Arizona (No. 10, West, 19-14, Pac-10 at-large)
It must have been a long day Sunday for coach Kevin O’Neill and the Wildcats. There was so much talk about whether Arizona and Arizona State would both make the tournament, or one would and the other wouldn’t, it was enough to make your head spin.

Arizona is the first conference team not to finish 9-9 that made it into the tournament. This really is a talented team with Jerryd Bayless, Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill, Nic Wise and Jawann McClellan leading the way. Injuries have slowed them and created inconsistency but the return of Bayless and Wise is big for the postseason.

I saw this team stretch Kansas into overtime before losing at Allen Fieldhouse in November. If the Wildcats can get Joe Alexander in early foul trouble, they should beat West Virginia to create a classic second-round showdown with Duke.

Saint Joseph’s (No. 11, East, 21-12, Atlantic 10 at-large)
Coach Phil Martelli doesn’t do anything halfway. Now that he got the Hawks into the Big Dance, he isn’t going to shy away from the competition.

Saint Joseph’s let a lead slip away against Temple in the A-10 tournament final. That will give Martelli something to work on as the Hawks prepare for Oklahoma in the first round. Pat Calathes and Ahmad Nivins can create trouble for the Sooners.

Davidson (No. 10, Midwest, 26-6, Southern Conference champion)
Love this team. Stephen Curry is a scoring machine with a sweet touch. Davidson has the nation’s longest winning streak at 22 games and has won 36 straight against league opponents. Time to work some magic on the rest of the nation now.

Last year the Wildcats dropped their NCAA opener to Maryland 82-70. But they were a No. 13 seed then. Look for an upset of No. 7 Gonzaga this time around.

Temple (No. 12, South, 21-12, Atlantic 10 champion)

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This is one of those teams playing its best ball at precisely the right time. The Owls have won seven straight and eight of 10. Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale were stars against Saint Joseph’s in the tournament finale. Christmas is a tremendous scorer who can strike from anywhere on the floor. Michigan State better be ready to play.

Baylor (No. 11, West, 21-10, Big 12 at-large)
It was absolutely cruel that the Bears were the last team to see their name on the bracket during the CBS Selection Show. No one did it to hurt Baylor but the reaction was priceless. Pure joy for Baylor.

Coach Scott Drew has taken away the pain of an entire campus and restored faith in the basketball program. If Drew can somehow get his guards back on track, Baylor could make a run in this tournament. Another Big Ten team is first, with Purdue the target here. Keep your eyes on Curtis Jerrells and LaceDarius Dunn. They can light it up.

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