THE REST OF THE BEST
Here is SI's ranking of the teams that figure to fill the
remaining 48 berths in the NCAA tournament's field of 64. Some
are conference winners who will secure automatic bids, and some
are squads that will earn at-large berths come March 8,
Selection Sunday.
Rank School Conference
17 Stanford Pac-10
Skinny
Freshman Collins twins (6'10" Jason and 6'9" Jarron) join 7'1"
Tim Young on imposing front line
[Rank School Conference]
18 St. John's Big East
[Skinny]
Zendon Hamilton and Felipe Lopez will get needed help from
talented freshmen
[Rank School Conference]
19 Indiana Big Ten
[Skinny]
Watch out for Mr. Basketball, Luke Recker, Hoosiers' most touted
recruit since Damon Bailey
[Rank School Conference]
20 Temple Atlantic 10
[Skinny]
Owls are loaded at guard, with Rasheed Brokenborough and Pepe
Sanchez, but lacking at center
[Rank School Conference]
21 Jackson State Southwestern Athletic
[Skinny]
Top eight scorers (led by Trent Pulliam) back for Tigers, who
made Kansas sweat in NCAAs
[Rank School Conference]
22 Rhode Island Atlantic 10
[Skinny]
Tyson Wheeler makes Rams go; if Lamar Odom becomes academically
eligible, they could go farther
[Rank School Conference]
23 Utah WAC
[Skinny]
Loss of Keith Van Horn leaves many questions; 6'11" Michael
Doleac has some of the answers
[Rank School Conference]
24 Georgia SEC
[Skinny]
Coach Tubby Smith took off for Kentucky, but his son G.G. leads
the Dawgs he left behind
[Rank School Conference]
25 Oklahoma Big 12
[Skinny]
Guard Corey Brewer should help Sooners end streak of five
straight NCAA tournament losses
[Rank School Conference]
26 UNLV WAC
[Skinny]
May have most talented college center in 6'11" Keon Clark, but
he's suspended for first 11 games
[Rank School Conference]
27 Syracuse Big East
[Skinny]
Todd Burgan and Jason Hart alone make Orangemen competitive in a
lackluster league
[Rank School Conference]
28 Eastern Mid-American
Michigan
[Skinny]
5'5" Earl Boykins (19.1 ppg) and Derrick Dial (17.7) form one of
the nation's best backcourts
[Rank School Conference]
29 Marquette Conference USA
[Skinny]
Coach Mike Deane faces rebuilding job, but point guard Aaron
Hutchins is a solid foundation
[Rank School Conference]
30 Florida State ACC
[Skinny]
New coach Steve Robinson, a success at Tulsa, must jump-start
enigmatic center Corey Louis
[Rank School Conference]
31 Iowa Big Ten
[Skinny]
Fortunes depend on Jess Settles, who is still fighting a back
injury that kept him out last year
[Rank School Conference]
32 St. Joseph's Atlantic 10
[Skinny]
Hawks could be scary if Arthur (Yah) Davis returns from academic
suspension to rejoin Rashid Bey
[Rank School Conference]
33 Louisville Conference USA
[Skinny]
USC transfer Cameron Murray, a junior point guard, must step in
for departed DeJuan Wheat
[Rank School Conference]
34 Michigan Big Ten
[Skinny]
Interim coach Brian Ellerbe must get center Robert (Tractor)
Traylor to build on his big NIT showing
[Rank School Conference]
35 Maryland ACC
[Skinny]
Guard Laron Profit and center Obinna Ekezie will be the keys to
replacing All-ACC Keith Booth
[Rank School Conference]
36 George Atlantic 10
Washington
[Skinny]
Seven-footer Alexander Koul cannot repeat up-and-down
performance of last season
[Rank School Conference]
37 Arkansas SEC
[Skinny]
Razorbacks aren't title contenders, but backcourt of Kareem Reid
and Pat Bradley worth watching
[Rank School Conference]
38 N.C. State ACC
[Skinny]
Coach Herb Sendek brings in monster recruiting class to help
star guard C.C. Harrison
[Rank School Conference]
39 Nebraska Big 12
[Skinny]
Tyronn Lue (18.8 ppg) stars in backcourt with unfortunately
named cousin, Cookie Belcher
[Rank School Conference]
40 Washington Pac-10
[Skinny]
Go-to guy is 7-foot Todd MacCulloch, whose 67.6% field goal
shooting was tops in the nation
[Rank School Conference]
41 TCU WAC
[Skinny]
Addition of 6'8" juco transfer Lee Nailon will help Horned Frogs
with brutal schedule
[Rank School Conference]
42 Massachusetts Atlantic 10
[Skinny]
Guard Charlton Clarke and promising big man Lari Ketner should
take UMass to seventh straight NCAAs
[Rank School Conference]
43 Texas Big 12
Longhorns should get immediate help from a quartet of talented
newcomers who are 6'8" or taller
[Rank School Conference]
44 Long Island Northeast
[Skinny]
The nation's highest-scoring team has back the nation's leading
scorer, Charles Jones (30.1 ppg)
[Rank School Conference]
45 Miami Big East
[Skinny]
Underrated forward Tim James should get Hurricanes back in NCAAs
for first time since '60
[Rank School Conference]
46 Murray State Ohio Valley
[Skinny]
The Racers have won at least a share of nine of the last 10
conference titles. Make it 10 of 11
[Rank School Conference]
47 Butler Midwestern Collegiate
[Skinny]
The Bulldogs, who ended 35-year NCAA tournament drought last
season, should repeat
[Rank School Conference]
48 Coppin State Mid-Eastern Athletic
[Skinny]
Coach Fang Mitchell's Cinderellas must replace points and boards
of departed center Terquin Mott
[Rank School Conference]
49 Valparaiso Mid-Continent
[Skinny]
Guard Bryce Drew (19.9 ppg) makes his father and coach, Homer,
look like a genius
[Rank School Conference]
50 College Trans America
of Charleston
[Skinny]
The Cougars said goodbye to four starters but still hail their
chief, guard Jermel President
[Rank School Conference]
51 Pepperdine West Coast
[Skinny]
The Waves will come crashing with transfers Jelani Gardner (Cal)
and omm'A Givens (UCLA)
[Rank School Conference]
52 Princeton Ivy
[Skinny]
Tigers held opponents to the lowest average (53.4 ppg) in the
nation for the eighth straight season
[Rank School Conference]
53 Drexel America East
[Skinny]
Coach Bill Herrion spurned Rutgers so he could lead Dragons to
sixth straight 20-win season
[Rank School Conference]
54 UNC Asheville Big South
[Skinny]
Bulldogs hope nonconference tests at Syracuse, Florida State,
Arizona and Maryland pay off in league
[Rank School Conference]
55 S. Alabama Sun Belt
[Skinny]
Coach Bill Musselman may have bailed out, but deliberate Jags
have four starters back from last year
[Rank School Conference]
56 Pacific Big West
[Skinny]
All-league guard Adam Jacobsen, out last year with a bum knee,
rejoins center Michael Olowokandi
[Rank School Conference]
57 Ball State Mid-American
[Skinny]
Forward Bonzi Wells needs 555 points to pass Ron Harper as the
MAC's alltime leading scorer
[Rank School Conference]
58 Iona Metro Atlantic
[Skinny]
The Gaels lost the conference's top two scorers but are still
favored to win the league
[Rank School Conference]
59 Davidson Southern
[Skinny]
Guard Mark Donnelly needs nine W's to become the winningest
player in Wildcats history
[Rank School Conference]
60 Stephen F. Austin Southland
[Skinny]
All-conference forward Wayne Allen is one of five returning
starters for the Lumberjacks
[Rank School Conference]
61 Old Dominion Colonial
[Skinny]
Coach Jeff Capel couldn't sign blue-chipper son, Jason, but can
rely on senior point, Brion Dunlap
[Rank School Conference]
62 SW Missouri State Missouri Valley
[Skinny]
Game to watch: Coach Steve Alford and the Bears face Bob Knight
and Indiana on Dec. 27
[Rank School Conference]
63 N. Arizona Big Sky
[Skinny]
1996-97 Lumberjacks were 15 wins better than year before and
should be even better again
[Rank School Conference]
64 Navy Patriot
[Skinny]
Midshipmen again rely on 6'3" Hassan Booker, the toughest little
power forward in the land