Before I get to the preview, the folks at Grey Dog Software have given me a copy of their new college hoops simulation, Total College Basketball, to give away. This game is a simulation, so you’re not going to be doing 360 dunks or anything like that. You’re the coach and you manage all aspects of your program (recruiting, scheduling, practices, and yes, games).

I’ve played it a little and it seems to have all the bases covered. Anyway, it’s a $35 value, so if you’d like a copy, be the first to [email protected] with the name of the player that scored the most points in a 40-minute Division I game this season. [There’s been a winner. Thanks!]

Here’s my Sweet 16 preview in a format of where they’ve been, where they are, where they’re going. Each team is listed with their preseason odds (as listed by Caesar’s on 8/16/05), their current standing among Sweet 16 teams in tempo, adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, and their key players as ranked by DraftExpress (as of 3/2/06) in the top 100 of each class.

Keep in the mind the player rankings have more to do with NBA potential that current ability (see: Josh Boone, Sean Williams), but since it’s generally assumed that the team with the most talent wins, I thought it would be enlightening to see where the talent is. It does give you a picture of who the true underdogs are.

Atlanta

(Tonight)
Duke: 4-1 odds, #3 tempo, #1 offense, #10 defense. J.J. Redick – #1 Senior. Shelden Williams – #2 Senior. Sean Dockery – #63 Senior. DeMarcus Nelson – #71 Sophomore. Josh McRoberts – #4 Freshman. Greg Paulus – #15 Freshman.

LSU: 22-1 odds, #6 tempo, #14 offense, #4 defense. Glen Davis- #38 Sophomore. Tyrus Thomas – #1 Freshman. Magnum Rolle – #20 Freshman. Tasmin Mitchell – #24 Freshman.

Texas: 18-1 odds, #10 tempo, #2 offense, #2 defense. Brad Buckman – #68 Senior. P.J. Tucker – #29 Junior. LaMarcus Aldridge – #1 Sophomore. Daniel Gibson – #17 Sophomore.

West Virginia: 30-1 odds, #13 tempo, #10 offense, #14 defense. Mike Gansey – #16 Senior. Kevin Pittsnogle – #28 Senior.

Oakland

(Tonight)
Memphis: 25-1 odds, #2 tempo, #11 offense, #5 defense. Rodney Carney – #3 Senior. Darius Washington – #4 Sophomore. Shawne Williams – #5 Freshman. Joey Dorsey – #48 Sophomore. Antonio Anderson – #14 Freshman. Chris Douglas-Roberts #19 Freshman. Robert Dozier – #30 Freshman.

Bradley: unlisted odds, #5 tempo, #15 offense, #7 defense. Marcellus Sommerville – #86 Senior. Patrick O’Bryant – #11 Sophomore.

Gonzaga: 22-1 odds, #8 tempo, #3 offense, #16 defense. J.P. Batista – #44 Senior. Erroll Knight – #60 Senior. Adam Morrison – #1 Junior. Derek Raivio – #44 Junior. Josh Heytvelt – #29 Freshman.

UCLA: 35-1 odds, #14 tempo, #11 offense, #1 defense. Cedric Bozeman – #75 Senior. Ryan Hollins – #70 Senior. Jordan Farmar – #6 Sophomore. Arron Afflalo – #24 Sophomore. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute – #25 Freshman.

Washington

(Friday)
UConn: 7-1 odds, #4 tempo, #5 offense, #3 defense. Hilton Armstrong – #7 Senior. Rashad Anderson – #29 Senior. Denham Brown – #40 Senior. Josh Boone – #4 Junior. Marcus Williams – #5 Junior. Rudy Gay – #2 Sophomore.

Washington: 60-1 odds, #1 tempo, #9 offense, #11 defense. Brandon Roy – #8 Senior. Bobby Jones – #23 Senior.

George Mason: unlisted odds, #12 tempo, #16 offense, #8 defense.

Wichita State: unlisted odds, #11 tempo, #13 offense, #14 defense.

Minneapolis

(Friday)
Villanova: 8-1 odds, #9 tempo, #4 offense, #9 defense. Randy Foye – #5 Senior.  Allan Ray – #20 Senior. Jason Fraser – #51 Senior. Mike Nardi – #61 Junior. Kyle Lowry – #8 Sophomore.

Boston College: 18-1 odds, #15 tempo, #6 offense, #15 defense. Craig Smith – #53 Senior. Jared Dudley – #16 Junior. Sean Williams – #26 Sophomore.

Florida: 50-1 odds, #7 tempo, #8 offense, #6 defense. Chris Richard – #62 Junior. Al Horford – #5 Sophomore, Corey Brewer – #7 Sophomore. Joakim Noah – #14 Sophomore.

Georgetown: 400-1 odds, #16 tempo, #7 offense, #12 defense. Brandon Bowman – #69 Senior. Jeff Green – #18 Sophomore. Roy Hibbert – #22 Sophomore.