INDIANAPOLIS — Is this what they mean by the new world order? When the Missouri Valley Conference gets as many teams invited to the NCAA Tournament as the ACC and Big 12?

When the likes of Cincinnati, Maryland and Michigan are kept outside to make room for — George Mason and Air Force and Northern Iowa?

Plenty of room for teeth-gnashing yesterday when the NCAA committee turned off its laptops and decided on 65 lucky faces. But really, could the dancing begin without clamor? And to answer the incoming fire, the committee chair sought wisdom in plumbing.

"We had two gallons of water," Craig Littlepage said last night, "and a one-gallon tank."

So the NIT can mop up the excess. But it is fair to say a good many voices will not be pleased about this year's bent toward inclusion of more schools with lower Q ratings. The CBS tag team of Jim Nance and Billy Packer sounded positively apocalyptic in their on-air grilling of Littlepage.

Still, it is hard to identify any teams truly wronged by some of the glitzy leagues getting fewer invites.

Only four teams from the poor old ACC? Maryland with 12 losses isn't all that appealing.

The Big 12? Colorado would be the next pick and the Buffaloes just lost a league tournament game, 86-53.

Cincinnati probably has the best case. But what, EIGHT teams from the Big East aren't enough? And the Bearcats did go 6-10 down the stretch.

Still, they're probably in if they beat Syracuse the other day, so it's a lousy deal to have your fate sealed by a last-second prayer.

The howling is like a head cold. Might last nearly a week. But then the games take over. The brackets went up in big letters last night, with No. 1 seeds Connecticut, Duke, Memphis and Villanova the boldest of all.

WASHINGTON REGIONAL

Team to beat: UConn has seldom wavered all season, and knows the way in March.

Team to watch: No. 3 seed North Carolina finished with an 11-2 rush and won at Duke. That is called firing a warning shot to the rest of the field.

Team to wonder about: Promoted to No. 2 despite a 2-4 finish, Tennessee seems more over-seeded than a garden maven's lawn. Up to the Vols to prove the skeptics wrong.

First-round game not to miss: Kentucky vs. UAB. The Blazers stunned the Wildcats in the second round two years ago. Won't be much of an upset this time. UAB won 20 of its last 23 games, and Kentucky has been curiously vulnerable.

Plotline: North Carolina and Michigan State met in last year's Final Four. They could play in the second round.

ATLANTA REGIONAL

Team to beat: The late-season slump was a mirage. All Duke needed for revival was a whiff of the ACC tournament.

Team to watch: West Virginia was 4-1 on the road this season against ranked teams.

Team to wonder about: So which Syracuse team shows up — the one that defied logic and gravity to win four Big East tournament games by a total of eight points, or the one that lost to DePaul 108-69?

First-round game not to miss: West Virginia vs. Southern Illinois. Rollicking offense against a defense that allowed an average of 48 points its last four games.

Plotline: George Washington has to be a tad annoyed, and I don't mean the one that chopped down the cherry tree. The Colonials went from ranked No. 6 to seeded No. 8 in one week. A slap at their dessert tray of a schedule. Let's see if they're angry enough to make a run.

MINNEAPOLIS REGIONAL

Team to beat: Villanova gets its first two games in Philadelphia, which should give the Wildcats a good push start. And if Allan Ray is back from an awful eye injury, there'll be an emotional boost, too.

Team to watch: Boston College won 15 of its final 18, and two of those defeats were by two points to Duke. Plus, the Eagles are miffed they were seeded No. 4, lower than North Carolina, whom they beat twice.

Team to wonder about: Florida looks like a strong threat after winning the SEC tournament, but is that history clearing its throat? The Gators have lost to lower-seeded opponents five straight years, including twice as a No. 5 seed against a No. 12.

First-round game not to miss: Florida vs. South Alabama. See above.

Plotline: The field should consider itself warned about Nevada, winner of 14 straight.

OAKLAND REGIONAL

Team to beat: UCLA. The Bruins have won seven straight, with crushing defense and ever-growing dominance.

Team to watch: Kansas ended its season on a 15-1 run and won the Big 12 tournament. Somehow, the Jayhawks rarely get mentioned among the national championship contenders.

Team to wonder about: Gonzaga has won 18 straight. Its loss came two days after Christmas. But the Bulldogs' last three games against West Coast Conference opponents were escapes by a combined eight points. Signs of trouble, or just bored waiting for next week?

First-round game not to miss: Indiana vs. San Diego State. The surging Hoosiers against an old Big Ten hand in San Diego State coach Steve Fisher.

Plotline: Is Memphis truly for real? But then, that's a question for all 65.