Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, 27-5.
Nickname: Panthers. Coach: Jamie Dixon.
Conference: Big East. Bid: At large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 1.
Tournament Record: 22-23, 22 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (74.1); Ashton Gibbs 16.7; Brad Wanamaker 12.0; Gilbert Brown 10.9; Nasir Robinson 9.0.
Rebounds: Team (39.9); Gary McGhee 7.6; Brad Wanamaker 5.3; Nasir Robinson 5.0; Dante Taylor 4.5; Gilbert Brown 4.3.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (17.4/11.7); Brad Wanamaker 5.1/2.3; Travon Woodall 3.3/1.5; Ashton Gibbs 2.8/1.7; Gilbert Brown 2.7/1.8.
3-pointers: Team (.390); Ashton Gibbs 95; Gilbert Brown 38.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Gibbs is one of the best shooters in the nation, from inside and outside the 3-point line. But he can’t do it alone, as he found out in the Big East quarterfinals. He played well but the Panthers fell to Connecticut on a last-second basket by Kemba Walker.
UNC Ashville
Ashville, N.C., 19-13.
Nickname: Bulldogs. Coach: Eddie Biedenbach.
Conference: Big South. Bid: Big South champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 16.
Tournament Record: 1-1, 1 year. Last NCAA Appearance: 2003.
Scoring: Team (74.2); Matt Dickey 15.3; J.P. Primm 14.4; Chris Stephenson 9.4; D.J. Cunningham 9.0.
Rebounds: Team (36.0); D.J. Cunningham 7.5; John Williams 5.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.8/15.0); J.P. Primm 4.6/3.1; Matt Dickey 3.3/2.9; Chris Stephenson 2.0/2.2.
3-pointers: Team (.333); Matt Dickey 61; J.P. Primm 53.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: The Bulldogs, who won the opening-round game in 2003, carry a six-game winning streak into the tournament. Biedenbach is the longest tenured coach in Big South history, and became the league’s all-time winningest coach in conference and overall games this season.
Arkansas-Little Rock
Little Rock, Ark., 19-16.
Nickname: Trojans. Coach: Steve Shields.
Conference: Sun Belt. Bid: Sun Belt champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 16.
Tournament Record: 1-3, 3 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 1990.
Scoring: Team (68.0); Solomon Bozeman 16.5; Alex Garcia-Mendoza 8.6; Matt Mouzy 8.0.
Rebounds: Team (33.5); Courtney Jackson 5.3; Eric Kibi 4.4.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (11.8/11.8); D’Andre Williams 2.8/1.6; Solomon Bozeman 2.7/2.5.
3-pointers: Team (.398); Matt Mouzy 72; Solomon Bozeman 64; Daylon Guy 41.
Last Ten: 6-4.
The Skinny: Bozeman, the Sun Belt player of the year, hit the 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left that sent the Trojans past North Texas in the conference title game. The 64-63 victory allowed Arkansas Little-Rock to go dancing for the first time in 21 years.
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Butler
Indianapolis, 23-9.
Nickname: Bulldogs. Coach: Brad Stevens.
Conference: Horizon League. Bid: Horizon champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 8.
Tournament Record: 13-10, 10 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (72.8); Matt Howard 16.7; Shelvin Mack 15.2; Andrew Smith 8.9; Shawn Vanzant 8.1.
Rebounds: Team (34.9); Matt Howard 7.8; Andrew Smith 5.4; Shelvin Mack 4.5.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.5/11.1); Shelvin Mack 3.6/2.4; Ronald Nored 2.6/2.1.
3-pointers: Team (.361); Shelvin Mack 64; Matt Howard 44; Zach Hahn 41.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: After coming within two points of a national title last season, the Bulldogs will ride a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. The closing stretch included a win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Horizon League title game that assured their bid.
Old Dominion
Norfolk, Va., 27-6.
Nickname: Monarchs. Coach: Blaine Taylor.
Conference: Colonial Athletic Association. Bid: CAA champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 9.
Tournament Record: 3-10, 10 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (65.8); Frank Hassell 15.0; Kent Bazemore 12.5; Ben Finney 9.2.
Rebounds: Team (40.2); Frank Hassell 9.6; Ben Finney 6.3; Chris Cooper 5.7; Kent Bazemore 5.0; Keyon Carter 4.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.5/12.4); Darius James 3.2/1.6; Ben Finney 3.1/1.8; Kent Bazemore 2.9/2.4.
3-pointers: Team (.329); Trian Iliadis 40; Ben Finney 37; Kent Bazemore 31.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Old Dominion led the CAA title game by 18 points before allowing Virginia Commonwealth to get within one late. The Monarchs relied on Hassell and their experience to withstand the rally and earn the automatic bid for the second consecutive year.
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Kansas State
Manhattan, 22-10.
Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: Frank Martin.
Conference: Big 12. Bid: At large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 5.
Tournament Record: 31-28, 24 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (73.1); Jacob Pullen 19.5; Rodney McGruder 11.4; Curtis Kelly 10.3.
Rebounds: Team (38.0); Rodney McGruder 6.0; Jamar Samuels 5.3; Curtis Kelly 5.3.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.2/15.0); Jacob Pullen 3.7/3.1; Will Spradling 1.9/1.2.
3-pointers: Team (.375); Rodney McGruder 67; Jacob Pullen 67; Will Spradling 38.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: Most people jumped off the Wildcats’ bandwagon after an ugly start to what should have been a promising season. After a change in offenses, though, Pullen has returned to being a dynamic playmaker and Kansas State has returned to the Final Four conversation.
Utah State
Logan, 30-3.
Nickname: Aggies. Coach: Stew Morrill.
Conference: Western Athletic. Bid: WAS champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 12.
Tournament Record: 6-21, 19 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (72.2); Tai Wesley 14.7; Brockeith Pane 11.6; Brian Green 10.6.
Rebounds: Team (37.5); Tai Wesley 8.0; Brady Jardine 7.1; Nate Bendall 5.9; Tyler Newbold 4.4.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.8/11.8); Beith Pane 3.4/2.6; Tyler Newbold 2.8/0.9; Tai Wesley 2.2/2.2; Pooh Williams 2.2/1.4.
3-pointers: Team (.368); Brian Green 52; Pooh Williams 36; Tyler Newbold 57.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Looking for a mid-major with a potential breakout star? Wesley is the third Aggie in the last four years to be voted WAC Player of the Year (Jaycee Carroll in 2008 and Gary Wilkinson in 2009), helping Utah State set a regular-season school record with 28 wins.
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Wisconsin
Madison, 23-8.
Nickname: Badgers. Coach: Bo Ryan.
Conference: Big Ten. Bid: At large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 4.
Tournament Record: 21-15, 16 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (68.9); Jon Leuer 18.6; Jordan Taylor 18.1; Keaton Nankivil 10.0.
Rebounds: Team (32.1); Jon Leuer 7.3; Keaton Nankivil 4.4; Jordan Taylor 4.4; Josh Gasser 4.0.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (13.2/7.4); Jordan Taylor 4.7/1.1; Josh Gasser 2.3/0.8.
3-pointers: Team (.371); Jordan Taylor 65; Keaton Nankivil 55; Jon Leuer 51.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: The Badgers are stumbling into the tournament off a 36-33 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten quarterfinals, a game that set college basketball back about 50 years. They were smacked by Ohio State the game before that. Time to hit the reset button and start fresh.
Belmont
Nashville, Tenn., 30-4.
Nickname: Bruins. Coach: Rick Byrd.
Conference: Atlantic Sun. Bid: Atlantic Sun champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 13.
Tournament Record: 0-3, 3 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2008.
Scoring: Team (80.4); Ian Clark 12.4; Mick Hedgepeth 10.6; Scott Saunders 10.0; Jordan Campbell 8.4.
Rebounds: Team (36.4); Mick Hedgepeth 6.0; Scott Saunders 5.4.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (16.4/13.9); Drew Hanlen 4.0/1.4; Kerron Johnson 2.7/2.0; Jordan Campbell 2.2/1.1.
3-pointers: Team (.381); Jordan Campbell 74; Ian Clark 72; Drew Hanlen 44; J.J. Mann 36.
Last Ten: 10-0.
The Skinny: Belmont has won four of the last six Atlantic Sun titles, this year by setting a record for margin of victory in an 87-46 rout of North Florida. The alma mater of country music star Brad Paisley also set a conference record for victories in a single season.
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St. John’s
Jamaica, N.Y. 21-11.
Nickname: Red Storm. Coach: Steve Lavin.
Conference: Big East. Bid: At Large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 6.
Tournament Record: 27-29, 27 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2002.
Scoring: Team (70.1); Dwight Hardy 18.0; Justin Brownlee 12.2; D.J. Kennedy 10.4 (injured).
Rebounds: Team (32.8); D.J. Kennedy 5.6 (injured); Justin Brownlee 5.3; Justin Burrell 4.9.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.8/12.4); Malik Boothe 3.0/1.6; D.J. Kennedy 2.0/1.7 (injured); Justin Brownlee 2.0/2.0.
3-pointers: Team (.330); Dwight Hardy 59.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: It’s been a while since basketball in New York City was relevant _ and we’re not just talking about Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks. Lavin has done a masterful job this season, but the Red Storm will be without Kennedy after he tore an ACL in the Big East tournament.
Gonzaga
Spokane, Wash., 24-9.
Nickname: Bulldogs. Coach: Mark Few.
Conference: West Coast. Bid: WCC champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 11.
Tournament Record: 15-13, 13 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (76.7); Steven Gray 13.8; Robert Sacre 12.5; Elias Harris 12.1.
Rebounds: Team (37.4); Robert Sacre 6.2; Elias Harris 5.9.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.3/13.5); Steven Gray 3.9/2.1; Demetri Goodson 2.6/1.6.
3-pointers: Team (.366); Steven Gray 65; Mathis Monninghoff 33.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: It’s March, so Gonzaga must be in the NCAA tournament. Sacre, Harris and Gray are the stars, but keep an eye on freshman David Stockton, who can hit the outside shot nearly as well as his Hall of Fame father, former Utah Jazz (and Gonzaga) star John Stockton.
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BYU
Provo, Utah, 30-4.
Nickname: Cougars. Coach: Dave Rose.
Conference: Mountain West. Bid: At large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 3.
Tournament Record: 12-28, 25 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (81.6); Jimmer Fredette 28.5; Jackson Emery 12.6; Brandon Davies 11.7 (dismissed); Noah Hartsock 8.5.
Rebounds: Team (38.7); Brandon Davies 6.2 (dismissed); Noah Hartsock 6.0; Charles Abouo 4.9; Kyle Collinsworth 4.5.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.5/11.0); Jimmer Fredette 4.2/3.5; Jackson Emery 2.6/1.0; Kyle Collinsworth 2.1/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.362); Jimmer Fredette 112; Jackson Emery 86.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: Everybody knows about Fredette. The high-scoring guard is the reason the Cougars are having won of their best seasons ever. But they’ve struggled mightily at times since third-leading scorer Brandon Davies was suspended for violating the school’s honor code.
Wofford
Spartanburg, Va., 21-12.
Nickname: Terriers. Coach: Mike Young.
Conference: Southern. Bid: Southern champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 14.
Tournament Record: 0-1, 1 year. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (73.8); Noah Dahlman 20.0; Cameron Rundles 14.0; Jamar Diggs 12.5.
Rebounds: Team (32.5); Tim Johnson 8.4; Noah Dahlman 5.5.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.4/11.8); Brad Loesing 3.2/2.2; Jamar Diggs 3.2/1.8; Tim Johnson 2.5/2.1; Cameron Rundles 2.5/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.407); Cameron Rundles 74; Kevin Giltner 56; Brad Loesing 30.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: The Terriers gave Wisconsin a scare before losing 53-49 in last year’s NCAA tournament. Wofford lost both regular-season games to Charleston but stung the Cougars in the Southern Conference title game, part of its current eight-game winning streak.
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UCLA
Los Angeles, 22-10.
Nickname: Bruins. Coach: Ben Howland.
Conference: Pac-10. Bid: At Large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 7.
Tournament Record: 99-36, 43 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (70.0); Reeves Nelson 13.9; Malcolm Lee 13.0; Tyler Honeycutt 12.6; Joshua Smith 10.6; Lazeric Jones 9.4.
Rebounds: Team (37.3); Reeves Nelson 9.0; Tyler Honeycutt 7.4; Joshua Smith 6.5.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.6/14.9); Lazeric Jones 3.7/2.2; Jerime Anderson 2.7/1.4; Malcolm Lee 2.1/1.7.
3-pointers: Team (.329); Tyler Honeycutt 49; Malcolm Lee 38; Lazeric Jones 37.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Want some balanced scoring? The Bruins have five guys averaging at least nine points per game. They aren’t flashy, they won’t fill it up from the outside, but Howland’s troops will defend 35 seconds every possession and make you work for every basket.
Michigan State
East Lansing, 19-14.
Nickname: Spartans. Coach: Tom Izzo.
Conference: Big Ten. Bid: At large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 10.
Tournament Record: 52-23, 24 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (68.5); Kalin Lucas 17.2; Draymond Green 12.3; Durrell Summers 11.5.
Rebounds: Team (37.0); Draymond Green 8.6; Delvon Roe 5.1; Durrell Summers 4.3.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.8/13.3); Draymond Green 4.0/2.3; Korie Lucious 4.1/2.1; Kalin Lucas 3.3/2.5.
3-pointers: Team (.353); Durrell Summers 60; Kalin Lucas 51; Keith Appling 36; Draymond Green 34.
Last Ten: 6-4.
The Skinny: Forget about the first five months of the season. Never happened. The Spartans really don’t get going until March anyway. Despite all the struggles this year, they’re back in the NCAA tournament and looking dangerous as ever after an impressive Big Ten tournament.
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Florida
Gainesville, 26-7.
Nickname: Gators. Coach: Billy Donovan.
Conference: Southeastern. Bid: At large.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 2.
Tournament Record: 29-13, 15 years. Last appearance: 2010.
Scoring: Team (71.5); Erving Walker 14.4; Kenny Boynton 14.1; Chandler Parsons 11.5; Vernon Macklin 11.3.
Rebounds: Team (37.5); Chandler Parsons 7.8; Vernon Macklin 5.5; Alex Tyus 5.5.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (13.7/12.4); Chandler Parsons 3.5/2.3; Erving Walker 3.3/2.4; Kenny Boynton 2.5/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.356); Kenny Boynton 72; Erving Walker 68; Chandler Parsons 37.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: The Gators had some mystifying losses this season (Jacksonville, South Carolina) but have been terrific of late. Walker and Boynton form a dynamic backcourt duo, and they always have Macklin and Parsons to dump it off inside. Not many teams have so many options.
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, Calif., 18-13.
Nickname: Gauchos. Coach: Bob Williams.
Conference: Big West. Bid: Big West champion.
Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 15.
Tournament Record: 1-3, 3 years. Last appearance: 2002.
Scoring: Team (68.4); Orlando Johnson 21.1; James Nunnally 16.4; Jaime Serna 8.0.
Rebounds: Team (32.6); Orlando Johnson 6.3; James Nunnally 5.7; Jaime Serna 4.4; Jon Pastorek 4.2.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.5/14.2); Justin Joyner 3.9/1.6; Orlando Johnson 3.0/2.7.
3-pointers: Team (.375); Orlando Johnson 63; James Nunnally 61; Jordan Weiner 39.
Last Ten: 6-4.
The Skinny: The Gauchos beat a familiar foe, Long Beach State, for the second straight year to earn the Big West title. That’s the same team that beat UC-Santa Barbara by 18 points just a couple weeks earlier. The Gauchos made some adjustments and haven’t lost since.
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