* Outlook: With a backcourt of Williams and sophomore Kenya Wilkins, the Ducks are capable of a first-round surprise, but little more. Figure on Oregon having some tournament jitters. The Ducks haven't played in the NCAAs since 1961. This is a team that lost to High Five America in an exhibition game, but also recorded victories against UCLA and Arizona State.
7. CINCINNATI (21-11)
* Player to watch: As senior guard LaZelle Durden struggled down the regular-season stretch, heralded freshman Danny Fortson, a 6-9 forward, stepped up and led the Bearcats. Fortson, who scored 30 points against Alabama Birmingham on Feb. 26, received rave reviews from conference coaches.
* Little-known fact: So disruptive was star freshman forward Dontonio Wingfield, that Cincinnati players and coaches weren't especially sorry to see him leave for the NBA.
* Outlook: OK, the Bearcats have had their problems. But look at their nonconference schedule: Temple, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Tulane. When filling out your NCAA office pool entry, think hard about the Bearcats, who are a very athletic, physical and deep team.
8. MISSOURI (19-8)
* Player to watch: If 6-3 guard Julian Winfield had a dependable outside shot, he'd be an All-American. Instead, Winfield is best known as a decent scorer, but a great defender and rebounder (fourth in the Big Eight Conference). How important is Winfield? When he sat out three games with a strained quadricep, the Tigers lost each time.
* Little-known fact: Coach Norm Stewart is not only coaching twins (Sammie and Simeon Haley), but earlier this year he became the proud grandfather of twins.
* Outlook: Stewart hasn't won nearly 600 games by accident. If the 7-foot Haley twins (Sammie is better than Simeon) play as well as they did during the latter weeks of the season, Missouri could maybe win two, even three tournament games.
9. INDIANA (19-11)
* Player to watch: Senior forward Alan Henderson has done everything but persuade Coach Bob Knight to junk the trademark red sweater. In a season of inconsistent Hoosier play, Henderson has been the one constant for Indiana. He finished the regular season with nearly a 24-point, 10-rebound average.
* Little-known fact: Knight and author John Feinstein, who wrote the much-acclaimed "Season on the Brink," an account of the 1985-86 Hoosiers, actually shook hands earlier this season. Knight hated the book but apparently has softened his stance on Feinstein.
* Outlook: Henderson always comes to play, which means the Hoosiers' chances depend on their three freshmen guards--Neil Reid, Charlie Miller and Michael Herman--and sophomore guard Steve Hart. Anything more than a first-round victory would be gravy for this team.
10. TEMPLE (19-10)
* Player to watch: Senior guard Rick Brunson is Coach John Chaney's favorite player, but the guy who makes this team go is freshman guard Johnny Miller. Brunson wishes he had the same offensive game as Miller.
* Little-known fact: We would be willing to bet a Philly cheese steak that the Owls might be one of the worst shooting teams ever to reach the NCAA tournament. Entering the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament, Temple was shooting a dreadful 39.6% from the field and 58.6% from the free-throw line.
* Outlook: Temple is a higher-seeded team's worst nightmare. The Owls play that quirky defense of theirs and aren't intimidated by tournament conditions, mostly because they play lots of solid nonconference games during the regular season. Temple is hard on half-court teams, but had trouble against up-tempo opponents, such as Texas and Cincinnati.
11. TEXAS (22-6)
* Player to watch: Have to go two-deep on this one. Senior guard Roderick Anderson is the only player in the country to be found among the top 50 scorers, the top 20 in assists and top 10 in steals. Senior point guard Terrence Rencher is a four-year starter who should end his career as the all-time leading scorer in Southwest Conference history. And won't that be a nice trivia answer to remember when the league folds.
* Little-known fact: In the school's first 1,840 games, Longhorn basketball teams had scored more than 100 points 28 times. Since Coach Tom Penders arrived in Austin seven seasons ago, Texas has scored more than 100 points more than 50 times.
* Outlook: The Longhorns' problem certainly isn't guard play. What kills Texas is its lack of talent inside. Senior center Rich McIver, who transferred from Michigan during the days of Juwan Howard and Chris Webber, is OK, but nothing special. He played well in last year's tournament and needs to have a repeat performance if Texas expects to reach the second round.
12. SANTA CLARA (21-6)
* Player to watch: Junior point guard Steve Nash is the first Santa Clara player since Kurt Rambis in 1979-80 to be voted West Coast Conference player of the year. Much like Rambis, Nash has NBA potential.
