V-MAIL: March 1

Q: At this point, who are your four No. 1 seeds for the tournament? -- hoop fan Raymond
VITALE: There is still a lot of basketball left, with the conference tournaments. Certainly the injury to Carlos Boozer could hurt Duke's chances. Right now, I would still say Duke, North Carolina, Stanford and Michigan State. This is subject to change.

Q: Love your work. What do you say we get rid of automatic bids for the postseason conference tourney winner? To me, this devalues the regular season. Why should a team that has 12 or 13 wins overall but suddenly gets hot for three days deserve to go over a team that has done it all year long? -- Salvatore R. Vecchio, Syracuse, N.Y.
VITALE: I agree with you that there is a lot of emphasis put on winning the conference tournaments and not enough put on what is accomplished during the entire season. You are right, since a team can get hot and get the bid into the Big Dance.

Q: Which conference's style and level of play best prepares its teams for the NCAA Tournament? -- Jerome Faull, Seattle

Many times playing in a league where there is more conservative play helps, because teams in the postseason are more protective of the basketball.

VITALE: That is difficult to say. Many times playing in a league where there is more conservative play helps, because teams in the postseason are more protective of the basketball. So I'd say the Big Ten -- which plays physical basketball and more conservatively at times -- may prepare teams well. The ACC has so many heavyweights, so that prepares you for the pressure. It really depends on the team, the players and the coach, how mentally ready you are for the challenge of winning six games to cut down the nets. The ability to play in a one-game situation is crucial. The ACC helps because of the intense competition in the conference tournament.

Q: How can Virginia not be a team to watch out for in the NCAA Tournament this year? You list Arizona, Kentucky, Florida and Maryland as teams to watch out for -- besides the obvious favorites. I don't necessarily disagree with any of those choices. But Virginia has clearly shown that they can beat any team in the country. Granted, their lack of consistency may give you reason to question their ability to last long in the Dance, but you could certainly say the same thing about Arizona and Maryland. -- Matt Blumberg, New York, N.Y.
VITALE: Virginia is talented, but the Cavs have to get it done on the road. You get a better read when you find out what teams do away from their arena. The Cavs have been dynamite at home; can they do it away from University Hall?

Q: On your Web page, you state that the field of 65 should be wide-open. What happened to 64 teams? -- J.R. Esgar, St. Louis
VITALE: In 1985, the NCAA went to a 64-team format, which included a minimum of 34 at-large teams. When eight schools left the Western Athletic Conference to form the Mountain West Conference, the MWC became the 31st conference to receive an automatic bid. So there will be 31 automatic qualifiers and 34 at-large teams in 2001, or a 65-team field. The two teams that play in the opening-round game will be the teams the basketball committee seeds Nos. 64 and 65 on Selection Sunday (this season, the opening-round game will be played Tuesday, March 13, at 8 p.m. ET at the University of Dayton).

Q: Who do you think deserves to be ACC Coach of the Year? Although I am biased, I think that Pete Gillen, considering what he has done with the Virginia program over the last three years, should be the front-runner. ... What do you think? -- Tre, Charlottesville, Va.
VITALE: Obviously, someone like Mike Krzyzewski doesn't get enough credit, because everyone expects his team to be right up there. Coach K takes everyone's best hit but still performs. Gillen has done a terrific job, as has Matt Doherty. If you are looking for a Cinderella story, I'd go down to Georgia Tech and Paul Hewitt. Doherty has added a lot of spirit, but he had a nice nucleus with a group that played in the Final Four last year. I would go with Hewitt, due to the amazing job he has done. He's created enthusiasm and spirit, and his team has a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Q: I used to be skeptical about all the hype about Casey Jacobsen. I must say, however, he is a man-child. He is a clutch player, and furthermore, he has heart. I've seen every Stanford game this year, and he's been double-teamed, thrown on the floor, and the tougher the circumstance the better he plays. ... His defense has also been outstanding this year. My question to you is: How do you think he'll fare in the NBA, and do you think he should come out after this year? -- Jason Peery, Palo Alto, Calif.
VITALE: I don't think there is any talk of him coming out after this season. I think he is smart enough to understand there are parts of his game he can work on. Casey is a bright kid, talented and one of the big-time college stars, one of my Super Seven.

Q: Why do ESPN's Big Monday telecasts on the Big East always feature teams like UConn, Syracuse, Georgetown, St. John's and every once in a while Notre Dame? The Big East has 14 teams in it. ... I am a big Mountaineer fan, and they are the hottest team in the Big East. West Virginia deserves to be in the mix for an NCAA Tournament bid, but everyone says they don't have a chance. It would be nice to see someone besides the teams I mentioned on Big Monday. ... What are your thoughts on Big Monday and on WVU's chances for the Big Dance? Thanks for your time. -- Chuck Haseleu, Morgantown, W.Va.
VITALE: Those are highly visible programs that have had a lot of success. They have fans desiring to watch them play. I don't want to take anything away from the great job Gale Catlett has done this season. Players like Calvin Bowman, Lionel Armstead and company have made a good run in the Big East. Nobody thought they would be as good as they are. As far as the NCAA Tournament, I believe they have to get to the finals of the Big East tourney to get in.

	Making the U.S. national team could mean Jameer Nelson will leave St. Joseph's after this season.

Q: It seems that people are starting to take notice of the St. Joe's Hawks. How far do you see them going in the tournament? -- John, Philadelphia
VITALE: I see them as being a potential Sweet 16 team. That was quite a comeback in the win over Massachusetts, down 16 at halftime. It would be difficult to project them going much further. The backcourt tandem of diaper dandy Jameer Nelson and Marvin O'Connor has been special. When you go beyond the Sweet 16, their personnel drops off a bit compared to some of the other contenders. Phil Martelli has done a great job this season.

Q: I would like to ask you about the king of college basketball, Bob Knight. Do you think he will ever coach again? If so, when? Do you think he will ever coach in the Big Ten again and face Indiana at Assembly Hall in Bloomington? Thank you for your time. -- Andy Wissner, Booville, Ind.
VITALE: I believe we will see Knight coaching again, but I don't think it will be in the Big Ten. There are a number of schools that will show interest in him after the season, so I feel he will be back on the sidelines. Remember, there will be schools out there looking for instant publicity for their programs, and Knight would give a boost.

Q: Do you think the Oregon Ducks have a good enough basketball team to make it to the Sweet 16 this season? If not, possibly next season? -- Fletcher Johnson, Gresham, Ore.
VITALE: Right now, Oregon is trying to stay over .500 to make the NIT. The Ducks got off to a good start but have really struggled in Pac-10 play, especially on the road. Ernie Kent does a good job, and his team is capable of rebounding next season.

Q: How good are the Wyoming Cowboys? I just was watching one of their games and they looked really good! I'm right in the middle of ACC country, and I think they would give some of the teams here a good run for their money. -- Derek Smith, Norfolk, Va.
VITALE: Wyoming had a good win over New Mexico on Monday, snapping a four-game win streak by the Lobos. Josh Davis and company are contenders in the Mountain West, along with Utah and BYU. I feel that Wyoming is in a situation where the league may not get too many extra bids, so the Cowboys have to pull the knockout punch in the tournament. I feel they will be on the board for consideration as an at-large team if they don't win the tournament. What would hurt them is if mid-major teams that have had good seasons fail to win their conference tournaments. That would take an at-large away from a conference like the Mountain West.

Q: With all the talk that Gonzaga, Pepperdine and other mid to small major conferences cannot get major conference teams to play at their houses, why doesn't ESPN schedule a week of "David vs. Goliath" games in December? Think about it. ESPN could have Western Kentucky on its home court taking on Kentucky, UCLA having to travel to Gonzaga to play the Zags on their home court, Duke having to play at Charleston, etc. This would create lots of excitement and wouldn't hurt the big schools' chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament. What are the chances of something like this occurring? -- David Worthington, Winchester, Va.
VITALE: I think that would bring a lot of excitement. That's a great concept, but getting some of those big schools to accept that is another story. It gets me going, and it would be great to see the big guys go on the road and chase the little guys. That would be phenomenal, but in this day and age, unfortunately, I doubt we would see that happen. Great thought, and you must have stayed up all night to think up that one, baby!