style.

UPSET IN THE MAKING

No. 15 Pennsylvania over No. 2 Texas

Pennsylvania has a history of sneaking up on higher-seeded teams and Texas has a history of folding early in the tournament. It’s hard for the big guys from the big conferences to get up for the Quakers. Usually Penn’s NCAA opponents can’t name a single Quaker. Or know what a Quaker is. They should, though. This is Penn’s 22nd NCAA tournament appearance and the Quakers made the Final Four in 1979 when they lost to Magic Johnson-led Michigan State.

IMPACT PLAYER

Leon Powe, California

Powe is the kind of big, talented, athletic inside player many teams don’t have. Teams who haven’t faced Powe and who don’t understand how sound his footwork is and how soft his hands are find themselves watching him put up double-doubles and dominate games. Powe was chosen the top player in the Pacific 10 Conference tournament even though the Golden Bears lost in the final against UCLA.

THE FORECAST

Duke

Quick teams can take advantage of Duke’s less mobile inside players and the sometimes slow-footed J.J. Redick on defense, so speedy LSU could cause the Blue Devils some trouble. Syracuse and Iowa are hot coming into the tournament. The Orange swept through the Big East tournament and Iowa won the Big Ten’s after finishing second in the regular season. But there doesn’t seem to be an obvious road block to Duke making it to the Final Four.

-- Diane Pucin