1. Stanford put the brakes on its two-game skid just in time. Despite losing two out of its last three, the Cardinal get a top seed.

	Related Links: South region: Stanford gets Pac-10's second No. 1 seed 64 team reports and analyses Complete March Mayhem coverage Miech: Pairings suggest a March to remember Forum: Will Stanford come out of the South?
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2. Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins lobbied for a No. 1 seed as if he were attempting to get a bill passed through Congress. Huggins' plea paid off to some extent when the Bearcats received a No. 2 seed despite the absence of Kenyon Martin.

3. The Heels nearly stepped on their bubble with the loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament. But an eighth seed is enough, especially for a passive bunch who sleepwalked their way into The Big Dance with 18 wins -- their lowest victory total in 30 years. Nonetheless the Heels get in for a record 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Three questions

1. The past three years, Cincy has bowed out in the second round. Facing a potential second-round matchup against dangerous Tulsa without the services of Martin, why should this year be any different?

2. Was the Tar Heels' 18-win season an aberration? Or has the team on Tobacco Road really lost its juice?

3. Arkansas' only hope of earning a bid was to win the SEC Tournament. The Hogs did the improbable. But how long will the pigs continue to fly?

The favorite

Suffocating defense, and power players on the inside.

That's the key to winning it all. It doesn't get much better than Stanford. The Cardinal's aggressive man-to-man D yielded an NCAA-record .352 field-goal percentage to opponents this season.

And with arguably the best frontcourt in the land with the Collins twins and Mark Madsen, teams will have a difficult time matching up. Throw in the outside range of David Moseley and Ryan Mendez, and the Cardinal will be tough to upend.

The dark horse

Those zzzzzzzs you hear come in the form of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. At the No.7 seed, Tulsa has sleeper written all over it.

With a lineup that features three seniors, Tulsa is a savvy bunch that could break some hearts. Bill Self's bunch is as selfless as they come. So much so that their sixth man, David Shelton, is the team's leading scorer.

Tulsa is the consummate "role" team that has made it this far with no true superstar.

The long shot

Arkansas' "young piglets" are peaking at the right time. With only one senior on the roster, Nolan Richardson's club has managed to put together a nice run to force their way in.

Led by super freshman Joe Johnson, the Hogs could throw in a few scares before it's all said and done. Their past four victories have come against Kentucky, LSU and Auburn, resurrecting Richardson's "40 minutes of hell" credo.

Best first-round game in Birmingham

No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Missouri features a matchup of two "bubble" teams. But that's about as much as these two squads have in common. The Tar Heels are a post-oriented club that relies on the inside presence of 7-footer Brendan Haywood.

The Tigers prefer the longball approach, nearly half of their field goals this season were three-pointers. How the Tar Heels, notoriously lackluster when they don't have the ball, defend the perimeter and how the Tigers matchup with Haywood will decide this meeting.

Best first-round game in Nashville

No. 6 Miami, Fla. vs. No. 11 Arkansas feature two of the hottest teams of late. The Hurricanes won 11 of their last 12 Big East games to forge a tie for the conference title with Syracuse, while the Hogs run to the Tournament is well-documented.

Both teams are predicated on defense, with Miami holding an edge with the better post defense. The key for 'Canes to avoid an early exit will be containing Arkansas' rugged transition game, and stabbing a hole in the relentless fullcourt pressure with some easy breakout buckets.

The stars

• Mark Madsen, Stanford: The Mad Dog is a double-double waiting to happen. Inside, he's the force that drives the Cardinal and their emotional leader.
• Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd, Ohio State: Is there a better backcourt tandem? Both can score and are deft at finding open teammates.
• Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut: The bigger the stage, the bigger the pudgy point guard plays. No stage is bigger than the NCAA Tournament.
• Tony Harris, Tennessee: The Vols' go-to man at crunch time. There isn't a shot that Harris won't take, which has been part of the problem for Tennessee at times. Needs to be more selective if Vols are to advance deep in the tourney.
• DerMarr Johnson, Cincinnati -- Silky smooth 6-foot-9 freshman who can score from anywhere on the court. Will have to take his game inside to offset to Martin's absence.
• Joe Johnson, Arkansas -- Co-Freshman of the Year in the SEC who's led to Arkansas' resurgence. As Joe goes, so do the Hogs. At 6-8, Johnson is Arkansas' main weapon on the inside.
• Brett Blizzard, UNC Wilmington: First freshman ever to first-team all-league honors in the Colonial Athletic Association history. Leads Seahawks with 16 points a game.

Birmingham subregional

FRIDAY

• Stanford (1) vs. South Carolina State (16)
• North Carolina (8) vs. Missouri (9)
• Connecticut (5) vs. Utah State (12)
• Tennessee (4) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (13)

SUNDAY

Winners of first-round games advance to second-round games at Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center.

Nashville subregional

FRIDAY

• Cincinnati (2) vs. UNC Wilmington (15)
• Tulsa (7) vs. UNLV (10)
• Ohio State (3) vs. Appalachian State (14)
• Miami, Fla. (6) vs. Arkansas (11)

SUNDAY

Winners of first-round games advance to second-round games at Nashville Arena.

Noteworthy

None of the top 10 seeds in the South earned an automatic bid to the tournament. … But all six of the lowest seeds (11-16) had to get in by winning their conference tournaments -- and did so. … OK, there's a catch to that: No. 7 Tulsa and No. 10 UNLV won the WAC and Mountain West tournaments, but this year neither had an automatic bid attached since they are new leagues following the breakup of the WAC. … The South is sort of the "rookies" region, with three coaches reaching the tournament for the first time. Missouri's Quin Snyder (in his first season), Appalachian State's Buzz Peterson (fourth season), and Louisiana-Lafayette's Jessie Evans (second season) are in their first dance around the big floor.