V-MAIL | Feb. 22, 2004 | Send a V-Mail question

	Rashad McCants, who averaged 16 ppg this past season, says he's hiring an agent.

Q: Does North Carolina have a good enough team to make it to the Final Four this year? -- Chris (Chicago)
VITALE -- I think coach Roy Williams' Tar Heels (16-7, 6-6 ACC) need to be more consistent and must buy into playing defense for a full 40 minutes. I feel that they haven't always bought into the necessary defensive concepts. Arizona and North Carolina have the best starting fives in America, but they must buy into playing better defense. There are too many lapses.

Q: Except for staple teams like Duke and the surprise of unbeatens Stanford and Saint Joseph's, this year's top 25 has been full of shakeups. What teams do you see flying below the radar like last year's Syracuse team, just waiting to break out in March? And why might those teams break out? -- Chris (Cincinnati, Ohio)
VITALE -- I think Mississippi State (21-2), Oklahoma State (21-2) and NC State (17-6) have flown under the radar in that they haven't been talked about as much as they probably deserve.

Q: You've been to Starkville, Miss., this year and have seen Mississippi State play. Do you think this Bulldogs team has finally shaken off the funk of not winning the big games? Can MSU repeat the glory of the '96 Final Four team? -- Bulldogs fan (Starkville, Mississippi)
VITALE -- I have to say that Mississippi State (21-2, 10-2 SEC) has been very impressive. Junior forward Lawrence Roberts, the transfer from Baylor, has been the key. He's my choice right now for SEC player of the rear. Until Saturday's 77-73 loss to Alabama, a last-second loss to Kentucky was the only thing keeping Rick Stansbury's team from being unbeaten.

Q: What are your thoughts about UW-Milwaukee and its emergence as a top mid-major program? -- Brian Niznansky (Milwaukee)
VITALE -- Coach Bruce Pearl has done a solid job with the Wisconsin-Milwaukee program (17-9, 12-3 Horizon). The Horizon League has made some noise in the past in the NCAA Tournament -- just ask Mississippi State and Louisville about Butler! If Wisconsin-Milwaukee gets into the NCAA field of 65, it will be one of those first-round sleepers.

Q: How in the world can Missouri be so bad with the caliber of players in Columbia? Personally, I didn't see the chemistry from the get-go, and now the Tigers have dug themselves into a giant hole. What do they need to do on the court to make a late run for the NCAAs? I see it as either win the Big 12 tourney or stay at home in March! -- Brice Garnett (St. Joseph, Missouri)
VITALE -- It's been a tough season for coach Quin Snyder and the Tigers (13-10, 7-5 Big 12). Obviously, I felt this was a top-five caliber team at the start of the season, especially with senior center Arthur Johnson and senior guard Rickey Paulding coming back. I would say the chemistry just hasn't worked out. Missouri still has a shot at getting hot at the right time come conference tournament time.

Dick Vitale coached the Detroit Pistons and the University of Detroit in the 1970s before providing color commentary for ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979 (he's been an ESPN analyst ever since). Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.