V-MAIL: March 8

Q: Who is your favorite sleeper team that will shock the world in the tournament? -- John Riordan, Boston

	Casey Calvary and the Zags are back at it -- and in it (i.e., the NCAA Tournament).

VITALE: For one, Gonzaga -- although I don't know if I would call Gonzaga a sleeper any more. Mark Few has done another fine job, and given what has happened the last two years, this is a dangerous team. Elite Eight two years ago, Sweet 16 last season.

I really like Casey Calvary and Dan Dickau. When Dickau has been in the lineup, Gonzaga has only lost two games.

I think Georgia State is a dangerous team in the field, too. Lefty Driesell is taking his fourth different school to the tourney, and this team can flat-out play. Georgia State played several tough teams and beat Georgia in the season opener. I really like the experience of two transfers, Shernard Long from Georgetown and Kevin Morris from Georgia Tech.

Butler can also make some noise after almost upsetting Florida in the tourney last year.

Q: How could you not select Jim O'Brien of Ohio State as your Coach of the Year in the Big Ten? The Buckeyes were a unanimous choice to finish eighth or ninth in the conference after losing three starters, including standouts Michael Redd and Scoonie Penn. They finish third (11-5 in Big Ten, beating the top two teams) and will most likely be a No. 4-6 seed depending upon the result of the Big Ten tourney. Talk about overachieving! -- Jorey Chernett, Chicago
VITALE: There were a couple of tough decisions. Jimmy O'Brien has done a super job this season and he has gotten the most out of Ken Johnson in the middle. Brian Brown has really stepped up. I give the Buckeyes a lot of credit and O'Brien has been one of the main reasons.

Q: How long should Indiana University wait to offer Mike Davis a contract? He has done an incredible job and has those kids playing as well as anyone over the past eight to nine games. Confidence goes a long way in March, baby. -- Alan Dresser, Chicago
VITALE: I think Davis has done a super job and he deserves to be hired full-time. This team has played with a lot more confidence. I remember seeing them at the Preseason NIT, and seeing them now it is such a different story. Remember, this is a pretty young team which should be loaded again next season. Jared Jeffries is a member of my All-Diaper Dandy team.

Q: Why is C-USA not in your Super Seven? Highly offended in Memphis -- Andrew, Memphis, Tenn.
VITALE: This has been a bit of a down year in Conference USA. The league may only get Cincinnati into the Big Dance unless there is an upset. Next year, I believe the league will bounce back with the potential addition of Rick Pitino at Louisville. With newcomers like Wagner and Curry coming in, if they don't go to the NBA, the league should be in the Super Seven next season.

Q: I think the play-in game is a great idea; it fills up those four days between Selection Sunday and tip-off, and gives one more team a chance to get to the Big Dance. But don't you think it's unfair that two teams that won their conference tourneys have to play for the right to get into the Dance? They already earned it. Let's put two bubble teams in the play-in game -- like UConn and Penn State. Let them show us who deserves to be there and play their way in instead of getting a free pass, rather than two mid-major teams having to fight it our after they already earned the right to be in. What do you think? -- Jon Stelzner, Rye Brook
VITALE: The decision was made to have the 64th and 65th best teams play in Dayton. While it might be interesting to see two bubble teams in that game, I understand the logic.

Q: I just saw your picks for Player of the Year in each conference and the Elite Eight players. For the most part, I agree with you, but you forgot Frank Williams in both Big Ten Player of the Year and your national Elite Eight players. Frank is the best clutch and second-half player in the Big Ten. He is one of the best point guards in the nation. I know you really like the ACC, but the Big Ten has some superb players. -- Masajji Patrick, Illinois
VITALE: I had a hard time between Richardson and Frank Williams. I did see that a number of people picked Williams, and Frank certainly has matured, enjoying a big-time season. There is no question the Big Ten has plenty of talented stars.

Q: Brett Nelson over Tayshaun Prince for SEC Player of the Year? Come on baby! Prince was named Player of the Year by the coaches in the SEC. Prince leads Nelson in points per game, rebounds per game, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, blocks and minutes played. Gotta go with Tayshaun, baby! Even though Florida has a better team record. -- Rick, Louisville
VITALE: I really like the way Nelson has stepped up and taken over for the Gators. Again, this was another difficult decision. You can certainly make a case for Prince and I respect that.

Q: Why did you leave Marcus Taylor of Michigan State off your best diaper dandies list? -- David Young, New York, N.Y.
VITALE: You can only put so many people on a team. Taylor certainly has had a good season. I feel he has a very bright future, teaming up with Zach Randolph.

Q: With a 21-4 record and an exciting NCAA Tournament past, do you think that the Spiders of Richmond deserve an at-large bid? -- Chris Roberge, Stamford, Conn.
VITALE: Richmond is in a tough situation, not being permitted to play in the CAA tournament. John Beilein has done a good job, and the Spiders closed well (I believe it was 10 wins in their last 11 games). Richmond must root for no upsets in the other conference tournaments. Teams like Georgia and Connecticut losing early in their respective league tournaments helps. It also makes the Selection Committee's job tougher.

Q: When you talk about small schools going to the Big Dance, think about Wake Forest. We are easily one of the three or four smallest Division I schools, with only 4,000 students. I think the modicum of success that our basketball team has had is astounding. We compete every year against Carolina and Maryland, teams with more graduates in one year than Wake's total number of living alumni. -- Ben, Winston-Salem, N.C.
VITALE: When we use the term small schools, it usually refers to teams from conferences that are not in the "power conference" range.

Q: Question about the NIT: Do you know how they decide the host sites for each game? We are trying to determine if they decide after each round, or if they are bracketed. Obviously we are hoping Valparaiso would get a shot at the NIT since we are 24-8 and have generated a lot of interest nationally during the past several years, but are concerned that we would be eliminated because of the seating capacity of our arena. Your thoughts please? -- Dick Harlan, Valparaiso, Ind.
VITALE: I would guess that attendance is a factor in the way the NIT puts together its brackets and decides which teams host games. Valparaiso, because of its past recent history, deserves consideration. Homer Drew does a super job, though this year, Southern Utah edged his team for the Mid-Continent automatic berth.

Q: Do you feel that the national Coach of the Year should automatically be given to the coach who takes his team from worst to first? Or do you feel that a coach who consistently teaches, motivates and works through adversity -- all the while winning what is probably the toughest conference in basketball -- should be given the top honor? Because that is what Billy Donovan has done this year. He had two impact players from last year's team go in the lottery, lost three starters for the better part of the year, endured a personal tragedy of his own in October and won a share of the SEC, going 22-5 (12-4). I think that Al Skinner has done a wonderful job and certainly deserves credit, but what Donovan has accomplished, with all the hurdles he and the team has had this year and doing all of this in a much better conference, makes him the Coach of the Year. Thanks for listening. -- Ryan McGlynn, Washington D.C.

VITALE: I think there are a number of coaches who deserve consideration. Al Skinner took a team which won 11 games last season, and this season they were the most consistent squad in the Big East. Billy Donovan didn't go from worst to first -- he was in the championship game last year. Donovan did an incredible job despite injuries to Teddy Dupay, Brent Wright and Justin Hamilton. Phil Martelli and Rod Barnes have led their respective teams to surprising seasons. I decided to go with Skinner. By the way, one of the biggest mistakes I made when I coached the Pistons was cutting Skinner. I'm sorry, Al!

Q: You have said that you don't like the alternating-possession rule. You think it doesn't reward hustle. I've never understood this. A jump ball doesn't necessarily reward hustle, it just introduces an additional degree of randomness (of the two who tied it up, who's the better jumper). Can you explain why you think a jump ball is better? Seems like alternating possession is the fairest approach to a tie-up. -- Mike Taylor (Duke '88), Walnut Creek, Calif.
VITALE: I feel the player who makes a great play on defense often misses out on the reward because of alternating possession. I understand what you are saying about the jump ball. I just feel that if you make the defensive play, you should be rewarded for that effort with a chance in a jump-ball situation.