More early matchups and ironic pairings to watch as the procrastination analysis continues:

The Terps were surprised and delighted by their number one seed: few people expected Maryland (who lost in the ACC semis) over Stanford (who haven't lost since January 6) but in retrospect the choice makes sense. UM had a much tougher schedule, both nonconference and in conference play, and their losses came to better teams. (On the other hand, all those overtimes make us wonder when Maryland's luck will run out.)

The Post's Kathy Orton thinks her Terps have a clearer road than the other top seeds, and she's probably right: she must hate the Pac-10: if the brackets hold, UNC must play LSU in New Orleans, UConn has to play Rutgers a third time, and Tennessee will probably have to play at least one team from the tough Big XII. Maryland (if the brackets hold) will see Vandy and... Stanford.

We hope Brenda's twins show up on every selection show: they were surely a highlight of last night. (We hope they liked being on TV.)

Less cute than Brenda's twins, and a lot less happy to find themselves in College Park: the Dukies, who will have to play their first two games in front of a bunch of Maryland fans. The Blue Devils can expect a hostile environment: they can also expect opponents who know the arena.

If you think it's tough being a Blue Devil in College Park, try being a Mountaineer in Albuquerque. The Lobos, who had to win the MWC tourney to get into the NCAAs at all, will play their first game(s) in one of the best home venues in college sports: on the other hand, they haven't quite been invincible there this year. They might get past WVU, but they're unlikely to beat both WVU and Vandy, and if they do, they'll see the Terps in Spokane.

Speaking of the Mountain West, that oft-neglected conference has three teams in the tourney this year: UNM, Wyoming and Utah. The team from Laramie, who make their first NCAA appearance ever, lucked out: they're seeded eleventh, but they're playing in an arena they know well, against a Pitt team that has gone 5-7 since February began.

Utah, on the other hand, can't be happy: Elaine Elliott's team drew the eighth seed against a nine, Purdue, that's also a host. Whoever wins has the privilege of playing Tennessee, in a venue that's half a day's drive from Knoxville. Did the U of U deserve better? Maybe.

Utah's best nonconference win might have been Minnesota. The Gophers play another 8-9 game, against Texas, who enter the NCAAs with a sub-.500 conference record: is the Big XII as good as advertised this year? was the Big Ten as bad? This game won't answer those questions (nothing could), but it will provide some evidence.

There's another quasi-home game taking place in Des Moines, but this time the higher seed plays at home. "I think it's a great draw," ISU coach Fennelly said. (Both teams played in Williams Arena in last year's Big Dance, but they did not play each other.)

Want a big first-round upset (defined as a win by a team seeded lower than tenth)? You might try 12 seed New Mexico. You might try 13 seed UC-Santa Barbara, a team whose coach has Sweet Sixteen experience and a team that has lost only once since December, though the Gauchos haven't beaten anyone really good; they're also playing Virginia (whose great coach has plenty of tourney experience) in Norfolk, Virginia.

You might have better luck if you try 12 seed Chattanooga: the perennial Southern Conference winners also have a good-looking record against not-so-mighty teams, but they're also facing Kansas State, who lost their leading scorer last week, and haven't played since.