{image1}Upon first glance, Wisconsin's No. 6 seed in the "East Rutherford Regional" of the 2004 NCAA Tournament could be construed as a major slight by the selection committee.

Considering UW had soundly beaten Illinois 70-53 to win the Big 10 Tournament championship minutes before the pairings were announced -- after a 12-4 regular season and while holding a No. 10 ranking in the AP poll -- a No. 4 or 5 seed seemed more likely.

It should be noted, however, that UW has never been seeded higher than No. 5, where it started last year's run to the Sweet 16. And what about No. 3 Pittsburgh? The Big East's regular-season champs may have been a hoop or two away from a No. 1 seed before losing the conference title game to Connecticut Saturday night. Instead of a plum No. 1 or 2 seed, the Panthers were sent packing to Milwaukee -- where they could face the newly minted Big 10 tourney champs just 90 miles from their home den.

Should the Big East champs and the Big 10 tourney champs meet so early in the NCAA Tournament? In most seasons, that type of game usually takes place at the regionals, not in the second round.

This isn't most seasons, however. The Big 10 not only placed just three teams in the dance, but none of them were seeded higher than No. 5 (Illinois in the "Atlanta Regional"). Michigan State didn't suffer much from losing three times to UW - they landed a No. 7 in the "St. Louis Regional." Meanwhile, the Panthers are apparently paying the price for a weak non-conference slate.

However, the Badgers must take care of business in the first round before meeting Pitt. The Atlantic 10's Richmond Spiders travel to the Bradley Center to meet Devin Harris and the Badgers Friday. Richmond earned a No. 11 seed thanks in part to road wins against Kansas and Colorado, as well as a 10-6 mark in the respectable A-10.

Swingman Mike Skrocki (16.1 ppg) is the Spiders' leading scorer, and guard Tony Dobbins (11.0, 7.7 rpg) will present Harris with a stiff defensive test. With Dave Mader and Zach Morley up front, the Badgers have a slight size advantage. But like UW, coach Jerry Wainwright's team is stingy with the basketball, turning it over just 13 times per game (the Badgers commit 9.9).

Richmond lost in the A-10 semis by a bucket to Dayton, which earned a No. 10 seed opposite DePaul in the "Phoenix Regional." The Spiders lost to St. Joe's in Philadelphia by just 11 points, and 10 of their 12 defeats came against tourney teams.

In the new parlance of March, Richmond will not be an "easy out." But if the Badgers were truly worthy of a higher seed, they'll certainly beat the Spiders.

With Marquette and UW-Milwaukee lined up for the National Invitational Tournament, that's the end of the local analysis. As for other thoughts on this year's madness:

• What's with the new (or lack of) regional names? My guess is it has something to do with marketing, but East Rutherford and St. Louis are obviously the East and Midwest Regionals -- why not call them that?

• The ACC placed six teams in the tournament, none seeded lower than North Carolina at No. 6. Maryland -- which finished 7-9 in ACC play -- got a No. 4; Georgia Tech (9-7) and Wake Forest (9-7) got a No. 3 and 4, respectively. Again, in case you missed it, Maryland finished two games under .500 in league play and got a No. 4 seed. This is either power conference or East Coast bias run amok -- regardless of Sunday's OT win over Duke in the ACC title game.

• The committee likes to talk about teams "playing themselves in." Then what about 25-3 Utah State? The Aggies won the Big West with a 17-1 conference mark and beat BYU in non-conference play. But BYU -- who won only one more game in its conference tourney than the Aggies -- earned an at-large bid. This is obviously driven by the Cougars' solid RPI (30, as of Saturday), but it seems like robbery to me.

• Upsets, anyone? I reserve the right to finish my official bracket Thursday morning (in other words, about 72 hours after submitting this story), but some early candidates include: Utah (No. 11 in St. Louis) -- The Utes have a winnable game against No. 6 Boston College in the opener and would likely face Ga. Tech on Saturday. Tech is everyone's darling, but long-range ace Nick Jacobson could shoot the Utes into the Sweet 16. UIC (No. 13 in St. Louis) -- The Flames' story reads similar to UWM's 2003 tourney tale: a hot conference finish, an upset win in the Horizon League title game and a No. 13 seed against a major conference power. They'll try to finish what the Panthers couldn't last year, and Kansas has been susceptible all season. St. Joe's (No. 1 in E. Rutherford) -- Yes, I know, a No. 1 seed isn't truly an upset pick. But the nation seems all too eager to discount the Hawks after their embarrassing A-10 tourney defeat to Xavier. But consider who Phil Martelli's team may have to beat to reach the regional finals -- Liberty, Texas Tech/Charlotte and Florida/Wake Forest. It won't take a miracle to get by the first three rounds. Whether or not they can beat Oklahoma State in a possible regional final is up for debate, but don't expect Jameer Nelson and Delonte West to struggle again in the first weekend. Air Force (No. 11 in Atlanta) -- the Mountain West champs with the backdoor-cut offense are a feel-good pick, if only for the novelty of their first tourney bid in 42 years. But perhaps most intriguing is the matchup problems they may provide the up-tempo Tar Heels (or vice versa, admittedly) in the first round. Roy Williams' team is capable of a Final Four run, as any ESPN lackey will tell you, but they're also capable of falling early. Plus, the game will be played in Denver, a short drive from Air Force's Colorado Springs campus. Duke's opponents -- Duke just doesn't feel like Duke to me. Yes, the Blue Devils won the ACC by two games and boast five double-digit scorers, but potential second-round opponent Seton Hall can match the latter. Illinois or Cincinnati in the Sweet 16 isn't a walk in the park either, and SEC regular-season champs Mississippi State may await in the regional final.