Tournament Preview -- East Rutherford Region

The brackets are out and the field is set.

Let's take a look at each region of the NCAA Tournament, starting with the East Rutherford Region.

East Rutherford Region (Team's seed is in parenthesis)

Overrated Team: Florida (5)

The last time we saw the Gators with a No. 5 seed was 2002, when they were upset by Creighton in the first Round. They were a No. 2 seed last year, but got pushed around and then blown out by Michigan State by 22 points in the second round. These losses back up their reputation as a soft tournament team and this year should be no different.

Underrated Team: Wisconsin (6)

The Big Ten tournament champions deserved better than a No. 6 seed, but got penalized because the conference had a down year. However, they did get some consolation by being placed in Milwaukee for the first two rounds. The Badgers are one of the top defensive teams in the nation and average less just 9.9 turnovers per game. Junior guard Devin Harris (19.3ppg) can take control of a game. Don't expect them to back down at all should they meet Pitt in the second round.

Sleeper: Manhattan (12)

After giving eventual national champion Syracuse a scare in the first round last year before falling 76-65, the Jaspers look ready to break through. Their first-round opponent, No. 5 seed Florida, looks ripe for the pickings. It is unlikely that they can get past Wake Forest, but it's not unreasonable to think that they will play across the river at the Meadowlands on the second weekend. Super-scorer Luis Flores averages 24.1 points per game.

Coach you want on your bench: Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State

24 NCAA Tournaments. 11 Sweet Sixteen appearances. Plus, Sutton has coached four different schools (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State) to the NCAA Tournament. What about Bob Knight, you ask? Well, he hasn't taken a team to the Sweet 16 since 1994 and has had some ugly first round losses along the way. Plus, he's capable of a meltdown at any moment.

Coach you want on the other bench: Dave Odom, South Carolina

Odom was never even able to sniff a national championship at Wake Forest during the Tim Duncan era. In 2001, his final season at Wake, his team was humiliated in the first round of the tournament by Butler. Wake trailed by a baffling score of 43-10 in the first half of that game.

Overrated Player: Julius Page, Pittsburgh

Page is not the player that he was last season and his 12-49 clanking over the last seven games is evidence of that. His 71.3% at the line hardly matters as he failed to get to the foul line in 73 minutes of Big East tournament play against Boston College and UConn. Page has to step up and give Pitt a reliable outside shooting threat in the tournament.

Underrated Player: John Lucas, Oklahoma State

You could really list any of the Oklahoma State players in this category, but the 5'11" Lucas is the one that makes the Cowboys go. He can absolutely fly down the court on the fast break and can also hit the three-pointer with consistency (48.4%). He will have the ball with the game on the line.

Role Players to Watch:

Ronald Ross, Texas Tech: Ross does a little bit of everything and is a perfect sidekick for star Andre Emmett. He averages 10.0 points, shoots over 36% from three and 80% at the line.

Pat Carroll, St. Joseph's: If Jameer Nelson or Delonte West get into trouble, they can always kick it out to Carroll, who shoots over 46% from three-point range.

Mike Wilkinson, Wisconsin: Wilkinson is one of those guys who is always around the action, keeping rebounds alive and clogging the paint on defense. He is also a 50% shooter, making him another offensive option for the Badgers.

Key Stats:

* First round opponents Wisconsin (56.7) and Richmond (59.0) are both among the top 10 in the nation in fewest points allowed.

* Texas Tech made the fewest three-pointers of any team in the nation.

* Both Pittsburgh and Charlotte shoot just 65% from the free-throw line.