1. Duke (32-1)
Location, conference: Durham, N.C.; Atlantic Coast.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 60-20.
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski.
Last 10: 10-0.
Top scorers: Elton Brand 17.7; Trajan Langdon 17.1; William Avery 14.6; Corey Maggette 11.0.
Top rebounders: Brand 9.8; Chris Carrawell 5.0; Shane Battier 4.8; Chris Burgess 4.3.
Scouting report: Langdon may be the best long-range shooter in the nation. Brand has an NBA body and quick feet, and can dominate inside. Battier is a fierce defender whose offense has finally arrived. And Carrawell gives the team a grittiness that spreads throughout the Blue Devils and can push them over the top on an off night. If the Blue Devils are not cutting down the nets on championship night, it will be because they have beaten themselves.
2. Miami, Fla. (22-6)
Location, conference: Miami; Big East.
Conference finish: Second.
NCAA tournament record: 0-2.
Coach: Leonard Hamilton.
Last 10: 9-1.
Top scorers: Tim James 18.9; Johnny Hemsley 17.5; Mario Bland 11.4.
Top rebounders: James 8.3; Bland 5.9; John Salmons 4.8; Hemsley 4.7.
Scouting report: The Hurricanes have meshed under the patient hand of Hamilton to move into the top 10 of the national rankings. They handed Connecticut one of its two regular-season defeats, swept two games against St. John's, and beat Ohio State. But they handle the ball sloppily at times, averaging more than 19 turnovers.
3. Cincinnati (26-5)
Location, conference: Cincinnati; Conference USA.
Conference finish: First in American Division.
NCAA tournament record: 32-15.
Coach: Bob Huggins.
Last 10: 6-4.
Top scorers: Pete Mickeal 15.1; Melvin Levett 14.3; Kenyon Martin 9.9; Steve Logan 9.0.
Top rebounders: Mickeal 7.3; Martin 6.9; Ryan Fletcher 5.5.
Scouting report: The Bearcats were the only team to beat Duke this season. Always a defensive-minded program, Cincinnati ranks 13th among Division I schools in field-goal percentage defense, with opponents shooting just 38.3 percent. The Bearcats are 10th in the nation in scoring margin, outscoring opponents by 13.4 points per game.
4. Tennessee (20-8)
Location, conference: Knoxville, Tenn.; Southeastern.
Conference finish: First in East Division.
NCAA tournament record: 5-11.
Coach: Jerry Green.
Last 10: 7-3.
Top scorers: Brandon Wharton 13.0; Tony Harris 12.7; Isaiah Victor 11.2; C.J. Black 9.6.
Top rebounders: Victor 7.0; Black 5.6; Vincent Yarbrough 5.2.
Scouting report: This team lives and dies on defense, topping the SEC in both field-goal defense and blocks. Black is the Vols' all-time blocks leader with 151. Wharton, the fourth player in school history with 1,000-plus points and 300-plus assists, has 1,612 career points.
5. Wisconsin (22-9)
Location, conference: Madison, Wis.; Big Ten.
Conference finish: Tied for third.
NCAA tournament record: 5-3.
Coach: Dick Bennett.
Last 10: 4-6.
Top scorers: Sean Mason 17.0; Ty Calderwood 9.6.
Top rebounders: Andy Kowske 5.0; Mason 4.3.
Scouting report: The Badgers, who established a school record for most wins in a season, are one of the nation's best defensive teams, but they experienced problems late in the season putting the ball in the basket. They scored 39 points in their final regular-season game.
6. Temple (21-10)
Location, conference: Philadelphia; Atlantic 10.
Conference finish: First in East Division.
NCAA tournament record: 24-22.
Coach: John Chaney.
Last 10: 7-3.
Top scorers: Mark Karcher 13.5; Lamont Barnes 12.9; Rasheed Brokenborough 11.8; Lynn Greer 10.2.
Top rebounders: Barnes 7.0; Karcher 6.1; Kevin Lyde 5.9; Juan Sanchez 5.1.
Scouting report: Temple is outshooting its opponents from the field, but that is reversed from behind the three-point arc, where Temple is averaging 30.5 percent and opponents are averaging 36.5 percent. Look for the Owls to try to get the ball down low to Barnes and Lyde early, but for Karcher (St. Frances) to be a go-to guy down the stretch, since he can be dangerous both inside and out.
7. Texas (19-12)
Location, conference: Austin, Texas; Big 12.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 16-19.
Coach: Rick Barnes.
Last 10: 7-3.
Top scorers: Gabe Muonek 16.6; Kris Clack 14.5; Chris Mihm 13.4.
Top rebounders: Mihm 10.9; Muonek 6.6, Clack 6.5.
Scouting report: Since a 2-7 start Texas has quietly been one of nation's hottest teams. The front line may be the best in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country. Mihm led the conference in rebounding and blocked shots(77).
8. College of Charleston (28-2)
Location, conference: Charleston, S.C.; Southern.
Conference finish: First in South Division.
NCAA tournament record: 1-3.
Coach: John Kresse.
Last 10: 10-0.
Top scorers: Sedric Webber 13.8; Danny Johnson 12.0; Jermel President 11.6; Jody Lumpkin 10.5; Carl Thomas 9.5.
Top rebounders: Webber 7.2; Lumpkin 6.9; Thomas 4.5; Johnson 4.5; Carlos Brown 4.2.
Scouting report: The Cougars are a small but athletic team. They also bring a 25-game winning streak into their third straight NCAA tournament. Charleston hasn't lost a game since Dec. 4.
9. Tulsa (22-9)
Location, conference: Tulsa, Okla.; Western Athletic.
Conference finish: Tied for first in Mountain Division.
NCAA tournament record: 6-10.
Coach: Bill Self.
Last 10: 6-4.
Top scorers: Michael Ruffin 12.0; Brandon Kurtz 12.0; Marcus Hill 11.3; Eric Coley 9.2.
Top rebounders: Ruffin 10.3; Kurtz 5.9; Coley 5.5.
Scouting report: Ruffin ranked eighth in the nation in rebounding. He shot 54 percent from the floor; Kurtz shot 51.8 percent. Hill made 63 three-pointers this season and shot 40.6 percent from behind the arc. Williams shot 31.6 percent.
10. Purdue (19-12)
Location, conference: West Lafayette, Ind.; Big Ten.
Conference finish: Seventh.
NCAA tournament record: 21-17.
Coach: Gene Keady.
Last 10: 4-6.
Top scorers: Jaraan Cornell 15.5; Brian Cardinal 11.2; Greg McQuay 10.8.
Top rebounders: Cardinal 5.5; McQuay 5.3.
Scouting report: The Boilermakers faded in February and barely squeaked into the field of 64, the first to go with a sub-.500 record in conference regular-season play (7-9) since the 1993-94 Wisconsin team.
11. Kent (23-6)
Location, conference: Kent, Ohio; Mid-American.
Conference finish: Second in East Division.
NCAA tournament record: 0-0.
Coach: Gary Waters.
Last 10: 9-1.
Top scorers: John Whorton 12.8; Kyrem Massey 11.2; Trevor Huffman 9.2; Andrew Mitchell 8.7.
Top rebounders: Whorton 6.1; Massey 5.7; Rashaun Warren 3.3.
Scouting report: The Golden Flashes, making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament, can surprise a lot of teams. Seven players have led the team in scoring and eight have taken game-high rebounding honors.
12. SW Missouri State (20-10)
Location, conference: Springfield, Mo.; Missouri Valley.
Conference finish: Tied for second.
NCAA tournament record: 1-5.
Coach: Steve Alford.
Last 10: 5-5.
Top scorers: Danny Moore 16.4; Kevin Ault 11.9; William Fontleroy 11.3.
Top rebounders: Moore 5.9; Ron Bruton 5.4; Allen Phillips 4.2.
Scouting report: The Bears were a surprise pick for the NCAA field, given their .500 record in their last 10 games and the fact they went 0-3 against Creighton, the MVC tournament champion, and 0-2 against regular-season champion Evansville.
13. Delaware (25-5)
Location, conference: Newark, Del.; America East.
Conference finish: Tied for first.
NCAA tournament record: 0-3.
Coach: Mike Brey.
Last 10: 10-0.
Top scorers: Mike Pegues 21.7; John Gordon 15.9; Kestutis Marciulionis 12.3.
Top rebounders: John Bennett 8.2; Pegues 7.1; Madou Diouf 5.0.
Scouting report: The Blue Hens' 15 America East wins set a school record. Delaware is a team that can score points in bunches, and it also finished second in the America East in field-goal-percentage defense.
14. George Mason (19-10)
Location, conference: Fairfax, Va.; Colonial Athletic.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 0-1.
Coach: Jim Larranaga.
Last 10: 10-0.
Top scorers: George Evans 17.8; Jason Miskiri 15.9; Keith Holdan 9.1.
Top rebounders: Evans 8.6; Holdan 4.8.
Scouting report: They are small and they lack depth, but the Patriots completed one of the more surprising turnarounds in the nation by winning their final 10 games, including the conference tournament title game over Old Dominion, to wipe out the memory of last year's 9-18 season.
15. Lafayette (22-7)
Location, conference: Easton, Pa.; Patriot.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 0-2.
Coach: Fran O'Hanlon.
Last 10: 9-1.
Top scorers: Brian Ehlers 18.2; Ted Cole 12.1; Tyson Whitfield 10.0.
Top rebounders: Ehlers 5.9; Cole 5.5.
Scouting report: Lafayette led the Patriot League throughout despite losing its top player, center Stefan Ciosici, with a torn ligament in his knee before the season. Ehlers filled the void and was a unanimous selection as Patriot League Player of the Year.
16. Florida A&M; (12-18)
Location, conference: Tallahassee, Fla.; Mid-Eastern Athletic.
Conference finish: Seventh.
NCAA tournament record: 0-0.
Coach: Mickey Clayton.
Last 10: 6-4.
Top scorers: Monroe Pippins 20.8; Kevin George 11.2; Brian Johnson 9.4.
Top rebounders: George 7.3; Pippins 6.8; Morris Scott 4.6.
Scouting report: The Rattlers began the season 0-10 but won the MEAC tournament. Among their four tournament victories were upsets over second-seeded Coppin State, third-seeded Morgan State and top-seeded South Carolina State.
Pub Date: 3/08/99