ESPN Commentary

Worst case: Masked man Tyler Hansbrough remains a shadow of his pre-broken nose, Psycho T self. The freshmen drift just enough and coach Roy Williams substitutes just enough to let a big lead get away. Cryin' Roy turns on the spigots after the Tar Heels lose in the second round to Marquette. Meanwhile, Duke charges through a West Region bracket collapse into the Final Four. Wright, Lawson and Hansbrough all go pro.

EASTERN KENTUCKY (16)
Best case: Colonels do what they did in their last NCAA appearance, in 2005: put a legit scare into a big-name team. Last time it was Kentucky, this time it's North Carolina. An Eastern Kentucky team with a respectable 10-8 road/neutral record remains in the game into the final eight minutes before submitting.

Worst case: Brandan Wright crunches three dunks on the Colonels' heads in the opening four minutes, Hansbrough grabs six rebounds in that time and an Eastern Kentucky team that lost to Ohio State by 29 just tries to keep this one under 30, too.

MARQUETTE (8)
Best case: Jerel McNeal misses only one game -- and there are other games to play. Coach Tom Crean has former boss Tom Izzo's every play call down cold. Golden Eagles survive Michigan State and then shock Carolina and Texas before losing in the regional final to Big East nemesis Georgetown. Dominic James upstages Drew Neitzel, Ty Lawson and D.J. Augustin along the way.

Worst case: McNeal's thumb injury makes a difference against Spartie. Izzo has every Crean play call down cold, too. James shoots 1-for-12 against Michigan State in a first-round loss -- then turns pro. Former Marquette star Dwyane Wade asks Crean if he'd like to come coach him and the Heat in Miami.

MICHIGAN STATE (9)
Best case: Izzo's tournament experience (23 NCAA wins) trumps Crean's (four NCAA wins) in a first-round Michigan State win. Then the Spartans slow down the Heels and frustrate them in a half-court game to reach the Sweet 16. Freshman Raymar Morgan fully unveils himself as the next star of the Spartans. State fans condescendingly congratulate Michigan on another strong NIT performance.

Worst case: Spartans once again bomb out away from the Breslin Center -- it's been three months since they beat anyone outside of East Lansing ranked higher than 177th in the RPI. Neitzel gets no open looks, Morgan plays young and nobody else steps up. For the first time under Izzo, Michigan State is a first-round knockout in back-to-back years.

USC (5)
Best case: On the coaching front, defensive stalwart Tim Floyd undresses Stan Heath and Rick Barnes, taking the Trojans to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years. Everyone comes back to school, O.J. Mayo joins the group and stays out of trouble, and USC takes dead aim at a 2008 Final Four run. UCLA loses early.

Worst case: Team with zero NCAA experience outside its coach gets caught up playing racehorse ball with the Razorbacks, center Taj Gibson has five shots blocked by Steven Hill and the Trojans are out after one game. Then UCLA wins it all and Mayo goes on a barnstorming tour with a semipro team instead of coming to college.

ARKANSAS (12)
Best case: Freshman guard Patrick Beverley announces himself to the world outside the SEC by shooting the Hogs past USC and into the second round, whereupon Arkansas fans can enjoy booing Texas just like old times. The squad with a zest for playing the big boys (a respectable 5-5 against the RPI top 50) then upsets the Longhorns to make the Sweet 16. Suddenly everybody loves coach Stan Heath.

Worst case: After making the arduous commute from Fayetteville to Spokane, the Hogs cannot adjust to an 11:45 p.m. CT tip-off and bumble through a first-round rout against USC. Point guard Gary Ervin turns the ball over eight times. Heath goes back on the griddle as Arkansas still hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game this century.

TEXAS (4)
Best case: Kevin Durant continues his absurd career trajectory, averages 30 points and 15 rebounds in four straight wins, drags the Longhorns to the Final Four and outperforms all available adjectives. Along the way, Durant continues to play along with the charade that he might come back to college.

Worst case: The Durant family's close brush with Celtics moron-in-residence GM Danny Ainge rubs off on the big fella. He shoots 9-for-30 against New Mexico State, which runs out to a 22-point first-half lead and holds on for dear life, winning when Rick Barnes draws up the last shot for guard Craig Winder. CBS mourns. Horns fans mourn even more when Durant signs a deal with an agent, a shoe company, a financial adviser, a video-game company and three urban clothing outfits within 14 minutes of the final horn.

NEW MEXICO STATE (13)
Best case: Aggies are comfortable playing Texas' fast style, catch the hot-and-cold Horns slacking on defense and pull the first-round shocker. Women everywhere call CBS and ask for more sideline shots of coach Reggie Theus.

Worst case: Durant drops 40 on New Mexico State and the Aggies get routed. Lon Kruger leaves UNLV, and Theus takes his place in a heartbeat.

VANDERBILT (6)
Best case: Wing players Derrick Byars and Shan Foster get hot and stay hot for 80 minutes, carrying the Commodores into the Sweet 16. Seeing the results, other schools consider doing away with the athletic department, too.

Worst case: Byars and Foster get cold and stay cold, and Vandy doesn't have enough other options to beat underrated George Washington in the first round. Tired of working without an athletic director, coach Kevin Stallings redoubles his efforts to get out of Nashville.

GEORGE WASHINGTON (11)
Best case: Hot GW team that has won eight straight (five of them away from home) keeps it rolling in the NCAAs, winning two more to reach the Sweet 16. Boss backcourt of Maureece Rice and Carl Elliott controls games, Regis Koundjia throws down a few dunks, and three-time NCAA Tournament team under coach Karl Hobbs is officially the "it" program of the Atlantic 10.

Worst case: Skittery team that lost four straight late January/early February games by an average of 15 points reappears at the wrong time, fails to cover a single Vandy shooter and is routed in the first round. D.C. goes back to ignoring GW in favor of Georgetown.

WASHINGTON STATE (3)
Best case: First-year head coach Tony Bennett, sporting the Skip Bayless open-collar look, guides the Cougars to a strangulation of the opposition in Sacramento. Tempo masters and tenacious defenders choke the life out of Oral Roberts and Vanderbilt before hitting the wall against Georgetown.

Worst case: Collection of unremarkable athletes and NCAA Tournament neophytes is shocked right away, becoming the highest seed to go down in this year's tourney. Fans are bummed when word gets back to the Palouse River valley via carrier pigeon.

ORAL ROBERTS (14)
Best case: School's founder says that if you expect a miracle, a miracle is yours today. Try this one on for size, Oral Bob: Golden Eagles ride senior center Caleb Green and senior point guard Ken Tutt through two upset specials, taking down Washington State and Vanderbilt, to become the first 14-seed in the Sweet 16 in a decade. Hallelujah.

Worst case: Save the miracles for church. Wazzu clamps down on Green inside, controls tempo and squeezes Oral Roberts out of the Dance in undramatic fashion. Coach Scott Sutton takes leave of Tulsa for a Mountain West Conference gig.

BOSTON COLLEGE (7)
Best case: Coach Al Skinner's three-man team of combo forward Jared Dudley, shooter Sean Marshall and point guard Tyrese Rice outduels Bob Knight's two-man team of Jarrius Jackson and Martin Zeno. Eagles then are at least competitive with Georgetown before recusing themselves and cursing Sean Williams -- their only answer for Roy Hibbert -- for getting kicked off the team.

Worst case: Sagging three-man team shoots as poorly against Texas Tech as it did in the ACC tournament (a combined 30-for-74, 40 percent) and is sent home. Eagles finish the season losing six of their last eight. They're left out of a Catholic parade to the second round that includes Georgetown, Notre Dame, Marquette, Gonzaga and Villanova.

TEXAS TECH (10)
Best case: With trademark precision offense and passionate defense, Bob Knight caps record-setting season with an upset of BC in the first round and a noble loss to Georgetown in the second. Knight treats the NCAA news conference moderator with tender mercy, answers questions with reasonable civility and keeps his hands to himself the entire weekend.

Worst case: Eagles beat Tech as badly as Kansas State beat the Red Raiders in the Big 12 tournament (21 points). Knight grabs a player by the back of the neck and delivers a paternal Vulcan nerve pinch, gently suggesting that the player improve his &*$%^$% focus. TV analysts stress that this was a teaching moment, that if this were any other coach we wouldn't be talking about it, and that 200 other coaches went Vulcan on their players at various times this season (while failing to name a single one). News conference moderator quits before Knight arrives for postgame interview.

GEORGETOWN (2)
Best case: Jeff Green continues blossoming into a top-10 pick, Roy Hibbert remains indomitable in the middle, the guards protect the rock, everybody plays D and there once against is a John Thompson cutting down the Final Four nets. And a Patrick Ewing, too. Somewhere, Michael Graham is scowling in approval.

Worst case: Balky backcourt turns over the ball, guards can't hit shots and Georgetown is routed in the regional final by go-go North Carolina. Juniors Green and Hibbert both leave early.

BELMONT (15)
Best case: Hibbert knocks himself unconscious walking through a low doorway and Green catches mono in Winston-Salem. Bruins keep it close until the final minutes.

Worst case: Hibbert and Green are fine. Belmont is not, losing by 31. Teams that lose twice in a season to Lipscomb don't tend to fare too well in these matchups.

Worst case: Fat-and-happy Florida gets caught up in a shootout with revived Arizona and is shockingly booted in the second round. Oh-Fours depart en masse for NBA draft. Donovan leaves for the Miami Heat. Tim Tebow gives up football to become a missionary.

JACKSON STATE (16)
Best case: With the Tigers' pep band, "The Sonic Boom of the South," rocking the house in nearby New Orleans, Jax State stays in the game with lollygagging Florida until the final media timeout.

Worst case: Band's bus breaks down on the way to New Orleans. Tigers down 20-2 at first media timeout.

ARIZONA (8)
Best case: Explosive Wildcats finally live up to their potential. They catch fire offensively, shoot 60 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range and upset their way to the Final Four. Chase Budinger reminds Kevin Durant and Greg Oden they're not the only freshmen in this tourney worthy hyping.

Worst case: Soft Wildcats continue to play lax defense, continue to have chemistry issues and conclude their underachieving season by bowing out against Purdue in the first round. Budinger goes pro minutes after the game. Coach Lute Olson decides it's finally time to join the other coots in the state in retirement.

PURDUE (9)
Best case: Boilermakers show Arizona what Big Ten defense is all about, locking up the Wildcats and winning a first-round grinder. Then they take Florida to the wire in the second round before losing on a Taurean Green shot from midcourt. With a stellar recruiting class coming in, coach Matt Painter has Purdue primed for a return to prominence.

Worst case: The Boilermakers show Arizona what Big Ten offense is all about, scoring 39 points. The team that went 5-10 away from Mackey Arena throws up dozens of bricks en route to a 25-point loss.

BUTLER (5)
Best case: The team that made its name on neutral courts in November shows up here, swishing 3s from everywhere and playing stubborn defense all the way to the Sweet 16. America revives its interest in scrawny, pasty point guard A.J. Graves, who makes 12 3s and every free throw he attempts in two games in Buffalo. Graves earns respect for standing up to trash-talking Noah in close regional semifinal loss to Florida.

Worst case: The team that struggled down the stretch, losing four of its last eight games, shows up here. Bulldogs are bullied inside by Old Dominion, Graves continues scary late-season shooting (34 of his last 111 from the field), Butler is one-and-done. Back home, a tornado hits historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.

OLD DOMINION (12)
Best case: Monarchs catch a little of the George Mason magic from their Colonial Athletic Association brethren, upsetting Butler and Maryland to reach the Sweet 16. Experienced group that has won 76 games the past three years suffocates the Bulldogs and Terrapins defensively and forces Florida to the wire before succumbing.

Worst case: Team that shoots just 43 percent from the floor gets no easy looks against sticky Butler D and is a first-round punch-out. Mason Magic is diverted to VCU.

MARYLAND (4)
Best case: Terrapins carry over their late-season roll to the Big Dance, riding a brisk tempo and superior athleticism to eliminate both Davidson and Butler to reach the Sweet 16. Freshman point guards Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes combine for 23 assists in two games. High-flying forward James Gist dunks a ball with his teeth.

Worst case: Terps sleepwalk into the tourney's opening game, a 12:20 p.m. ET Thursday tip-off, and are embarrassed by heady Davidson. Coach Gary Williams napalms team with f-bombs for failing to show up. Freshmen point guards combine to commit 12 turnovers. Gist hits head on rim going for a dunk, blacks out.

DAVIDSON (13)
Best case: Outstanding coach Bob McKillop has his team locked in from the beginning, jumps out to a 16-point first-half lead on Maryland and nurses it to a 65-63 upset victory. Then freshman hotshot Stephen Curry scores 30 to gun down Butler in the second round. School decides it's already playing with house money and calls off Sweet 16 game with Florida, averting 40-point massacre.

Worst case: Seniorless Wildcats get stage fright playing the first game of the Dance, fall behind Maryland 28-8 and get run out of Buffalo. Terps, tired of hearing how good Curry is, hold him to 2-for-15 shooting.

NOTRE DAME (6)
Best case: Fighting Irish celebrate St. Patrick's weekend by burying Winthrop and Oregon under an avalanche of 3-pointers. Then they top off the run with an upset of Wisconsin. ESPN analyst and former Irish coach Digger Phelps waves his neon highlighter in approval, and coach Mike Brey wins the award for best no-necktie coach of the tournament. During Wisconsin game, Irish football coach Charlie Weis takes notes on how to beat a top-10 team.

Worst case: Irish take a cue from the football team and can't cover anyone. Winthrop rides its superior NCAA Tournament experience to a double-digit win. Leprechaun gets ejected for biting Winthrop player who falls out of bounds in his vicinity.

WINTHROP (11)
Best case: Seventh try is the charm as the Eagles finally win an NCAA Tournament game on a Craig Bradshaw up-and-under hoop in the final seconds. They follow that up with an upset of Oregon and a Sweet 16 bid. Coach Gregg Marshall doesn't even listen this spring to other job offers.

Worst case: Eagles suffer a seventh first-round loss when they turn over the ball at midcourt in a tie game and Notre Dame forward Luke Zeller hits a 3 at the buzzer. Marshall has another job within a week.

OREGON (3)
Best case: Bryce Taylor, fresh off his 11-for-11 freak show in the Pac-10 tournament title game, goes 12-for-12 against Miami (Ohio), 13-for-13 against Notre Dame and 14-for-14 against Wisconsin. Finally misses in regional final against Florida, but by then he's a lottery pick and the Ducks have gone as far as they can go.

Worst case: Taylor goes 0-for-11 in shocking first-round loss to Miami (Ohio). Duck Nation goes back to grousing about coach Ernie Kent.

MIAMI (OHIO) (14)
Best case: Ducks fail to read the scouting report on guard Doug Penno, which says that he is the ultimate one-trick pony (40 of his 42 field goals this season are 3s). Penno reprises his MAC tourney title act by banking in a 3 to win it, setting up an all-turtleneck round-of-32 matchup between coach Charlie Coles and Brey.

Worst case: Ducks have read the scouting report on Penno and everybody else, discover that the 18-14 RedHawks aren't very good, and beat them by 40.

UNLV (7)
Best case: Carrying the banner for the disrespected Mountain West Conference, coach's son and senior guard Kevin Kruger leads the criminally underseeded Runnin' Rebels into the regional finals. Everyone gets nostalgic for the old UNLV, telling stories about the amoeba defense, Larry Johnson and Tark's towel.

Worst case: UNLV nostalgia brings vintage picture of players hot-tubbing with Richard "The Fixer" Perry back into circulation. Then the Rebels are ridden out early in a size-and-athleticism mismatch with Georgia Tech. With his son gone, Kruger decides he wants to try to win 20 games at a sixth different school and leaves, too.

GEORGIA TECH (10)
Best case: Freshmen Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young combine to average 40 points per game in three straight Tech upsets, taking their team to the regional finals. People remember why they were so impressed with coach Paul Hewitt three years ago when he took the Yellow Jackets to the national championship game.

Worst case: Team that went 3-10 away from Alexander Coliseum resurfaces in Chicago, plays casual defense and loses by 15 to UNLV. People go back to assuming that Hewitt is an OK coach who had one lucky run in '04.

WISCONSIN (2)
Best case: Badgers' swing offense, sound defense and experience carry them all the way to the Elite Eight. Once there, they play '92 Kentucky to Florida's '92 Duke, losing an epic overtime battle at the buzzer that ultimately makes this Wisconsin team heroic for years to come in its home state.

Worst case: Brian Butch-less team that failed to score more than 55 points in five of its last six games can't keep up offensively with UNLV (or Georgia Tech) in the second round. Pep band disbanded after inebriated members dive into green-tinted Chicago River on St. Patrick's Day.

TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (15)
Best case: High-octane Islanders, coached by a guy who knows how to pull a first-round upset (Ronnie Arrow, South Alabama over Alabama, 1989), make Wisconsin work into the final minutes.

Worst case: Tournament newbies gag in front of pro-Badgers crowd. If they can lose by 24 to Mississippi State (96-72 in December), they can lose by at least that much to Wisconsin.

Worst case: Oden is surrounded by pesky men in orange jerseys, the Buckeyes are missing their 3s and Tennessee turns the tables after their two-point January loss in Columbus. Ohio State goes out in the Sweet 16, and Oden and running mate Mike Conley Jr. put their names in the draft shortly thereafter.

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (16)
Best case: Leading rebounder Obie Nwadike averages 10.9 rebounds, a number that should embarrass 7-footer Oden and his 9.7 boards per game. Nwadike skies for a few offensive rebounds over No. 20 in white as the Blue Devils hang around for a half.

Worst case: Nwadike eats Spalding, needs emergency tracheotomy when he tries to put one of those offensive rebounds back in the basket over Oden. CCSU team that lost to Harvard gives up six dunks and four 3s in the games first 10 minutes, then quietly waits for the clock to run out.

BRIGHAM YOUNG (8)
Best case: Cougars get good shots against Xavier and make them, since their top three scorers all shoot 55 percent or better from the field. Team flush with experience and led by two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose wins one and pushes Ohio State for a while in round two.

Worst case: BYU's reward for being the higher seed versus Xavier is a long trip to play the Musketeers in Lexington, about 85 miles from their campus. Stormin' Mormons don't mix well in a state known for bourbon, tobacco and gambling on horses, are punched out in round one.

XAVIER (9)
Best case: With seven players who have attempted at least 75 foul shots this season, Musketeers free-throw BYU to death in first round. That earns a shot at their former coach, Thad Matta, and the chance to play a Buckeyes team that wants no part of scheduling them on a regular basis. So the intangibles go to a veteran X squad, but not the victory. Fans issue loving daily reminders to Cincinnati backers that the Bearcats didn't even make the Big East tournament, much less any other tourney.

Worst case: Muskies beat BYU, then lose to Ohio State by 40 and have to hear it from Buckeyes fans in the Queen City all summer. Momentarily emboldened Cincy fans chime in that their team lost to Ohio State by only 22.

TENNESSEE (5)
Best case: Bruce Pearl paints his face for the first round, wears an orange afro wig for the second and plays "Rocky Top" on a kazoo during a halftime CBS interview for the third. Chris Lofton hits nine 3s, young big men Wayne Chism and Duke Crews keep Greg Oden in check and the Vols score an 84-82 upset of Ohio State in the Sweet 16. Then they have the joy of watching Texas A&M take out Memphis the same night in San Antonio. Vol Nation momentarily stops fretting about Erik Ainge's torn meniscus.

Worst case: Pearl gets "T" for excessive sweating, and the Vols endure second straight March swoon. Their second successive one-and-out in the SEC tournament is followed by an upset at the hands of similarly up-tempo Long Beach State. Vol Nation goes back to obsessing over Ainge's knee.

LONG BEACH STATE (12)
Best case: The time is now for a team whose top seven scorers all are seniors, and the 49ers seize the day by upsetting wilting Tennessee. Blessed with an unexpected second-round game against fellow Cinderella Albany, Long Beach wins that one, too. With USC and UCLA also advancing, SoCal becomes the Mecca of college basketball.

Worst case: Style of play causes no culture shock for the Volunteers, who are happy to run with the 49ers. Team that beat nobody -- repeat, nobody -- ranked higher than 140th in the RPI gets blitzed out of Columbus by the Volunteers. SoCal fails to notice that Long Beach played in the Tournament.

VIRGINIA (4)
Best case: This tends to be a guard's time of year, and the Cavaliers have two of the best in Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. They dominate the ball and the Albany Great Danes in round one, take down Tennessee in round two and hang tough against Ohio State before losing in the Sweet 16. Second-year coach Dave Leitao is lauded for bringing Virginia's program back to respectability after years of decline under Pete Gillen.

Worst case: Guards won't pass the ball to the big guys and find themselves in a surprising matchup with a salty Albany backcourt. Cavaliers finish season with three straight losses: gagging away the outright ACC title against Wake Forest, gagging their way out of the ACC tournament against North Carolina State and gagging their way out of the NCAAs against the champion of the America East. Striking while the iron is room temperature, Leitao gets a contract extension.

ALBANY (13)
Best case: Armed with the experience of nearly making history as a No. 16 seed last year against No. 1 Connecticut, the Great Danes come back hungry and confident -- and with a better seed. They charge through a bracket collapse to the Sweet 16, and 6-foot-1 rebounding leader Jamar Wilson (6.3 boards per game) becomes a folk hero for battling Greg Oden on the glass. Hot Coach status is bestowed upon Will Brown.

Worst case: Multiple Virginia players make like Vermont's Marqus Blakely in the America East final and crush dunks over the Danes all day long in a first-round rout.

LOUISVILLE (6)
Best case: Disrespected by seed but not by location, Cardinals beat Stanford and Texas A&M before partisan crowds in nearby Lexington, beat ancient rival Memphis in San Antonio and shock Ohio State to put Rick Pitino in his sixth Final Four. The top seven scorers all come back next year. Meanwhile, Kentucky goes down on Friday in Chicago, returns home in time to see Louisville winning in Rupp.

Worst case: Cards return to their quick-trigger perimeter ways from early in the season, fail to get the ball inside and can't handle Stanford's Lopez twins in the paint. Sophomore Terrence Williams and freshman Derrick Caracter make spectacularly bad decisions to go pro. Kentucky upsets Kansas.

STANFORD (11)
Best case: Brook Lopez fouls out David Padgett and Caracter, then outplays Joseph Jones of Texas A&M. The Cardinal (not the Cardinals) channel the Trent Johnson magic from 2004, when he took Nevada to the Sweet 16 as a No. 10 seed. Tiger shows up in the Stanford cheering section in San Antonio.

Worst case: Stuck with a 9:40 a.m. PT tip-off a few thousand miles from home against a lower seed that is 75 miles off its campus, Stanford skips breakfast and steps right into a Louisville ambush. Brook Lopez plays like George Lopez.

TEXAS A&M (3)
Best case: Billy Gillispie becomes the first coach since Steve Fisher in 1989 to win a national title after entering the tournament with one or fewer NCAA victories. Aggies beat Texas in the Final Four to add to the merriment. In a fit of ecstasy, A&M signs Gillispie to a 10-year, $35 million deal and names its court after him.

Worst case: Aggies are trapdoored by the Lexington draw against Louisville and sent home early, still lacking the first regional final appearance in school history. Back home in College Station, they watch Texas win it all.

PENN (14)
Best case: Quakers fans dispatch Keeneland Race Course bugler to blare in front of the hotel rooms of Joseph Jones and Antanas Kavaliauskas at dawn, ruining their sleep cycle and throwing off their biorhythms. It almost works, before the Aggies prevail on an A.C. Law J at the buzzer.

Worst case: Jones and Kavaliauskas have a good night's sleep, then force Penn big man Mark Zoller into early foul trouble. Aggies squash the Quakers by 25.

NEVADA (7)
Best case: Nick Fazekas cements his draft status in the only BCS-free quadrant of the bracket by leading the Wolfpack past Creighton and Memphis and into the Sweet 16. Schools line up to talk to coach Mark Fox, but he turns them all down. Back home in Reno, all the slot machines surrender jackpots and the blackjack dealers bust.

Worst case: Team that went 1-3 against RPI top 50 competition is exposed by tenacious Creighton. Fox checks out for a bigger gig, and the casinos continue making a killing.

CREIGHTON (10)
Best case: Dana Altman shows once again that you don't need a personality to win games in the NCAA Tournament, shocking Memphis carnival barker John Calipari in the second round. Nate "Don't Fake The" Funk lands on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Worst case: You might not need a personality, but you do need some athletes to compete with the likes of Nevada. Lacking them, the Bluejays are dismissed and Omaha goes back to planning the College World Series.

MEMPHIS (2)
Best case: Saying he's doing it for all the small schools out there, John Calipari -- who knows the names of only three other coaches in Conference USA -- launches his populist crusade for a national title outside the BCS leagues. Deep and athletic Tigers deliver by playing beyond their age and up to their talent, with Chris Douglas-Roberts named the Final Four MOP as Calipari cuts down the nets and tearfully proclaims himself more Memphian than Elvis. Cal signs lifetime deal that gives him part ownership of FedEx and the Grizzlies.

Worst case: Softened by a season of Southern Misses, Memphis is startlingly eliminated in the second round. Calipari still is awarded a lifetime contract, but interviews for three other jobs, privately saying he can't stand another season in Conference USA.

NORTH TEXAS (15)
Best case: Memphis starters get hold of some bad crawfish in New Orleans and are too sick to play. Mean Green loses to the second string by only four.

Worst case: Tigers' tummies are fine. Conciliatory Green loses 80-50.

Worst case: Big Dance klutzes get from Self what they never got from Williams: just a single NCAA victory in a three-year span. Jayhawks narrowly avert a one-and-done threepeat by holding off Niagara, then choke in the second round against Villanova in a spoiled Chicago homecoming for Julian Wright and Sherron Collins. Everyone goes pro but Self, whose return is met with mixed emotions.

NIAGARA (16)
Best case: Feeling spurned by their exile to the play-in game, Purple Eagles push Kansas to the limit. Western New York radio station that carries Niagara games and once pre-empted the ending of a game to play polka music jumps on bandwagon, sponsors Purple Eagle Pride Day and makes coach Joe Mihalich a guest drive-time DJ.

Worst case: Purple Eagles steamrolled by halftime against the Jayhawks, trailing 46-15. School administrators phone into Western New York radio station and beg it to play polka music throughout second half.

KENTUCKY (8)
Best case: Randolph Morris and Joe Crawford reach previously untapped reservoirs of passion, Ramel Bradley quits throwing the ball away and the Wildcats surprisingly pull out of a two-year tailspin by upsetting Kansas and reaching the regional final. Fans at least halfheartedly chant "Tub-by! Tub-by! Tub-by!" after every victory. Back home in Rupp Arena, Louisville loses in the first round.

Worst case: Fans chant "Tubby Must Go!" after phlegmatic Cats bow out against Villanova, their seventh loss in the final 10 games. To their dismay, athletic director Mitch Barnhart stands by his man for another season. Morris and Crawford go pro, hotly pursued recruits Patrick Patterson and Jai Lucas go to Duke and Oklahoma State, respectively, and Rick Pitino takes Louisville to the Final Four again.

VILLANOVA (9)
Best case: Curtis Sumpter and Scottie Reynolds carry the Wildcats to an unlikely second consecutive regional final, upsetting Kentucky, Kansas and Southern Illinois along the way. Jay Wright outdresses every coach in his path, smiles graciously at all times, and between games helps old ladies across the street outside the arena. Back home in Philly, Phil Martelli remains bald.

Worst case: Wright loses a button on his pinstripe sport coat, gets several hairs out of place and earns a technical as his Wildcats shoot 29 percent and melt down against Kentucky. Reynolds scores 30 in a losing effort and proceeds directly to the pros.

VIRGINIA TECH (5)
Best case: All of America gets acquainted with the backcourt of Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon as the Hokies eliminate the entire state of Illinois (first the Illini, then Southern Illinois) from the bracket. With Villanova/Kentucky having upset Kansas, the path is open to the school's first regional final in 40 years.

Worst case: Hokies shoot 5-for-19 from the foul line against Illinois, Bruce Weber undresses Seth (zero career NCAA wins) Greenberg and it's back to spring football. Several thousand Virginia fans also backing their team in Columbus roar for the Illini.

ILLINOIS (12)
Best case: In a redemptive sweep for Bruce Weber, players stay out of trouble long enough to upset Virginia Tech and Southern Illinois. Eric Gordon is so inspired, he asks out of his letter of intent to Indiana.

Worst case: Illini score 42 points and lose on Friday to Virginia Tech. Two more players get busted Saturday for DUI. And Chief Illiniwek is still in forced retirement.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (4)
Best case: The world finally notices that the Salukis are playing in their sixth straight NCAA Tournament and gives them a little respect. That respect morphs into outright affection as they make a run through a broken-down bracket to the regional final. Chris Lowery becomes the nation's hot coach.

Worst case: Thin Salukis get in foul trouble in the front court and lose to an underrated Holy Cross team in the first round. Even with the loss, Lowery is still a hot coach and follows Weber and Matt Painter out of Carbondale to a bigger job.

HOLY CROSS (13)
Best case: Gray panther Ralph Willard finally gets the first-round NCAA win his Crusaders have come so close to achieving three previous times this decade. Blistering hot Holy Cross, which has lost just two of its last 20 games by a total of four points, proceeds to the Sweet 16 in exotic San Jose after beating Illinois in the second round.

Worst case: Another agonizing first-round loss puts the Patriot League out of the round of 32 for the first time since 2004. And the school is still located in lovely Worcester, Mass.

DUKE (6)
Best case: Blessed with a miraculous No. 6 seed from the selection committee and clean forearm play from Gerald Henderson, the Blue Devils surge to the Sweet 16. Mike Krzyzewski's gritty overachievers tug at America's heartstrings, helping Coach Kommercial lands three more endorsement deals. "I love my kids," Krzyzewski says after a valiant Sweet 16 loss to UCLA. Meanwhile, North Carolina loses in the round of 32.

Worst case: Krzyzewski fails to say that he loves his kids after being bounced in the first round by aggressive and athletic VCU. Basketball love is conditional, and there is nothing to love about a Duke team that ends the season on a four-game losing streak. Two of the losses are retroactively transferred to Pete Gaudet's record. Carolina wins it all.

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (11)
Best case: Anthony Grant becomes the first rookie head coach to take a team to the Sweet 16 since Jamie Dixon in 2004 -- and he pressures Dixon's Pittsburgh team off the floor to do it. Eric Maynor continues the insane roll he began in the final minutes of the CAA championship game, making 10 steals and scoring 30 points in two upset wins. Jim Larranaga shows up in Buffalo to cheer on the Rams.

Worst case: Larranaga helps outfit Mike Krzyzewski with the scouting report on VCU and the Rams get stage fright at the sight of the almighty Duke jerseys. Not only is Grant's team one-and-done, so is he after South Florida makes him an offer he cannot refuse.

PITTSBURGH (3)
Best case: Panthers finally break through the Sweet 16 ceiling, riding their punishing defensive style to a validating Final Four. UCLA cannot handle Aaron Gray in the regional semis, and Pitt outmuscles Kansas in the regional final. Push to Atlanta lessens the Iron City dread of another oncoming Pirates season.

Worst case: Pitt team that lost three of its last six grinds to a halt in the second round against Duke. Gray is outplayed by the more skilled Josh McRoberts, and nobody can hit a key perimeter shot. Media vows to keep Panthers out of the Top 10 until they can prove something in March.

WRIGHT STATE (14)
Best case: America falls in love with 5-foot-10ish blur DaShaun Wood, who sprints through the Pittsburgh defense for 25 points and carries the Raiders to the brink of a first-round upset. They lose on a late tip-in by Aaron Gray, who flattens two Raiders getting to the ball without referee intervention. Coach Brad Brownell is universally hailed as a can't-miss up-and-comer.

Worst case: Brownell is so universally hailed that he's wooed away after one season.

INDIANA (7)
Best case: Kelvin Sampson does what Mike Davis failed to do last year: beat up Gonzaga. He's hailed anew as the right man for the job after the Hoosiers nearly take down UCLA. D.J. White averages 23 and 12 in two games but comes back for his senior season, having bonded with Sampson. And Purdue takes it in the shorts against Arizona.

Worst case: At least Davis lost to Adam Morrison; Sampson is eliminated by Derek Raivio and Jeremy Pargo as the Hoosiers wheeze to 60 points while surrendering 75. White goes pro. Eric Gordon watches Indiana labor offensively and asks to tear up his letter of intent. Purdue upsets Florida.

GONZAGA (10)
Best case: Zags come from 10 points down in the closing minutes to shock UCLA and reach the regional final. In Charlotte, Adam Morrison cries redemptive tears of joy. Mushroomgate has officially been survived.

Worst case: Zags fans need hallucinogens to endure watching their team being slowed down and torn down in the first round by Indiana. New Mexico offers Mark Few $3 million a year and an annual four-week, all-expenses-paid trout fishing vacation if he'll come to Albuquerque.

UCLA (2) Best case: On the 10th anniversary of Arizona's title dash, UCLA also beats three No. 1 seeds -- Kansas, Florida and Ohio State -- on the way to the crown. Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo channel Mike Bibby and Miles Simon. Ben Howland is named Coach For Life. And Kevin Love arrives to get the fans talking repeat. (Note for everyone who thinks UCLA got a cushy hometown draw: it's 384 miles from LA to Sacramento. That's farther than Storrs to Washington, D.C., when UConn supposedly got screwed by the committee last year.)

Worst case: Bruins team that stumbled through season-ending losses to nontournament teams Washington and California throws in one more clunker and loses in the second round to Indiana. Big men get bowled over and perimeter players cannot pick up the slack. Meanwhile, USC makes the Sweet 16.

WEBER STATE (15)
Best case: Collison pulls a hammy in warm-ups, UCLA shoots 28 percent in the first half and the Fighting Webers are still in it after halftime.

Worst case: Team that lost by 22 to Sacramento State (RPI: 302) to end the regular season gets atomized, losing by 44.