WHAT TO LOOK FOR

* The draw: It all begins with Northwestern State vs. Winthrop in a play-in game tonight for the right to face No. 1 Illinois. It also includes No. 13 Cal State Northridge, a tournament first. Illinois, thanks largely to a victory over Michigan State, earned the top seeding, even though the Illini lost in the Big Ten tournament semifinal. But streaking Arizona might have made a better choice. The No. 2 Wildcats appear to finally have overcome tragedy and controversy that soured a preseason No. 1 ranking. No. 6 Notre Dame is making its first tournament appearance in 10 years, against No. 11 Xavier. No. 5 Syracuse and particularly No. 12 Hawaii make long trips to Dayton. Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell will rub shoulders with his mentor, Coach Jerry Green of No. 8 Tennessee. Braswell was an assistant to Green at Oregon.

* Best first-round-game: No. 7 Wake Forest vs. No. 10 Butler. They’re close in the RPI; Wake Forest is No. 29, Butler 30. Butler almost upset Florida in the first round last year. Wake Forest whipped Kansas in December, 84-53.

* Sleeper: Mississippi. The Rebels won the Southeastern Conference West title and set a school record with 23 victories. Ole Miss defeated USC, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and injury-plagued Florida.

* Upset in the making: No. 13 Cal State Northridge vs. No. 4 Kansas. The tournament is made for Cinderellas. Northridge, which upset UCLA this season, looks the part. The Matadors, 13-point underdogs, hardly could ask for a tougher challenge, but they’re thankful to be playing in March. Braswell and Kansas’ Roy Williams are close friends and run similar offenses. Williams recruited former Jayhawk Adonis Jordan out of Reseda Cleveland High when Braswell coached there. Northridge, stocked with seniors and deep, won at Oregon and Fresno State last season. Guard Markus Carr leads the nation in assists per game (8.8). Kansas is beefier in the front court with forwards Drew Gooden (6-10), Nick Collison (6-9 1/2) and 7-1 foot center Eric Chenowith, but depth is a question mark. Forward Luke Axtell quit the team because of a back injury. Kansas was eliminated in the second round the last three seasons.

* Impact coach: Lute Olson. Arizona has endured the death of Olson’s wife, Bobbi, this season and the suspension of players, including 7-1 center Loren Woods. But the Wildcats are starting to resemble the Final Four team many predict they will be. They closed the season with road victories over Cal and Stanford, the No. 1 seeding in the West. They’re starting to bear a resemblance to the NCAA title team of 1997.

* Impact player: Gilbert Arenas of Arizona. The 6-2 shooting guard from Van Nuys Grant High has been close to unstoppable during the last half of Pacific 10 Conference play. A good performance in the NCAA tournament could encourage him to leave early for the NBA draft. Among the best sophomores in the nation, Arenas scored 30 against UCLA, 27 against USC and 22 against Stanford.

* The pick: Northridge--just kidding. The Matadors might be a gutsy pick in office pools, but they’re in over their heads. Arizona will win the regional title, and more.