There is not a single factor that one can pinpoint when trying to decide what college basketball teams, men's or women's, will have success in the NCAA tournament, but there is nothing wrong with giving it the old college try.

The coaches of the Big XII Conference, who represent seven of the 64 teams in The Big Dance, gave their input, and if their responses pan out on the basketball court Penn State has a chance to be dancing deep into the night.

According to the coaches, one of the key components to tournament success is a concept that has become almost cliché during the lion-esque phase of March and that is:

Guard play

"In tournament play particularly, it's all about the guards and half-court execution," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said.

College basketball in general, and particularly the women's game, has been dominated by guards for most of the last decade, and this year should be no different. Connecticut's recent dynasty was built around guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. This year's No. 1 seed, LSU, is paced by Wooden Award favorite Seimone Augustus. If strong guard play does in fact correlate closely to tournament success, then Penn State should be sitting pretty since the Lady Lions' backcourt of Jess Strom and Tanisha Wright is one of the best in the country.

Depth

"I think [success comes easier] when you can have a bench and you can have more players that can contribute," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robinson said. "Depth is so important throughout the NCAA tournament. You have to have depth."

If in fact Mulkey-Robinson, whose Bears beat Penn State 91-70 on Dec. 11, is correct, and a deep bench is a prerequisite for tournament success, then the Lady Lions could find themselves in deep trouble.

Coach Rene Portland's January decision to move sophomore Jen Harris to the bench has improved the scoring from the second unit -- but after Strom and Wright the offense drop off is a steep one.

Freshman Amber Bland is an excellent defender but has not contributed much at the offensive end during her freshman campaign, and Hazel Joseph is a non-factor.

Experience

"If I had to pick one single thing, I would say experience. I would say teams that have been there and done that are the teams that usually have success," Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp said.

This is another factor that Penn State has going in its favor. The Lady Lions have valuable postseason experience after three straight trips to the Sweet 16 and last year's foray into the Elite Eight.

Good fortune

"You have to be concerned with injuries, and you have to hope that nobody gets in foul trouble," Texas coach Jody Conradt said.

Keeping players out of foul trouble is not completely a matter of luck, but there is nothing a team like Kansas State can do when it loses a player as important as Megan Mahoney on the eve of the tournament. Penn State has not had a serious injury all season, but the Lions have battled foul trouble from time to time.

The lack of depth in the post has often gotten forward Amanda Brown in foul trouble early, and as the long season and massive amount of playing time have taken their toll on Wright she has occasionally picked up some avoidable fouls. When she does, Penn State struggles.

A stud scorer

"I believe that a great leader and a great player on the perimeter is a particularly vital element," Kansas State coach Deb Patterson said. Sharp agreed, saying: "Teams that have a clear-cut, go-to, I'm-gonna-make-plays-for-you presence have an advantage."

Wright has developed into one of the best pure scorers in the country and is more than willing to take the big shot with the game on the line.

This could prove to be a distinct advantage against teams that may be deeper but lack the presence of a true star at the offensive end.