Week after week, game after game, college basketball teams during the past 2 1/2 months have encountered the familiar. That’s how conference play is.

Coaches have prepared strategies for facing some players they’ve seen for years. And players have often matched up against those they’ve shared a court with for parts of a season or two – maybe longer.

Entering the NCAA tournament, that sense of familiarity often disappears. In the early rounds, especially, coaches will prepare for teams they’ve never scouted before, and players will often match up against strangers.

For North Carolina, N.C. State and Duke, , here’s a look at some of those strangers who will become more familiar. Villanova, Temple and Albany present various degrees of challenges for the Tar Heels, Wolfpack and Blue Devils, but in Duke’s case they may have a bigger concern: themselves.

No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Villanova

Friday, 7 p.m.

Player of concern: Villanova sophomore forward JayVaughn Pinkston

After being selected as a McDonald’s All-American in 2010, Pinkston’s collegiate career didn’t get off to an ideal start. He sat out the 2010-11 season for what Villanova described as a “university code of conduct violation.”

Since then, he has become an integral part of the Wildcats’ success. Pinkston, 6-foot-7, has averaged a career-high 13.1 points this season, and his versatility makes him a difficult matchup.

He has the size – and, at 260 pounds, the bulk – to excel on the interior, and he also has some shooting range and isn’t hesitant to attempt 3-pointers.

Ever since the Tar Heels began using a four-guard starting lineup, they have created matchup problems. But Pinkston’s presence neutralizes some of North Carolina’s advantage because he’s quick enough to guard the perimeter, and stout enough to overpower defenders on the interior.

During the Wildcats’ surprising 67-57 victory against Georgetown on March 6, Pinkston scored 20 points on six field goal attempts. He did most of his work at the free-throw line, where he made 11 of his 14 attempts.

Villanova leads the nation in free-throw attempts, and Pinkston’s ability to draw fouls is one of the reasons why. He has shot at least 10 free throws in six games this season.

The Wildcats needed Pinkston to be at his best in recent weeks, and he has been. He has scored in double figures in 11 consecutive games.

Andrew Carter

No. 8 N.C. State vs. No. 9 Temple

Friday, 1:40 p.m.

Player of concern: Temple senior guard Khalif Wyatt

Wyatt, a 6-4 shooting guard, led the Owls – and the Atlantic 10 – in scoring with 19.8 points per game, eight points more per game than anyone else on the roster, but also led the team with 4.1 assists per game.

Wyatt has had 16 games of 20 or more points and five games in the 30s, including 30 in an 84-76 home win against Virginia Commonwealth’s swarming defense. Wyatt’s one of three seniors in the Owls’ veteran lineup, along with two graduate students.

Friday’s matchup with the Wolfpack offers a shot at tournament redemption for Wyatt and the Owls. They were blown out by South Florida, 58-44 last March. Wyatt finished with 19 points but was just 1 of 6 from 3-point range as the fifth-seeded Owls bowed out of the tournament without a win.

The Owls are 1-4 under coach Fran Dunphy in the tournament. Wyatt helped Temple beat Penn State in 2011, with 10 points and three steals.

N.C. State was able to contain All-ACC guards Erick Green (Virginia Tech) and Joe Harris (Virginia) in the ACC tournament but allowed Miami guard Durand Scott to score 32 in Saturday’s loss in the semifinals.

Joe Giglio

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Albany

Friday, 12:15 p.m.

Player of concern: Actually, the five in Duke blue

Let’s get something straight: not all mid-majors are the same. There is a difference between a less-heralded team with an NBA prospect (Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, or from this year’s field, South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters).

For Albany there is Mike Black, the 6-foot senior point guard who leads the team in scoring (14.9) and was first-team all-conference. There is Jacob Iati, a 5-foot-10 senior 3-point specialist.

But what the Blue Devils should be most concerned about in their first-round matchup is themselves.

In their most recent outing, an 83-74 loss to Maryland in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, the Blue Devils looked flat. They lacked the necessary energy and drive to compete, on defense especially early, as Maryland rolled out to a 12-2 lead and never looked back. It was the second time this season the Blue Devils had looked flat against the Terrapins – and they lost both times.

Duke will need to come with the type of energy it showed against marquee teams like North Carolina, Miami (the second time) and Louisville.

Lehigh beat Duke in last year’s tournament. Krzyzewski won’t have to tell his team twice that 15 seeds are capable of beating a 2 seed playing at less than its best. Laura Keeley