By ESPN.com | ESPN.com
Each day, some of our college hoops experts discuss the biggest issues, trends and themes in and around college basketball.
1. Ole Miss has lost four of its past five. Does it deserve to be playing BYU? And since it is here, can the Rebels beat the Cougars?
Andy Katz: I had Miami in over Ole Miss. I've got BYU as my sleeper double-digit seed to get to the Sweet 16. So, no, I don't think Ole Miss will win.
John Gasaway: I'm actually less surprised that Andy Kennedy's team is here than I am that Steve Alford's team is. In any event, Ole Miss is in Dayton, where I expect a permissive Rebels defense will allow well more than a point per possession to the outstanding BYU offense. I'll take the Cougars in a shootout.
Eamonn Brennan: I dream of a world wherein Ole Miss was the committee's most questionable inclusion. Steve Alford does not share my dream. In any case, BYU is an offensive force playing great down the stretch, facing a team that (A) isn't and (B) doesn't guard anyone. Expect points, and probably a Cougars win.
2. Which No. 5 seed or higher can go deepest in the NCAA tournament?
Katz: West Virginia. Bob Huggins said Juwan Staten is healthy and ready to go. But Buffalo is a hot pick and more than capable of pulling off the upset.
Gasaway: Northern Iowa. The Panthers have one of the best players in the entire field in Seth Tuttle, and Ben Jacobson's team caught a break from the committee: UNI, though seeded on the 5-line, can't meet an AP top-15 opponent until the Sweet 16, where Villanova will likely be waiting.
Brennan: UNI is my pick, too, not only thanks to its draw but because it is every bit as good as John describes. But let's be totally redundant: I've seen No. 7 seeds. I've picked against No. 7 seeds. Wichita State, sir, is no No. 7 seed. The Shockers were maybe a quarter-step not as great as last season, when they were unbeaten and on the No. 1 line, and depending on Kansas' personnel and Notre Dame's defense, it's not a stretch to call them the best non-UK team in the Midwest.
3. Which top-four seed is the most vulnerable?
Katz: Rick Pitino said the Cardinals have adjusted without Chris Jones. But the bracket is littered with possible trouble spots, from UC Irvine to Northern Iowa to Villanova.
Gasaway: Louisville. The Cardinals were given a No. 4 seed based on their body of work, but Rick Pitino's men have been unable to score consistently since Chris Jones was dismissed from the program. (And the Cards weren't exactly Notre Dame on offense even with Jones.)
Brennan: Other than slumping Louisville? Maryland. Terps fans can add this to their extensive list of grievances; it's going to be a long Festivus in the DMV (handle for Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) this December. It's not that Maryland isn't good; it's that, even after an entire season, I'm still not sure whether winning so many games by such narrow margins is legitimately a sign of strength or just plain fortune. Valparaiso can really play. The Terps actually match up with Crusaders star Alex Peters pretty well, and they finished No. 1 in the Big Ten in per-possession defense for a reason. But I don't know, man. They make me nervous.
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