Hey, do you think there's some big time screaming going on in State College, Pa.? It's the same every year, as someone who is Nos. 66 or 67 begins crying about how they were given a raw deal by the selection committee.

This is my 30th year at ESPN, and trust me, every year the scene plays out with similar cries of, "We were robbed!" At least now, we don't have to listen to any more talk about, "They're on the bubble baby."

In fact, I guess you can say the bubble has burst for Penn State, Creighton, San Diego State and St. Mary's.

Now the big question is, who will celebrate like Bill Self and Kansas did last year when they won the 2008 national title?

Many teams can make the Sweet 16, but there are only a handful that can rip six in a row against quality competition.

For elite programs such as North Carolina, UConn, Louisville, Duke, UCLA, etc., there is only one standard and that is cutting the nets down.

Let's face it, for a basketball junkie like yours truly, there isn't any sporting event that brings about the jubilation and excitement for a three-week period like the run for the gold trophy that is emblematic of being No. 1 in college hoops.

Now, as I dissect the field of 65, the big question is, who will be the creme de la creme? Nothing has changed my mind from back in November when my preseason choice was Roy Williams and North Carolina.

Back then, it was basically unanimous as the Tar Heels were everyone's selection. However, North Carolina had a few bumps and bruises along the way, and certainly losing the versatile defensive stopper, Marcus Ginyard, changed the complexion of Hall of Famer Williams' rotation. Danny Green, who would have been America's premiere sixth man, was moved into the starting lineup, and North Carolina really lacked offensive productivity from its bench.

The big question facing Tar Heels lovers is whether they will focus for 40 minutes defensively.

A concern for the Carolina faithful has to be the status of Ty Lawson's injured right big toe, as the MVP of the ACC is the engine that makes the Tar Heels an offensive machine. Word is that Lawson will be ready to play, which is great news for Tar Heel fans.

You can't find a better tandem than Lawson with his penetration driving ability and his Carolina buddy, Tyler Hansbrough, who is a major force on the interior. With Wayne Ellington's potential to knock down the trifecta, North Carolina has a lethal threesome supported by the offensive talents of Green.

The Tar Heels might have played their best game of the season when they dominated Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten match up at Ford Field. Familiarity with the surroundings of this huge stadium could be an advantage for North Carolina.

Here is my Final Four: Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh and North Carolina.

And my friends, when the NCAA hoop hysteria is finalized, and the party is completed, Franklin Street will have the Tar Heels faithful dancing with joy.

TEAMS SEEDED FIFTH OR WORSE THAT COULD SURPRISE

East

No. 6 UCLA

Midwest

No. 6 West Virginia

South

No. 7 Clemson

West

No. 5 Purdue

Six players who could make a name this year

Isaiah Thomas, Washington. The Pacific-10 freshman of the year averaged more than 15 points in the season.

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse. The enthusiastic team leader will enjoy the spotlight.

Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga. Helped the Zags make an 11th consecutive NCAA tourney trip.

Marcus Thornton, LSU. The Southeastern Conference player of the year scored 32 points Feb. 24 vs. Florida.

Sherron Collins, Kansas. Helped lead Kansas to a fifth consecutive Big 12 regular-season crown.

Dante Cunningham, Villanova. Most improved player in the Big East.

Six coaches who could make a name this year

Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa. Trying to lead the Panthers to their first NCAA win since 1990.

Fran McCaffery, Siena. Led the Saints to an upset of Vanderbilt in last year's big dance.

Jim Boylen, Utah. The Utes rallied after being embarrassed by Southwest Baptist in their opener. They came back and beat Gonzaga and LSU during the season.

Anthony Grant, Virginia Commonwealth. He led the Rams to a big-time win against Duke in the 2007 tournament.

Brad Stevens, Butler. He is one of the youngest leaders in America and has been superb since replacing Todd Lickliter, now at Iowa.

Saul Phillips, North Dakota State. This program has won at Marquette and Wisconsin in recent years. The Bison could be a dangerous foe.

ANOTHER TOP SEED FOR UNC; WILLIAMS COULD JOIN SELECT GROUP

* North Carolina has extended its record for being seeded No. 1 in the NCAA tournament. This is the 13th time the Tar Heels have been a number one regional seed. Duke is second with 10. If Roy Williams were to guide the Tar Heels to the Final Four, it would be his seventh trip. Only three coaches have achieved that honor: The Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden (12); The Michelangelo of coaching, Dean Smith, who was Williams' mentor, (11); and Mike Krzyzewski (10). Williams is currently tied with Louisville's Denny Crum and Kentucky's Adolph Rupp with six Final Fours.

* How good will this tournament be? A lot of the elite teams, North Carolina, Pitt, Connecticut, Kansas and Oklahoma all were shown to be vulnerable in their conference tournaments. This could be one of the most wide-open and fun tournaments in a long, long time.

* Last season, five teams seeded 11th or lower scored first-round upsets: Kansas State, Villanova, Western Kentucky, Siena and San Diego. It would not be shocking to see a minimum of five more seeded upsets in this year's tourney.

* It was 15 years ago when Jeff Capel played for Duke in the NCAA championship game. Now he has the opportunity to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the Final Four. Only six men have played and coached in the Final Four: Dean Smith, Bob Knight, Billy Donovan, Vic Bubas, Dick Harp and Bones McKinney. Smith and Knight are the only two to win the championship as a player and as a coach.

* Pittsburgh has made it to the Sweet 16 four of the last seven years. Can this team finally advance farther? Something tells me this team led by Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields has too much talent not to go far.

* Nice to see good things happen to a good guy. Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg's older brother, Brad, now the coach of Radford, will be in the big tourney. Radford faces a difficult task vs. North Carolina. My feelings for Brad go way back to the early '70s when I was an assistant at Rutgers and he was the first recruit I ever visited in his home in Plainview, Long Island. Wow, how time flies!

* You'd better believe they're ecstatic talking about basketball in Cleveland, and I'm not talking about LeBron and the Cavaliers, baby! Gary Waters and the Cleveland State Vikings won the Horizon League championship in a shocker against Butler. Waters' kids did it with the three-pointer. Cleveland State makes its first trip to the big dance since 1986, when it knocked off Robert Montgomery Knight and Indiana, as well as St. Joe's before falling by a point to Navy and The Admiral, David Robinson.

* The last school to go to four consecutive Final Fours was Duke, which went to five in a row from 1988-92. Mike Krzyzewski's kids were sensational in facing the challenges in front of them. Can it happen this year for the UCLA Bruins? Ben Howland's team tries to make it four in a row, but this year is a little different as the Bruins were second in the Pac-10 behind Washington.