No Simple Stroll for the Bruins

In November, Memphis and UCLA faced each other in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off, and the Tigers won, 86-80, at New York.

In order for the teams to meet again in the Oakland Regional final, they may have to overcome major challenges from two streaking teams in Kansas and Gonzaga.

Memphis (30-3), seeded first, is coming off an impressive run in the Conference USA tournament. But if the Tigers get past Oral Roberts, the Mid-Continent tournament champion, and the winner of the first-round matchup between Arkansas and Bucknell, they may have a talented Jayhawk team waiting for them in the Sweet 16.

Kansas has lost only once in the last two months and is fresh off an impressive 12-point victory over highly regarded Texas in the Big 12 tournament final. The Jayhawks are young and rely on three freshmen, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright.

The sleeper in the top half of regional is Kent State, which plays tough defense and has good balance on offense behind DeAndre Hayes, Mike Scott and Kevin Warzynski. In 2001, Kent State reached the Elite Eight.

For UCLA, seeded second, a clash with Gonzaga and All-American forward Adam Morrison could prevent a rematch with Memphis. The Bulldogs have not lost since Dec. 27 when they fell at Memphis, 83-72. But Gonzaga -- expected to get past Xavier in the first round -- may have a tough test against the winner of San Diego State and Indiana.

UCLA, which plays overmatched Belmont in the first round, could have a difficult challenge in the second round against the winner of Marquette and Alabama, two teams with solid backcourts.

Not too many upsets are expected early, but there should be plenty of fireworks once play reaches Oakland.

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ABOUT THE TEAM CAPSULES

* RPI stands for rating percentage index, which takes into account winning percentage, schedule strength and opponents’ schedule strength. The NCAA won’t update its RPI numbers until Tuesday, so the rankings were taken from the website collegerpi.com.

* Revenue and expenses listed are from the 2004-05 school year and were compiled by the U.S. Department of Education.

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1. MEMPHIS

* Location: Memphis, Tenn.

* Conference: Conference USA.

* RPI: 4.

* Record: 30-3.

* Against tournament field: 8-3.

* Away from home: 11-2.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 23, at New York vs. UCLA, 88-80; Dec. 27, vs. Gonzaga, 83-72; Jan. 18, vs. Tennessee, 88-79.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 2, vs. Texas, 69-58; March 2, at Alabama Birmingham, 80-74.

* Top players: Rodney Carney, F, Sr., 17.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.; Shawne Williams, F, Fr., 13.4 ppg., 6.3 rpg; Darius Washington, G, So., 13.5 ppg.

* Scouting report: The Tigers during the regular season were third in the nation in scoring (82.3) and second in margin of victory (15.0).

* Revenue/expenses: $5,563,228/$4,478,397.

* Little-known fact: In five years under Coach John Calipari, the Tigers are 91-17 on their home court.

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2. UCLA

* Location: Los Angeles.

* Conference: Pacific 10.

* RPI: 10.

* Record: 27-6.

* Against tournament field: 7-5.

* Away from home: 13-3.

* Record in last 10: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 10, at Anaheim vs. Nevada, 67-56; Jan. 5, at Arizona, 85-79; March 2, at California, 67-58.

* Disturbing loss: Feb. 19, at USC, 71-68.

* Top players: Arron Afflalo, G, So., 16.6 ppg., 4.3 rpg.; Jordan Farmar, G, So., 13.6 ppg., 5.3 apg; Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, F, Fr., 8.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg.

* Scouting report: The backcourt of Afflalo and Farmar has become one of the best in the country, and the Bruins’ emphasis on defense has kept them from suffering any double-digit losses.

* Revenue/expenses: $7,057,371/$3,659,076.

* Little-known fact: The last time the Bruins won a Pac-10 regular-season title, in 1997, they advanced to the Elite Eight in San Antonio.

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3. GONZAGA

* Location: Spokane, Wash.

* Conference: West Coast.

* RPI: 9.

* Record: 27-3.

* Record against tournament field: 1-3.

* Away from home: 12-3.

* In last 10 games: 10-0.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 21, at Maui vs. Maryland, 88-76; Nov. 22, at Maui vs. Michigan State, 109-106 (3 OT).

* Disturbing losses: None. (Losses were to Connecticut, Memphis and Washington.)

* Top players: Adam Morrison, F, Jr., 28.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg; J.P. Batista, F, Sr., 19.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg.

* Scouting report: Near upsets by Loyola Marymount and San Diego raise concerns. Adam Morrison’s scoring might not be able to compensate for a defense that doesn’t rank in the top 100 in defensive field-goal percentage or steals.

* Revenue/expenses: $2,519,527/$1,582,307.

* Little-known fact: Since 2001, Gonzaga hasn’t gone past the second round of the NCAA tournament.

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4. KANSAS

* Location: Lawrence.

* Conference: Big 12.

* RPI: 20.

* Record: 25-7.

* Against tournament field: 5-4.

* Away from home: 11-5.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 7, vs. Kentucky, 73-46; Feb. 5, vs. Oklahoma, 59-58; March 12 at Dallas vs. Texas, 80-68.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 14, vs. Kansas State, 59-55; Jan. 16, at Missouri, 89-86 (OT).

* Top players: Brandon Rush, G, Fr., 13.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg; Mario Chalmers, G, Fr., 11.4 ppg, 3.9 apg; Julian Wright, F, Fr., 8.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg.

* Scouting report: Rush -- brother of former Laker Kareem Rush and former UCLA player JaRon Rush -- is among three freshmen who fueled this surprise run.

* Revenue/expenses: $11,778,859/$4,335,649.

* Little-known fact: A 2005 NCAA loss to Bucknell rated an ESPY for Upset of the Year.

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5. PITTSBURGH

* Location: Pittsburgh.

* Conference: Big East.

* RPI: 11.

* Record: 24-7.

* Record against tournament field: 5-5.

* Away from home: 8-6.

* In last 10 games: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 31, vs. Wisconsin, 73-64; Jan. 28, vs. Marquette, 77-71.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 21, at St. John’s, 55-50; March 3, vs. Seton Hall, 65-61.

* Top players: Carl Krauser, G, Sr., 15.0 ppg., 4.7 apg.; Aaron Gray, C, Jr., 13.8 ppg., 10.6 rpg.

* Scouting report: Krauser, 25, is the mature leader so important in late, close games. But the Panthers have struggled on the road and played tired in consecutive losses to end the regular season.

* Revenue/expenses: $7,772,580/$3,169,164.

* Little-known fact: Only two Big East teams have won at least 10 conference games in each of the last five seasons -- Pitt and Connecticut.

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6. INDIANA

* Location: Bloomington.

* Conference: Big Ten.

* RPI: 34.

* Record: 18-11.

* Against tournament field: 5-8.

* Away from home: 8-9.

* In last 10 games: 5-5.

* Impressive victories: Dec. 10, at Indianapolis vs. Kentucky, 79-53; Dec. 19, at North Carolina Charlotte, 71-54; Jan. 7, vs. Ohio State, 81-79; Jan. 17, vs. Illinois, 62-60.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 6, at Indiana State, 72-67; Jan. 29, at Minnesota, 61-42; Feb. 15, at Penn State, 71-68.

* Top players: Marco Killingsworth, F, Sr., 17.3 ppg., 8.0 rpg; Robert Vaden, G/F, So., 13.1 ppg., 5.6 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Hoosiers, whose coach has already announced his resignation, relied on 40.4% three-point shooting in the regular season.

* Revenue/expenses: $11,930,437/$3,832,684.

* Little-known fact: Ex-Hoosier Calbert Cheaney is the all-time Big Ten scoring leader.

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7. MARQUETTE

* Location: Milwaukee.

* Conference: Big East.

* RPI: 31.

* Record: 20-10.

* Record against tournament field: 4-6.

* Away from home: 6-8.

* In last 10 games: 5-5.

* Impressive victories: Jan. 3, vs. Connecticut, 94-79; Feb. 18, vs. Pittsburgh, 84-82.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 19, vs. Winthrop, 71-64; Nov. 30, at Nebraska, 84-74; Feb. 12, at Rutgers, 91-84.

* Top players: Steve Novak, F, Sr., 17.5 ppg., 5.9 rpg.; Dominic James, G, Fr., 15.1 ppg, 5.4 apg.

* Scouting report: The Golden Eagles mix up defenses and have three freshmen who have accounted for 62% of the team’s steals. Marquette, picked to finish 12th in the Big East, ended up tied for fourth.

* Revenue/expenses: $5,800,062/$5,800,062.

* Little-known fact: Novak, a 6-11 forward, set a Big East record for most three-pointers with 70 during the regular season.

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8. ARKANSAS

* Location: Fayetteville.

* Conference: Southeastern.

* RPI: 45.

* Record: 22-9.

* Against tournament field: 4-6.

* Away from home: 7-8.

* In last 10 games: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 22, at Maui vs. Kansas, 65-64; Feb. 25, at Tennessee, 73-69; Feb. 18, vs. Florida, 85-81 (OT).

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 7, at Mississippi State, 69-67; Feb. 15, at Mississippi, 73-70.

* Top players: Ronnie Brewer, G, Jr., 18.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg; Jonathon Modica, Sr., G, 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Razorbacks had a six-game win streak before losing in an SEC quarterfinal. Steven Hill, a 7-foot sophomore, has 87 blocks, the most at Arkansas since Oliver Miller’s 88 in 1992.

* Revenue/expenses: $11,064,656/$5,560,359.

* Little-known fact: Coach Stan Heath won nine games his first season but has won 12, 18 and 22 since.

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9. BUCKNELL

* Location: Lewisburg, Pa.

* Conference: Patriot League.

* Record: 26-4.

* RPI: 42.

* Against tournament field: 1-2.

* Away from home: 12-3.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 22, at Syracuse, 74-69; Dec. 3, at DePaul, 57-52; March 10, vs. Holy Cross, 74-59.

* Disturbing losses: Dec. 29, at Santa Clara, 77-68; Feb. 18, at Northern Iowa, 65-61; Jan. 2, at Duke, 84-50.

* Top players: Charles Lee, G/F, Sr., 12.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg.; Chris McNaughton, C, Jr., 12.9 ppg., 4.6 rpg.; Kevin Bettencourt, G, Sr., 12.6 ppg.

* Scouting report: After upsetting Kansas in the first round last season, the Bison won’t sneak up on anybody.

* Revenues/expenses: $937,598/$937,598.

* Little-known fact: Bucknell ranks third in the number of Academic All-Americans on the all-time Division I list, according to school’s website.

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10. ALABAMA

* Location: Tuscaloosa.

* Conference: Southeastern.

* RPI: 57.

* Record: 17-12.

* Against tournament field: 6-7.

* Away from home: 3-8.

* In last 10 games: 6-4.

* Impressive victories: Feb. 4, vs. Louisiana State, 67-62; Feb. 18, vs. Tennessee, 92-79; Feb. 26, vs. Florida, 82-77.

* Disturbing losses: Jan. 7, vs. Mississippi, 71-61; March 4, at Mississippi State, 71-58.

* Top players: Jermareo Davidson, F, Jr., 14.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg; Ronald Steele, G, So., 13.8 ppg, 4.1 apg.

* Scouting report: Alabama has lost its last two games, stumbling at Mississippi State in the regular-season finale and losing to Kentucky in an SEC quarterfinal.

road games.

* Revenue/expenses: $6,486,053/$3,674,978

* Little-known fact: Steele, the point guard, averaged 40.3 minutes in SEC play, including two overtime games.

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11. SAN DIEGO STATE

* Location: San Diego.

* Conference: Mountain West.

* RPI: 56.

* Record: 24-8.

* Against tournament field: 2-2.

* Away from home: 11-6.

* In last 10 games: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Feb. 8, vs. Air Force, 61-51; Jan. 11, at Utah, 72-67; vs. Wyoming, 69-64 (OT), at Denver.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 19, Illinois Chicago, 66-63; Nov. 30, at San Diego, 90-80; Dec. 6, at California, 82-64.

* Top players: Brandon Heath, Jr., G, 18.5 ppg.; Marcus Slaughter, Jr., F, 16.6 ppg., 11.0 rpg; Mohamed Abukar, Jr., F, 13.8 ppg.

* Scouting report: Heath, who played at Westchester High, works from the perimeter, and Slaughter can be a dominating inside presence.

* Revenue/expenses: $2,614,095/$2,606,678.

* Little-known fact: The Aztecs’ regular-season conference title was their first outright championship since 1978.

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12. KENT STATE

* Location: Kent, Ohio.

* Conference: Mid-American.

* RPI: 48.

* Record: 25-8.

* Against tournament field: 0-2.

* Away from home: 9-6.

* In last 10 games: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 29, at Youngstown St., 77-69; Feb. 15, at Buffalo, 111-107.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 25, vs. Rutgers, 55-52; Jan. 26, vs. Bowling Green, 78-74; March 4, at Akron, 75-67.

* Top players: DeAndre Haynes, G, Sr., 13.2 ppg, 4.0 apg; Jay Youngblood, G, Sr., 14.7 ppg.

* Scouting report: The Golden Flashes will not be afraid to bang bodies after beating up teams in the MAC all season with Nate Gerwig and Warzynski.

* Revenue/expenses: $362,041/$1,248,897.

* Little-known fact: NFL tight end Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers helped lead Kent State to the Elite Eight in 2001.

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13. BRADLEY

* Location: Peoria, Ill.

* Conference: Missouri Valley.

* RPI: 33.

* Record: 20-10.

* Against tournament field: 2-3.

* Away from home: 7-10.

* In last 10 games: 7-3.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 19, at DePaul, 75-60; Feb. 14, vs. Southern Illinois, 72-60; March 3, at St. Louis vs. Creighton, 54-47.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 30, at Loyola (Ill.), 86-72; Feb. 4, at Missouri State, 86-76; March 5, at St. Louis vs. Southern Illinois, 59-46.

* Top players: Marcellus Sommerville, F, Sr., 15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg; Patrick O’Bryant, C, So.,13.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg; Daniel Ruffin, G, So., 7.7 ppg, 5.2 apg.

* Scouting report: O’Bryant, the MVC player of the year, can dominate play inside, and Sommerville is a capable scorer who works well in the open court.

* Revenue/expenses: $1,852,961/$1,016,150.

* Little-known fact: Coach Jim Les was a ball boy for Bradley from 1972 to 1975 when his brother, Tom, played for the Braves.

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14. XAVIER

* Location: Cincinnati.

* Conference: Atlantic 10.

* RPI: 80.

* Record: 21-10.

* Against tournament field: 1-2.

* Away from home: 7-6.

* In last 10 games: 7-3

* Impressive victories: Jan. 19, vs. Cincinnati, 73-71 (OT); March 11, at Cincinnati vs. St. Joseph’s, 62-61.

* Disturbing losses: Feb. 21, at Dayton, 66-62; March 4, at Massachusetts, 65-56.

* Top players: Stanley Burrell, G, So., 13.8 ppg, 3.1 apg; Justin Doellman, F, Jr., 10.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Musketeers lost their leading scorer and rebounder, Brian Thornton, to a broken ankle in February. But they have gone 7-3 without him.

* Revenue/expenses: $8,202,639/$3,039,854.

* Little-known fact: In 2004, Xavier won the conference tournament and then advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Duke.

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15. BELMONT

* Location: Nashville.

* Conference: Atlantic Sun.

* RPI: 115.

* Record: 20-10.

* Against tournament field: 0-2.

* Away from home: 10-8.

* In last 10 games: 9-1.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 22, at Chattanooga, 93-79; Jan. 31, vs. Lipscomb, 81-65; March 4, at Johnson City, Tenn., vs. Lipscomb, 74-69 (OT).

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 26, at Oklahoma, 81-59; Dec. 3, at Kennesaw State, 91-87; Feb. 16, at Gardner-Webb, 74-66.

* Top players: Justin Hare, G, So., 15.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg; Boomer Herndon, C, Jr., 14.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg; Brian Collins, G, Sr., 10.9 ppg, 4.4 apg.

* Scouting report: The Bruins rank fourth nationally in field-goal percentage (50.0).

* Revenue/expenses: $981,157/$987,157.

* Little-known fact: Several players were members of Belmont’s sports evangelism team, which traveled to Ukraine last summer.

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16. ORAL ROBERTS

* Location: Tulsa, Okla.

* Conference: Mid-Continent.

* RPI: 131.

* Record: 21-11.

* Against tournament field: 1-5.

* Away from home: 7-8.

* In last 10 games: 8-2.

* Impressive victories: Nov. 23, vs. USC, 68-48; Nov. 26, vs. Monmouth, 62-54; Feb. 23, at Centenary, 83-57.

* Disturbing losses: Nov. 25, vs. Marquette, 73-70; Dec. 20, at Utah State, 65-64; Feb. 18, at Montana, 88-74.

* Top players: Caleb Green, F, Jr., 20.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg; Ken Tutt, G, Jr., 14.3 ppg; Larry Owens, F, Sr., 12.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg.

* Scouting report: The Golden Eagles are balanced. Green, Tutt and Owens are capable of being scoring leader.

* Revenue/expenses: $1,277,064/$982,274.

* Little-known fact: It is a different team with Tutt in the lineup. Since he returned after sitting out 10 games because of a broken toe, the Golden Eagles are 11-2.

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REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME

No. 6 Indiana vs. No. 11 San Diego State

Mike Davis, Indiana’s lame duck coach, has done a great job of rallying the Hoosiers since he announced that this was his final season. But the Hoosiers, who reached the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, still do not play consistent basketball and could be knocked off by San Diego State, which won the Mountain West Conference’s automatic bid. The matchup to watch will be Indiana’s big man, Marco Killingsworth, against the Aztecs’ Mohamed Abukar and Marcus Slaughter.

UPSET IN THE MAKING

No. 12 Kent State over No. 5 Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is among eight Big East Conference teams in the tournament and could be the first to return home. The Panthers, who had a nice run to reach the Big East tournament championship game, will have their hands full against Kent State, which won the Mid American Conference tournament. The Golden Flashes are paced by steady play from guard DeAndre Hayes and experienced big men Kevin Warzynski, the MAC tournament MVP, and fellow senior Nate Gerwig.

IMPACT PLAYER

Adam Morrison, Gonzaga

Morrison is an old-school player with special talents, who led the Bulldogs all season with his all-around game. He does a great job of allowing the flow of the game to come to him and his shooting touch may be the best in the nation. Morrison is also an excellent passer who makes his teammates better. If Gonzaga’s role players do not disappear, Morrison is capable of leading the Bulldogs into the Final Four.

THE FORECAST

UCLA

UCLA Coach Ben Howland has a much better team now than he had in November when the Bruins lost to Memphis, 88-80, in the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Bruin defense should carry them into the Final Four. UCLA has several players capable of defending Gonzaga’s Morrison, and the Bruins’ weak inside game will not be exploited by Memphis, which depends too much on three-point shooting. The Tigers shot 35.2% in 713 attempts from behind the arc.

-- Lonnie White