ACC: For most of the season North Carolina was the lone dominant team in this conference, but down the stretch they have been very vulnerable and are not lookin too good at the moment, flashing all their weaknesses just before march madness time. they have all the talent in the world and have the potential to win a championship but they are also very young and full of frosh and sophmores, their youth just happens to be showing at the wrong time. tyler hansbrough hasn't shown a whole lot of improvement or new facets to his game since his fabulous freshman season last year but it's not like he needed to, he is the definition of a beast inside and he is a powerful finisher, rebounder, and athlete who knows how to get to the free throw line and can hit the midrange j, he is one of my favorite players in the game as you can tell. other standouts include the super-long and smooth as silk brandan wright, very versatile and fun to watch down low but his poor free throw shooting down the stretch has hurt the tar heels lately. ty lawson is ultra fast and deadly running the break and driving to the basket, basically the new raymond felton, and reshawn terry provides great senior scoring and leadership while talented frosh wayne ellington oozes potential and marcus ginyard can stroke it. enough about the tarheels however, because even though they are one of the most popular teams in the nation they are not even number 1 in the conference. that honor belongs to the surprising virginia cavaliers after a big win over rival va tech, a fellow standout at the top of the ACC. virginia has some great scoring from their talented guards, most notably sean singletary, who has been a stud his whole virginia career and carried the team on his back with his points and clutch theatrics, especially his big game winner against duke. they are somewhat inconsistent but so is the rest of the conference, their main worries are the lack of an inside presence which is really gonna hurt them come tournament time, even with their crop of talented guards. va tech is really athletic and pretty damn talented, i think they can play with anyone in the tourney and possibly pull an upset but their inconsistency has hurt them all year, as they own north carolina but have some very puzzling losses as well. zabian dowdell is a very talented and exciting guard while deron washington is a human highlight reel but free throw shooting really kills the hokies. boston college deserves credit for playin very tough and with some serious heart after the dismissal of sean williams, their beastly shot blocker, and jared dudley has kept them alfoat with his amazing all-around play, but their overall talent isnt really up to par with the elite of the conference and even though they are solid and can probably play with anyone around if jared dudley can keep up his elevated play, i don't see them making a deep run unless tyrese rice can play out of his mind to complement dudley. maryland is perhaps the hottest team in the country right now, they looked as if they were on the outside lookin in on march madness a few weeks back but now they're on a 6 game winning streak including victories over duke and north carolina, thanks to the fabulous and explosive play of their freshman point guard and the scoring of dj strawberry, they are just playin better period and are a dangerous sleeper pick for march madness. duke is a pretty good team but not one of the elite this season, they are also very young so it's understandable. too many mistakes and not really a primary scorer who they can rely on down the stretch, but they do have a lot of talent just not enough to make a deep run this year, but i guess they have a shot at the ACC tourney crown if greg paulus can keep shootin well and cut down on the TOs and josh mcroberts, demarcus nelson, and jon scheyer can give them good scoring. other notable teams include georgia tech, who are young and athletic with loads of talent and potential and look like they will be the 7th team in out of the conference after their big home win over UNC, but they have had an up and down season expected out of a team full of sophs and frosh. clemson is one of the sad stories of this season, starting the year on fire and looking unstoppable but completely collapsing mentally down the stretch and losing their way out of the tourney, even with their nonconference dominance. florida state is also a bubble team, up and down all year thanks to injuries but they have some quality wins and a great inside-outside combination with al thornton dominating inside and toney on the outside when they are healthy.

Big 12: The Big 12 has some very talented, final-four worthy teams at the top but lacks the depth of some of the other major conferences around. kansas is chock-full of blue chip nba talent and the potential to dominate, while texas has once-in-a-generation scoring machine kevin durant suitin up along with fellow phenom frosh dj augustin at the point, so even though they are young and not too deep these guys have breakout potential. but the team i believe has the best chance to make the final four is texas a&m, built for a title with hardly any flaws, great depth and coaching, and plenty of versatility. acie law is the best clutch player in the game right now, a great leader, playmaker, and fearless scorer and he has great complementary pieces in beastly, inside-outside threat jospeh jones, three point sharpshooter joseph carter, and versatile euro big man antanas kavaliauskas. they play great defense, have speed, and like bill simmons says on espn.com they are one of those teams that is too good to get blown out. like i said, texas intrigues me because of the amazing kevin durant and the potential for their young guys to break out at the right time, youth and depth is a factor but the breakout talent is undeniable. kansas has so much talent and versatility that on paper they appear to be a lock for the final four, led by the the athletic, great-passing big man julian wright and future nba scorer brandon rush, along with guards mario chalmers and sherron collins and big, strong post man sasha kaun. they can play any style of basketball and succeed at it as they showed in their comeback win over texas, and as ive stated they have more talent and depth than anybody, but they have to put it together mentally and forget their recent march madness curse because anything less than a final four appearance would be a failure in my opinion. after that theres a pretty big drop-off, with the best teams bein texas tech and kansas state and both on the bubble for the ncaa tourney. tech has some big wins, the most impressive bein their season sweep of the aggies, but they have plenty of puzzling losses and are very inconsistent. they need to win at least a game in the conference tourney to get in but it can definitly be done and they deserve to get in with their big wins. jarrius jackson is a big time scorer but he takes a lot of bad shots, their best player is the versatile and athletic martin zeno, a tenacious defender and big-time all around player who thrives in the clutch. kansas state has a pretty good record but not too many big wins and they have no wins versus the top teams in the nation, but they have a proven coach in bob huggins and plenty of athletic talent, including stud cartier martin. need a big win in big 12 tourney to get in march madness. oklahoma state was one of the most disappointing stories of the college basketball season, starting the year strong and looking like a potential final four candidate before completely collapsing and losing their intensity mid-to-late season and falling to the NIT. the sweet inside scoring and domination of mario boggan, especially against texas where he actually drained a game winning 3 in triple OT, coupled with the perimeter stroke of jameson curry and tight defense of marcus dove had the cowboys as the most dangerous team in the nation and one that nobody wanted to face, especially after their dramatic victory against texas, but they faded and lost to poor teams down the stretch and before we knew it they were out and not even an inspired run in the big 12 tourney could save them. the baylor bears showed flashes of improvement and i believe they have returned to basketball relevance but they are still a long way away from competing for big 12 titles. they have some explosive guards led by steve nash wanna-be aaron bruce and the athletic henry dugat, while curtis jerrels led the team in scoring. nebraska was pretty average and hovered near the bottom of the conference all year long, lacking any big upset wins to really define their season. center aleks marik is a fantastic big man however, a good rebounder and inside scorer and he will be one of the best players in the big 12 next year. colorado was one of he worst teams in the nation last year, somewhat of a surprise seeing as they made the NIT last year and returned almost everybody. richard roby is a talented scorer who has shown the ability to stroke it but he struggled with his shot this year and did not build on his impressive campaign last season and colorado just didn't have the talent to stack up with the big boys. oklahoma is definitly going through a rebuilding, transition phase right now. they lost not only the majority of their good players from the past couple oklahoma tourney teams (taj gray, kevin bookout, etc.) but also coach kelvin sampson and along with him bunches of star-studded recruits, so that hurt them this year and for the immediate future. they were respectable this season but very average. iowa state never has to worry about picking up plenty of explosive athletes and talented guards who love to shoot and this squad definitly has the potential to be good in the future but they lack discipline, organization, shot-selection, and defensive effort, all things that define a good basketball team. im definitly a mike taylor hater even though hes their leading scorer because of his horrible shot selection and penchant for jacking up errant threes, while i think wes johnson and the long/lean rashon clark have excellent potential. missouri was a respectable team but also quite average, having a few big wins and battling some top teams but they are young and need some kind of a star player to put them over the top.

Big 10: This season was definitly a down year for the big ten conference, as there was a significant drop-off outside the "big 2" of ohio state and wisconsin. indiana was solid but had their problems for stretches, and the same can be said of michigan state. purdue was pretty good, especially at home, but also pretty lackluster and unimpressive at times as well, while illinois was the defintion of average and in my opinion didn't deserve to get in march madness. even with a talented and senior-laden squad michigan didn't make it in once again, while my iowa boys played valiantly throughout the conference season and were pretty dominant at home, but they played poorly in the nonconference and took too long to gel with all the new juco-transfers and young players, so that hurt us even with our nice conference record. northwestern was their typically poor self, lacking much athleticism or a go-to guy, while penn state played hard in every game and came very close to some big upsets, losing all their games closely, but they came out with only 2 conference wins and just couldnt win the games in the clutch. minnesota, however, was truly the worst team in the conference, failing to even garner double digit wins. ohio state has as much talent as anybody in the nation and i think they can win it all, but they are a young team and they lack a really defined leader. the mike conley and greg oden combination has got to be the best point guard/center duo in college, both carrying the buckeyes with their dominant play and excellent chemistry. the super-quick conley has really carried this squad and amazed all with his veteran like poise that belies his freshman status. he has been the top playmaker and assist man in the big ten and been impressive with his fearless clutch scoring, like in the wisconsin game at the end of the regular season. and of course there is greg oden, a true 7-foot dominant big man who controls the defensive end and doesnt even have to score to be effective. it was impressive what he was able to acheive with only his left hand and his raw offensive game is improving everyday, not that it needs to in college when all he has to do is get the ball and dunk on somebody. other important players include jamar butler, a scoring star last year who took some time to adjust to his complementary role to new point guard mike conley, as well as senior scorer ron lewis, inconsistent three point shooter ivan harris, and big 10 6th man of the year, freshman slasher daquean cook. ohio state has all the pieces to win a championship and the only things holding them back are youth and the relative weakness of the big ten this year. wisconsin is a solid team big on experience with a good mix of role players to complement alando tucker's scoring ability, along with a great coach and a dominant home advantage they had a great regular season but played somewhat poorly down the stretch, especially on offense, and they will sorely miss big time role player brian butch in the tournament, a big man who can rebound and stretch defenses with his perimeter stroke. tucker is one of the most unique and complete scorers in college basketball, finishing his career as the leading scorer in school history and carrying the badgers on offense. kammron taylor is a solid point guard with a big time three point shot, while marcus landry provides solid work inside and out, micheal flowers is the best defensive player in the big ten, joe krabbenhoff is your typical blue-collar rebounding and dirty work player, and jason bohannon provides a great shooting touch from the outside. indiana has run through stretches of inconsistency, especially in the play of their talented big man dj white, and they have struggled away from home, but they have solid talent and i think they can hang with the top teams around. white is a solid force inside who has touch and ability to get to the free throw line, while earl calloway is a solid vet leader at the point and roderick wilmont is one of the best and fearless shooters i have ever seen in college basketball. illinois looked anemic on offense for much of the year and while they were good at home and overall pretty tight on defense they didnt beat anybody big and their lack of scoring was only made worse by the departure of their best perimeter shooter jamar smith. warren carter played the role of a good senior leader who came through with big plays and versatile inside-outside scoring to try and pump up the illini's offense, while shaun pruitt was a solid banger inside and rich mcbride jacked up deep threes without a care, making some big wins but also missing a lot. brian randle is a good and versatile athlete who makes big plays and has a good all-around game but consistent scoring is a problem for him. the return of dee brown look-a-like chester frazier from nagging injuries should help fire them up. purdue is a workman-like team that didnt have the athletic talent or explosive players of other schools, but they got the most of their effort and potential and have solid pieces that it takes to win games in march. carl landry played well all year and carried the boilermakers with his inside scoring, especially towards the end of the season, while david teague proved he can light it up from downtown. iowa came into the season with low expectations from others seeing as they had to replace 3 senior starters from last year's big ten tourney champs, and senior point guard and leader mike henderson would be hurt for the beginning of the year. it took a while for everything to get in sync with the new frosh and juco-transfers but once they did we became a dangerous team, especially at home, and while this wasn't one of the better iowa teams around it was a solid one that probly should have made march madness had we played better in december and november. adam haluska gave a phenomenal effort all year long and there is a reason he is the leading scorer in the big ten, finishing up averaging about 21 a game. he always works hard for his buckets, getting them in transition or taking advantage of defensive mistakes by taking his man to the rack or drawing fouls off of crazy drives to the basket. and u cannot forget haluska's impressive perimeter stroke and penchant for knocking down big shots from deep range in people's faces, as well as his 90 percent free throw shooting. mike henderson turned the ball over too much this year and didn't look like the same focused, swagger-filled stud i saw last year, but his leadership, tight defense, and big plays mostly made up for it. tony freeman improved his perimeter stroke and scoring and will play a big role next season, especially with decision making and traditional point guard skills, but the biggest guy next year will be the incredible tyler smith. he is an amazing athlete with impressive hops and an even more impressive all-around game and understanding of the game, he is a great passer and rebounder who can score inside with either hand, he just needs to improve his handle and outside shot as well as put on more strength. other important players were seth gorney, who provided solid rebounding and set shooting even if his feet are glued to the ground, while the raw kurt looby provided exciting jolts of athleticism with his blocks and alley-oop dunks and justin johnson was a reliable outside shooter. michigan state is one of the toughest and scrappiest team's around, but they are only average unless they are getting a superhuman effort out of leader drew neitzel, the heart and soul of this squad and one of the best big-time streaky shooters in college basketball. when he is hitting the big shots the spartans are hard to bring down. raymarr morgan is also an excellent freshman, an athletic scorer with an impressive versatile game. they are tough and play good defense but they need drew neitzel to hit the shots because they don't get much offense from the post. michigan has been one of college basketball's biggest disappointments for years and nothing changed this season, as tommy amaker lost his job by failing to make the tourney once again. they seem to have the talent and the pieces to compete but they collapse mentally every season and seem to lack the heart and toughness to be a contender. dion harris provides a dangerous perimeter shot while courtney simms is a legit post scorer, but neither of them emerged as leaders in their michigan careers and they never lead the wolverines to any postseason success, as harris has poor shot selection to say the least and simms is up and down and doesn't have much confidence when his shots aren't falling, effort isn't always there. lester abram hasn't lived up to the potential while brent petway is just an explosive athlete and leaper, not really a basketball player. northwestern pales in comparison to the talent and athleticism of other teams in the conference but they are scrappy and always seem to hang with the big boys for a little while because of their tricky princeton offense and backdoor cuts, which always manages to fool the opponent for at least a while. they play pretty good defense and have a heady leader in tim doyle but the talent just isn't there, while penn state appears to have the talent but can't finish games or win the close ones. they are tough inside with geary claxton, a versatile scorer, and jamelle cornley, a scrappy banger, while mike walker is one of the best shooters in the big ten with fantastic range and ben luber is a good leader, but the nittany lions have yet to play up to their potential. minnesota lost their impressive scorer vincent grier and they have struggled to replace him and find a primary scorer, and just appear to lack "it" on both ends of the court.

Big East: Georgetown is my team out of this conference for sure, they are one of the hottest squads around and have a fantastic combination of size, athleticism, and of course experience. they also happen to have a great coach in JT-III, the son of a legendary coach who can actually coach himself. the hoyas have a legit top-5 or top-10 college player in jeff green, a one of the most versatile studs around and a great athlete who always comes through in the clutch, impressive scorer and defender. roy hibbert is one of the most improved players around, a 7 ft. 2 big man who came to g-town as a project with limited footwork and b-ball skills but right now he is one of the most polished and dominating big men around if he can stay out of foul trouble, lots of skills. underrated guard jonathan wallace is a great shooter and playmaker and dajuan summers is one of the best scoring freshman this year. g-town is too hot right now to be beat and not many teams have a star-tandem that includes players with the size and versatility of green and hibbert. pittsburgh was a very solid, if not elite, team all season with a lot of toughness and good defense, they really grind out their wins and like it when the tempo is slower so they can work their offense through 7-foot big man aaron gray. gray is a huge guy and a good rebounder who is hard to stop down low but he played horrible down the stretch and proved my assertion that he has been horribly overrated and over-hyped his entire career, he lacks much in the athleticism and offensive skills department and his confidence hit an all-time low at the wrong time. they don't have tons of athleticism or notable stars around gray, but levance fields is a good leader and big-shot guard, while ronald ramon can hit threes and llevon kendall is a pretty solid finesse complement to gray inside, but gray's play will determine how far the panthers go. louisville was one of the better teams in the conference, quite a surprise considering their youth and the slow start to the season. they have tons of young talent and athleticism, they play some of the best pressure defense around and have great team speed. edgar sosa proved to be a talented, explosive scorer and playmaker, while terrence williams is probably the squad's best player when everything comes together and a fantastic leaper. juan palacios is a versatile but overrated guy while david carracter is a great player when he gets his "character" issues together, and david padgett is a physical beast whose low-post play is pretty vital ot the cardinal's success. their youth and plethora of inconsistent and unproven players may be a problem though. marquette has a bevy of explosive and talented guards but lack much for inside presences and shooting is often a problem. dominic james is the best and most hyped one of their guards because of his speed, athleticim, and jaw-dropping penchant for scoring and big plays but he shot horribly down the stretch and needs to pick up the stroke to carry his team and the guards pretty much have to play incredible games every time for the golden eagles to win games. jerel mcneal is another one of their perimeter studs and dan fitzgerald is their best shooter. notre dame was somewhat of a surprise success story, they pulled of some big wins and were very dangerous thanks to their ability to shoot the three. guys like colin falls and russell carter can both stroke it and get hot at anytime, which makes them very dangerous, and they have good offensive balance so the three point shooting wild card just makes these guys even more dangerous. villanova lost two incredible guards to the nba but recovered thanks to the amazing scoring of freshman scottie reynolds and finally a near-full season of curtis sumpter, who has been extremly unlucky with knee issues his whole career but came to 'nova with tons of hype and showed this season why he deserved it with his versatile inside-outside scoring and rebounding. west virginia and syracuse were both bubble teams who didnt make the tourney but got into the NIT. the 'cuse should have been in the NCAA's, they got some big wins towards the end of the season but still bowed out somewhat early in the big east tourney, which probly kept them out. eric devendorf took over for g-mac and became the leader of the team at the point guard position and proved to be a talented scorer and playmaker the orange could count on, especially in hitting the outside trey. demetric nichols was a great scorer/shooter and one of the best players in the big east, while the incredibly hyped frosh paul harris proved to be a good rebounder and hustler but not much else. west virginia had a great season seeing where they started, losing basically everyone from last year and the year before and seemingly populated by a bunch of no-names, but the unique and 3-point centered style of the mountaineers worked once again and frank young stepped up as a leader and primary scorer to make WV a good team. providence and depaul were also solid this season, providence surprising everyone with their big wins and the inside dominance of herbert hill while depaul's balance and depth kept them in games.

Pac-10: There is a lot of debate and controversy involving the legitimancy and competetiveness of the pac-10 and whether they are one of the elite conferences in the nation or if they are overrated and just a bunch of average squads knocking each other off, but they proved in the NCAA's that they have some talented teams that can hang with the best teams in the nation. ucla was on top all season long and would have been a number 1 seed had they not collapsed against cal in the pac-10 tourney. besides southern illinois they play the best defense in the nation, great with hedging screens and playing up in opponents faces, their guards have tons of quickness and talent and the bruins go where the guards go. they have trouble scoring often though and that hurts them, they don't get any post offense and if the guards, particuarily arron afflalo, aren't shooting well they can lose to anyone. they are scrappy and don't play pretty basketball but their tenacious defense also enables them to beat anyone. darren collison is better than jordan farmar in certain ways but also doesn't have the ability to penetrate and create like farmar and isn't as reliable a scorer, but he is ultra-quick and great in transition and may be a better outside shooter, while afflalo made his name as a defensive stopper but his outside shooting and slashing game have made him a valuable and prolific scorer. josh shipp's scoring ability is much welcome coming off injuries next year, lorenzo matta is a great defensive center and high energy rebunder who does the dirty work, luc richard mbah a moute is a good raw athlete and high energy rebounder who is the team's best inside scorer when healthy, and micheal roll is their best option to hit a three pointer. oregon is an explosive offensive team that shoots a lot of threes and dominated their way through the pac-10 tourney, they finally played up to their potential and are a dangerous squad for anyone to play. they don't have a lot of height from their guards (both aaron brooks and tajuan porter are below 6 feet) but both of those guys are clutch scorers and some of the best three point shooters in college basketball. brooks is one of the best scorers period, electrifying in the clutch, and porter was a big surprise at only 5"6 he jacks them up but makes his fair share. malik hairston is their most solid and consistent scoring option who is having his best season yet, he is reliable and key to the ducks success. bryce taylor is a threat to dominate from downtown at anytime and maarty leunen is vital because he is their only consistent inside player. arizona has some of the best talent in the nation on offense and with athleticism but they have not been able to put it all together and play as a team or play any defense, they lack heart, toughness, and a bona fide leader. they really struggle with effort and playing selflessly and lack the intangibles to be a great team. frosh chase budinger is an explosive athlete and gifted offensive player but defense is not his calling, while marcus willaims is the team's best overall athlete and scorer. mustafa shakur has a lot of talent at the point, he is quick and has shown flashes of his ability but his entire career has been defined by inconsistency, turnovers, and the inability to lead his team and make them winners. ivan radenovic came on towards the end of the year and gave them great post scoring but his inconsistency and softness didn't help either. washington state was the huge surprise team of college basketball this year. they didn't really have a star or go-to player or an explosive offense, but they were efficient, solid, played good defense, and have a gifted point guard and leader in hawaiian derrick low, who is probably known more for his famous tatoo than for his play even though that's not the way it should be, seeing as he is not only their leading scorer but the best playmaker as well. antonio chavers gave them some scoring from the perimeter and ivory clark was their best athlete and their best post scorer. washington state proves what you can accomplish with experience, solid and fundamentally sound all-around play, and a great coach, but they are simply too average to make much noise. tim floyd did a great job resurrected the usc program a year ahead of schedule (before they get o.j. mayo), they were fantastic and dangerous all year long, lots of youth and reliance on guard play but they have some explosive athletes and talent in the backcourt. gabe pruitt and nick young are both their best and most consistent scorers with the most experience, pruitt can take over games and is dangerous from downtown. taj gibson is their freshman stud and a vital go-to guy for them who kind of sets the trojan's tempo on both sides of the court, while daniel hackett is another valuable freshman guard. stanford had some big wins but plenty of big losses and didn't deserve to get into march madness, they have a lot of young talent with the 7-foot lopez twins, especially brook who gives them tantalizing potential and athletic versatility down low, but they are average right now and at least a year or two away, while the washington huskies were a huge disappointment, failing to even make the NIT even with their duo of impressive big men in polished and offensively skilled frosh spencer hawes and athletic banger jon brockman, along with the outside stroke of stuart appleby. too much youth and inconsistency and i believe they will put it together because they can dominate inside.

SEC: Just a quick overview of the SEC, a maddenignly inconsistent conference full of ups and downs, lacking much parity between the east and western divisions and for the most part dominated by a couple teams with everyone else at the bottom. this is a conference known for their fast and competetive football teams but this is an underrated basketball conference too. florida is obviously the favorite if they can stay hungry and focused and handle the fact that they are getting everything they can from opponents because they are the defending champs. they have the best starting 5 in college and their chemistry is unmatched, they don't have a whole lot of depth outside of chris richard but the talent, confidence, and chemistry of the starters is enough to make the gators the favorites to win once again. taurean green isn't the pro prospect of his fellow junior mates but he is the engine that makes them go and an important leader and player. he is quick and great in transition and when he is draining the outside shot florida is unstoppable. lee humphrey is the best shooter in college basketball right now and corey brewer is the best pro prospect on the roster with his great length and athleticism, along with his aggressive nature on defense and improved outside shot. al horford is strong like a bull inside, polished post moves and can just push defenders off the block and finish on people, a great athlete and tenacious rebounder who can bring the ball up court in transition as well. joakim noah has a non-stop motor and his energy and passion for the game along with his athleticism make him one of the most electric and recognizable players in college basketball, probably the most hated by opponents and he can come off as an arrogant punk at times but his impact and leadership on this team is undeniable, as are his valuable skills and pursuit of rebounds, shot-blocking, desire for loose balls, and his penchant at running the floor and finishing in transition. chris richard is also a beast and strong inside player and valuable off the bench. kentucky is a program that expects to win championships every year and anything else is a disapointment for them. they have a lot of talent but not championship talent and they don't have a defined leader, but randolph morris finally came out of his shell and played hard all season, establishing himself as an elite post scorer. lsu was a major disappointment and didn't make the NIT, they have tons of great athletes and a proven post-dominator in glen davis but he struggled all year with injuries and what-not and they never found a primary scorer or leader to take over for tyrus thomas and darren mitchell. alabama struggled through an up-and-down season filled with heartbreaking injuries and struggles, ranging from the non-existent play of all-world guard ronald steele, who was hurt all season, and the personal tragedies of shot-blocking center jermareo davidson. arkansas has lots of youth and good athletes but like the rest of the SEC they were unpredictable in the quality of their play, but they hung tough and made a late season surge to earn a tourney berth. tennessee is a team that plays a passionate and high energy style representative of their coach bruce pearl, an excellent motivator. they shoot a ton of threes, a lot of them bad, but they make a lot and can score a ton of points. they also have some underrated defensive guards. chris lofton is their scoring star, a great shooter with wild shot selection and a penchant for clutch theatrics, while wayne chism is their best post player and a versatile scorer and dane bradshaw is a good leader and creator for his teammates. vanderbilt is a team that can be unstoppable and beat anyone when they are draining shots from the three-point line, the "great equalizer" according to billy donovan, but they are inconsistent and can lose to anyone along with being able to beat anyone. derrick byers is their best scorer and the SEC player of the year.