A is for Alford, as in Steve, the Iowa coach. Alford is rumored to be going back home again to Indiana, but insiders say Randy Wittman is the guy. Is the tournament an Alford audition?

B is for "Big Baby," LSU's Glen Davis, the most enjoyable player to watch in college hoops. The further the Tigers go, the more we get to see.

C is for conference tournaments, which mean zilch. Last year, UK lost in the SEC finals, yet went to the Elite Eight, while champ Florida was knocked out in the second round.

D is for divided loyalty. Billy Donovan? Or John Pelphrey?

E is for eye, the right eye of Villanova guard Allan Ray, who got poked in the eye during the Big East Tournament. He's been cleared to practice but pay attention to medical updates.

F is for free throws, where many a team's hopes go fair or foul. Load up on Gonzaga (78.3 percent), Michigan State (77.1) and Davidson (76.1).

G is for Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie, who has performed wonders in College Station. The Aggies could shock Syracuse.

H is for "The Horde," the pack of media that covers UConn and has battled with Jim Calhoun this year.

I is for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who has been to four Final Fours, including last year as a No. 5 seed. MSU is a No. 6 this year.

J is for J.J., who else? Redick appeared to be tiring at the end of the year but then led Duke to the ACC Tournament title.

K is for Kenpom.com, the stat's whiz Web site, which has crunched numbers and has Texas winning it all.

L is for the lovable little guys, which means the Missouri Valley, attacked by Billy Packer for its four bids.

M is for Misty Champagne, the name of John Brady's wife, and a beverage Brady might pop open if LSU reaches the Final Four.

N is for the "now team," the one everyone likes before the race. UCLA is the now team.

O is for Ohio State, which is either really ready (three fifth-year seniors) or a year away (when Greg Oden inhabits Columbus).

P is for premature, which prompted a Packer turnover when he inadvertently skipped ahead a region during Sunday's selection show and began analyzing matchups (Arizona-Wisconsin) that had not been announced.

Q is for quit, which is what Indiana's Mike Davis agreed to do at season's end. But what if the season does not end before Indianapolis?

R is for rumors, with this year's having John Beilein going to Missouri, Bob Huggins to West Virginia, Skip Prosser to Cincinnati, Mike Davis to Arizona State, Fran Dunphy to Temple, and, oh yeah, Tubby Smith to the Charlotte Bobcats.

S is for "score the ball," the phrase Clark Kellogg used when arguing that the further a team advances the better it must be able to put the ball in the hole.

T is for tired, which Tennessee looked the last month. But if anyone can pump you up, it's Bruce Pearl.

U is for upset, which one year finally will happen to a No. 1 seed against a No. 16 seed. Just not this year.

V is for Vitale, who has Duke, UCLA, Boston College and UConn in his Final Four.

W is for West Virginia, whose backdoor/three-point style is difficult to defend.

X is for Xavier, which won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament and will be a tough out for Gonzaga.

Y is for youth, which may be the only thing that keeps Kansas, winners in 14 of its last 15, out of the Final Four. Or maybe not.

Z is for the Zags, who can only hope they give Adam Morrison a reason to shave that mustache.