East: Title-hungry Heels stay close to home? We've seen this before

Best coach: History might laugh at me for not saying Tony Bennett of Washington State, but in the present tense I'm going with Hall of Famer Roy Williams over Bruce Pearl, who has done an incredible job at Tennessee.

Best reputation: It gets no better than North Carolina, with four national titles and 16 Final Four appearances. Coaches include Frank McGuire, Dean Smith and Roy Williams. Players? Michael Jordan, Phil Ford, James Worthy, Charlie Scott, Sam Perkins, Raymond Felton, Billy Cunningham, Walter Davis ...

Five stars on display

1. Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina): If he returns as a senior, Hansbrough (2,067 career points) would challenge J.J. Redick's ACC record of 2,769 -- and perhaps the 3,000 milestone reached by just six others.

2. Eric Gordon (Indiana): He wasn't able to keep up his torrid scoring pace from November and December all seasons, but this shooting guard can still fill it up. He'll remind you of Dwyane Wade.

3. Luke Harangody (Notre Dame): He was already the most improved player in the country when the Big East slate rolled around -- and then became dominant, including a 40-point masterpiece against Louisville.

4. Kyle Weaver (Washington State): This 6-foot-6 senior might be the best all-around player in the country. He averages 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals. He shoots 40 percent on 3-pointers. He has nearly 100 career blocked shots.

5. Tyler Smith (Tennessee): Then again, Smith might be the best. He scores (13.6), rebounds (6.8) and assists (3.5). He steals (1.5). And he hits 40 percent of his 3-pointers.

Five random notes

1. Indiana's Dan Dakich will find a way to beat Arkansas in the first round, giving him another crack at North Carolina in the NCAA tournament. The last time that happened, he was shutting down Michael Jordan in the 1984 Sweet 16.

2. South Alabama has feasted off transfers, getting 20.1 ppg from ex-SMU player Demetric Bennett, 11.5 ppg and 5.6 apg from Daon Merritt (Richmond), 10.9 ppg from Brandon Davis (Jacksonville State) and post depth from Daniel Hayles (Auburn).

3. George Mason's Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas, sophomores on the 2006 Final Four team, have grown up. Campbell averages 15.9 ppg, while Thomas posts 15.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg. The only other regular still here from the 2006 team is Jordan Carter (2.8 ppg).

4. When he signed four years ago out of Hawaii, guard Derrick Low was said to be the most important recruit in recent Washington State history. Completely right. He has been the most consistent player on one of the more improbable program turnarounds of this era.

5. Derrick Caracter never materialized into the NBA lottery pick many foresaw when he was in the ninth grade, but he contributes 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds as a sophomore power forward for Louisville.