NCAA Tourney previews: EAST | SOUTH | MIDWEST | WEST
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The curse of the Washington Wizards hasn’t quite crept beyond the immediate confines of Verizon Center this season. Wizards assistant coach Randy Wittman’s son, Cornell senior forward Ryan Wittman (17.5 ppg), is the leading scorer on a Big Red squad that was poised for at-large consideration had they not won the Ivy League regular season. (On second thought, they probably are underseeded.) Wittman had a career-high 34 points in a win over La Salle on Dec. 29. — Craig Stouffer
FIRECRACKER SPECIAL » We’d pay for ringside seats to this heavyweight fight
Marquette’s Lazar Hayward vs. Washington’s Quincy Pondexter
First round » Hayward and Pondexter, a pair of undersized 6-foot-6 power forwards, are on a fitting collision course. Pondexter (19.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and the Huskies were left for dead before winning four straight to end the regular season and another three in a row to capture the Pac-10’s automatic bid. Hayward (18.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) is the leading scorer on a Golden Eagles squad that has played in 15 games decided by five points or less and won seven of the last eight of them. Pondexter rarely steps outside to score, but defensively he’ll have to chase Hayward, who has hit four or more 3-pointers in seven games, including a season-high five in a win over Providence. — Craig Stouffer
The Favorite » Kentucky
SEC champion Kentucky has the look of a Final Four team, and you don’t have to go far to find the blueprint. In 2008, Memphis rolled to the title game under current Kentucky coach John Calipari. Two years later, in the role of Memphis point guard Derrick Rose is brilliant freshman John Wall, who orchestrates a Kentucky attack loaded with weapons. Wall (16.9 ppg, 6.3 apg), 6-foot-11 DeMarcus Cousins (15.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg) and 6-9 Patrick Patterson (14.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg) are future NBA lottery picks. Kentucky (32-2) showed its progress in the SEC semifinals, thrashing a Tennessee squad 74-45 that it lost to two weeks ago. No team enters the tournament with more talent and momentum.
Achilles’ heel » Youth and outside shooting. The Wildcats’ two best players are freshmen. Wall has had lapses, and Cousins has a short fuse. With a lethal inside duo, the Wildcats get numerous perimeter looks but are shooting only 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Memo to Wildcats foes: Pack it in on defense. — Kevin Dunleavy
