1. Connecticut (28-2)
Location, conference: Storrs, Conn.; Big East.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 20-21.
Coach: Jim Calhoun.
Last 10: 9-1.
Top scorers: Richard Hamilton 21.0; Khalid El-Amin 13.8; Kevin Freeman 12.7.
Top rebounders: Freeman 7.1; Jake Voskuhl 6.5; Hamilton 4.8; Edmund Saunders 4.6.
Scouting report: The Huskies, winners of three Big East tournaments in the last four years, spent 10 weeks at No. 1 before losing to Syracuse without Hamilton and Voskuhl. They love to run whenever possible and boast wins over Michigan State and Stanford.
2. Stanford (25-6)
Location, conference: Stanford, Calif.; Pac-10.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 11-6.
Coach: Mike Montgomery.
Last 10: 7-3.
Top scorers: Arthur Lee 12.8; Mark Madsen 12.7; Kris Weems 11.0; Tim Young 10.0.
Top rebounders: Madsen 8.7; Young 7.2; Jason Collins 5.2.
Scouting report: Stanford was No. 1 defensively in the conference in both points per game and field-goal percentage. Weems and Lee form a solid, experienced backcourt that is tournament-tested.
3. North Carolina (24-9)
Location, conference: Chapel Hill, N.C.; Atlantic Coast.
Conference finish: Third.
NCAA tournament record: 76-32.
Coach: Bill Guthridge.
Last 10: 6-4.
Top scorers: Ademola Okulaja 13.9; Brendan Haywood 12.6; Kris Lang 10.5; Ed Cota 10.4.
Top rebounders: Okulaja 8.4; Haywood 7.3; Lang 5.4.
Scouting report: The Heels appear to be a year away from serious contention. Cota is a superb floor general and has averaged more than seven assists per game since he stepped on campus. He and Okulaja are dangerous three-point shooters.
4. Arkansas (22-10)
Location, conference: Fayetteville, Ark.; Southeastern.
Conference finish: Second in West Division.
NCAA tournament record: 24-8.
Coach: Nolan Richardson.
Last 10: 6-4.
Top scorers: Pat Bradley 14.1; Derek Hood 12.4; Kareem Reid 9.8.
Top rebounders: Hood 10.0; Chris Jefferies 3.9.
Scouting report: Hood is first in the nation in rebounding, and his 15 double doubles this season leave him one short of the school record. The Hogs' top perimeter weapon is Bradley, who set an SEC career record with 350 three-point goals.
5. Iowa (18-9)
Location, conference: Iowa City, Iowa; Big Ten.
Conference finish: Tied for third.
NCAA tournament record: 24-20.
Coach: Tom Davis.
Last 10: 5-5.
Top scorers: Dean Oliver 11.9; J.R. Koch 10.2; Jess Settles 9.5.
Top rebounders: Jess Settles 4.4; Jacob Jaacks 4.3; Koch 4.2; Oliver 4.0.
Scouting report: The Hawkeyes play a pressing brand of basketball that relies on depth. Ten players average at least 15 minutes per game. That up-tempo style resulted in Iowa forcing 18 turnovers per game and making 168 more free throws than its opponents.
6. Florida (20-8)
Location, conference: Gainesville, Fla.; Southeastern.
Conference finish: Third in East Division.
NCAA tournament record: 7-5.
Coach: Billy Donovan.
Last 10: 5-5.
Top scorers: Mike Miller 12.3; Kenyan Weaks 11.4; Udonis Haslem 11.3; Teddy Dupay 10.9; Greg Stolt 10.5.
Top rebounders: Brent Wright 5.7; Haslem 5.2; Miller 5.0.
Scouting report: Florida is led by a powerful freshman class, including Miller and Haslem. Haslem was among the most heralded freshmen in the nation early this season; he scored 18 points in 19 minutes against Duke's Elton Brand. But he has been prone to foul trouble lately, which has hurt the Gators dearly.
7. Minnesota (17-10)
Location, conference: Minneapolis; Big Ten.
Conference finish: Sixth.
NCAA tournament record: 12-7.
Coach: Clem Haskins.
Last 10: 4-6.
Top scorers: Quincy Lewis 23.7; Kevin Clark 14.7; Joel Przybilla 6.8.
Top rebounders: Miles Tarver 7.1; Przybilla 6.0; Lewis 5.9.
Scouting report: Lewis and Clark combined for 52 percent of Minnesota's offensive production. Lewis entered the Big Ten tournament as the nation's No. 2 scorer. He had five games of 30 points or more during the regular season. He made 48 percent of his shots from the field, 43.3 percent from three-point range, and 81 percent from the free-throw line.
8. Missouri (20-8)
Location, conference: Columbia, Mo.; Big 12.
Conference finish: Tied for second.
NCAA tournament record: 13-16.
Coach: Norm Stewart.
Last 10: 6-4.
Top scorers: Albert White 16.3; John Woods 11.9; Brian Grawer 9.7; Keyon Dooling 8.9.
Top rebounders: White 8.6; Monte Hardge 5.6.
Scouting report: Two gigantic centers and a surplus of guards allow Stewart to play whatever style the opponent dictates or whatever style he thinks he can use to exploit an opponent. When Missouri goes with a smaller lineup, its quickness is tough to match, though it is vulnerable on the boards.
9. New Mexico (24-8)
Location, conference: Albuquerque, N.M.; Western Athletic.
Conference finish: Tied for second in Pacific Division.
NCAA tournament record: 4-9.
Coach: Dave Bliss.
Last 10: 7-3.
Top scorers: Kenny Thomas 18.5; Lamont Long 16.9; Kevin Henry 13.0; John Robinson 10.3.
Top rebounders: Thomas 9.9; Long 6.3; Damion Walker 4.3.
Scouting report: The Lobos rank seventh in the country in field-goal percentage. Their appearance is their seventh in nine years and fourth straight. They have advanced to the second round for three straight seasons.
10. Gonzaga (25-6)
Location, conference: Spokane, Wash.; West Coast.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 0-1.
Coach: Dan Monson.
Last 10: 8-2.
Top scorers: Richie Frahm 14.0; Jeremy Katon 12.4; Matt Santangelo 11.7.
Top rebounders: Casey Calvary 7.1; Frahm 4.2; Katon 4.2.
Scouting report: A tenacious defensive team, Gonzaga rotates 10 players to keep legs fresh, and its up-tempo offense provides plenty of shots for outside gunners Santangelo and Frahm.
11. Penn (21-5)
Location, conference: Philadelphia; Ivy.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 13-18.
Coach: Fran Dunphy.
Last 10: 8-2.
Top scorers: Michael Jordan 15.3; Paul Romanczuk 11.6; Jed Ryan 11.4; Matt Langel 11.1.
Top rebounders: Geoff Owens 7.3; Romanczuk 6.7; Langel 4.6.
Scouting report: The Quakers are a good-shooting team that has thrived with a balanced scoring attack. They have players who can make shots, and they find the open man consistently.
12. Alabama-Birmingham (20-11)
Location, conference: Birmingham, Ala.; Conference USA.
Conference finish: First in National Division.
NCAA tournament record: 6-9.
Last tournament appearance: 1994.
Coach: Murry Bartow.
Last 10: 5-5.
Top scorers: Fred Williams 15.2; Damon Cobb 11.0; Willie Mitchell 10.1; Eric Holmes 9.4; Torrey Ward 8.8.
Top rebounders: Williams 6.0; Torrey Ward 5.6; DeWayne Brown 4.9; Mitchell 4.3.
Scouting report: Williams, the Blazers' leading scorer and co-leading rebounder, also leads the team with 70 turnovers in 28 games. Cobb leads the team in free-throw percentage (81.7), three-point percentage (37.0), minutes played (939) and steals (72).
13. Siena (25-5)
Location, conference: Loudonville, N.Y.; Metro Atlantic Athletic.
Conference finish: Tied for first.
NCAA tournament record: 1-1.
Coach: Paul Hewitt.
Last 10: 7-3.
Top scorers: Marcus Faison 14.6; Corey Osinski 13.9; Jim Cantamessa 11.7; Scott Knapp 11.2.
Top rebounders: Faison 5.8; Osinski 5.7; Brandon Fields 5.3; Cantamessa 5.2.
Scouting report: The Saints are the top free-throw-shooting team in the nation and rank third in scoring. For a mid-level program, the Saints enjoyed a good nonconference season with wins over St. Bonaventure (86-67), George Washington (106-99), Eastern Michigan (71-70), and Pepperdine (85-76).
14. Weber State (24-7)
Location, conference: Ogden, Utah; Big Sky.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 5-12.
Coach: Ron Abegglen.
Last 10: 9-1.
Top scorers: Harold Arceneaux 21.6; Eddie Gill 13.8; Noel Jackson 11.5; Andy Jensen 9.6.
Top rebounders: Jensen 6.7; Arceneaux 6.0.
Scouting report: Arceneaux, a JuCo transfer who is exciting in the open court, made a huge splash. The Big Sky Player of the Year finished second in the conference in scoring and shot 52 percent from the field. Weber State's quickness forced 17 turnovers a game. However, its tallest player is only 6 feet 7, and three starters are no bigger than 6-1.
15. Alcorn State (23-6)
Location, conference: Lorman, La.; Southwestern Athletic.
Conference finish: First.
NCAA tournament record: 3-4.
Coach: Davey Whitney.
Last 10: 9-1.
Top scorers: Reuben Stiff 12.3; Ed Wheaton 9.4; Terrance Cameron 9.0. Karl Jones 8.8.
Top rebounders: Chad Slaughter 6.0; Cameron 5.9; Wheaton 5.6; Walter Harper 5.0.
Scouting report: The Braves are a quick, athletic team that thrives in an up-tempo setting. In Stiff, the Braves have a solid candidate for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, which is presented annually to the college game's best male player under 6 feet tall. He finished third in the conference in assists and fifth in steals.
16. Texas-San Antonio (18-10)
Location, conference: San Antonio, Texas; Southland.
Conference finish: Tied for second.
NCAA tournament record: 0-1.
Coach: Tim Carter.
Last 10: 6-4.
Top scorers: Devin Brown 16.9; Steve Meyer 15.5; Leon Watson 12.1.
Top rebounders: Watson 6.6; Devin Brown 6.2; Mceverett Powers 4.9.
Scouting report: The Roadrunners rely on balanced scoring. Four starters averaged in double figures, and Texas-San Antonio ranked among the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage.
Pub Date: 3/08/99