By KEITH NIEBUHR, PETE YOUNG
Published March 15, 2004
RIPE FOR AN UPSET: Stanford. It won't come in the first round and probably not the second, but the Cardinal has a very good chance to falter in the Sweet 16, where a squad such as Maryland or Syracuse could be the opponent. Stanford's strength of schedule easily is the worst among the top seeds, so nobody really knows how good this team is.
COULD DO DAMAGE: DePaul. The Blue Demons tied for first in Conference USA, have a solid RPI and a respectable strength of schedule. If they can somehow get past Connecticut in the second round, anything is possible.
TOUGHEST DRAW: Vanderbilt. The Commodores face underrated Western Michigan in the first round, might then have to play N.C. State in the second, Connecticut in the third and either Stanford, Syracuse or Maryland to reach the Final Four. Vandy is incredibly inconsistent. The Commodores beat highly ranked Mississippi State on one day in the SEC tournament, then got crushed by Florida the next. Go figure.
NOT SO TOUGH: Connecticut. The Huskies have formidable games, but nothing they can't handle. Remember, this squad was No.1 earlier this season.
HOME COOKIN': There probably won't be much in Phoenix, since none of the schools is all that close to Arizona. But during the first two rounds, Connecticut should have an edge by playing in Buffalo.
SWEET 16 PICKS: Connecticut, Maryland, N.C. State and Stanford.
IF YOU DARE: Western Michigan. The squad built largely by current USF coach Robert McCullum is 26-4 and went 18-3 in the respectable Mid-American Conference. The Broncos also have wins over Pac-10 teams Arizona State and USC along with UAB, which made the tournament out of Conference USA. It's hard to label Syracuse as a sleeper, but the Orangemen seem better than a No.5 seed. Also keep an eye on Southern Illinois, which enters at 25-4 and could face Stanford in the second round. Believe it or not, Southern Illinois' strength of schedule isn't rated that far behind that of Stanford.
FINAL WORD: This is a nice bracket but one that has several teams with question marks. Is Stanford as good as its record? Will everybody for Connecticut be healthy? Can N.C. State put it all together and become a major player on the national scene? Was Maryland's run at the ACC tournament a fluke? Is Syracuse once again being overlooked? The answers are coming.
