V-MAIL | Feb. 7

Q: Who do you think are the four No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament right now? -- Corey, Louisville
VITALE: It's still early, and it changes every day. I'll say Kentucky and Arizona will be two of them. Right now, trying to figure the other two teams, I'd be guessing just like you. It could come down to the final weekend of the conference tournaments.

	Carroll

Q: I went to school with Matt Carroll of Notre Dame. Do you think he has a legitimate shot at going to the NBA? -- Jim Morissette, Hatboro, Pa.
VITALE: Guard Matt Carroll has really improved this season, and he should be drafted and make someone's NBA roster next year.

Q: Regarding your top five rivalries, Duke-Maryland doesn't have anything near the rivalry that Illinois-Missouri have. It's better than Kansas-Missouri. How many other rivalries pack the house with 10,000 fans for each side? -- Todd Spann, Springfield, Ill.
VITALE: It was a top five list, and I couldn't pick more. You can make a case for Illinois-Missouri -- those games are always intense and action-packed. It's a great rivalry; I couldn't agree more.

Q: Do you think the Missouri Valley Conference is right for Creighton? I think that a better conference (C-USA, for example) would be better, giving the Bluejays a much tougher schedule. I follow the Bluejays, and attend every game, home and away. What are your suggestions on how they can get more national recognition? -- Jason Landuyt, Savannah, Ga.
VITALE: Creighton is fine in the MVC. This is a league that has rich tradition and many intense rivalries. The MVC is a positive place for them.

Q: I was shocked that Luke Ridnour was not on your midseason Elite Eight. Come on, his stats are better than T.J. Ford's. He's putting up better numbers and he had big games against Kansas and Arizona. Ford struggled against Arizona. P.S. Luke Jackson should be on this list too. -- Aj Arellanes, Eugene, Oregon
VITALE: Early on, Ridnour would have been right up there. But the Ducks slipped, and you can't put every player on the list. Somebody will be left out whenever you do a list like that. The bottom line is, Oregon has not lived up to expectations. Ridnour and Luke Jackson are outstanding talents, but there was only room for eight. It was based on productivity and personal taste at this moment.

Q: There are lots of good backcourts in the land, but my alma mater, Saint Joseph's, has one of the most underrated in the nation in Delonte West and Jameer"ical" Nelson. Where would you rank them among the NCAA backcourt elite? -- Mike McAneny, Philadelphia
VITALE: I watched some of the game against Villanova and Nelson was brilliant, scoring 30 points. West has come out of nowhere to have a big-time year. They have been dominant in the A-10.

Q: With all the upsets and predictions that have gone out the window so far this year, do you think that Duke with its many weapons can contend for the national title without a major inside threat? -- T.J. Hoffpauir, Natchitoches, La.
VITALE: Duke has so much pride and young talent. They will be a tough out for anybody in a one-game scenario. As the season progresses, they will get better. They have to get Chris Duhon playing like the preseason ACC player of the year. He didn't score a point against Butler, the first time he went scoreless in his career. Duhon has struggled shooting the 3-pointer. Coach Mike Krzyzewski can't be happy with the play of his veteran point guard.

	Montgomery

Q: What does Stanford have to do to get your respect? You keep hyping Florida because you live there, but we beat Florida convincingly in the Eastern Time Zone and then Arizona in Tucson without an injured Justin Davis as a starter (limited play only) and without Chris Hernandez (our No. 1 point guard)! We also beat Xavier and Oregon. -- Tom Adams, Palo Alto, Calif.
VITALE: I hope you saw SportsCenter, when I talked about Stanford and coach Mike Montgomery on the Fast Break segment. This is a program that lost Casey Jacobsen and Curtis Borchardt, but Montgomery is one of the most underrated coaches in America. Wins over Florida, Arizona, Xavier, Gonzaga, Oregon and Arizona State are impressive for the resumé. Montgomery is a great strategist who does a phenomenal job preparing for his opponents. I agree with you -- he has done a terrific job.

Q: Why do you broadbrush University of Kentucky fans based on the phone calls of just a handful of people? The majority of UK fans love the job Tubby Smith is doing. We're very proud to have the Smith family as our ambassadors for UK basketball. On any given night, maybe 10 people call any one sports talk show and eight out of 10 calls are positive, but it's those other two calls that get blown way out of proportion. -- Lisa, Louisville
VITALE: I agree with your statement. Some fans go too far, but the majority of fans are very passionate, very loving. No Kentucky fan should be upset with what coach Tubby Smith has done. He has done an amazing job to win all of those SEC titles and capture an NCAA championship (in 1998, his first year as Kentucky's head coach). In a short period of time, his record is amazing. Unfortunately, some treat each game like a calculus final exam. When you lose, or you fail, people scream and go bananas. There are those who take it a step too far, which makes it tougher to get the job done.

Q: What do you think about N.C. State? There seems finally to be enough talent to compete with the top of the ACC, but not a lot of consistency. Do the Wolfpack have a legitimate shot at a top three or better finish in the conference? -- Russell, Raleigh, N.C.
VITALE: Julius Hodge can do it all. A couple of weeks back, I honored the Wolfpack as my team of the week for their wins over Duke and North Carolina. Those were steps in the right direction after losing at home to Boston College and falling at Massachusetts. The ACC is bunched up with Maryland and Wake Forest on top (both are 6-2 in conference), and Duke and N.C State right behind (both are 5-3). Coach Herb Sendek's team has the talent to compete.

Q: C'mon, Dickie V, lighten up on the Duke accolades during games involving other teams. I have always liked your style and enthusiasm for the "greatest game on earth"... but man, enough of the Duke crap unless you're doing one of their games -- please! -- BlueManiac, Atlanta
VITALE: Simply look at Duke's record. Why should I apologize for praising a program like that?

Q: With teams like Butler, Kent State, Creighton, Gonzaga and others establishing themselves as credible and legit mid-major teams in recent years, what do you think about the chances for success of other mid-major programs such as Buffalo, who just do not seem to have the "mid-major magic"? -- Vitaly Kramer, Buffalo, N.Y.
VITALE: Mid-majors can build on the success of some of the schools you mentioned. In the game of basketball, where you don't need a lot of bodies, you can build your program quickly and put together a legitimate team to compete with the big guys.

Q: What are the chances that UConn can add another Big East trophy to the trophy case? And do you think that Emeka Okafor has a chance of being UConn's second Big East player of the year and All-American in two years (with Caron Butler last year)? -- Max, Hartford, Conn.

	Okafor

VITALE: Okafor is a talent, but he has moments where he's up and down. Getting Big East player of the year could be tough when you see what players like Matt Carroll, Troy Bell, Brandin Knight, Mike Sweetney, Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Hatten have done. Okafor is a rising star in just his second season. Connecticut needs to get back coach Jim Calhoun, who had successful surgery for prostate cancer on Thursday. I can report that I spoke to him on the phone Wednesday, and he has a great mental attitude. Being the fighter he is, I believe he will be back where he belongs on the sidelines in a few weeks, like Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim did following his prostate surgery last season.

Q: Why do you (and other announcers) say that North Carolina is the youngest team in the nation? Northwestern State in the Southland Conference is younger. All five starters are freshman; they have 11 freshman, four sophomores, one junior and one senior. North Carolina has six freshman, three sophomores, three juniors and two seniors. -- Tim, Beaumont, Texas
VITALE: Coach McConathy has a very young team. I have made a note of this fact.

Q: I see Kentucky having balance and team solidarity, which is rare in a league dominated by teams with one or two superstars. Which do you think is more important come March Madness, balance and team trust or superstardom? -- Jarrod, Lexington, Ky.
VITALE: They have a great blend, and in the postseason games become more halfcourt-oriented. That's one reason I believe the Wildcats will get to the Final Four. They play unselfishly, and the team turmoil from last year is gone. I love their chemistry. Coach Tubby Smith has his kids playing at a high level.