On The Clock
John Akers, editor of Basketball Times
By Ray Mernagh

PSR: As of today who are your top five or six contenders for the four NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds and why?

Akers: Pitt, North Carolina and UConn can all absorb a "bad loss" and still be No. 1 seeds, in my opinion. They're that strong. The selection committee is sophisticated enough to note that Oklahoma's resume currently includes no wins of real significance. But if Oklahoma falls, where does the committee go for its fourth No. 1 seed? All the other possible contenders-Memphis, Michigan State, Louisville, Wake Forest-have far greater holes in their resumes. One to watch: Marquette, if the Eagles can turn final regular-season games against Connecticut, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse into opportunities.

PSR: In your opinion, will all the area teams-Pitt obviously, but WVU, Duquesne, Robert Morris and Penn State-get to the postseason?

Akers: Absolutely, considering that there's also the second-year CBI and the first-year CollegeInsider.com tournaments to consider. Although Wake Forest was left home with a 17-13 record last year, so you never know.

PSR: Describe your feeling on the job that Ron Everhart has done at Duquesne?

Akers: I thought his breakthrough season would come last season, when he had Kieron Achara and the two transfers (Shawn James and Kojo Mensah). I really thought that team had a chance to shock the nation and I wrote a cover story on that for our October issue. None of that happened, obviously, though they seemed close to breaking through at times. There were injuries and some off-court issues that took place just before practices began, and I believe James and Mensah indicated on the way out that they weren't totally honest. And to be honest, I questioned Ron's stubborn determination to stick with his 10-man platoon system when the roster depth didn't support that.

If they couldn't get it done last season, I didn't hold out much hope for this one, but this has been more of the year that I was expecting last season, but with what on paper seemed like a lesser cast.

So after some high hopes were followed by letdown, my faith has been restored.

PSR: Sleeper team in the tourney? I like Missouri.

Akers: Clemson. The Tigers are easily dismissed because of past collapses, but this team is proving that it can go a long way in the present. Another: Dayton. The Flyers' resume includes a win over Marquette and is much better than the credit they're receiving.

PSR: Based on what you've seen, what's this Pitt team's ceiling?

Akers: A national title. That said, I also believe that the NCAA Tournament is a process, and this program must prove first that it can get beyond a Sweet Sixteen. When it's all new-the preparation for one more weekend, the heightened media gathering leading up, the Final Four schedule-there's far less margin for error. So, the edge in a Final Four setting would go to North Carolina, then Connecticut. Pitt has proven it can beat UConn, and it could beat North Carolina, too, in an empty gym. The question would be whether Pitt could beat Carolina before millions on a Monday night.

PSR: What Percentage would you put on Jamie Dixon being at Pitt next season?

Akers: Ninety percent. When it's all said and done, I think he'll be aware of what a good situation he has. Yes, an Arizona could tempt, but the pull of the west coast doesn't feel nearly as strong as it did for Ben Howland to UCLA. Fan support is great at both Pitt and Arizona. There's certainly better student support at Pitt. Pittsburgh might not produce a lot of prospects, but the program just pulled in its first McDonald's All-American and still has its pipeline to New York City. At Arizona, Jamie would be going head-to-head with Ben all the time on recruits, and that would be difficult both emotionally and professionally. Plus, there's the Lute factor. Tough to follow a Hall of Famer. All in all, why mess with happy?