Tournament Preview -- Phoenix Region

The brackets are out and the field is set. Here's a look at the NCAA Tournament teams, players and coaches. In this article, we look at the Phoenix Region.

Phoenix Region (Team seed is in parenthesis)

Overrated Team: Vanderbilt (6)

For a team that was 8-8 in the SEC and hasn't played in the tournament since 1997, this seems like too high of a seed. Vandy is also 4-16 in their last 20 SEC road games, which may indicate that they are uncomfortable away from home. The lack of tournament experience, problems winning on the road and a tough first round opponent in Western Michigan may doom the Commodores.

Underrated Team: DePaul (7)

DePaul was given a No. 7 seed despite going 12-4 in Conference USA and reaching the conference tournament finals. Coach Dave Leitao has turned the program around, despite being overshadowed by fellow conference coaches Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins, John Calipari and Tom Crean. To his credit, Leitao's team beat each one of those coaches during the season. Four starters average in double figures, including tough senior center Andre Brown (14.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg). Like Vanderbilt, the Blue Demons lack tournament experience, but their season resume warranted a better seed.

Sleeper: Louisiana-Lafayette (14)

The Ragin' Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference like to run and are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation. They will be a tough team to prepare for as five players average double figures, but two of them come off the bench. With N.C. State point guard Scooter Sherrill banged-up, the Cajuns have a shot to pull an upset if they can score in transition.

Coach you want on your bench: Jim Calhoun, Connecticut

Calhoun has never lost a first round game and he is 20-2 in the first and second rounds. UConn has been to the Elite Eight five times since 1990 and to the Sweet 16 nine times. And, of course, they won the championship in 1999.

Coach you want on the other bench: Mark Gottfried, Alabama

Gottfried and Alabama have disappointed in the last two NCAA tournaments. In 2002, Bama was a No. 2 seed. They struggled to beat No. 15 Florida Atlantic before an upset loss in the second round to No. 10 Kent State. Last year, they were handled by a beatable Indiana team. Gottfried needs to show that he can lead his team to tournament success.

Overrated Player: Kennedy Winston, Alabama

There is no denying the talent of Winston, but he has been far too inconsistent and has struggled in big games against top competition. His poor showing (2-11, 6 pts) was the difference in a 75-73 SEC Tournament loss to Florida. He also shot 5-17 in a loss to Mississippi State, 5-16 in a loss to Vanderbilt and 3-13 in a loss to Kentucky. Winston must step up in order for 'Bama to have any chance to advance in the tournament.

Underrated Player: Marcus Melvin, N.C. State

Melvin has been outstanding all season long for State. Despite all the attention given to teammate Julius Hodge, it is Melvin who has knocked down so many big shots in big moments. The 6'8" senior averaged 14.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and he loves to step out and hit the three (35.6%). Melvin elevates his game when the competition is toughest and the Wolfpack will be counting on him in the clutch in this tournament. There is no reason to believe that he won't come through.

Role Players to Watch:

Josh Pace, Syracuse: When you watch a Syracuse game and it looks like the Orangemen may be fading, there is that No. 5 again hitting a big shot or keeping a possession alive with an offensive rebound. Pace is always in the right place at the right time. His one-handed runners in the lane could not be stopped by either Texas or Kansas in the 2003 Final Four. The 6'5" junior contributes in all offensive categories (9.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.3 apg), while providing tremendous hustle and determination on the defensive end as well.

D.J. Strawberry, Maryland: The son of Darryl has given Maryland a big spark off the bench all year long. When backup point guard Andre Collins transferred from the team early in the year, coach Gary Williams asked the true freshman to take over the position. Strawberry accepted the new role with enthusiasm and displayed his hard-working mentality by improving his shooting and passing over the course of the season to make himself a more complete player. He also wasted no time in proving himself to be one of the best defensive players in the ACC and he will be relied upon to shut down the top guards that the Terps will face in the tournament.

Nick Robinson, Stanford: Robinson is the fifth option offensively for the Cardinal, but he hit the shot of the year when he drilled a 35-foot shot to knock off Arizona on February 7. The 6'6" junior guard is a steady defender who fills up the stat sheet (6.4ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.3 apg) during his 25 minutes of action per game off the bench.

Key Stats:

* N.C. State leads the nation in free-throw shooting at 79.7%.

* Connecticut shoots just 61% from the foul line and star center Emeka Okafor only shoots 51%.

* Maryland has made at least the Sweet 16 seven times in the past 10 years.