Lexington, 32-2.
Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: John Calipari.
Conference: Southeastern. Bid: SEC champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 1.
Tournament Record: 100-45, 50 years. Last appearance: 2008.
Scoring: Team (79.2); John Wall 16.9; DeMarcus Cousins 15.3; Patrick Patterson 14.7; Eric Bledsoe 10.8.
Rebounds: Team (41.4); DeMarcus Cousins 10.1; Patrick Patterson 7.3; John Wall 4.2.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.7/14.5); John Wall 6.4/4.0; Eric Bledsoe 2.9/3.2.
3-pointers: Team (.341); Darnell Dodson 46; Darius Miller 40; Eric Bledsoe 40; John Wall 30.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Critics can fault Calipari all they want, but he knows how to recruit and he knows how to win. And that combination makes him just less than a deity in the bluegrass state. Wall has gotten most of the headlines, but Cousins and Patterson give the Wildcats ample firepower on both ends of the court.
East Tennessee State
Johnson City, Tenn., 20-14.
Nickname: Buccaneers. Coach: Murry Bartow.
Conference: Atlantic Sun. Bid: Atlantic Sun champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 16.
Tournament Record: 2-9, 8 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (69.2); Tommy Hubbard 14.1; Micah Williams 12.5; Justin Tubbs 12.0.
Rebounds: Team (36.4); Tommy Hubbard 8.3; Isiah Brown 5.6.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (10.9/14.9); Jocolby Davis 2.4/2.2; Sheldon Cooley 1.8/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.310); Justin Tubbs 73; Micha Williams 40.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: The Bucs lost four starters from last year's NCAA tournament team, but they haven't missed a beat. After earning a No. 6 seed to the Atlantic Sun tournament, they knocked off a Mercer team that had won both of their previous meetings.
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Austin, 24-9.
Nickname: Longhorns. Coach: Rick Barnes.
Conference: Big 12. Bid: At large.
Region: East. Seed: No. 8.
Tournament Record: 33-30, 27 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (81.2); Damion James 18.0; Avery Bradley 11.7; Dexter Pittman 10.6; Jordan Hamilton 9.8; Gary Johnson 9.4; J'Covan Brown 9.3.
Rebounds: Team (42.2); Damion James 10.4; Dexter Pittman 5.8; Gary Johnson 5.6.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.5/13.9); Dogus Balbay 3.9/1.6; Varez Ward 2.8/2.8; J'Covan Brown 2.4/2.1; Avery Bradley 2.1/1.6.
3-pointers: Team (.345); Jordan Hamilton 53; Avery Bradley 42; J'Covan Brown 36; Damion Jones 35.
Last Ten: 5-5.
The Skinny: Texas joined a dubious club earlier this season by becoming one of only five schools to go from No. 1 in The Associated Press poll to unranked. They were spanked by Baylor in the Big 12 tournament, so it's not like the Longhorns are riding a lot of momentum, either.
Wake Forest
Winston-Salem, N.C., 19-10.
Nickname: Demon Deacons. Coach: Dino Gaudio.
Conference: Atlantic Coast. Bid: At large.
Region: East. Seed: No. 9.
Tournament Record: 27-21, 21 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (73.0); Al-Faroug Aminu 15.7; Ishmael Smith 13.3; C.J. Harris 10.0.
Rebounds: Team (41.8); Al-Faroug Aminu 10.7; Chas McFarland 7.1; L.D. Williams 5.6; Ishmael Smith 4.7.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (11.8/15.2); Ishmael Smith 6.0/2.9.
3-pointers: Team (.313); Ari Stewart 39; C.J. Harris 34.
Last Ten: 5-5.
The Skinny: Aminu was the only player in the ACC to average a double-double, and along with Smith forms one of the best tandems in the country. The Demon Deacons looked like a lock in mid-February, before losing four straight to mediocre opponents.
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Philadelphia, 29-5.
Nickname: Owls. Coach: Fran Dunphy.
Conference: Atlantic 10. Bid: Atlantic 10 champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 5.
Tournament Record: 31-27, 27 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (64.9); Ryan Brooks 14.3; Juan Fernandez 12.6; Lavoy Allen 11.5.
Rebounds: Team (37.1); Lavoy Allen 10.9; Ryan Brooks 4.4; Luis Guzman 4.2.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.8/10.5); Juan Fernandez 3.7/2.0; Luiz Guzman 3.3/1.6; Ryan Brooks 2.3/1.3; Lavoy Allen 2.3/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.338); Juan Fernandez 71; Ryan Brooks 54.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Their defining win may have been against cross-town rival Villanova, but Temple has been consistent all season. Local products Brooks and Allen lead the way on offense for Dunphy, a candidate for national coach of the year.
Cornell
Ithaca, N.Y., 27-4.
Nickname: Big Red. Coach: Steve Donahue.
Conference: Ivy League. Bid: Ivy League champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 12.
Tournament Record: 0-5, 4 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (75.3); Ryan Wittman 17.5; Jeff Foote 12.3; Louis Dale 11.9.
Rebounds: Team (34.1); Jeff Foote 8.2; Randy Wittman 4.0.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (16.5/12.3); Louis Dale 4.8/2.1; Chris Wroblewski 3.3/1.9; Jeff Foote 2.3/2.4.
3-pointers: Team (.434); Ryan Wittman 100; Chris Wroblewski 51; Louis Dale 43; Geoff Reeves 39; Jon Jaques 39.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Wittman is the guy to watch, the first Cornell player to be voted Ivy League player of the year. Must be in the genes, too. He's the son of Randy Wittman, who was Big Ten player of the year for Indiana in 1983 and a member of the Hoosiers' 1981 national championship team.
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Madison, 23-8.
Nickname: Badgers. Coach: Bo Ryan.
Conference: Big Ten. Bid: At large.
Region: East. Seed: No. 4.
Tournament Record: 20-14, 15 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (67.5); Trevon Hughes 15.4; Jon Leuer 14.8; Jason Bohannon 11.8; Jordan Taylor 10.2.
Rebounds: Team (32.4); Jon Leuer 5.8; Keaton Nankivil 4.8; Trevon Hughes 4.6.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.8/8.9); Jordan Taylor 3.6/1.2; Trevon Hughes 2.7/2.0; Jason Bohannon 2.2/1.3.
3-pointers: Team (.361); Trevon Hughes 71; Jason Bohannon 66; Jordan Taylor 33.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Leuer missed time earlier this season with a broken wrist and Taylor has struggled with his shot. When those two guys are hitting, though, the Badgers are tough to beat. Throw in Hughes and Wisconsin has enough playmakers to make a deep postseason run.
Wofford
Spartanburg, S.C., 26-8.
Nickname: Terriers. Coach: Mike Young.
Conference: Southern. Bid: Southern champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 13.
Tournament Record: First year. Last appearance: First year.
Scoring: Team (69.4); Noah Dahlman 16.8; Jamar Diggs 9.4; Junior Salters 7.7.
Rebounds: Team (35.5); Tim Johnson 7.9; Noah Dahlman 6.3.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (13.6/11.9); Brad Loesing 3.0/1.4; Jamar Diggs 2.6/2.0.
3-pointers: Team (.349); Junior Salters 66; Cameron Rundles 28.
Last Ten: 10-0.
The Skinny: The Terriers have won 13 straight games entering the NCAA tournament, thanks largely to Dahlman's consistent play. He's has a streak of 47 games with at least 10 points. Wofford's 26 wins is the most since the 1959-60 season.
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Milwaukee, 22-11.
Nickname: Golden Eagles. Coach: Buzz Williams.
Conference: Big East. Bid: At large.
Region: East. Seed: No. 6.
Tournament Record: 34-28, 27 years. Last appearance: 2009
Scoring: Team (72.3); Lazar Hayward 18.1; Jimmy Butler 14.9; Darius Johnson-Odom 12.8.
Rebounds: Team (31.8); Lazar Hayward 8.6; Jimmy Butler 6.6; Jeronne Maymon 4.2.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.2/10.3); Maurice Acker 3.7/1.2; David Cubillan 2.8/1.0; Dwight Buycks 2.2/1.7; Darius Johnson-Odom 2.3/2.0; Jimmy Butler 2.1/1.1.
3-pointers: Team (.406); Darius Johnson-Odom 72; Lazar Hayward 61; Maurice Acker 48; David Cubillan 45.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Hayward provides much-needed veteran leadership, especially considering Marquette tends to play every game close. Still, it's hard to discount a team that made a great run in the Big East tournament.
Washington
Seattle, 24-9.
Nickname: Huskies. Coach: Lorenzo Romar.
Conference: Pac-10. Bid: Pac-10 champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 11.
Tournament Record: 15-15, 14 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (79.8); Quincy Pondexter 19.8; Isaiah Thomas 17.1; Matthew Bryan-Amaning 8.7; Venoy Overton 8.5.
Rebounds: Team (38.4); Quincy Pondexter 7.5; Matthew Bryan-Amaning 5.9; Justin Holiday 4.4; Isaiah Thomas 4.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.0/12.8); Venoy Overton 3.2/2.3; Isaiah Thomas 2.9/2.4; Abdul Gaddy 2.2/1.7.
3-pointers: Team (.325); Isaiah Thomas 57; Scott Suggs 36; Elston Turner 35.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: The Huskies were making their case for the NCAA tournament event before the Pac-10 tournament. With some sound arguments, too. Only two teams out of 79 previously that won 11 games in the Pac-10 failed to make the dance, and neither had 20 regular-season wins. Think the selection committee paid attention?
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Albuquerque, 29-4.
Nickname: Lobos. Coach: Steve Alford.
Conference: Mountain West. Bid: At large.
Region: East. Seed: No. 3.
Tournament Record: 6-12, 11 years. Last appearance: 2005.
Scoring: Team (76.6); Darington Hobsen 16.2; Roman Martinez 13.8; Dairese Gary 12.7; Phillip McDonald 10.7.
Rebounds: Team (38.7); Darington Hobsen 9.2; Roman Martinez 6.0; A.J. Hardeman 5.6.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.4/11.2); Darington Hobsen 4.6/3.0; Dairese Gary 3.9/1.8.
3-pointers: Team (.375); Roman Martinez 94; Phillip McDonald 69; Darington Hobson 38.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Alford was the Mountain West coach of the year while Hobson was the player of the year? The Lobos are one of the youngest teams in the nation, with only one senior in Roman Martinez, but don't think they're approaching the tournament as merely a learning experience. New Mexico expects to make a run.
Montana
Missoula, 22-9.
Nickname: Grizzlies. Coach: Wayne Tinkle.
Region: East. Seed: No. 14.
Conference: Big Sky. Bid: Big Sky champion.
Tournament Record: 2-8, 7 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2006.
Scoring: Team (70.0); Anthony Johnson 19.6; Brian Ovale 9.7; Ryan Staudacher 8.6; Will Cherry 8.3.
Rebounds: Team (32.6); Brian Ovale 6.9; Derek Selvig 5.0.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.2/12.2); Anthony Johnson 3.0/2.7; Will Cherry 2.4/1.8.
3-pointers: Team (.404); Ryan Staudacher 68; Anthony Johnson 45.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: The Grizzlies rallied from a 22-point deficit against Weber State in the conference championship game. Anthony Johnson scored 34 of his career-high and tournament-record 42 points in the second half, including the Grizzlies' last 21 points.
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Clemson, S.C., 21-10.
Nickname: Tigers. Coach: Oliver Purnell.
Conference: Atlantic Coast. Bid: At large.
Region: East. Seed: No. 7.
Tournament Record: 8-9, 9 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (73.8); Trevor Booker 15.3; Demontez Stitt 11.2; Andre Young 9.1; Tanner Smith 9.0.
Rebounds: Team (37.1); Trevor Booker 8.3; Jerai Grant 4.6; Tanner Smith 4.2.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.3/14.8); Demontez Stitt 3.3/2.6; Trevor Booker 2.5/1.8; Andre Young 2.4/1.8; Tanner Smith 2.2/2.1.
3-pointers: Team (.335); Andre Young 55; David Potter 47; Demontez Stitt 28.
Last Ten: 6-4.
The Skinny: The Tigers are making their third straight NCAA tournament appearance, matching a school record set from 1996-98 when current Texas coach Rick Barnes was roaming the sidelines. Keep an eye on Booker, the only player in ACC history with 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 blocks and 100 steals.
Missouri
Columbia, 22-10.
Nickname: Tigers. Coach: Mike Anderson.
Conference: Big 12. Bid: At large.
Region: East. Seed: No. 10.
Tournament Record: 21-22, 22 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (78.1); Kim English 14.1; Marcus Denmon 11.0; Laurence Bowers 10.1.
Rebounds: Team (35.8); Keith Ramsey 5.8; Laurence Bowers 5.6; Justin Safford 4.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.5/13.3); J.T. Tiller 3.1/2.4; Zaire Taylor 2.6/2.1.
3-pointers: Team (.372); Marcus Denmon 67; Kim English 61; Zaire Taylor 36.
Last Ten: 6-4.
The Skinny: Think the last few days have been tense for the Tigers? They were already firmly ensconced on the bubble before 12th-seeded Nebraska stunned them in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. Their frenetic, full-court style makes them a tough out - now that they're in.
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Morgantown, 27-6.
Nickname: Mountaineers. Coach: Bob Huggins.
Conference: Big East. Bid: Big East champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 2.
Tournament Record: 20-22, 22 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (73.0); Da'Sean Butler 17.4; Kevin Jones 13.5; Devin Ebanks 11.8; Darryl Bryant 9.7.
Rebounds: Team (38.4); Devin Ebanks 8.2; Kevin Jones 7.1; Da'Sean Butler 6.3; Wellington Smith 4.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.7/11.7); Da'Sean Butler 3.3/1.7; Darryl Bryant 3.2/2.1; Devin Ebanks 2.5/2.1; Joe Mazzulla 2.2/0.9.
3-pointers: Team (.336); Da'Sean Butler 61; Darryl Bryant 40; Wellington Smith 35; Kevin Jones 33.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: Already the expectations are soaring at West Virginia. One fan wrote to Huggins upset that his team had not been able to put teams away. Of course, the fan sent that letter before an overtime win against Villanova in the Mountaineers' regular-season finale.
Morgan State
Baltimore, 27-9.
Nickname: Bears. Coach: Todd Bozeman.
Conference: Mideastern Athletic. Bid: MEAC champion.
Region: East. Seed: No. 15.
Tournament Record: 0-1, 1 year. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (76.8); Reggie Holmes 21.8; Kevin Thompson 12.8; Dewayne Jackson 10.1; Troy Smith 9.3.
Rebounds: Team (40.3); Kevin Thompson 11.9; Reggie Holmes 4.3; Dewayne Jackson 4.3; Ameer Ali 4.0.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.7/13.5); Sean Thomas 3.1/1.8; Danny Smith 2.9/1.7.
3-pointers: Team (.338); Reggie Holmes 99; Dewayne Jackson 54.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: Holmes was the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year for a reason, scoring 17 in the league title game. The key to the Bears is playing under control. They had 20 turnovers in that win over South Carolina State, and that won't get it done against the big boys in the NCAA tournament.
