Syracuse, N.Y., 28-4.
Nickname: Orangemen. Coach: Jim Boeheim.
Conference: Big East. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 1.
Tournament Record: 50-32, 32 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (81.5); Wesley Johnson 16.0; Andy Rautins 11.7; Kris Joseph 11.3; Arinze Onuaku 10.5; Rick Jackson 10.0.
Rebounds: Team (38.2); Wesley Johnson 8.4; Rick Jackson 6.9; Kris Joseph 5.4; Arinze Onuaku 5.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (19.4/15.1); Scoop Jardine 4.8/2.1; Andy Rautins 4.7/2.3; Brandon Triche 3.1/2.2; Wesley Johnson 2.3/2.6
3-pointers: Team (.385); Andy Rautins 86; Wesley Johnson 43; Brandon Triche 27.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Keep an eye on Onuaku, who hurt his leg in a loss to Georgetown in the Big East tournament. The Orange have plenty of depth, but he occupies a lot of space in the middle. Keep an eye on Johnson, who had a breakout season after transferring from Iowa State.
Vermont
Burlington, 25-9.
Nickname: Catamounts. Coach: Mike Lonergan.
Region: West: No. 16.
Conference: America East. Bid: America East champion.
Tournament Record: 1-3, 3 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2005.
Scoring: Team (70.6); Marqus Blakely 17.4; Maurice Joseph 14.1; Evan Fjeld 10.6.
Rebounds: Team (37.1); Marqus Blakely 9.4; Evan Fjeld 6.1; Garvey Young 4.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.1/14.1); Marqus Blakely 3.7/3.5; Nick Vier 2.5/1.9.
3-pointers: Team (.321); Maurice Joseph 75; Joey Accaoui 34.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: The Catamounts have won 11 of their last 12 games behind Blakely, who had 24 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in the America East title game. The senior class at Vermont has 90 career wins, the most in school history.
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Spokane, Wash., 26-6.
Nickname: Bulldogs. Coach: Mark Few.
Conference: West Coast. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 8.
Tournament Record: 12-11, 11 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (77.6); Matt Bouldin 15.8; Elias Harris 14.7; Steve Gray 13.7; Robert Sacre 10.0.
Rebounds: Team (38.2); Elias Harris 7.2; Robert Sacre 5.2; Matt Bouldin 4.6; Steven Gray 4.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (13.5/13.1); Matt Bouldin 4.1/2.3; Steven Gray 2.8/2.2.
3-pointers: Team (.363); Matt Bouldin 52; Steven Gray 47.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Gonzaga making the NCAA tournament is becoming routine. Doing it off an 81-62 loss is something entirely new. The Bulldogs are balanced on offense with four double-figure scorers, but need someone to step up when the going gets tough. That didn't happen in their loss to St. Mary's in the West Coast Conference title game.
Florida State
Tallahassee, 22-9.
Nickname: Seminoles. Coach: Leonard Hamilton.
Conference: Atlantic Coast. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 9.
Tournament Record: 12-11, 11 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (68.5); Solomon Alabi 11.6; Chris Singleton 10.3; Michael Snaer 8.8.
Rebounds: Team (38.0); Chris Singleton 7.1; Solomon Alabi 6.2; Derwin Kitchen 4.9; Ryan Reid 4.0.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (13.9/16.8); Derwin Kitchen 3.9/2.2; Luke Loucks 2.8/1.6; Chris Singleton 2.2/3.1.
3-pointers: Team (.336); Deividis Dulkys 67; Chris Singleton 35.
Last Ten: 6-4.
The Skinny: The 'Noles seem to be perpetually on the rise, though this season it's more evident than ever. For proof, look no further than sophomores Alabi and Singleton, who help to give Florida State one of the best defenses in the ACC.
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Indianapolis, 28-4.
Nickname: Bulldogs. Coach: Brad Stevens.
Conference: Horizon League. Bid: Horizon champion.
Region: West. Seed: No. 5.
Tournament Record: 8-9, 9 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (70.1); Gordan Hayward 15.4; Shelvin Mack 13.9; Matt Howard 12.3; Willie Veasley 10.3.
Rebounds: Team (32.8); Gordan Hayward 8.5; Matt Howard 5.4; Willie Veasley 4.3.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.8/12.4); Ronald Nored 3.6/1.9; Shelvin Mack 3.1/2.1.
3-pointers: Team (.342); Shelvin Mack 55; Zach Hahn 43; Willie Veasley 40; Gordon Hayward 39.
Last Ten: 10-0.
The Skinny: The Bulldogs take a nation-leading 20-game win streak into the NCAA tournament after routing Wright State 70-45 in the Horizon League title game. They're the first team in league history to run unbeaten through the conference regular season and tournament, and are making their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
UTEP
El Paso, Texas, 26-6.
Nickname: Miners. Coach: Tony Barbee.
Conference: Conference USA. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 12.
Tournament Record: 14-15, 16 years. Last appearance: 2005.
Scoring: Team (75.8); Randy Culpepper 18.0; Derrick Caracter 13.8; Jeremy Williams 10.1; Arnett Moultrie 10.1; Christian Polk 9.6.;
Rebounds: Team (36.3); Derrick Caracter 8.0; Arnett Moultrie 6.8; Julyan Stone 5.1; Jeremy Williams 4.7.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.8/13.2); Julyan Stone 5.4/2.0; Myron Strong 2.0/1.0.
3-pointers: Team (.347); Randy Culpepper 80; Christian Polk 45.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Barbee and Culpepper swept the top two individual awards in Conference USA voting. Barbee joins Don Haskins and Billy Gillispie as the only coach of the year winners in school history, while Culpepper joined Tim Hardaway as the only players of the year from UTEP. Pretty good company all around.
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Nashville, Tenn., 24-8.
Nickname: Commodores. Coach: Kevin Stallings.
Conference: Southeastern. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 4.
Tournament Record: 9-11, 11 years. Last appearance: 2008.
Scoring: Team (77.2); Jermaine Beal 14.7; A.J. Ogilvy 13.4; Jeffery Taylor 13.4; John Jenkins 10.9.
Rebounds: Team (36.4); A.J. Ogilvy 6.2; Andre Walker 5.5; Jeffery Taylor 5.2.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (13.2/13.7); Brad Tinsley 3.2/1.9; Jermaine Beal 2.9/1.5; Andre Walker 2.4/1.7.
3-pointers: Team (.369); Jermaine Beal 70; John Jenkins 70; Brad Tinsley 31.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Beal's nickname is ``Dolla,'' as in, ``Dolla Beal.'' Maybe he ought to major in finance, because he's been handing out a lot of dimes, too. Beal set a school record for assists by a sophomore two years ago and is still the guy that makes the offense move.
Murray St.
Murray, Ky., 30-4.
Nickname: Racers. Coach: Billy Kennedy.
Conference: Ohio Valley. Bid: OVC champion.
Region: West. Seed: No. 13.
Tournament Record: 1-13, 13 years. Last appearance: 2006.
Scoring: Team (77.5); Ivan Aska 10.6; B.J. Jenkins 10.5; Danero Thomas 10.4; Tony Easley 10.4.
Rebounds: Team (36.5); Tony Easley 5.8; Ivan Aska 4.9; Jeffery McClain 4.2; Danero Thomas 4.2.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.6/14.6); Isacc Miles 3.8/2.1; B.J. Jenkins 3.2/1.6; Danero Thomas 2.5/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.368); B.J. Jenkins 63; Isaiah Cannan 48; Isacc Miles 42; Danero Thomas 37.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: The Racers are the first school from the Ohio Valley Conference to win 30 games, setting a school record by beating Morehead State in the league tournament. Jenkins has provided a steady influence in the backcourt after transferring from Liberty.
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Cincinnati, 24-8.
Nickname: Musketeers. Coach: Chris Mack.
Conference: Atlantic 10. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 6.
Tournament Record: 17-20, 20 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (80.0); Jordan Crawford 19.7; Jason Love 11.9; Terrell Holloway 11.8.
Rebounds: Team (40.1); Jason Love 8.6; Jamel McLean 7.3; Jordan Crawford 4.8; Kenny Frease 4.5.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.0/13.2); Terrell Holloway 3.9/1.9; Jordan Crawford 2.9/2.4; Dante Jackson 2.3/1.8; Mark Lyons 2.1/1.8.
3-pointers: Team (.372); Jordan Crawford 67; Dante Jackson 49; Brad Redford 45; Terrell Holloway 34.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: The A-10 regular-season co-champions feature Crawford, the league's leading scorer, and Love, a senior who has already broken the school record for wins in a career. The Musketeers can score points with anybody, but how well can they defend?
Minnesota
Minneapolis, 21-13.
Nickname: Golden Gophers. Coach: Tubby Smith.
Conference: Big Ten. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 11.
Tournament Record: 12-10, 10 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (73.3); Lawrence Westbrook 12.5; Blake Hoffarber 10.5; Damian Johnson 10.1.
Rebounds: Team (35.5); Ralph Sampson III 6.0; Colton Iverson 4.4; Damian Johnson 4.3.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (16.8/12.7); Al Nolen 4.6/1.6; Devoe Joseph 3.0/1.8; Damian Johnson 2.2/1.3; Lawrence Westbrook 2.2/2.3.
3-pointers: Team (.403); Blake Hoffarber 83; Lawrence Westbrook 50; Devoe Joseph 50.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Blake Hoffarber is second in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, while Westbrook is one of the best scorers in the Big Ten. The Gophers sorely miss Al Nolen, who is done for the season after being declared academically ineligible.
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Pittsburgh, 24-8.
Nickname: Panthers. Coach: Jamie Dixon.
Conference: Big East. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 3.
Tournament Record: 21-22, 21 years. Last appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (68.1); Ashton Gibbs 15.8; Brad Wanamaker 12.1; Jermaine Dixon 10.7; Gilbert Brown 10.3.
Rebounds: Team (37.3); Gary McGhee 6.9; Brad Wanamaker 5.7; Nasir Robinson 5.6.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.8/12.4); Brad Wanamaker 4.7/2.7; Travon Woodall 3.2/1.7; Jermaine Dixon 2.3/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.343); Ashton Gibbs 74; Brad Wanamaker 25.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: Is there a more underrated coach in the country than Dixon? The Panthers lost DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields from a team that went 31-5 and still managed to battle for the Big East title. The emergence of Gibbs is a big reason why.
Oakland
Rochester, Mich., 26-8.
Nickname: Golden Grizzlies. Coach: Greg Kampe.
Conference: Summit League. Bid: Summit champion.
Region: West. Seed: No. 14.
Tournament Record: 1-1, 1 year. Last NCAA Appearance: 2005.
Scoring: Team (76.8); Keith Benson 17.0; Johnathon Jones 12.4; Derick Nelson 12.4; Larry Wright 11.1.
Rebounds: Team (38.6); Keith Benson 10.5; Derick Nelson 6.1; Will Hudson 5.1.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (13.4/13.8); Johnathon Jones 6.4/3.1.
3-pointers: Team (.326); Larry Wright 53; Johnathon Jones 41; Derick Nelson 40; Blake Cushingberry 31.
Last Ten: 10-0.
The Skinny: Nelson scored a career-high 36 points against IUPUI in the Summit League title game - with a broken nose. Talk about tough. The Golden Grizzlies are riding a school-record 11 game winning streak into their second NCAA tournament appearance.
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Provo, Utah, 29-5.
Nickname: Cougars. Coach: Dave Rose.
Conference: Mountain West. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 7.
Tournament Record: 11-27, 24 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2009.
Scoring: Team (83.0); Jimmer Fredette 21.7; Jackson Emery 12.6; Tyler Haws 11.3; Jonathan Tavernari 10.3.
Rebounds: Team (37.4); Noah Hartsock 5.1; Jackson Emery 4.5; Jonathan Tavernari 4.5; Tyler Haws 4.3.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (16.0/11.5); Jimmer Fredette 4.7/2.6; Jackson Emery 2.8/1.2.
3-pointers: Team (.419); Jackson Emery 80; Jimmer Fredette 73; Jonathan Tavernari 60.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Fredette claims his sports hero is former Utah Jazz star John Stockton, and their games are somewhat similar. Fredette is a more prolific scorer but, just like Stockton, he can also distribute the ball. Then again, it's easy to share with guys like Emery and Haws around him.
Florida
Gainesville, 21-12.
Nickname: Gators. Coach: Billy Donovan.
Conference: Southeastern. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 10.
Tournament Record: 29-12, 14 years. Last appearance: 2007.
Scoring: Team (71.6); Kenny Boynton 13.6; Erving Walker 12.6; Chandlet Parsons 12.1; Alex Tyus 12.0; Vernon Macklin 10.4.
Rebounds: Team (37.0); Alex Tyus 6.8; Chandler Parsons 6.8; Vernon Macklin 5.5.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.1/12.2); Erving Walker 4.9/2.4; Kenny Boynton 2.7/1.9; Chandler Parsons 2.5/1.9; Dan Werner 2.0/1.5.
3-pointers: Team (.313); Kenny Boynton 67; Erving Walker 64; Chandler Parsons 36.
Last Ten: 4-6.
The Skinny: Boynton had a terrific rookie season, leading the Gators in scoring and finishing second on the team in assists. Balance is the key for Donovan's team, though, with five guys averaging double figures scoring. Keep an eye on Parsons, an exceptional shooter.
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Manhattan, 26-7.
Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: Frank Martin.
Conference: Big 12. Bid: At large.
Region: West. Seed: No. 2.
Tournament Record: 28-27, 23 years. Last appearance: 2008.
Scoring: Team (79.6); Jacob Pullen 18.9; Denis Clemente 16.2; Jamar Samuels 11.9; Curtis Kelly 11.1.
Rebounds: Team (39.1); Curtis Kelly 6.3; Dominique Sutton 5.8; Jamar Samuels 5.2; Luis Colon 4.0.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.8/14.5); Denis Clemente 4.2/2.0; Jacob Pullen 3.5/2.6; Dominique Sutton 2.0/1.6.
3-pointers: Team (.356); Jacob Pullen 93; Denis Clemente 77.
Last Ten: 7-3.
The Skinny: Most critics called Martin a baby sitter for Michael Beasley and Bill Walker when he was hired to replace Bob Huggins. He's proven them all wrong. And with only one senior in Clemente providing significant minutes, Pullen and the Wildcats should remain relevant for quite a while. Fear the beard?
North Texas
Denton, Texas, 24-8.
Nickname: Mean Green. Coach: Johnny Jones.
Conference: Sun Belt. Bid: Sun Belt champion.
Region: West. Seed: No. 15.
Tournament Record: 0-2, 2 years. Last appearance: 2007.
Scoring: Team (76.8); Josh White 14.9; Tristan Thompson 14.1; Eric Tramiel 13.0; George Odufuwa 11.5.
Rebounds: Team (37.0); George Odufuwa 10.7; Eric Tramiel 5.9.
Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.1/14.7); Josh White 3.5/3.2; Shannon Shorter 2.2/1.7.
3-pointers: Team (.337); Josh White 57; Tristan Thompson 57.
Last Ten: 10-0.
The Skinny: The Mean Green enter the NCAA tournament on an 11-game win streak, and their 24 wins is the best in school history. Keep an eye on White, whose free throw with 2.9 seconds left lifted North Texas over Troy in the Sun Belt Conference title game.
