With Selection Sunday slightly more than a week away, the annual deluge of "mock" brackets is upon us. And instead of mocking the "mocks," we can use them -- to gain a better picture of what's at stake for area teams.

Despite Sunday's loss at Maryland, Carolina remains a #1 seed in almost every draft projection I've seen. One lone bracket had the Heels as a #2, but everyone else has them as the East Region (OK, East Rutherford) #1. And yes, they will start in Winston-Salem. That's a virtual lock.

With two more losses, there's at least a chance Roy Williams' team could fall to a 3-seed. But more likely, the Heels will be the 1 or the 2 in the !East.

Duke's situation is a lot more complex. I've seen them rated as a #3, a #4 and a #5 this week, which obviously suggests plenty of room to move for the Devils in the next week and-a-half. There also seems to be no consensus as to a region for Duke (you can find them in all four right now), and such exotic opening-round locales as Spokane, Buffalo and Columbus appear to be in the mix.

Meanwhile, tonight's State-Wake game could be for an NIT bid. An NC State win would guarantee the Pack a .500 record or better this season, while a Wake win would bring the Deacons BACK to .500.