EAST

1. NORTH CAROLINA (28-6)

Strength: There is no more potent fast break in the nation. Weakness: Reyshawn Terry, the only senior who plays, has been inconsistent.

16. EASTERN KENTUCKY (21-11)

Strength: Double-barrel 3-point attack in Adam Leonard and Mike Rose; Weakness: Minus 3.4 on the boards and lost to only quality opponent (Kentucky) they played.

8. MARQUETTE (24-9)

Strength: Tenacious defense and a take-charge player in Dominic James. Weakness: James hasn’t shot well and hand injury to Jerel McNeal might be worse than feared.

9. MICHIGAN STATE (22-11)

Strength: Tom Izzo’s attention to defense has Spartan’s 3rd in scoring (56.3 points). Weakness: Awful perimeter attack gets just 5.3 3-pointers per game

5. USC (23-11)

Strength: Trojans are 9th in the nation in FG defense (38.6). Weakness: Haven’t been in the tournament since 2002 and they need F Taj Gibson to play big.

12. ARKANSAS (21-13)

Strength: Played in the nation’s toughest conference and won five of its last six. Weakness: Sloppy Hogs turn over the ball 15.6 times per game.

4. TEXAS (24-9)

Strength: Kevin Durant is unstoppable 1-on-1, maybe even 2-on-1. Weakness: Team is so young most players don’t have learner’s permits.

13. NEW MEXICO STATE (25-8)

Strength: Remember Elijah Ingram, the former St. John’s PG from St. Anthony? This is where he landed. Weakness: Defense is an optional course.

6. VANDERBILT (20-11)

Strength: No fear – swept Kentucky, beat Florida and they play solid defense. Weakness: Commodores can get beat up inside, where they’re minus-2 on the boards.

11. GEORGE WASHINGTON (23-6)

Strength: Colonials flicked the switch, following four straight losses with eight straight wins. Weakness: Karl Hobbs scheduled light (schedule ranked 194th) in rebuilding season.

3. WASHINGTON STATE (25-7)

Strength: A disciplined, well-oiled machined on offense and defense. Weakness: Athletically challenged.

14. ORAL ROBERTS (23-10)

Strength: They won at Kansas so there’s no fear, and Caleb Green is go-to player. Weakness: If it’s late and they need a 3, uh-oh.

7. BOSTON COLLEGE (20-11)

Strength: Very precise on offense. Weakness: In a freefall since the dismissal of Sean Williams.

10. TEXAS TECH (21-12) Big 12

Strength: Go-to guy in Jarrius Jackson and excellent 3-point shooting (36.1 percnet). Weakness: Not much of a road team and a lousy rebounding squad.

2. GEORGETOWN (26-6)

Strength:As fundamentally sound a team as there is in the field and in Jeff Green, they have a player who can take over. Weakness:After winning the Big East, great expectations.

15. BELMONT (23-9)

Strength: Eighth in the nation in FG percentage defense. Weakness: Not competitive in non-conference schedule.

SOUTH

1. OHIO STATE (30-3) Big Ten

Strength: C Greg Oden can change a game and he’s playing his best ball of the year. Weakness: How far can a freshman PG, even one as good as Mike Conley Jr., take them?

16. CENTRAL CONN. ST. (21-11) Northeast

Strength: Tristan Blackwood is a shooting machine and a 92-percent free throw shooter. Weakness: One-man show.

8. BYU (24-7) Mountain West

Strength: 10th in 3-point shooting (40.9 percent). Weakness: Not good from the other line – 250th in free throw shooting (66.2).

9. XAVIER (24-8) Atlantic 10

Strength: PG Drew Lavender, forced out of Oklahoma, is determined to prove he’s a playmaker. Weakness: The A-10 was awful; Musketeers rarely challenged.

5. TENNESSEE (22-10) SEC

Strength: SG Chris Lofton can flat out take over a game. Weakness: Fundamental frauds – Vols get outrebounded and can’t shoot free throws (65.4).

12. LONG BEACH ST. (24-7) Big West

Strength: Won 11 of last 12 and have a guard, Aaron Nixon, who can wreak havoc. Weakness: Defense – The Beach is 279th in points allowed (73.8)

4. VIRGINIA (20-10) ACC

Strength: Great guard play, which is always paramount in the Big Dance; Weakness: Cavs haven’t been here since 2001 and they give up 70.8 points.

13. ALBANY (23-9) America East

Strength: Go-to player in Jamar Wilson and the experience of battling UConn in a 1st-round game last season. Weakness: Depth and the probable No.16 seed.

6. LOUISVILLE (23-9) Big East

Strength: Great athleticism and depth. Weakness: Cards aren’t in the Top 200 in field goal, free throw or 3-point shooting.

11. STANFORD (18-12) Pac-10

Strength: Tough inside – 11th in blocked shots and 24th in rebounding margin. Weakness: Get them in an uptempo game and the Cardinal is like its mascot – a tree.

3. TEXAS A&M (25-6) Big 12

Strength: There is no team – mentally or physically – tougher than the Aggies. Weakness: With the exception of Acie Law IV, can that toughness compensate for good-but-not-great talent?

14. PENNSYLVANIA (22-8) Ivy League

Strength: Efficient offense is ninth in shooting and ninth in assists. Weakness: Quakers quake at the foul line, where they’re 249th nationally (66.3 percent)

7. NEVADA (28-4) WAC

Strength: A go-to player in Nick Fazekas and four straight NCAA trips. Weakness: Late upset in WAC tourney to Utah State is alarming.

10. CREIGHTON (22-10) Missouri Valley

Strength: Great experience and 11th in the nation from the foul line; Weakness: Vulnerable to a very athletic team.

2. MEMPHIS (30-3) Conference USA

Strength: Tigers are the best at spreading the floor and attacking creases. Weakness: Conference USA provided no challenges and the Tigers are 314th in free throw shooting (61.5).

15. NORTH TEXAS (23-10) Sun Belt

Strength: If 3-point specialist Calvin Watson heats up, a favorite could be shot down. Weakness: Lousy foul shooting (65.5 percent) is a tournament killer

MIDWEST

1. FLORIDA (29-5) SEC

Strength: All five starters return from last season’s national title squad; Weakness: Big difference between being the hunted as opposed to being the hunters.

16. JACKSON STATE. (21-13) SWAC

Strength: Averaging eight steals per game. Weakness: Everything else, starting with strength of schedule (314th).

8. ARIZONA (20-10) Pac-10

Strength: Man-for-man few teams can match the Wildcats’ talent, which is why they’re 21st in scoring. Weakness: Are they playing for Arizona or their pro contracts?

9. PURDUE (21-11) Big Ten

Strength: Carl Landry and David Teague are a nice 1-2 punch. Last three losses to No. 1 seed Ohio State. Weakness: Shaky on the road (3-9) and a mediocre rebounding team.

5. BUTLER (21-12) Horizon

Strength: Experienced squad that has proven it can beat anyone (Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Gonzaga) anywhere. Weakness: Struggled late and soft on boards.

12. OLD DOMINION (24-8) Colonial

Strength: Won at Georgetown early, so there won’t be any intimidation factor. Weakness: Not a great shooting team and they sometimes fall in love with the 3.

4. MARYLAND (24-8) ACC

Strength: Athletic Terps create lots of mismatches. Weakness: Terps are too erratic (15.8 turnovers) for their own good.

13. DAVIDSON (29-4) Southern

Strength: Potent offense averages 81.7 points and 9.6 3-point baskets per game. Weakness: Almost 15 turnovers per game and a strength of schedule of 209 won’t cut it in the Big Dance

6. NOTRE DAME (24-7) Big East

Strength: Irish are one of the nation’s most dangerous 3-point shooting teams. Weakness: ND’s defense, giving up 67 points, remains a problem.

11. WINTHROP (28-4) Big South

Strength: Eagles, making their third NCAA Tournament trip, have battled elite teams from every major conference. Weakness: The Eagles could be favored in the first round!

3. OREGON (26-7) Pac-10

Strength: After a mid-season swoon, Ducks, led by Aaron Brooks, are flying again. Weakness: Did they burn out winning the Pac-10 title?

14. MIAMI OF OHIO (18-4) MAC

Strength: Got hot at the right time and will play great defense (11th in scoring defense at 57.7). Weakness: No signature wins and 305th in scoring offense.

7. UNLV (28-6) Mountain West

Strength: Hot Rebels have won 9-of-10, erasing an 11-point halftime deficit in tourney final. Weakness: Poor rebounding team; haven’t been here in seven years.

10. GEORGIATECH (20-11) ACC

Strength: Terrific athleticism; they get 6 steals a game. Weakness: The young and the restless – Yellow Jackets foul (20.7 per game) and commit turnovers (15.9)

2. WISCONSIN (29-5) Big Ten

Strength: Badgers have two go-to players in Kamron Taylor and Alando Tucker. Weakness: Injury to center Brian Butch could keep Badgers from Atlanta.

15. TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (24-8) Southland

Strength: Second in the nation in shooting (52.2 percent). Weakness: Poor in non-conference games.

WEST

1. KANSAS (30-4) Big 12

Strength: Talent galore led by a breathtaking three-guard attack. Weakness: Jayhawks have suffered first-round upsets the last two seasons.

16(a). NIAGARA (22-11) MAAC

Strength: Joe Mihalich will have them well-coached and the Purple Eagles are good from both lines. Weakness: Can’t allow 73.2 points and expect to go far.

16(b). FLORIDAA&M (21-13) MEAC

Strength: Good rebounders and solid defenders that take advantage of their athleticism. Weakness:Rattlers get rattled (18.2 turnovers).

8. KENTUCKY (21-11) SEC

Strength: Played in the toughest conference and several players are playing for pro contracts. Defensive tenacity is a constant. Weakness: Cats went 4-6 down the stretch and perimeter defense is suspect.

9. VILLANOVA (22-10) Big East

Strength: Undersized quick Cats have been causing matchup problems for three years. Weakness: Youth – so much rides on the play of freshman guard Scottie Reynolds.

5. VIRGINIA TECH (21-11) ACC

Strength: Backcourt of Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell can wreak havoc. Weakness: Free throw shooting (67.5) killed them in the ACC Tournament and could in NCAA.

12. ILLINOIS (23-11) Big Ten

Strength: Went 7-3 down the stretch and is ninth in the nation in scoring defense (57.4 points). Weakness: Foul foul shooting (63 percent).

4. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (27-6) Missouri Valley

Strength: Terrific defense has fueled six straight Tournament appearances. Weakness: Salukis’ offense averages only 63.2 points and 11.6 assists. Ugly.

13. HOLY CROSS (25-8) Patriot

Strength: Coach Ralph Willard one of the best in the business, and Crusaders are sixth in scoring defense. Weakness: Strength of schedule (159th) and turnovers (15.3) are not good numbers.

6. DUKE (22-10) ACC

Strength: Duke’s tradition and tournament experience can’t be denied. Weakness: The offense – with no go-to player – is inconsistent and Duke won’t be coming from its usual top seed.

11. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (27-6) Colonial

Strength: Won what turned out to be a very good league. B.A. Walker can hit the 3. Weakness: Strength of schedule was 136th; lost bracket buster to Bradley.

3. PITTSBURGH (27-8) Big East

Strength: With C Aaron Gray, Pitt’s inside-out attack is solid. Weakness: How much did blowout loss to Georgetown, when Gray tanked, hurt confidence?

14. WRIGHT STATE (23-9) Horizon

Strength: Excellent quickness, especially guard DaShaun Wood, will disrupt opponents. Weakness: Schedule strength was 198th, but got wins over Butler.

7. INDIANA (20-10) Big Ten

Strength: PF/C DJ White can dominate. Weakness: PG Earl Calloway isn’t Kelvin Sampson’s type of player, but he makes free throws.

10. GONZAGA (23-10) West Coast Conference

Strength: One of the most complex offenses in college basketball and the nation’s best foul shooter in Derek Raivio (96.2 percent) Weakness: Suspension of center Josh Heytvelt (drug possession) has hurt the rotation.

2. UCLA (26-5) Pac 10

Strength: Been there, almost done that, NCAA runner-ups are on a mission. Weakness: We saw against West Virginia how vulnerable the Bruins are without PG Darren Collison.

15. WEBER STATE (20-11) Big Sky

Strength: Hot shots, 10th in FG shooting (49.3) and 17th on 3s (39.8). Weakness: First-year coach, nine new players and the 267th toughest schedule in the land.