Gerry Broome / AP

North Carolina was missing Ty Lawson when the Tar Heels lost to Duke earlier this year. He'll be there Saturday.

Q: Can Villanova bring in the big man it needs with all the good guards and
forwards it already has?
— Nick Berry, Bettendorf, Iowa

A: Three thoughts immediately came to me when I read your question, Nick. First, I think Jay Wright is a great recruiter. His background has allowed him to build a strong recruiting base in New York, New Jersey and the surrounding area. Second, the Wildcats have become something of a trendsetter under Wright. Villanova has thrived with a three-guard system, which has become popular at other schools. Wright rarely has sent a traditional lineup onto the floor to start a game, but Villanova has enjoyed great success. Third, the Wildcats have Casiem Drummond on their roster. Drummond is a 6-10, 275-pound sophomore who scored 32 points in 19 games as a freshman. A stress fracture has limited him to 16 games this season, but he has double his minutes and is averaging 5.8 points.  Drummond is Wright’s best post player. Since Drummond has been in and out of the lineup with an ankle problem, Wright has been forced to make adjustments. The Wildcats handled it well against UConn and Hasheem Thabeet when the Wildcats snapped the Huskies’ 10-game winning streak. Villanova had a guard sagging back, just to annoy Thabeet, and he turned the ball over three times. Could Villanova use more big men? Sure. I don’t know of any involvement at this point. But Wright may go looking in the spring signing period.                                                                                                  

Q: Do you think that Kansas would benefit better from a No. 2 seed, staying
in the Midwest, rather than getting the No. 1 seed and being sent out West?
— Teddy

A: Right now, the Jayhawks are a solid No. 2 seed, and there’s still a shot at a No. 1 seed. Kansas needs to at least share the Big 12 regular-season title and win the Big 12 tournament in order to receive a 1. That might be enough to replace one of the ACC teams or Tennessee as a 1. I think Kansas will be sent to the Midwest or the South. The members of the basketball committee should remember that the Jayhawks were sent West last year and lost to UCLA. A repeat seeding this year wouldn’t be fair to either team. UCLA deserves to stay in the West, whether the Bruins are a No. 1 or a No. 2. The bottom line: there isn’t much difference between the top line and the second line. The records are almost the same in terms of the success rate for reaching the second week of the tournament. It’s an entirely different story with a No. 3 seed. As a 3, you meet a better team in the second round. The chances of going one-and-done increase dramatically.

Q: Where do you see the Canes in the NCAA tournament? I think they're playing
decent enough to maybe get into the Sweet 16.
—Jeff, Miami

A: Sorry Jeff, I don’t see a spot in the Sweet 16 for the Hurricanes. Unless Miami does something drastic to improve its seed during the ACC tournament, I see the Canes getting an at-large bid with a No. 8 or 9 seed. That’s a tough spot to fall. The 8-9 game is tough enough. Win that and you are playing a No. 1 seed in the second round. That’s a headache for any team, regardless of how they’ve been playing down the stretch.

Q: How many conferences do not have a season-ending tournament to decide
their rep to the final 65-team tournament?
— Jerry L. Mounts, Evans, Ga.

A: Good time to ask that question, Jerry, with championship week about to start. There are 31 automatic bids in the field, and 30 are determined by conference tournaments. The Ivy League, that bastion of tradition, is the only conference that sends its regular-season champion.  Cornell became the first team in the NCAA Tournament this year by beating Harvard 86-53 Saturday and wrapping up the Ivy League championship. It’s been 20 years since the Big Red went to the Big Dance. Either Penn or Princeton represented the Ivy all those years. The Big Ten and Pac 10 were two of the last conferences to give in to the conference tournament format. While the tournaments have become popular and exciting, their main reason for existence is to generate money. But it’s also an instrument for some teams to salvage a disappointing season.

More news

Terry Gilliam / AP

Spartans take big step forward

Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.

Carlos Osorio / AP

No. 22 Michigan beats Illinois

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.

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