How a No. 5 seed can win it all

The Office at Dunder Mifflin in Scranton did not get a first-hand, hometown look at a strong Final Four candidate this basketball season. But lucky you: Michigan State played at The Citadel in December and at times flexed national championship muscle.

Yes, I know. Michigan State is a No. 5 seed on the Kansas side of the bracket.

Kansas is the easy choice.

But this is a nutty year in college basketball and there are other reasons to believe in the Spartans:

--They reached the NCAA championship game last year before losing to North Carolina.

--The lineup is stacked with stars such as Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan, and underrated impact players like sophomore forward Draymond Green.

--Michigan State is 24-8 and Lucas had ankle problems during a three-game losing streak in early February.

--Tom Izzo (five Final Fours in the last 11 years) knows his way around the Big Dance.

--North Carolina is out of the way (the Tar Heels knocked Michigan State out of the NCAA Tournament in the 2005 Final Four and 2007 second round, plus the title game last year).

--The Final Four is in Indianapolis, a short drive from East Lansing.

A quick trip around the bracket:

Midwest Regional

Top seed: Kansas

Regional final site: St. Louis.

Best first-round game: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 San Diego State. Aztecs head coach Steve Fisher led Michigan to a national title.

Sound smart and say: "Yeah, you know, Northern Iowa. The school where Kurt Warner played his college football."

Bracket buster: No. 10 Georgia Tech over No. 7 Oklahoma State.

Good enough to carry a team: Ohio State guard Evan Turner is the most consistently versatile player in college basketball.

Geographical advantage: Maybe Michigan State can make a Sweet 16 game work against Kansas in St. Louis, where Jayhawks are the enemy.

Palmetto State ties: Georgia Tech plays on Bobby Cremins Court.

Underrated star: Northern Iowa's 7-foot senior center Jordan Eglseder.

It's the system: Michigan State is as physical as any team in the country.

Best nickname: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

Sweet 16 picks: Kansas, Michigan State, Georgetown, Ohio State.

Final Four pick: Michigan State.

West Regional

Top seed: Syracuse.

Regional final site: Salt Lake City.

Best first-round game: No. 5 Butler vs. No. 12 Texas-El Paso. Might be a mid- major classic.

Sound smart and say: "Always go with the pointspread, not the seedings."

Bracket buster: No. 11 Minnesota over No. 6 Xavier.

Good enough to carry a team: Kansas State guard Denis Clemente, a transfer from Miami, can score in bunches.

Geographical advantage: Minnesota opening up next door in Milwaukee.

Palmetto State ties: Pittsburgh assistant coach Tom Herrion was the head coach at College of Charleston between John Kresse and Bobby Cremins.

Underrated star: If you haven't seen BYU junior guard Jimmer Fredette play, you will love this long-range bomber.

It's the system: Butler's offense, full of ball screens and five players in motion, is fun to watch but hard to defend.

Best nickname: North Texas Mean Green.

Sweet 16 picks: Syracuse, Vanderbilt, BYU, Pittsburgh.

Final Four pick: Syracuse.

East Regional

Top seed: Kentucky.

Regional final site: Syracuse.

Best first-round game: No. 5 Temple vs. No. 12 Cornell. Big Red looking for the Ivy League's first NCAA Tournament win since Princeton in 1998.

Sound smart and say: "Wisconsin has 42,030 students; Wofford has 1,450. The game should be closer than that."

Bracket buster: No. 11 Washington over No. 6 Marquette.

Good enough to carry a team: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson … Take your pick of Kentucky's 2010 NBA Lottery picks.

Geographical advantage: Wofford got its best possible first-round location, Jacksonville.

Palmetto State ties: Former Clemson head coach Rick Barnes and Texas open against Wake Forest, a short ride from Barnes' native Hickory, N.C.

Underrated star: New Mexico swingman Darington Hobson got good tutelage from assistant coach Craig Neal, a starting guard at Georgia Tech when Bobby Cremins was head coach.

It's the system: Clemson's press should frustrate Missouri and lead to the Tigers' first NCAA Tournament victory in three tries under Oliver Purnell.

Best nickname: New Mexico Lobos.

Sweet 16 picks: Kentucky, Wisconsin, West Virginia, New Mexico.

Final Four pick: Kentucky.

South Regional

Top seed: Duke.

Regional final site: Houston.

Best first-round game: No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Louisville. The winner is a tough out for Duke.

Sound smart and say: "If I've said it once, I've said it 1,000 times this season: You cannot overlook the Utah State Aggies."

Bracket buster: No. 13 Siena over No. 4 Purdue.

Good enough to carry a team: Villanova senior guard Scottie Reynolds is determined to get to a second straight Final Four after losing to North Carolina in a national semifinal last year.

Geographical advantage: Duke faces the possibility of fighting through both Texas A&M and Baylor at Sweet 16 games in Houston.

Palmetto State ties: Texas A&M's Khris Middleton (Porter-Gaud) has started 20 games as a freshman.

Underrated star: Baylor center Ekpe "The Nightmare" Udoh, a 6-10 transfer from Michigan, set a Big 12 single-season record for blocked shots.

It's the system: Richmond confounds foes with its version of the Princeton offense.

Best nickname: Sam Houston State Bearkats.

Sweet 16 picks: Duke, Texas A&M, Villanova, Baylor.

Final Four pick: Villanova.

National champion: Michigan State over Kentucky.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com.