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North Carolina will go for its fifth national championship with an itinerary that looks a lot like the one from its third title.

Tyler Hansbrough and UNC could go from Raleigh to Charlotte on the way to the Final Four. (US Presswire)

Of the four top seeds, the Tar Heels have the most geographically pleasing road to the Final Four. In fact, they're the only No. 1 seed who won't have to leave their home state before getting to the Final Four. Kansas goes from Nebraska to Michigan. Memphis goes from Arkansas to Texas. UCLA starts in Anaheim but then goes to Phoenix.

The Tar Heels? They're 25 minutes from Raleigh, then a two-hour bus ride to Charlotte. North Carolina already has played once this season at Raleigh -- beating host North Carolina State in February -- and won four times in four tries at Charlotte, beating Davidson in November and winning the ACC tournament there in recent days.

Three storylines

1. Ty Lawson's ankle: Until Sunday's ACC title game, the UNC sophomore point guard hadn't been the same since spraining his ankle in early February and missing six games. He still isn't shooting as well, and he hasn't been getting into the lane and creating like he once did. Quentin Thomas has emerged as a solid backup, but if Lawson isn't 100 percent now -- or if he tweaks his ankle later -- North Carolina will struggle to get out of this region.

2. Tennessee got screwed: No way, no how, did Tennessee deserve to be placed as the No. 2 seed opposite the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, which North Carolina is. The RPI had the Volunteers as the No. 1 team in the entire country. It's one thing -- one justifiable thing -- for Tennessee to be dropped from a No. 1 to a No. 2 seed after it lost in the SEC tournament. It's something else (something crappy) for the Vols to be dropped to the worst No. 2 slot.

3. NCAA hates Cinderella: Three of the most lovable underdogs of this season and recent seasons of the past -- George Mason, Butler and Saint Joseph's -- were crammed into the same region. The message from the selection committee, which answers to the NCAA leadership, which is run by the biggest schools, seems to be this: We're going to let you into our tournament. But we'll be damned if we'll let more than one of you knuckleheads get to the Final Four.

East Region picks

Who will win: North Carolina, but barely, in a region championship for the ages against Tennessee. There might not be a ton of premium NBA talent on the floor -- I can't think of a single future NBA star on either team -- but what a college game.

Dark-horse pick: Washington State is going to be a brutal matchup for anybody and everybody. I've got the Cougars losing in the Sweet 16 to North Carolina, but I'm not completely comfortable with it. Washington State is that prickly.

Most likely upset: No. 11 Saint Joseph's will beat sixth-seeded Oklahoma in the first round and wonder what all the fuss was about. The Sooners have been beaten by double-digit margins eight times this season, including 30- and 28-point stinkers.

Best mascot: Who else but the Hawk of Saint Joseph's? That thing flaps its wings, or at least one of them, from the opening tap to the closing horn. It's an incredible feat of strength and endurance, which is why the mascot is on scholarship. Seriously.

Best point guard: A healthy Ty Lawson would win this hands down, but I'm not sure he's 100 percent, so I'm not sure he's better right now than Notre Dame's Kyle McAlarney, who can score 30 on his own and is a career 85-percent shooter on foul shots.

Best post player: OK, maybe he's not the best post player in this region (how much can I write about Tyler Hansbrough, anyway?), but Louisville's David Padgett is the most important. When he became healthy enough to play, Louisville took off.

Best coach: History might laugh at me for not saying Tony Bennett of Washington State, but in the present tense I'm going with Hall of Famer Roy Williams over Bruce Pearl, who has done an incredible job at Tennessee.

Best reputation: It gets no better than North Carolina, with four national titles and 16 Final Four appearances. Coaches include Frank McGuire, Dean Smith and Roy Williams. Players? Michael Jordan, Phil Ford, James Worthy, Charlie Scott, Sam Perkins, Raymond Felton, Billy Cunningham, Walter Davis ...

Five stars on display

1. Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina): If he returns as a senior, Hansbrough (2,067 career points) would challenge J.J. Redick's ACC record of 2,769 -- and perhaps the 3,000 milestone reached by just six others.

2. Eric Gordon (Indiana): He wasn't able to keep up his torrid scoring pace from November and December all seasons, but this shooting guard can still fill it up. He'll remind you of Dwyane Wade.

3. Luke Harangody (Notre Dame): He was already the most improved player in the country when the Big East slate rolled around -- and then became dominant, including a 40-point masterpiece against Louisville.

4. Kyle Weaver (Washington State): This 6-foot-6 senior might be the best all-around player in the country. He averages 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals. He shoots 40 percent on 3-pointers. He has nearly 100 career blocked shots.

5. Tyler Smith (Tennessee): Then again, Smith might be the best. He scores (13.6), rebounds (6.8) and assists (3.5). He steals (1.5). And he hits 40 percent of his 3-pointers.

Five random notes

1. Indiana's Dan Dakich will find a way to beat Arkansas in the first round, giving him another crack at North Carolina in the NCAA tournament. The last time that happened, he was shutting down Michael Jordan in the 1984 Sweet 16.

2. South Alabama has feasted off transfers, getting 20.1 ppg from ex-SMU player Demetric Bennett, 11.5 ppg and 5.6 apg from Daon Merritt (Richmond), 10.9 ppg from Brandon Davis (Jacksonville State) and post depth from Daniel Hayles (Auburn).

3. George Mason's Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas, sophomores on the 2006 Final Four team, have grown up. Campbell averages 15.9 ppg, while Thomas posts 15.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg. The only other regular still here from the 2006 team is Jordan Carter (2.8 ppg).

4. When he signed four years ago out of Hawaii, guard Derrick Low was said to be the most important recruit in recent Washington State history. Completely right. He has been the most consistent player on one of the more improbable program turnarounds of this era.

5. Derrick Caracter never materialized into the NBA lottery pick many foresaw when he was in the ninth grade, but he contributes 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds as a sophomore power forward for Louisville.