Ventura (26-6)
No. 1 South
n Location: Ventura
n Nickname: Pirates
n Head coach: Greg Winslow (8th year)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 2 in regional, def. No. 15 Orange Coast 99-86, def. No. 7 Riverside 75-70.
n Conference finish: WSC North, champion (10-2)
n RPI: 12th
n Vs. Great Eight: 2-1
n Team offense: 76.2 points per game (24th)
n Team defense: 67.6 ppg (18th)
n Leading scorers: PF Danny Tavares 16.9 points per game, SF Anthony Pimble 15.6 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: Tavares 10.1 rebounds per game, Pimble 8.9 rpg, PF Tavaris Gilbert 6.0 rpg.
n Great Eight history: State champions in ’51, ’52, ’87, ’95, ’96 and finalists in ’93 and ’94. Last appearance in 2005.
n Note: Pimble has converted 27 of 28 free throws in two playoff games.
n Strengths: Interior scoring, interior defense, Pimble’s athleticism, battled hardened.
n Weaknesses: Perimeter scoring, perimeter defense, injuries.
n Scouts say: “There’s no secret that those two guys (Tavares and Pimble) are the cornerstones of their team.�
n Outlook: With Danny Benson breaking down again, the wear and tear is starting to show on the backcourt. But that hasn’t stopped the Pirates, which played one of the toughest schedules and finished No. 1 in non-conference RPI, all season. If Tavares and Pimble stay out of foul trouble and SF Troy Watson can stay hot, anything can happen.

Antelope Valley (29-6)
No. 2 South
n Location: Lancaster
n Nickname: Marauders
n Head coach: Dieter Horton (1st year)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 9 in regional, def. No. 8 Long Beach City 88-57, def. No. 17 Santa Ana 76-75.
n Conference finish: Foothill, third place (11-3)
n RPI: 5th
n Vs. Great Eight: 1-1
n Team offense: 76.7 ppg (23rd)
n Team defense: 65.7 ppg (14th)
n Leading scorers: SF Ade Dagunduro 17.9 ppg, SG Robert Arnold 14.6 ppg, F JaVaughn Espritt 12.2 ppg, PF Marcellus Robertson 10.9 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: Dagunduro 8.8 rpg, Robertson 8.1 rpg.
n Great Eight history: State finalist in 1956, state semifinalists in 2004.
n Note: Horton, who coached Fullerton to the state title last season, is looking to be the first to coach two different, consecutive state champions since Jerry Tarkanian did it in ’67 and ’68 with Riverside and Pasadena.
n Strengths: A rare combination of brawn and smarts.
n Weaknesses: Injuries. Outside shooting.
n Scouts say: “They have a game plan and they're dedicated to that game plan.�
n Outlook: The pieces are in place for a title run. It has the coach (Horton), the shooter (Arnold), the scorer (Dagundero) and the inside presence (Robertson). Big, tough and skilled, the Marauders open with a tough test in Ohlone.

Saddleback (24-8)
No. 3 South
n Location: Ventura
n Nickname: Gauchos
n Head coach: Bill Brummel (25th year)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 6 in regional, def. No. 11 L.A. City 60-42, def. No. 3 San Bernardino Valley 72-68.
n Conference finish: Orange Empire, co-champ (9-3)
n RPI: 18th
n Vs. Great Eight: 0-1
n Team offense: 67.0 ppg (68th)
n Team defense: 57.8 ppg (2nd)
n Leading scorers: PF Tremaine Ford 15.1 ppg, SF Gerard Anderson 13.9 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: Ford 10.0 rpg, Anderson 6.0 rpg.
n Great Eight history: This is the Gauchos seventh appearance. They were finalists in 1979 and 1987 (losing to Ventura) and champions in 2002.
n Note: When it won the 2002 state title dramatically, Saddleback won the semifinal in overtime and the final on a buzzer-beating tip.
n Strengths: A staff that leaves no stone unturned and an athletic frontcourt.
n Weaknesses: Backcourt scoring.
n Scouts say: “They’re freakishly prepared.�
n Outlook: Precise, organized, disciplined and dangerous, Saddleback is one of the state’s top-notch programs. Ford is a horse inside and Anderson may rival Pimble as the tournament’s athlete to watch. It’s been a quiet season for the Gauchos, which makes them a perfect dark horse.

Compton (22-9)
No. 4 South
n Location: Compton
n Nickname: Tartars
n Head coach: Allen Caveness (3rd year)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 13 in regional, def. No. 20 Palomar 72-54, def. No. 4 Chaffey 87-77, def. No. 5 Canyons 91-80.
n Conference finish: South Coast North, co-champ (8-2)
n RPI: 23rd
n Vs. Great Eight: 1-0
n Team offense: 76.0 ppg (26th)
n Team defense: 69.8 ppg (27th)
n Leading scorers: SG Cournei Houston 15.3 ppg, SF Wayne Andrews 13.5 ppg, PF Justin Carter 11.8 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: Carter 6.6 rpg, C Jeremy Lightfoot 6.2 rpg, Andrews 5.6 rpg.
n Great Eight history: State champions in ’70, ’73, ’98 and ’04 and finalists in ’76 and ’82.
n Note: The Tartars were also a low seed in 2004, when they became the first titlist in state history to win three road games in the regional.
n Strengths: Superior talent, guard play and athleticism in all positions.
n Weaknesses: Consistency, organization, depth.
n Scouts say: “They’re sneaky good. When they get this far, you’ve got to give them a shot.�
n Outlook: The Tartars hadn’t made a lot of noise this season until they emerged from the toughest regional with back-to-back road playoff wins at Chaffey and Canyons. All of a sudden, they have the look of a typical JUCO champion with a top notch guard in Houston and a bevy of tweener athletes like Carter, Andrews and SF Larry DeHughes.

Fresno (29-8)
No. 1 North
n Location: Fresno
n Nickname: Rams
n Head coach: Ed Madec (first year)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 1 in regional, def. No. 16 Monterey Peninsula 81-74, def. No. 9 Hartnell 105-83.
n Conference finish: Central Valley, champ 12-2.
n RPI: 10th
n Vs. Great Eight: 2-1
n Team offense: 91.3 ppg (3rd)
n Team defense: 81.6 ppg (84th)
n Leading scorers: G Jonathon Hewitt 17.5 ppg, PG Phil Matcham 12.6 ppg, SG Brian Minor 10.5 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: PF Kenya Edwards 5.0 rpg.
n Great Eight history: Under a new coach, the Rams, state champions in ’55, ’63 and 2005 and finalists in ’66 and 2003, make their fourth appearance in five years.
n Note: Madec is a Camarillo native and an Oxnard College graduate.
n Strengths: Outside shooting, full-court pressure, home court advantage.
n Weaknesses: Talent, size.
n Scouts say: “I think (Madec) has done a marvelous job there. Their kids are playing hard, although they’re not the most talented team here.�
n Outlook: Despite having to reconstruct the roster, Madec has maintaining the success of Vance Walberg, who took the Pepperdine job after going 133-11 in four seasons in Fresno. The Rams are tough and they play together, but their matchup with Compton presents all kinds of problems. A lot depends on the effect of the home-town crowd.

Ohlone (28-3)
No. 2 North
n Location: Fremont
n Nickname: Renegades
n Head coach: John Peterson (6th season)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 2 in regional, def. No. 15 Redwoods 86-65, def. No. 7 San Joaquin Delta 63-60.
n Conference finish: Coast North, co-champ (10-2)
n RPI: 4th
n Vs. Great Eight: 0-0
n Team offense: 79.7 ppg (13th)
n Team defense: 65.2 ppg (10th)
n Leading scorers: G Patrick Collier 10.7 ppg, PG Bert Whittington 10.4 ppg, SF Allen Hester 10.3 ppg, PG Willis Gardner 10.2 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: SF Renardo Bass 7.4 rpg, PF Jermaine Smith 7.3 rpg.
n Great Eight history: Only other appearance was in 1985.
n Note: Peterson coached at Metro State under former CLU coach Mike Dunlap and at San Francisco under former VC coach Phil Mathews.
n Strengths: Complete balance, depth, outside shooting, quickness, maturity.
n Weaknesses: Great Eight experience, lack of a go-to scorer.
n Scouts say: “If somebody said pick somebody, I’d have to take Ohlone.�
n Outlook: Having won 26 of 28 games since Nov. 12, Ohlone brings in the best record and it’s no fluke. It can both shoot it and get to the rim on offense and its defense can pressure or control opponents. It has two great PGs in Gardner and Whittington. It has to be the North’s favorite, although it has a difficult road to Sunday.

West Hills (25-9)
No. 3 North
n Location: Coalinga
n Nickname: Falcons
n Head coach: Mark Arce (6th season)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 5 in regional, def. No. 12 Cabrillo 67-65, def. No. 4 San Francisco 80-79.
n Conference finish: Central Valley, runner-up (11-3)
n RPI: 11th
n Vs. Great Eight: 1-3
n Team offense: 73.5 ppg (40th)
n Team defense: 67.11 ppg (17th)
n Leading scorers: G Brandon Brown 18.6 ppg, PG Ricky Branham 12.4 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: PF Charles Carter 7.8 rpg.
n Great Eight history: First appearance.
n Note: Arce coached Bakersfield to the 1998 state final and spent two seasons as an assistant at Utah State.
n Strengths: Experienced coach, outside shooting, team defense.
n Weaknesses: Solid, but not flashy.
n Scouts say: “When you think of teams being in the Great Eight, you don’t think of West Hills. (Arce) has taken a program that has been literally desolate — forever — and now they’re in the show.
n Outlook: Root for the underdog? The upset of San Francisco was the surprise of the last round, but can the Falcons be the conventional, deliberate fly in this ointment? They will shoot the 3 and play solid half-court defense. Branham is a solid PG and Brown is a scorer. The mirror-image quarterfinal with Saddleback will be a half-court chess match.

Yuba (27-7)
No. 4 North
n Location: Marysville
n Nickname: 49ers
n Head coach: Doug Cornelius (6th season)
n How it got here: Seeded No. 11 in regional, def. No. 6 Merced 95-77, def. 14 West Valley 68-67.
n Conference finish: Bay Valley, champ (15-1)
n RPI: 31st
n Vs. Great Eight: 1-1
n Team offense: 81.4 ppg (10th)
n Team defense: 69.9 ppg (28th)
n Leading scorers: SG Mareceo Rutledge 19.0 ppg, SF Demetrius Young 18.1 ppg, PG Aaron Garner 15.9 ppg, G Royal Edwards 10.8 ppg.
n Leading rebounders: Young 10.9 rpg.
n Great Eight history: Only other appearance was 2004, when the state tournament was temporarily paired to a Final Four.
n Note: Yuba’s 16-game winning streak is the longest in the field.
n Strengths: Outside shooting, guard play, offensive rebounding.
n Weaknesses: Expend more effort on the offensive end, lack depth, size is slender.
n Scouts say: “They’re the hottest team up there.�
n Outlook: There’s a reason why four players have signed Division I letters of intent. Garner is a winner, Rutledge is a lefty that owns all the school scoring records and Young attacks the offensive glass. Yuba might be the North’s most talented team, but has a weak schedule tested it enough? We’ll find out today.