Lineup

2009 NCAATOURNAMENT PREVIEW

STARTING FIVE Thisweek each of SI's five regional covers (below, West to East) shows 70 players,plus various coaches, cheerleaders and fans.

38 PRESSUREPOINTS
At the Big Dance the charity stripe is anything but charitable
By Alexander Wolff
• Best and worst foul shooters

51 THE BRACKETS
SI picks the winner and gives the skinny for every tournament game. The final?Cats and dogs
By Tim Layden

58 HEAVEN SENT
No player drives her team like Louisville's Angel McCoughtry
By Kelli Anderson
• Paris likes OU's title chances

68 FIVE-MINUTEGUIDE
Rejectors, trey makers, fine points, surgers, stumblers and SI's all-nameteam
By Mark Beech

FEATURES

BASEBALL

74 Where's theLove?
Some say Washington's Adam Dunn doesn't like the game. So why does he play hurtand hit so many homers?
By Ben Reiter

PRO BASKETBALL

80 Lamar's L.A.
After turmoil and tragedy, Lamar Odom finds a home with the Lakers
By Lee Jenkins

PRO FOOTBALL

86 He's a Riddle
Scouts puzzle over Andre Smith's combine walkout and poor pro day
By Jim Trotter

How Athletes GoBroke (and Why)
Recession or no recession, many players, such as Raghib Ismail (right), have apenchant for losing large amounts of money. And the ways they blow it arestrikingly similar
BY PABLO S. TORRE
Page 90

Departments

6 Contributors

12 Leading Off

22 Letters

26 Players
• Minnesotans keep hockey pledge
• Dark horse is new NFLPA boss

34 Faces in theCrowd

36 Just My Type byDan Patrick
• Grant Hill: Laettner was a jerk

108 Point After byChris Ballard
Here's a juicy idea: a one-day amnesty for drug cheats

Inside ...

104 Baseball
• Team USA's little big man

105 The NHL
• Erik Cole fires up Carolina

106 Soccer
• Sacha Kljestan could rule MLS

Covers
Photographs by Bob Rosato (4); Lou Capozzola (3); David E. Klutho (3); John W.McDonough (3); Greg Nelson (3); Robert Beck (2); John Biever (2); DarrenCarroll; Bill Frakes; Damian Strohmeyer; Al Tielemans; AP (19); US Presswire(19); Icon SMI (17); Getty Images (7); Cal Sport Media (5); Reuters (2);Alabama State University; East Tennessee State University; Las Vegas Sun;Mitchell Layton; Richmond Times-Dispatch; Utah State Athletics

PHOTO

PETER READ MILLER (ISMAIL)

FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS

ILLUSTRATIONS BY SLIM FILMS

FIVE PHOTOS