seeding the field

College basketball reporter Eric Prisbell places the 65 teams in the NCAA tournament field, which will be announced on March 15.

EAST REGION

1. Pittsburgh Blair in player of the year mix		16. Robert Morris Colonials have some breathing room
2. Clemson Off to yet another fast start		15. American Showdown at Navy fast approaching
3. Texas Tough nonleague schedule will pay off		14. Cornell Ryan Wittman averaging 20.4 points
4. California Montgomery coach of the year favorite		13. George Mason Three-team battle in CAA a dogfight
5. Illinois Criticism of Weber has diminished		12. Siena Only one questionable loss -- Wichita State
6. Memphis Tigers have slim margin for error		11. Villanova 'Cats need another quality victory
7. Saint Mary's WCC has one of the hottest league races		10. Ohio State Someone not named Turner must emerge
8. Miami McClinton has unlimited range		9. Baylor Rebounded with win over Okla. State

MIDWEST REGION

1. Connecticut Walker's 21 points keyed St. John's win		16. Austin Peay Concluded tough three-game stretch
2. North Carolina Tar Heels have serious competition in ACC		15. Morgan State No letdown after win over Terrapins
3. Butler Stevens in coach of the year conversation		14. VMI Keydets rank 319th in strength of schedule
4. Minnesota Survived trip to Wisconsin in overtime		13. Miami (Ohio) Beat Kent State by 11 points
5. Arizona State Harden a first-team all-American		12. San Diego State Margin for error very slim
6. Marquette Has beaten W.Va. and 'Nova this month		11. Arkansas Needs to find consistency in SEC play
7. Michigan Split regular season series with Illinois		10. Texas A&M Baylor victory kept Aggies in tourney mix
8. Oklahoma State Cowboys entering challenging stretch		9. Kentucky 'Cats could be best team in weak SEC

SOUTH REGION

1. Wake Forest Defense keys resurgence		16. North Dakota St. Oral Roberts toughest foe in Summit
2. Michigan State Not the same team that lost to Tar Heels		15. E. Tennessee St. Dropped three-point game to Fla. Gulf Coast
3. Georgetown Bench came to life vs. Syracuse		14. Stephen F. Austin Played four non-Division I teams
4. UCLA Bruins strength of schedule questionable		13. W. Kentucky Edged Middle Tennessee at home
5. Louisville Big East superior to ACC		12. Missouri Tigers earn last at-large berth
6. Florida Gators don't have a bad loss		11. Washington Lost triple-overtime classic vs. California
7. Brigham Young MWC race getting more intriguing every day		10. Kansas Loss to U-Mass. is only black eye
8. Tennessee Shoddy defense leads to recent slide		9. West Virginia Huggins and Co. at Verizon on Thursday

WEST REGION

1. Duke Struck a blow for ACC pride vs. Hoyas		16. Ala. St./Albany Albany beat Binghamton by six
2. Oklahoma B. Griffin strong favorite in player of year race		15. Long Beach State 49ers barely have a winning record
3. Xavier So far, so good in Atlantic 10 play		14. Weber State Loss to Montana State will hurt
4. Syracuse In the midst of hellish stretch of tough games		13. Utah State Boise State will remain WAC contender
5. Gonzaga San Diego could be WCC sleeper		12. Bradley No true favorite in Missouri Valley
6. Notre Dame Plays very tough games remainder of January		11. Dayton Trying to avoid another late-season fade
7. Purdue Big Ten has more depth than expected		10. Florida State Young Seminoles an ACC surprise
8. Davidson Likely won't lose in conference		9. Wisconsin Dropped two straight this past week