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Will lose when ... Freije doesn't get much help with the offensive load. Famous Last Words This team has enough size, balance and shooting ability to turn up in the Sweet 16. Complete team report Before filling in your bracket, check out Insider's Tournament Guide. Insider Tour | Sign up now

TO THIS POINT    
At-Large Bid
How They Got Here: Matt Frieje, who had put together some underwhelming postseason performances going back to the SEC tournament, came alive at the right time in the second round of the Phoenix Regional, leading his sixth-seeded Vanderbilt team to an upset of No. 3 seed North Carolina State. Frieje, a first-team All-SEC player, scored 31 points in the Commodores' victory that puts them on a collision course with UConn, the team that was a consensus preseason No. 1.

The Huskies didn't quite dominate the regular season the way they were expected to, but winning the Big East Tournament championship propelled them into the Big Dance with some momentum. Vanderbilt, too, has some momentum, having made the most of their first NCAA Tournament trip in coach Kevin Stallings' tenure. Can the Commodores handle the Huskies, who have the best center in the country in Emeka Okafor and one of the nation's most dynamic shooting guards in Ben Gordon? UConn has other weapons as well, including a veteran point guard in Taliek Brown and a host of quality young post players behind Okafor, most notably Charlie Villanueva.

The Commodores have size themselves in the 6-9 Friejie and 7-2 center Dawid Przybyszewski, but neither is among the most physical players in the country. Still, Friejie and tough to defend. Both prefer to drift out to the perimeter and are deadly 3-point shooters. Occasionally, but perhaps not as often as Stallings would like, both can do some damage inside. Against UConn, Przybyszewski and Friejie might be useful doing what comes naturally, shooting from the perimeter and drawing Okafor away from the basket. With a path to the hoop cleared, Vanderbilt has several players, notably guard Mario Moore and swingmen Scott Hundley and Jason Holwerda, who can slash to the rack and score.

Before making the Sweet 16, just going 8-8 in the SEC this season wasn't easy. But at least the Commodores beat the right teams at home: Kentucky, Florida and LSU. The victory over the Wildcats put Vandy among the SEC's elite this season, but losses to the likes of Tennessee and at Arkansas had some wondering if Vandy would be slighted by the committee. Well, the concerns were put to rest in the SEC tourney when Vandy upset SEC champion Mississippi State in overtime. A 22-point loss to Florida the next day in the semis? Well, that's called a hangover.

PLAYER TO WATCH      
Matt Freije | F | Senior
A first-team all-SEC selection, Freije is the reason Vandy is once again dancing. Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer, Freije averaged over 20 points a game down the stretch, as the Commodores won six of those games to clinch a bid. Freije led Vanderbilt in soring 18 times this season and tied his career-high with 32 points twice.