LSJ March Madness 2013

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EAST LANSING For thethirdtime ever, Michigan Statewill play NCAA tournamentgames in itshomestate.

For the second time ever,theSpartans willbe seededNo.3. And their path to the FinalFour could look similar toMSUs 2000 national champi-onship run a first gameagainst Valparaiso, with stopsat The Palace of Auburn Hillsand Indianapolis.

That path also includes apair of familiar NCAA tourna-ment combatants. Louisville isthe No. 1 seed in the Midwestregion, Duke is No. 2 and MSUisNo.3.

That meansit could be MSUvs. Duke in the Sweet SixteenonMarch29 atIndys LucasOilStadium for the right to ad-vance to the Midwest regionalfinal. And it could be MSUagainst No. 1 overall seedLouisville for the right to ad-vance to the Final Four in At-lanta justas itwasin2009 in

the same building, when theNo. 2 seed Spartans upset theCardinals to reach DetroitsFord Field.

Louisville got its revengelast year, of course, with theNo. 4 seed Cardinals upsettingNo. 1 seedMSUin the West re-gional semifinals in Phoenix.

It is hard to look ahead toany of that, MSU coach TomIzzo said after he and his teamwatched the selection showSunday at Breslin Center. In

MSUVS. VALPARAISO

Third-seeded MSU starts close to homeBy JoeRexrodeDetroit Free Press

SeeMSU,Page4K

THURSDAYS GAME

MIDWEST REGIONNo. 3 seed MichiganState (25-8,13-5 BigTen) vs. No. 14 seedValparaiso (26-7, 13-3Horizon).When: 12:15 p.m .Where: The Palace

of Auburn Hills TV:CBS Tickets: Some tickets remain forThursdays first session and forthree-session passes atticketmaster.com.

EAST LANSING With eachpotential matchup and venue, amemory stirs.

Michigans States NCAAtournament road is awfully fa-

miliar. Simply aw-ful, one could ar-gue, too, but at leasttraveled and, asAdreian Payne putit, down the street,

basically.Auburn Hills,

then Indianapolis.On the docket:

Valparaiso, thenmaybe Memphis,Duke and Louis-ville.

All ofit is inTomIzzos historical

wheelhouse.TheSpartans landed a place

in the most difficult of regionsSunday night. But its their re-gion.

MSU istheNo. 3 seedin theMidwest, beginning its trek at12:15 p.m. Thursday against Val-paraiso that little Indianaschool the Spartans beat in thefirst round of their nationalchampionship run13 years ago.

MSUs next opponent could besixth-seeded Memphis, which itnearly played in the same roundlast year.

Then it gets real.Duke is theNo. 2 seedin thathalf ofthedraw. Louisville the top seed inthe region and for the entiretournament.

The Spartans undoubtedlywould be better off in the South

or West, seeingGeorgetown andKansas or OhioState and Gonzaga.

But theywouldnt be better

served in Dallas orLos Angeles. Andthe weight of geog-raphy may winhere.

I love being atThe Palace. I loveIndy, Izzo saidSunday night.

He should. Heswon plenty andmemorably at bothplaces and, in2000, went throughboth stops en routeto a national cham-pionship.

Location made a difference,Izzo will tell you. Especiallybeing in Auburn Hills against

Syracuse and Iowa State in theregionals that year.MSU might need it to again

now.Theopposition at The Palace

isnt the issue. Izzo spoke Sundayabout there being no gimmes.But there are favorable match-ups. And Valpo is one of those a qualitymid-major squad whoseKryptonite is big-time athlet-icism. As in, MSU.

If the next round is Memphis,the Josh Pastner vs.Izzo coach-ing duel projects Izzo by knock-out. Early and savagely.

From there, however, as Izzosaid, the Spartans could essen-tially see two No. 1 seeds.

Neither is an impossible task.

No opponent in this field is forthisMSU club.

But Louisville is a more sea-

Tourneypath isfamiliar,

brutalEarly sites, matchupsare kind, but Dukeand Louisville loom

GRAHAM

COUCH

[email protected]

SeeCOUCH,Page 4K

INSIDE U-M toface SouthDakota

State. Louisville istop overallseed.Page 3K Nix comingoff hugeoffensivegame vs.OSU. MSUwomenprojected asNo. 8 seed.Page 4K

Darlis Nixs emotions remained incheck.

Then shesaw Tom Izzo crying. Histears unleashed hers.

Their shared bond, her son Derrick, paidtribute to the job eachdid in helping mold himinto an adult.

Coach Izzo, Nix told the Breslin Centercrowd, isprobably like the closest thing I gotto a father.

Atthat moment, witha surrogateson speak-ingoffthetop ofhis head andfromhisheart,allof Izzos teaching came into focus. Its exactlyhow Izzo has tried to build his Michigan Statebasketball program over the past 18years.

Theres a reason MSU ends its practices byhuddling up and shouting, Family. Izzo

serves the role of foster parent for his playersduringtheir four orfive yearson campus. Con-versely, they often return the love and loyaltyas if they were his own children when theyleave. And his guiding hand goes well beyondhis program.

To Izzo,MSU athleticsarehis largeand pub-lic extended family.

Hesa Hall of Fame coachand hes thefaceof our university, said MSU womens basket-ball coach Suzy Merchant. The fact that hesso down to earth andcares about everysportispretty amazing.

Top priorityOn what could have been MSUs biggest

recruiting day since landing Earvin MagicJohnson, Izzo didnt wait in front of the TV all

(Photos clockwise from top)MSU coach Tom Izzo hugsDarlis Nix during the seniorday ceremony for her son,Derrick Nix (left). Spartanlegend Earvin MagicJohnson remains close to Izzoand the MSU program.Mateen Cleaves late mother,Fran Cleaves, has a hug forformer Spartan ThomasKelley during the 1999 NCAArun. Izzo talks withDraymond Green during agame last season. Playerscongratulate Izzo after hedecided to turn down anoffer from the NBAsCleveland Cavaliers in June2010. LSJ/AP FILE

ByChris [email protected]

SeeFAMILY, Page 5K

Lansing State Journal LSJ.com March 18, 2013

MARCH MADNESSLOUISVILLE

(1) MidwestRegion

vs. winner of (16) NCA&T/Liberty

Lexington, Ky.

GONZAGA

(1) WestRegion

vs. (16) Southern

Salt Lake City, Utah

KANSAS

(1) SouthRegion

vs. (16) WesternKentucky

Kansas City, Mo.

INDIANA

(1) EastRegion

vs. winner of (16) LIUBrooklyn/James Madison

Dayton, Ohio


2/8

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MARCHMANIA

College basketball

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Division Imens

tournament

Louisville (29-5)

NC A&T (19-6)/Liberty (15-20)

Colorado State (25-8)

Missouri (23-10)

Oklahoma State (24-8)

Oregon (26-8)

New Mexico State (24-10)

Gonzaga (31-2)

Pittsburgh (24-8)

Wisconsin (23-11)

Kansas State (27-7)

Saint Louis (27-6)

Memphis (30-4)

Middle Tennessee State (28-5) /St. Marys (27-6)

Michigan State (25-8)

Valparaiso (26-7)

Creighton (27-7)

Cincinnati (22-11)

Duke (20-14)

Albany (N.Y.) (24-10)

Southern (23-9)

Wichita State (26-8)

Mississippi (26-8)

Boise State (21-10)/La Salle (21-9)

Arizona (25-7)

Belmont (26-6)

New Mexico (29-5)

Harvard (19-9)

Notre Dame (25-9)

Iowa State (22-11)

Ohio State (26-7)

Iona (20-13)

California (20-11)

Syracuse (26-9)

Bucknell (28-5)

Davidson (26-7)

Miami(Fla.) (27-6)

Pacific(22-12)

NorthCarolina (24-10)

Villanova (20-13)

Akron(26-6)

SouthDakotaState (25-9)

Minnesota (20-12)

NorthwesternState (23-8)

Oklahoma (20-11)

Florida GulfCoast(24-10)

NorthCarolina State(24-10)

UNLV(25-9)

Montana (25-6)

Marquette (23-8)

Colorado(21-11)

Lexington, Thursday

San Jose, Thursday

Kansas (29-5)

Western Kentucky(20-15)

Virginia Commonwealth (26-8)

Michigan (26-7)

UCLA(25-9)

Florida (26-7)

SanDiego State(22-10)

Georgetown(25-6)

Indiana (27-6)

LIUBrooklyn(20-13)/JamesMadison(20-14)

Temple(23-9)

Butler(26-8)

Illinois (22-12)

Lexington, Saturday

Lexington, Thursday

San Jose, Thursday

Auburn Hills, Thursday

Auburn Hills, Thursday

Philadelphia, Friday


Salt Lake City, Thursday


Kansas City, Friday

Kansas City, Friday



Dayton, Friday

Dayton, Friday

San Jose, Saturday

Salt Lake City, Saturday

Kansas City, Sunday

Dayton, Sunday

Indianapolis, March 29

Los Angeles, March 28

Los Angeles , March 28

Midwest

West

SemifinalAtlantaApril6

Auburn Hills, Saturday

Philadelphia, Sunday

Salt Lake City, Saturday


Dayton,Friday

SanJose,Thursday

SanJose,Thursday

Lexington, Thursday

Lexington, Thursday

KansasCity,Friday

KansasCity,Friday

AuburnHills,Thursday

AuburnHills,Thursday

Austin,Friday

Austin,Friday



Dayton,Friday

Austin,Friday

AuburnHills,Saturday

Austin,Sunday

NorthTexas,March29

South

East

SemifinalAtlantaApril6

KansasCity,Sunday

Philadelphia, Sunday

SanJose,Saturday

Washington,D.C., March28

NorthTexas,March29

Austin,Friday

Dayton,Sunday

Lexington, Saturday

Austin,Sunday

Washington,D.C.,March28

Championship

AtlantaApril 8

TV: CBS,TBS, TNT,truTV(checklocallistings)

FirstFour:Dayton,Tuesday

FirstFour:Dayton,Wednesday

FirstFour:Dayton,Wednesday


Los Angeles, March 30

North Texas, March 31

Washington, D.C., March 30

FirstFour:Dayton,Tuesday


3/8

www.lsj.com Lansing State Journal Monday, March 18,2013 3K

CHICAGO Froma

UnitedCenter suite,ashisguests sampled half-time fare, thecommis-sionerof theBig Ten

lookeddown upona leagueliving thebest ofbasketballtimes thisweekend,wonderingwhat thenext threeweeks willhold.

I fullyexpectifwe dowell,

that would bea cap-stone, JimDelanysaidof theNCAA tournamentto come, fora conferencebranded as the nationsbest. Ifwe dont, thenarrative will be, Youoverachieved during theregular season, youre

over-ranked and you

reallyarent that goodbecause youdidnt ad-vance teams to theFinalFour andwin thechampi-onship.

Im prepared forthegood, the bad and themiddle. Thestorywillwrite itself.

And now, thestorybegins.

Winter was wondrousandbrutal in theBig Ten.It shouldhave hardenedits members forthe mostcritical of moments.

March, for instance.TheBig Ten hasfour

teams that were fixturesofthe top10 in the nation-

al pollsthis seasonIndiana, Michigan, OhioState andMichigan State andanother in Wiscon-sin who could jointhegroup asa Final Fourcontender. Illinois andMinnesotaalso have beenin and out ofthe pollsand

have thetalentand

coaching to make a run.Michigan State coachIzzo brought up thetime-honored adage that to bethe best,youhave to beatthe best.Thecredoof theBig Ten, circa 2013.

I think about that allthetime,Izzo said.Some people arewon-dering,is itgoing toweareverybodydown?It willwear theweak onesdown. Thestrong onesare going to beableto sitin thelockerroom beforea big gamein the NCAAtournament and say,Weve played this team,this team, this team, this

team. Youve been therebefore, youve done that.Theplayers seeit that

way, too. They have com-peted in a leaguewhere,as Wisconsins MikeBruesewitzsaid,If youdont become mentallytough,youre going to get

run over.

Andthey believe thattheordeal willhelp themget where theywantto gothis month.That is oneconviction they all sharedin duringtheir confer-ence tournament.

Said Ohio States Aar-on Craft, whos Buckeyesbeat Wisconsin in Sun-days Big10 champi-onship: Hopefully, wehavent beateneach otherup too much.

Ilovethat, gameinandgame out, youvegotto bring your best. Thatswhatyouhaveto doto besuccessful in the tourna-ment.

Butwill that translateintoa hugeBig Tenwavewashing over thebracketstarting next weekend? Itis surprisinglycommonfora conference to puttwo teams inthe FinalFour. Thats happenedninetimes inthe past14

years.But only theBig

East hasadvancedthreeteams,nearly turning the1985 Final Four into aconference tournament.

To meits byfar thebest leaguein thecoun-try, said formerNBAplayerSteveKerr, nowan analyst forCBS andTurnerSports. Itwouldnt shock me to seetwoor three Big Tenteams in theFinal Four.

The difference thisyearis theres justa lotmore talent. Its greatcoaching andgreat tal-ent.

To Delany, in his24thseasonas theconfer-

ences commissioner,nothing is a given.Its been funto

watch, he said. It wasmaybe as good a JanuaryandFebruaryrace asweve hadduring mytimehere.But the tourna-mentis one and done. The

teams that typicallywin

have three pros. I dontknow ifany ofour teamshave three pros.

Ohio State coach ThadMatta calledthis regularseasonas brutalas Iveever gone through.

When we finished,Iwasexhausted after18games.But youwalk outof here Sunday, youtakea deepbreath, and its anew season.

Michigan coachJohnBeileinstoodin hislockerroomafter a gamethisweekend andlistedall theBigTen teams he thoughtwere capable of makingNCAAruns. Hegot upto

six, then seven,then hadanearnest look onhisface. He wassure therewasan eighth.

Whoam I missinghere? Oh, OK.Us.

Hard to keep track.But its beenthatkindofseason.

Big Tens days of reckoning are here

MIKE

LOPRESTI

Gannett

[email protected]

Louisville is the top seed in theNCAA tournament after a topsy-turvy

season in college basketball,cappedbyanother roundof upsetsoverthe week-end.

That other team from theBluegrassStatewontevengeta chanceto defendits national title.

While the Big Eastchampion Cardinalssurged to the top of the68-team bracket re-leased Sunday, joined byfellow No. 1 seeds Kan-sas, Indiana and Gonza-ga, the school that won itallayearagowasleftoutof the field. Kentucky

washoping thecommitteewould over-look a dismal performance in theSoutheastern Conference tournament,but the Wildcatshad tosettlefor a spot

in the second-tier National InvitationTournament.

Youvegottoearniteachandeveryyear, said Mike Bobinski, the Xavierathletic director whochairedthe selec-tion committee.

As if thats not bad enough for Ken-tuckyfans,Louisville (29-5)gets to rubalittlemoresaltin itsrivals woundsbyopening the tournamentabout 75 milesfrom campus on Kentuckys homecourt, Rupp Arena in Lexington. TheCardinals will face either Liberty orNorthCarolinaState in a second-roundgame Thursday. Kentucky plays anNIT game Tuesday on the road be-cause Rupp is taken for the NCAAs at Robert Morris.

The selection committee had itswork cutout after five teams swapped

thetop ranking in theAssociatedPresspoll,capped by West CoastConferencechampion Gonzaga (30-2) moving totheleadspotfor thefirsttimein schoolhistory. Bobinski said six teams wereinthe running for No.1 seeds onthe fi-nal weekend, the result of a season inwhich no school established itself as aclear-cut favorite.

Of course, only four spots wereavailable at the head of each bracket.The top one went to fourth-rankedLouisville, which stumbled through athree-game losing streak in Januaryafter rising to No. 1 in the poll, andcame up short in an epic five-overtimeloss at Notre Dame a few weeks later.

The Cardinals have ripped off 10straight wins since, capped by a stun-ning turnaround in the championshipgameof theBig Easttournament.TheytrailedSyracuseby16 pointsin thesec-ondhalf,but puton thefull-court pres-sure and won in a romp, 78-61.

TheBigEast,in itsfinalyearbeforethe basketball-only schools breakaway to form their own league, led theway with eight teams in the NCAA.

We areecstaticto bethe No.1 seed,particularly after finishing off one ofthe greatest conferences in the historyof college basketball with a Big Eastchampionship, Louisville coach RickPitino said. Our players showed in-credible grit to come back from 16points down. We know we will be chal-lenged right away in one of the tough-est brackets that Ive seen in quitesome time. I think our guys are up for

the challenge.

NCAATOURNAMENT

Louisville

earns topoverallNo. 1 seedLast years champion,Kentucky, not in the fieldBy Paul NewberryAssociated Press

Rick Pitino

ANN ARBOR Even TreyBurke hasnt scored 53 pointsin a game this season, so theMichigan star will be testedright away in theNCAAtour-nament when the Wolverinestake on Nate Wolters andSouth Dakota State.

Burke is the Big Ten play-er of the year. Wolters is oneof the nations leading scor-ers. Two ofthe NCAA tourna-ments top point guards faceeach other Thursday whenthe fourth-seeded Wolver-ines play the 13th-seededJackrabbits in Auburn Hills.

Iknowtheyhave a reallygood pointguardin Nate Wol-ters, but I dont know any-thing else really, Burke saidSunday. Well scout them to-morrow and obviously onTuesday and Wednesday.Well look into them. Weknow that theyre a reallygood team. Any team thatsplaying in the NCAA tourna-

ment is good.Michigan (26-7) was once

ranked No. 1 in the country,buttheWolverines took a fewlumpsduring a toughBig Tenschedule. Michigan endedupwith the same seed as lastseason, when the Wolverineswere upset in their NCAAtournament opener by Ohio.

Michigan willhave onepo-tential advantagethis year. Itwill start the tournament inAuburn Hills, which is onlyabout 50 miles from theschools Ann Arbor campus.

Its a neutral site, butwell definitely have a lot offans there, Burke said. Itsvery close to home.

Michigan is in the SouthRegional. Rival MichiganState isin the Midwest andthe Spartans will open in Au-burn Hills, too.

South Dakota State (25-9)wonthe Summit League tour-

nament to earn the confer-ences automatic NCAA bidfor the second straight year.The Jackrabbits won at NewMexico in December, andWolters scored 53 points in aFeb. 7 winoverIPFW. The 6-foot-4 senior averages 22.7points per game.

NowWoltersand the Jack-

rabbits will try to containBurke, who has emerged asone of the nations best play-ers.

Hes a good player. Ivewatched thema couple times.Theyre really talented and

have good guards, Wolterssaid. I think they like to getup and down a little bit, so itshould be faster pace.

Michigan has gone 6-6 inits last 12 games after a 20-1start. Of course, that wasagainst a schedule that in-cluded a steady diet of Indi-ana, Wisconsinand Michigan

State down the stretch.I feel great about our

team, I feel great about ourseason, Michigan coachJohn Beilein said. Weve gotsomethingstoshoreup,obvi-ously, butwiththe rosterthat

we put out there, this is aheck of a year.

Whenthe Wolverines havestruggled, the main culprithas beentheir defense.WhenMichigan lost to Ohio a yearago, the Wolverines let theBobcats shoot 51 percentfrom the field. D.J. Cooperscored 21 points on 7-of-11

shooting.Thats the type of output

Wolters is eminently capableof, so the Wolverines are onnotice: Theyll need to comeup with a plan to contain theexperienced him.

NCAATOURNAMENT

High-scoring Wolters to

test Wolverines defenseTourney game aguards showdownBy NoahTristerAssociated Press

Big Ten player of the year Trey Burke (right) guides Michigan into the NCAA tournament onThursday against South Dakota State in Auburn Hills. JOHNDIXON/AP

GREENSBORO, N.C. Afterhelping North Carolina turnits season around, P.J. Hair-ston nearly carried the TarHeels to an Atlantic CoastConference tournamentchampionship.

Hairston scored 28 pointswith six 3-pointers in Sun-days 87-77 loss to No. 9 Mi-ami in the final. That cappeda weekend of big perfor-mances in his hometown de-spite a cut on his non-shoot-inghandthat requiredhim towear a padded bandage forthe last two games.

The 6-foot-5 sophomorescored 21 points with five 3-pointers in Fridays quarter-final win against FloridaState,though he suffered the

cut to the webbing between

his left middle and ring fin-gersawoundthatrequiredeight stitches. He returnedfor Saturdays semifinal

against Maryland and fin-

ished with13 points.Hairston finished 9 for 17

from the field and 6 for 13from 3-point range against

theHurricanes. He made the

all-tournament team.It was like a video game

at first, senior DexterStrickland said. He playedamazing this whole week.

MISSISSIPPI 66, NO. 13FLORIDA 63: Murphy Hollo-way scored 23 points andMarshall Henderson had 21as the Mississippi Rebelsgave coach Andy Kennedyhis first NCAA tournamentberth by upsetting Floridafor the Southeastern Confer-ence tournament champion-ship.

NO. 16 SAINT LOUIS 62,NO. 25 VCU 56: KwamainMitchell scored 19 points, in-cluding a huge 3-pointerwiththe shot clock winding down,and tournament MVPDwayne Evans added 16 tolead SaintLouisto itsfirstAt-

lantic10 tourney title.

COLLEGEBASKETBALLROUNDUP

Hurricanes capture first ACC titleAssociated Press

Miami's Rion Brown reacts during the second half Sunday againstNorth Carolina in the ACC title game. GERRYBROOME/AP


4/8


CHICAGO He scored,snarled and showed theurgency of a senior atleast on the offensive endof the floor.

Lost in MichiganStates 61-58 loss to OhioState in Saturdays Big

Ten Tournament semifi-nals was senior centerDerrick Nixs best offen-sive game in more than amonth.

We didnt stop him,OSU coach Thad Mattasaid afterNix went 6-fot-8from the floor and 5-for-7from the line to score 17points, tiedfor his second-best output of the season.

Nix had averaged just7.3 points in his previousfour games, but he fin-ished inside against theBuckeyesand played withemotion from start to fin-ish. Thats the Nix theSpartanswill need as they

look toward the NCAATournament.

Imgivingit all I got,Iaintsaving nothing, said

Nix, the teams lone sen-ior, whowants asecond Fi-nal Four after experienc-ing one as a freshman.

Itskindof scary, Nixsaid of the fact that this ishislast run. Youvegot tocherish the moment be-cause we wont get itback.

Defensively, Nixstrug-

gled at times against thepick and roll, an on-and-off issue this season. Hetook blameafterthe gamefor a flagrantfoulon OhioStates Aaron Craft thathelped the Buckeyes icethe game at the end.

NixyankedCraftdownbecause he wasnt able torecover fast enoughto cutoff his driving lane. Hehas been strong againstball screens before, espe-cially in a Feb. 12 rout ofMichigan, and thats theNix the Spartans need onthe defensive end.

Its a shame that Nixhad such a productive

game in some ways,MSU coach Tom Izzo saidafter Saturdays game,and yet not in others.

MSUMEN

MSU senior center Derrick Nix drives to the basket againstagainst Ohio States Amir Williams during the Big Tensemifinals in Chicago on Saturday. ROD SANFORD/LSJ

As MSU career

winds down, Nixfinds urgencySenior scored 17 but struggled on D

By JoeRexrodeDetroit Free Press

coach speak, you never do anyof that. But in human beingspeak, you do do that. Hereswho youve got to play to getthereand heres whatyouvegottodo.I loveIndy. Ifwe get pastthe first weekend, I think thatwould be great.

For starters, MSU (25-8)must beat No. 14 seed Valparai-so (26-7) at a time to be deter-mined Thursday at The Palace.TheCrusaders wonthe HorizonLeague championship. MSUand Valpo have met five timesin their history, including a 65-38 win for No. 1 seed MSU overNo. 16 seed Valparaiso to startthe 2000 NCAA Tournament.

If the Spartans canavoid theupset,theywillplaySaturdayatThe Palace against No. 6 seedMemphis (30-4), No. 11 seedSaint Marys (27-6) or No. 11

seed Middle Tennessee State

(28-5).Memphis won Conference

USA, and Saint Marys andMTSU are at-large teams thatwill play each other in a first-roundgame Tuesday in Dayton,Ohio for the right to play Mem-phis on Thursday.

This is MSUs 16th straightNCAA Tournament appear-ance,the third-longest streakinthe nation, trailing Kansas (24)andDuke(18).All16 ofthoseap-pearances have come under Iz-zo, for a program that now has27 NCAA appearances overall.

Izzo is looking for his sev-enth Final Four and second na-tional title. He and his players,staffers and family memberswatched the selection show inthe team lounge, and there waslittle reaction when MSUpopped up on the screen.

We were excited, MSU ju-nior forward Adreian Payne in-sisted. You may not have seenit,but I was very excited.

The Spartans returned home

Saturday night after a disap-

pointing 61-58 loss to Ohio Statein the Big Ten Tournamentsemifinals. The Buckeyes beatWisconsin on Sunday for thetournament crown as MSUpicked through tape of its lossand came away unimpressedwith its defensive communica-tion.

If we can improve in thatarea, junior guard Keith Ap-pling said, well have a greatrun in the tournament.

Izzo expressed further con-cern over the health of fresh-man guard Gary Harris leftshoulder, which popped outagain duringthe OSU loss. Har-ris, as usual,downplayed it Sun-day and said he feels prettygood.

The Spartans were placed inwhatmay bethe toughestof thefour regions, but they got abreak on travel. Izzo and MSUplayers like the chance to playnear home and will be interest-edto see how fansreact with ri-val Michigan also playing at

The Palace.

For the most part you trypull for your league, Izzo saidof thefans,butitskind of hardwhen your rivals there.

When the Midwest bracketwas unveiled, CBS analyst SethDavis pointed to a possibleMSU-Duke Sweet 16 game andcalled it a bad matchup forDuke. He picked the Spartansto winthatgame.

MSU has NCAA history withDuke as well, losing to the Blue

Devils in the 1999 Final Four

and beating them in the SweetSixteen in 2005. MSUs NCAApast in Indianapolis includes aregional final win over NotreDame in1979, the2000NCAAti-tlegame win over Florida and a2010 Final Four loss to Butler.

And the Spartans have abrief,unhappyhistoryas a No.3seed. MSU was a No. 3 once be-fore, in 1995, losing to No. 14seed Weber State in the firstround in Jud Heathcotes last

game as head coach.

MSUContinued from Page1K

MSU-VALPARAISO FACTS

MSUs NCAAhistory: 26 appearances, 54-25 record, eight Final Fours,two NCAA titles (1979 and 2000). Valparaisos NCAAhistory: Seven appearances, 2-7 record, Sweet Six-teen appearance in1998 when current head coach Bryce Drew playingfor father Homer Drew beat Mississippi in the first round with a famedbuzzer beater. Pastmeetings: MSU is 4-1, including a 65-38 win as a No. 1 seed over No.16 seed Valpo in the first round of the 2000 tournament. Valparaisos win

was a 21-17 decision in 1922. Thewinnerplays: No. 6 Memphis (30-4), No. 11 seed Saint Marys (27-6)or No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee State (28-5) on Saturday at The Palace.Saint Marys and MTSU will play Tuesday in Dayton in the first round for theright to play Memphis on Thursday.

soned version of thecrew that kicked theSpartans from the tour-nament a year ago inPhoenix, more so than itresembles the dishev-eled-but-talented Cardi-nals of 2009, which Izzo,Goran Suton and friends

ran out of Indys LucasOil Stadium.

And, before the Spar-tans get to the Cardinals,theres Duke.

Imperfect, but withsize and shooters. Differ-ent than Louisville, but

also the sort of team that,from a matchup perspec-tive, defeats some ofMSUs usual advantages.

The Spartans showedno emotionSunday nightwhen their draw wasannounced. Not even aninitial flinch before rea-lizing their exact road.

I think were veryfocused right now,Payne explained. We seewhere were at and who

weve got to play.Nothing has been easy

for thisgroup this year.Theres been little timeor reason to celebrate.

Theres none now,either. Unless youre theguyarranging the travel.

CouchContinued from Page1K

CHICAGO DeshaunThomas and Ohio Statewere tired,worndownbya grueling Big Ten tour-nament. Traevon Jack-son and Wisconsin hadlittle left as well in thethird game in three days

for each team.Locked in a battle of

wills, the Buckeyesfound a way.

Thomas scored 17points and No. 10 OhioState used its stout de-fense to beat No. 22 Wis-consin 50-43 on Sundayfor its Big Ten-best fifthtournament title.

We were challengingour guys every timeout,telling them Youve gotone more gear. Youvegotone more gear,OhioState coach Thad Mattasaid. Fortunately for us,we made some big playsand then finally knockeda couple shots down.

Thomas was 6 for 19from the field, but madesome big free throwsdown the stretch as OhioState won the champion-ship for the third time inthelastfouryears. AaronCraft, who was voted themost outstanding playerof the tournament, hadnine points and six re-bounds, and LaQuintonRoss delivered a coupleof huge plays.

The Buckeyes (26-7)were rewarded with aNo. 2 seedin the West Re-gion for the NCAA tour-nament and a second-round game in Dayton,Ohio, against Iona. Wis-consin is in the same re-gion, with the fifth-seed-ed Badgers to play OleMiss in their first gamein Kansas City, Mo.

Playing in Dayton,you cant get anythingbetter, Craft said.

Buckeye Nation travelsvery well, especiallywhen its an hour downthe road.

Jackson scored 10points for the Badgers(23-11),who shot38.3 per-cent from thefield.Noneof his teammatesreached double figures,withSamDekker next upat eight points.

Its a disappoint-ment, senior Ryan Ev-ans said. We definitelywantedto leaveherewithsomehardware,but mov-

ing forward, weve gotthe NCAA tournament.Its a bigger thing, andIm looking forward tothat.

Wisconsin and OhioState were close formostofthe secondhalf, buttheBuckeyes seized on acold spell by theBadgerstomovein frontdownthestretch.

After Dekker scoredon a reverse layup with7:01 remaining, Wiscon-sinwentscorelessfor thenext 4 minutes while

Ross stepped up for OhioState.He had a strong of-fensive rebound and put-back, then converted alayup to make it 47-41with 2:39 to go.

I thought Q was tre-mendous, Matta said.He did have a couple oftimely field goals for us,a couple big rebounds.Thats what we needfrom LaQuinton at thatspot.

Sam Thompson addedeightpointsforthe Buck-eyes.

BIG TENCHAMPIONSHIP

Ohio State takes the

fifth, beats WisconsinBuckeyes Craftis named MVP

Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas holds up the Big Ten Championship trophy afterSundays victory over Wisconsin in Chicago. Ohio State won 50-43. NAMY.HUH/AP

By Jay CohenAssociated Press

EASTLANSING Michigan Stateboosted its NCAA tournament re-sume with a pair of victories overranked teams down the stretch.

ESPN bracketologist CharlieCrme believes those wins overPenn State and Purdue might notmake much of a difference in theSpartans seed for the WomensNCAA Tournament when pairingsare announced at 7 tonight onESPN.

Crme has had MSU (24-8)peggedas a No. 8 seedin his brack-et predictions the past few weeks,andsaid thats because of bracket-ing procedures such as the host-schoolsitesin thewomenstourna-

ment.Its not anything that they did

or didntdo, Crme said. Itsjustcertain other schools cant beplaced in certain spots becausetheyd be in conflict witha confer-ence opponent theyd be playingtoo early in the tournament. You

couldnt put two host teams obvi-

ously in the same sub-region. Youhaveto separatethose soit kindof

eliminates whereyou can put otherpeople.

It looks liketheyre under seed-edbut there are rea-sonswhyit had tobethat way.

The rules accom-modate for teams tobe adjusted a seed

line for those purposes and thatswhat Crme did with the Spartansin his projection. MSU coach SuzyMerchant has experienced beingbumped up and down slots for thetournamentthroughout her coach-ing career.

Ihopewitha 21RPI that theresno way we should be an eight ornine,but stranger things havehap-pened, Merchant said. One thingabout this group is that we arepre-pared and ready, and wevehad somuch adversity that whereverthey send us,wherever theyput us,

well be ready to fight and com-

pete.MSU, whichis slatedto bein the

NCAA tournament for the fifthstraight seasonand the postseasonfor the 12th straight year, hasstrong wins over Penn State, Pur-due, Texas Tech and Michigan.Withtheir resume, Crmebelievesthe Spartans could be a No. 6 seedat best.

Six would I believebe the ceil-ing, but eight would definitely bethe basement, Crme said. Icant see why they would be con-sidered being any lower than aneight.

Potential destinations for theSpartansin theopeningroundsareColumbus,Ohio, Waco,Texas, Dur-ham, N.C. and College Park, Md.

Crmes projection Sunday hadMSU playing in Columbus.

I think were ready for any-thing that they give us, Merchantsaid. Obviously, selfishly, I hopethat were not playing in some-bodys home court just becausethats tough.

WOMENSNCAATOURNAMENT

MSU women projected to be No. 8 seedBy Brian Calloway

[email protected]

SuzyMerchant


5/8

day for the college decision ofJabari Parker the Chicagostar labeled by many to be thetop recruit in the nation for the2013 class.

Instead,he droveto FlintthatDecember morning to visit Ma-teen Cleaves father, Herb, whohadjustundergonea majorsur-gery to have his leg amputated.

Hes been here for mewhenever I needed him, Izzosaid ofthe elderCleavesthe daybefore Parkers announcement.

Mateen Cleaves, who is aCBS Sports Network collegebasketball analyst, said hedidnt even tellIzzoabout hisfa-thers surgery because he didntwant him to worry.

As soon as he found outabout my dad, he came down

and hung out with him in thehospital, Mateen said. Thatsjust thefamily we have atMich-iganState.You lookat that hewent to see mydad with all thatbig-time stuff going on.

That afternoon Parker an-nounced he would attend Duke.

Life and recruiting movedonward.Izzosprinciples stayedintact.

When youre decidingwhere youregoingto spendthenext four years, kids are goingto feel like theyre wanted andcomfortable, said Sexton Highcoach Carlton Valentine, whoplayed at MSU and whose son,Denzel, is a Spartan freshman.

You can go anywhere to

play basketball and have some-one yell at you and scream atyou and coach you. But its dif-ferentwhen you can goto anen-vironment where people careabout you. And thats whatcoach Izzo has created.

A.W. Canada, who coachedboth Nix and Keith Appling atDetroits PershingHigh, saidIz-zo doesnt need to bring up thatfamily atmosphere in therecruiting process. Its visibleas soon as players get aroundthe program.

I dont think anything wasnecessarily told, Canada said.Ithinkitsshownwiththegrad-uationrateand how alltheguyscome back. You see that still on

a consistent basis.Its definitely important

that you can go somewhere and

youre going to have an extend-ed familythats goingto last therest of your life. Onthe court isgreat, but off the court is evenbetter.

CleaveseffectCleaves legacybeganon the

Breslin Center court and nowfloats in its rafters, but that ofhis late mother sits just outsidethe locker room.

MSU dedicated the FrancesCleaves Family Center in thebasement ofBreslin in2009.Itsa placefor players andtheir rel-atives to meet and greet eachother. They celebrate afterwins, console one another afterlosses and most importantly,they get to know one another.

Every parent, when youcame out, you hugged them.And everyone genuinely rootedfor everyone else to have suc-

cess, Mateen Cleaves said ofhis MSU days from 1996-2000.Thats what separated us from

a lot of programs. And to thisday, its the same thing.

Carlton Valentine, whoplayed under Jud Heathcote,said that sort of kinship was

there during his college days.He credits Izzo, as well asCleaves and his former team-mates and their parents, formoving that to another level.

They really show love andfamily togetherness there,Darlis Nix said. We have otherparents phone numbers andwekeep in contact witheach other.A real loving family.

Few former Spartans areheld in as high of regard asCleaves.

Izzo named his son, StevenMateen, after the guard whohelped him win MSUs nationaltitle in 2000. And Cleaves stillreturns to campusfor practicesandgames, talking withcurrent

players and recruits on his ownor whenever Izzo wants.

He came and saw me andSteve Smith go into the (Michi-gan Sports) Hall of Fame whenhe had No. 1 Indiana to worryabout comingin thenextnight,Cleaves said of Izzo.Its familyfirst. Its blood in, blood out.Thats what makes it so spe-cial.

Real tough loveLike many family units, tur-

bulent times arise occasionally.This is when Izzo brings exhib-its tough love.

Hes benched players forskipping class, left them athome for road trips, suspendedthem for running afoul of thelaw and kicked them off theteam for repeat offenses. Andthose are just the items of pub-lic consumption in thepast fouryears.

Were brothers.We all fight,we have our ups and downs,sophomore Branden Dawsonsaid. But were all still a fam-ily.

In January at Penn State,Dawson and roommate AdreianPayne had a argument-turned-altercation in a hotel lobby.News reports filtered out im-mediately and neither playerstarted that game.

Over the past year, Nix has

drawn the most attention. Hewas arrested in the spring andhis coach then suspended himall summer and set down a longstringof guidelinesto regainhis

spot.Izzo sathim outpartof onegame for skipping class and tu-toring sessions after his rein-statement, then got angry withNix for comments he made be-fore the Spartans loss to Indi-ana.

Yet Izzo paid himhigh praiseon senior day, saying he mayhave learned as much from Nixas Nix has learned from him.

Its like a father-son rela-tionship, Nixsaid.Wehad dis-agreements, we bump heads.But atthe end oftheday, its allout of love, and I know hes do-ing itfor the bestfor me.

Said his mom, Darlis: Hetookmyboyandturnedhimintoa man. Real tough love.

Bigman oncampusOver the years, Izzo has

brought his patriarchal pres-ence to MSUs other programs.And coaches and athletes inthose sports often talk abouthow much theyve benefitedfrom Izzos support.

Take late last May for in-stance, when MSUs baseballteam hadearned its first NCAATournament berth since 1979.Izzo walked from his office tosend the team off to California,standingat thebusdoorandgiv-ing each player and coach ahandshake before theyboarded.

I think our guys reallythoughtitwasaneatexperienceto have him excited about theirsuccess, baseball coach JakeBoss said. You dont see thattype of stuff a whole lot out ofguys in his position.

Merchant, whose office isacrossthe hallwayin theBerko-witz Basketball Complex, picksIzzos brain for a number ofcoaching-related ideas. WhenMcDonaldsAll-American Mad-ison Williams committed toMSUs womens program inMay2009,shecalledIzzotohelpher surprise Merchant.

He was in the middle of re-hearsingfor theIzzoon Broad-way musical and set up a rare

scheduled meeting with Mer-chant. Izzo hid the 6-foot-7 Wil-liams and her parents in a con-ference room in the mens of-fice. When Merchant arrived,

Izzo and Williams greeted herwiththe news.

It was a pretty cool mo-ment, Merchant said. She ob-viously was a really big recruitfor us.

Present meets pastPerhaps the encapsulation of

all Izzo has built came last De-cember, when MSUhosted a re-union basketball game at apacked Jenison Fieldhouse.

All five starters from hisonly national title team got toplay together one more time. Anumber of Heathcotes formerplayers, including those fromthe 1979 championship squad,joined them.

Itwas fun attimes,it was se-rious at others. And Izzo took itallin asa spectator, wearing oneof Juds oldblazers whilesittingalongside wife Lupe and beam-ing like a proud papa.

I saw the Tom Izzo of today30 years ago, Heathcote said.He identifies with the pastplayers and rallies them togeth-er. And the kids that play forhim, hes kind oflike a dadawayfrom home.

I dont think anyone coulddo a better job than that.

Past players are like unclesto todays players, dispensingadviceof whatto do, whatnottodoandwhatto expectoncetheymove on in their basketball andpersonal lives.

Its great seeing those guyscoming back,givingus somead-vice and talking to us, becausethey care, Dawson said.Thats whats stood out to methe most.

When I leave off for myjourney, Im definitely gonnacome back and talk to theyounger guys.

After thealumni game, as hedoes twice a year, Izzo held aparty at his house for the for-mer players, their wives andchildren. Foodand drinks didntmean nearly as much as thereminiscing and laughter.

It was a true family reunion.

FamilyContinued from Page1K

MSU coach Tom Izzo (center) poses for a photo with former players (from left) Andre Hutson, Mateen Cleaves, Jason Richardson, Tim Bograkosand David Thomas at the Night of Champions event last July. The players are all still close to the Spartan program. KEVIN W. FOWLER/FOR THE LSJ

FAMILY CENTER HONORSFRANCES CLEAVES

The room just outside Michigan States basketball locker room isevery bit as unique as the woman its named after.

The Frances Cleaves Family Center serves as a reception room forSpartans mens basketball team families and recruits. The lobby in theBreslin Centers arena level features a mural of photos of former play-ers and their families on senior days over the years, a big-screen TV,padded benches and tables. Its a gathering place after the final hornsounds and players complete their postgame obligations.

Most of all, there is a big mural celebrating the Cleaves family, witha central portrait of Mateens late mother, Frances. By many, she isconsidered the MSU programs matriarch to coach Tom Izzos fatherfigure.

Sophomore Branden Dawson said Spartans of today still watch

video of Frances Cleaves and the other Flintstones parents, seeing howclosely they interacted and learning the history of what they meant tofostering the current environment. He said he appreciates a placewhere his family and others can build the same bonds .

When I was getting recruited and I went on all my visits, nobodyelse had anything like that,Dawson said of the family center.

Frances Cleaves died in August 2007 after a swimming pool acci-dent. Izzo then spent the next year and a half designing and configur-ing the space, and he and his wife, Lupe, funded the entire project.

The center and murals were unveiled in March 2009, after MSUwrapped up a Big Ten championship with a win over Purdue. It hasbecome exactly what Izzo had envisioned the embodiment of whatFrances Cleaves brought to his program.

That has nothing to do with the success I had at Michigan State,Mateen Cleaves said. That family center was the impact that my momhad while she was at Michigan State. And thats one thing I love aboutit and appreciate, that shell be remembered for that.

Chris Solari


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College basketball

1. LouisvilleNickname: Cardinals.Location:Louisville.Record:29-5, 14-4.Bid:BigEastchamp.Lastappearance:2012,lost toKentuckyinFinalFour.Coach: RickPitino,42-16in 17appearances.Overview: TheCardinalswere a preseasonnationaltitle favoriteandshould be consid-ered sonow-- especially afterbattling from16downwith 15.5minutes togo inSat-urday's conferencechampionshipgametobeatSyracusefor back-to-backBigEastcrowns.Wellpositioned fora repeat FinalFour appearance.

2.DukeNickname: BlueDevils.Location:Durham,N.C.Record:27-5, 14-4.Bid:AtlanticCoast at-large.Lastappearance:2012,lost toLehighinsecond round.Coach:MikeKrzyzewski, 79-24in 28appear-ances.Overview: TheBlueDevils builtup theirrsum innon-conferenceplay,pilingupwins against VCU, Louisville andOhioState .Theinjurybughitwhen forward RyanKelly(foot)missed 13gamesin January/February.He returnedgivingDukeits confidencebackandaddingversatility toits offense .

3.Michigan StateNickname: Spartans.Location:EastLansing.Record:25-8, 13-5.Bid:BigTenat-large.Lastappearance:2012,lost toLouisville inSweet16.Coach: TomIzzo,37-14 in15appearances.Overview: TheSpartansare in forthe16thconsecutive season underIzzo andhavemade theElite Eightfourof thelastfivesea-sons.Gary Harriswas BigTen freshmanoftheyeardespitebattlingshoulderandbackin-juries, andIzzosaidHarrismighthavesus-tained anothershoulder injury Saturday.

4. Saint LouisNickname: Billikens.Location:St. Louis.Record:27-6, 13-3.Bid:Atlantic10 champ.Lastappearance:2012, lostto MichiganState in thirdround.Coach:JimCrews, 1-4 in fourappearances.Overview: Five players average at leastninepointsa game.Thebalancecontinuesontothebench, ledby seniorforwardCody Ellis(10.1ppg, 3.5 rpg), theA-10SixthManoftheYear.After thepassingof coachRickMajerusinearlyDecember,theBillikenslostonlythreegamestherestof theregularseason.

5.Oklahoma StateNickname: Cowboys.Location:Stillwater.Record:24-8, 13-5.Bid:Big12 at-large.Lastappearance:2010,lost toGeorgia Techin firstround.Coach: Travis Ford,1-3 in threeappearances.Overview: TheCowboys,alongwith Kansas,ledtheconference in turnovermarginwith+2.5. Big12 Playerof theYearMarcus Smartneedsnine stealsto break theconferenceseasonrecord of102. Sixth-manPhilForteadds10.4 pointsandshotts 90.5% from thefreethrow line.

6.Memphis

Nickname: Tigers. Location:Memphis.Record:30-4, 16-0.Bid:ConferenceUSAchamp.Lastappearance:2012,lost in first roundtoSaint Louis.Coach:JoshPastner,0-2 in twoappearances.Overview: TheTigerswere unbeaten inC-USAplay forthe fourthtimein sevensea-sons. JoeJacksontopsthe team inscoringandassists, andhasvastly hisimprovedhisthree-point shootingoverlastseason. TheTigersalsoboast theleague's sixthmanof theyear in juniorChrisCrawford(9.3ppg).

7. CreightonNickname: Bluejays.Location:Omaha.Record:27-7, 13-5.Bid:MissouriValleychamp.Lastappearance:2012, lostto NorthCarolinain second round.

Coach:GregMcDermott, 1-4in four appear-ances.Overview: Bluejaysheldoff WichitaState fortheconferenceregular-seasonand tourna-menttitles.Have beennationally ranked formuch of theseason.National playerof theyearcandidateDougMcDermott, sonof thehead coach,is amongthetop scorers in thecountry fora team that shoots51%.

8. ColoradoStateNickname: Rams. Location:FortCollins.Record:25-8, 11-5.Bid:MountainWestat-large.Lastappearance:2012,lost toMurrayStatein second round.Coach: LarryEustachy,3-4 in four appear-ances.Overview: TheRamsare a raritywithfivesenior starters.The transition to first-yearcoach Eustachywentseamlessly. CSU'ssuc-cess comes from itsphysicalstyle,and itleadsthe nationin reboundmargin. TheRamsalso havefour startersaveragingdou-blefigures.They,however,lack scoringpunchoff thebenchanda consistent outsidethreat.

9.MissouriNickname: Tigers. Location:Columbia.Record:23-10, 11-7. Bid: Southeasternat-large.Lastappearance:2012,lost toNorfolk Statein second round.Coach: FrankHaith, 1-2 in twoappearances.Overview:Missouri'sAchillesheel hasbeenplayingawayfromColumbia,with all sevenoftheirSEC losseson theroad.PhilPresseyhashadanother impressiveseason, rankingamongthenation's best inassists . Despite

featuringa number of seasonedupperclass-menin thestarting lineup,Missouri hasnotgottenpastthe secondroundof thetourna-ment since theirEliteEightrun in2009.

10.CincinnatiNickname: Bearcats.Location:Cincinnati.Record:22-11, 9-9.Bid:BigEastat-large.Lastappearance:2012,lost toOhioState inSweet16.Coach:MickCronin,3-4 in fourappearances.Overview: TheBearcatsare ranked seventhnationally inblocked shotsand15thin re-boundmarginduring theregular season. Buttheywere oneof thenation'sworstfreethrowshootingteams (64.7%), andrankedamongthenation'sworst50teamsin fieldgoal percentage.

11.Middle TennesseeNickname: BlueRaiders.Location:Murfrees-boro.Record:28-5,19-1.Bid: SunBeltat-large.Lastappearance:1989,lost toVirginiainsecond round.Coach: Kermit Davis, 0-2 in twoappearances.Overview: TheBlueRaiders'win total andrespectableRPIcarriedenoughweight to getthem in,despitea semifinallossin theSunBelttournament. There's experienceas wellas soliddepthwitheight players averagingdouble-digitminutes.MTSUreboundswelldespite itsrelative lack ofsize.

11. St.Mary'sNickname: Gaels. Location:Moraga,Calif.Record:27-6,14-2.Bid:WestCoast at-large.Lastappearance:2012,lost toPurdue insecond round.

Coach: RandyBennett,2-4 in four appear-ances.Overview: Afterananxiousweek onthebubble, theGaelshave back-to-backNCAAbids.GMatthewDellavedovawill be thekey,ashehasbeenthroughhiscareer. Butthissquadmightnot beable togivehimenoughhelpagainsta physicalperimeterdefensiveteam,one reasontheyfell toGonzaga threetimes.

12.OregonNickname: Ducks.Location:Eugene.Record:26-8,12-6.Bid:Pac-12 champ.Lastappearance:2008,lost toMississippiStatein first round.Coach: Dana Altman, 2-8in eightappear-ances.Overview: TheDucks lost threeof their finalfiveregular-seasongamesbut wonthe

Pac-12 tournamentfor thefirsttime since2007. Point guardDominicArtismissedall ofFebruarywith a foot injuryandhasbeeneased into therotation.NoOregonplayerranksamongthePac-12'stop20scorers, butsixaveragemore than nine points.

13. NewMexicoStateNickname: Aggies. Location:LasCruces.Record:24-10, 14-4.Bid:WACchamp.Lastappearance:2012,lost toIndianainsecond round.Coach:MarvinMenzies, 0-2in two appear-ances.Overview: TheAggies' repeat runthroughtheWACtournamentwasanythingbutsmooth.NMSUmade itthroughtheweekendwithoutseniorstartingF TyroneWatson.He'd rejoinedthe teamaftera suspensionstemming fromanarrest, then sustainedan

ankle injury.

14.ValparaisoNickname: Crusaders.Location:Valparaiso,Ind.Record:26-7,13-3.Bid:Horizon champ.Lastappearance:2004,lost toGonzagainfirstround.Coach: BryceDrew, firstappearance.Overview: Drew,the school'scareer scoringandassistsleaderandauthor in1998 ofoneof themorefamous shots inNCAA tourna-ment history, hasa groupofaccomplishedshooterswhohaveset a schoolseason recordforwins.Aussie import RyanBroekhofftopstheteamin scoring andrebounding.

15. AlbanyNickname: GreatDanes. Location: Albany,N.Y.

Record:24-10, 9-7.Bid:AmericaEastchamp.Lastappearance: 2007,lost toVirginiainfirstround.Coach:Will Brown,0-2 in twoappearances.Overview: TheGreatDanes seta schoolseasonrecord forwinsawayfromhome (11)bywinning atVermont toclaimthe confer-ence bid. GuardsJacob Iati andMikeBlackaretheonly double-figure scorersandac-countfor three-fifths of all three-point at-tempts. Eightotherplayers average 10ormoreminutes a game.

16. NorthCarolinaA&TNickname: Aggies.Location: Greensboro.Record:19-16, 8-8.Bid:MEACchamp.Lastappearance: 1995,lost toWakeForestin first roundCoach: CyAlexander, 0-5in five appearances.Overview: TheAggieswere just 15-16at the

closeof theregularseason, buttheywon fourgames ina rowin theMEACtournament,includinga winvs. third seed SavannahState.Thetournamentwas thefirsttimetheAggiesputtogether a stretch ofmore than twoconsecutivewinstheentire season.

16. LibertyNickname: Flames. Location:Lynchburg,Va.Record:15-20, 6-10.Bid:BigSouthchamp.Lastappearance:2004,lost toSaintJoseph'sin firstround.Coach: Dale Layer,0-1 inoneappearance.Overview: Flamesare just thesecond 20-lossteam tomakethetournament,joiningCop-pinState in2008.Libertyopened0-8butclosedwithfourwins insixdays, takingdownthetopthree intheBigSouth onitsway. Solid teamatthe line,convertingabout72%,and defendingthe three-point arc (30%).

Midwest region1. GonzagaNickname: Bulldogs.Location:Spokane,Wash.Record:31-2,16-0.Bid:WestCoast champ.Lastappearance:2012, lost toOhioState inthirdround.Coach:Mark Few, 14-13 in13 appearances.Overview: Cinderella nomore, anendto theseason anywhereotherthanAtlantawouldbeamajordisappointment.The talent isthere tofollowupthe firstNo. 1 rankingwithan initial Final Four appearance. C KellyOly-nyk is thedifference-maker, but there's qual-itydepth atall positions andsizeto matchupwithanyone.

2.Ohio StateNickname: Buckeyes.Location:Columbus.Record:26-7,13-5.Bid:BigTenchamp.Lastappearance:2012, lost toKansas inFinalFour.Coach: ThadMatta,20-10 in10appearances.Overview: ThadMattahas Ohio State in theNCAAtournament for the fifth straightyear.TheBuckeyeswontheirfinal eightgamesoftheseason enroute tothe BigTen tourna-mentchampionship.DeshaunThomas ledtheBig Tenin scoring andAaron Craftfin-ishedsecond in assists.

3.NewMexicoNickname: Lobos.Location:Albuquerque.Record:29-5,13-3.Bid:MountainWestchamp.Lastappearance:2012, lost toLouisville in

thirdround.Coach: SteveAlford,5-6 in sixappearances.Overview: TheLobos lost some keypiecesfrom last year butstill repeatedasconferenceregular-seasonandtournamentchampions.KendallWilliamsemerged as the league'splayerof theyear.NewMexicomakes upfora lack ofgreatshootingwithan efficientoffense andoutstandingdefense.

4. KansasStateNickname:Wildcats.Location:Manhattan.Record:27-7,14-4.Bid:Big12at-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toSyracuse inthirdround.Coach: BruceWeber, 11-8 ineightappear-ances.Overview: Under first-yearcoachWeber, theWildcatshaven'tmissed a beat, winning theirfirstconference regular-seasontitle since

1977.F JordanHenriquez andG Will Spra-dling,havebeen limited by injuries,but bothwere healthy enoughto start theBig 12finalloss toKansas. KansasState hadtheBig12'sstingiestdefenseat 60.5 pointsa game.

5.WisconsinNickname: Badgers.Location:Madison.Record:23-11, 12-6.Bid:BigTenat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toSyracuse inSweet16.Coach: BoRyan,16-11in 11appearancesOverview: TheBadgersare 12-for-12inmaking thetournamentunderRyan.Wiscon-sinonceagain leanedon itsstingydefense,which finishedNo.10 in thecountry. TheBadgerswere theonlyteamtobeat IndianaandMichigantwice.

6. ArizonaNickname:Wildcats.Location:Tucson.Record:25-7,12-6.Bid:Pac-12 at-large.Lastappearance:2011, lostto Connecticut inEliteEight.Coach: SeanMiller,9-5 in fiveappearances.Overview: TheWildcatswere 12-0 innon-conferenceplay but finishedin a three-waytiefor secondin thePac-12.Arizonawas0-5against tournament-boundUCLA, OregonandCalifornia, including0-3 against theBruins. XaviertransferMarkLyonsmadeasmooth transition, leading theWildcatsinpoints pergame.

7.Notre DameNickname: Fighting Irish.Location:SouthBend,Ind.Record:25-9,11-7.Bid:BigEastat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toXavier in

second round.Coach:Mike Brey, 6-10 in10appearances.Overview: TheFightingIrishplayedoneoftheweakernon-leagueschedules, so theywerenotparticularlychallengeduntil BigEast play.They ranked12thnationallyinoffensiveefficiencyand rely less onthebenchthanmost inthe tournament.NotreDameranked second nationally in assistspergameandfourth in fewestpersonalfouls pergame.

8. PittsburghNickname: Panthers.Location:Pittsburgh.Record:24-8,12-6.Bid:BigEastat-large.Lastappearance:2011, lost toButler in thirdround.Coach:JamieDixon,11-8in eightappear-ances.Overview: ThePanthers rebound40.5% oftheirmissedshots, fourth-highest in the

nation. Only 21.6%of theirpointsare offthree-pointers.C StevenAdamsmade theall-Big East rookieteam; G TrayWoodall (11double-figure scoring games ina row)madetheleague's third team.Pitt hasflownundertheradar allyear.

9.Wichita StateNickname: Shockers.Location:Wichita.Record:26-8,12-6.Bid:MissouriValleyat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toVirginiaCom-monwealthin thesecond round.Coach: GreggMarshall, 1-8 in eightappear-ances.Overview: TheShockersdon'thavemo-mentumin their favor,having lost threeoftheir last five twoto Creighton.Marshallwascoach of theyearin theValleybecause

this teammade upof juniorcollege transfersand inexperiencedupperclassmenover-achievedafter losing fourstarters.

10. IowaStateNickname: Cyclones.Location:Ames.Record:22-11, 11-7.Bid:Big12at-large.Lastappearance:2012,lost toKentucky inthirdround.Coach:FredHoiberg, 1-1in oneappearance.Overview: IowaState isoneof thehighest-scoring teams incollegebasketball, averaging80.1 pointsin theregularseasonand aDivi-sion-I-best10 three-pointersa game.Big 12sixthmanof theyearTyrusMcGee(13.5ppg,47.0 3FG%)bolstersa starting lineupthathasfourdouble-figurescorer.MelvinEjimledtheBig 12in rebounds in theregularseason.

11. BelmontNickname: Bruins. Location:Nashville.Record:26-6, 14-2.Bid:OhioValley champ.Lastappearance:2012, lostto Georgetownin firstround.

Coach:RickByrd, 0-5 in fiveappearances.Overview: Bruinswerein last year asAtlanticSunchamps butdidn'tmiss a beat in theirfirstseason in theOhioValley. IanClark,whosharedOVC player-of-the-yearhonors, leadsa tournament-tested andveterangroupthathas fourstartersscoring indouble figures.

12.MississippiNickname: Rebels.Location:Oxford.Record:26-8, 12-6. Bid: Southeasternchamp.Lastappearance:2002,lost toUCLA in firstround.Coach:AndyKennedy, firstappearance.Overview: . After struggling through a 2-5stretch in themiddleof conference play,Kennedy's squadresponded nicely,winningsevenof itsfinal eight.Despitefeaturingoneof thenation's topscoringoffenses, shotselectionwillbe key.

13. Boise StateNickname: Broncos. Location:Boise.Record:21-10, 9-7.Bid:MountainWestat-large.Lastappearance:2008,lost toLouisville infirstround.Coach:LeonRice,first appearance.Overview: Rice,a former Gonzagaassistantinhisthirdyearwith theprogram, hasayoungteam that doesmost of itsdamagefromoutside, hitting almost40%of itsthree-pointshots. Boisealsomakes75%of itsfreethrowattempts. Oneconcernis a lack of size;just onemember ofits regular rotation istaller than6-7.

13. La SalleNickname: Explorers.Location:Philadelphia.

Record:21-9, 11-5.Bid:Atlantic10 at-large.Lastappearance:1992,lost toSetonHall infirstround.Coach:JohnGiannini,first appearance.Overview: TheExplorersnevermanaged topull offa winstreak ofmore than five games.If theywant tomake themostof theirMarchexperience, theyll have torampuptheirdefensiveeffort.Gianninis teamallowedtheiropponentsto net65.9ppgona league-worst45.4 FG%. TheExplorerswere amongtheleaguesbestin assists (14.9apg).

14.HarvardNickname: Crimson. Location:Cambridge,Mass.Record:19-9, 11-3.Bid: IvyLeague champ.Lastappearance:2012,lost toVanderbilt insecondround.Coach:TommyAmaker, 2-2in twoappear-

ances.Overview: Aftermissing thetournamentfor56years,the Crimson arein forthe secondyear ina row. This time they didit withoutseniorco-captainsBrandynCurryand KyleCasey,whowithdrewfromschoolbefore theseasonfor eligibility reasons. FreshmanSiya-niChambers,playingnearly 38minutes agame,hasbeena keyfigure.

15. IonaNickname: Gaels. Location:NewRochelle,N.Y.Record:20-13, 11-7.Bid:Metro Atlanticchamp.Lastappearance:2012,lost inopening roundtoBYU.Coach:TimCluess,0-1 inoneappearance.Overview: After losingsix of their last sevenheading intoMarch, theGaelscaught fire,

winning theirnext five enroute toa secondconsecutive bid.Iona finished fourth in theregular seasonbutwasableto defeatregularseason-champNiagara in the league semis.Lamont Joneswas namedconferenceplayerof theyearafterleadingtheMAACinscoring.

16. SouthernNickname:Jaguars.Location:Baton Rouge.Record:23-9, 15-3.Bid:SWACchamp.Lastappearance:2006,lost toDuke infirstround.Coach:RomanBanks, firstappearance.Overview: Ina rarity, theleadingscorer forsecond-yearcoach Banks neverstarts.Mal-colmMiller, a junior, averaged16 pointsandshot 45.8%onthreesin theregularseason.Theteam's otherdouble-figure scoreris GDerekBeltranleads inminutesplayed.

West region

ByCharlieRiedel,AP

IowaStatesTyrusMcGee

NCAA Division Imens tournament - A look at the teams


7/8


1. KansasNickname:Jayhawks. Location:Lawrence.Record:29-5, 14-4.Bid:Big12 champ.Lastappearance:2012,lostto KentuckyinNCAAtitle game.Coach:BillSelf, 33-13 in14appearances.Overview:Witha formidable lineup of fourseniors - includingBig 12defensive player oftheyearJeffWithey - andfreshman standoutBenMcLemore,the Jayhawksstayedin thecoaches'polltop 10 forvirtually theentireseason.Kansas is 10-1since a three-gameskid, includinga loss atlowly TCU.

2. GeorgetownNickname: Hoyas. Location:Washington,D.C.Record:25-6, 14-4.Bid:BigEastat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lostto NorthCarolinaState in third round.Coach:JohnThompson III, 8-8ineightap-pearances.Overview: OttoPorter, a strongnationalplayerof theyearcandidate,is oneof thefewwhocansingle-handedly dominate offen-sively. Hehad 33oftheHoyas' 57points inawinat Syracuse.GU allowed56.1 points agame intheregularseason,10thin thena-tion, and37.7% shootingfromthefield, sev-enth-lowest.

3. FloridaNickname: Gators.Location:Gainesville.Record:26-7, 14-4.Bid:Southeasternat-large.

Lastappearance:2012, lostto Louisville inEliteEight.Coach:BillyDonovan,28-10 in12appear-ances.Overview: Floridafeaturesa suffocatingdefense,allowinga league-low53.2ppg intheregularseasonand leadingtheSEC innearly every defensivecategory.Headedbyanexperienced backcourt trioof MikeRosa-rio,ScottieWilbekin andKenny Boynton, theGatorsboastedthe league'stopassists-to-turnoverratio (1.4).

4.MichiganNickname:Wolverines.Location:AnnArbor.Record:26-7, 12-6.Bid:BigTenat-large.Lastappearance:2012,lostto Ohio insecondround.Coach:JohnBeilein,8-7 in sevenappear-ances.

Overview:Michigan's 26winswere theprogram'smostsince1992-93,when theWolverines reached theFinal Four. TreyBurke beatout Indiana's CodyZellerandVictorOladipoto benamedBigTenPlayeroftheYear.

5. VirginiaCommonwealthNickname: Rams.Location:Richmond.Record:26-8, 12-4.Bid:Atlantic10 at-large.Lastappearance:2012,lostto Indiana inthird round.Coach:ShakaSmart,6-2 in twoappearances.Overview:Witha startinglineup featuringfourguardsand their patented"havoc"de-fense,Ramsweretopsin theA-10in steals(11.9) andturnovermargin(+8.0).Sopho-more BrianteWeberwas A-10defensiveplayerof theyear. TheRamsrankedin thetop10nationally in scoringoffense(78.1

ppg) andled theleague inassists (15.0).

6. UCLANickname: Bruins.Location:LosAngeles.Record:25-9, 13-5.Bid:Pac-12at-large.Lastappearance:2011,lostto Floridain thethird round.Coach:BenHowland,19-9 innineappear-ances.Overview: A trioof freshmanstarters ener-gizedUCLA after itmissed thetournamentlastseason.After beingruled ineligibleby theNCAA andmissingthe firstthreegames,forwardShabazzMuhammadwas namedPac-12 freshmanof theyear. JordanAdams,theNo.2 scorer, isoutwitha brokenfoot.

7. San Diego StateNickname: Aztecs.Location:SanDiego.

Record:22-10, 9-7.Bid:MountainWestat-large.Lastappearance:2012,lostto N.C. Stateinsecondround.Coach:SteveFisher,22-11 in12appearances.Overview: Thisis the fourthconsecutive tripfortheAztecs, whohadanup-and-downyear afterbeing thepreseasonpick tothewinthe league. Jamaal Franklinleads in scoring,rebounding, assistsandsteals. Thestrengthisdefense,allowingslightlymorethan60pointsa gameandlessthan39%shootingfromfield.

8. North CarolinaNickname: TarHeels. Location:Chapel Hill.Record:24-10,12-6.Bid:AtlanticCoastat-large.Lastappearance:2012,lostto Kansas intheEliteEight.

Coach:RoyWilliams, 61-20 in22appear-ances.Overview: TheTarHeels struggledstarting0-2in ACCplay. Butbeforethe situationgottoobubblyandnerve-wracking,Williamsrighted theshipandstartedusinga smallerlineup,whichworkedalmostinstantly. TheHeelsareoneofthe hottest teamsin thenationheading intothe NCAAtournament.

9. VillanovaNickname:Wildcats.Location:Villanova,Pa.Record:20-13,10-8.Bid:BigEastat-largeLastappearance:2011, lostto GeorgeMasonin second round.Coach:JayWright,12-9in nineappearances.Overview: Villanovareliesonpoints from thefree-throw linemore thanany other team(more than 28%of itspoints). ButtheWild-

catsalso rank310thnationally in turnovers agame. Another issueis thattheseWildcatsareextremelyerratic.Aretheythe teamthatbeat several ofthe BigEast'sbest?Or theoneswholostto ColumbiaandSetonHall?

10. OklahomaNickname: Sooners.Location:Norman.Record:20-11,11-7.Bid:Big12at-large.Lastappearance:2009, lostto NorthCarolinainElite Eight.Coach: LonKruger,14-13 in13appearances.Overview: The Sooners are ina bit ofa slump,coming off a defeatat lowlyTCU anda con-ferencetournament lossto Iowa State. Arecentswitchatstartingpoint guardto sen-ior SamGroomshasbeenanoffensive boost.FreshmanBuddyHield is stilleasingbackinto formaftermissing amonthwitha bro-kenfoot.

11.MinnesotaNickname: GoldenGophers.Location:Min-neapolis.Record:20-12,8-10.Bid:BigTenat-large.Lastappearance:2010,lostto Duke in firstround.Coach: TubbySmith, 29-15in 16appear-ances.Overview:Minnesotawon15ofits first16games. Though theGoldenGopherswentjust 5-11 afterthat, they scoredkeyupsets intheconference toboost theirtournamentprofile.ForwardTrevorMbakwe,a raresixth-year senior, helpedthemsecure theBigTen'sbestreboundingmargin(+8.1 a game).

12.AkronNickname: Zips. Location:Akron,Ohio.

Record:26-6, 14-2.Bid:Mid-Americanchamp.Lastappearance:2011,lostto NotreDameinsecondround.Coach: Keith Dambrot, 0-2in twoappear-ances.Overview: TheZipsenteredMarchona19-gamewinningstreak.Butpoint guardAlex Abreu(10.3ppg,6.0 apg)wassuspend-edafter beingarrested ondrug-relatedcharges.Akron losttwicebefore theconfer-encetournament,but steadied itselfwithCarmeloBetancourt runningthings. 7-footerZekeMarshall is theMAC's careerleader inblocks andtwo-timeMAC defensiveplayeroftheyear.

13. SouthDakotaStateNickname:Jackrabbits.Location: Brookings.Record:25-9, 13-3.Bid: SummitLeague

champ.Lastappearance:2012,lostto Baylorinsecondround.Coach: Scott Nagy, 0-1inoneappearance.Overview: NateWolters isone ofthe top-but-little-knowntalentsin thenation.Theleagueplayerof theyearleads theteaminscoringandassists.Hisability topenetrateandfindopenteammatesis key, helping setuplooks forthree-pointmarksmensuchas GChadWhite,G BraydenCarlson andF JordanDykstra.

14. NorthwesternStateNickname: Demons.Location: Natchitoches,La.Record: 23-8, 15-3.Bid: Southland champ.Lastappearance: 2006,lostto West Virginiain second round.Coach:MikeMcConathy,2-2 intwoappear-

ances.Overview: TheDemons(81.0ppg) have beenatop thenational scoring chartmostof theseason. Theybeat StephenF.Austin,whichwasleadingthenationin scoring defense, tolandthe bid.Northwestern State goes10deepwithNo.2 scorerJamesHulbin (12.5avg.)and assists leaderJalanWest (5.4avg.)normallyreserves.

15. Florida Gulf CoastNickname: Eagles. Location:FortMyers.Record:24-10,13-5.Bid:AtlanticSun champ.Lastappearance:First appearance.Coach: AndyEnfield, first appearance.Overview: Eagles spoiledMercer'sunbeatenhome seasonin theA-Sun titlegame togetinto thefield injust their secondyearofeligibility aftermovingup fromDivisionII.TheEaglesended theseasonona 15-4 run,

includinga stretchof sevenconsecutivewinsin conference play, pacedby GSherwoodBrown,A-Sunplayerof theyear.

16.WesternKentuckyNickname: Hilltoppers. Location:BowlingGreen.Record:20-15,10-10.Bid: SunBeltchamp.Lastappearance:2012,lostto Kentuckyinsecondround.Coach: RayHarper,1-1 inoneappearance.Overview: TheHilltoppers,seededa placehigherat No.6 this seasonin theSunBelttournament, found awaytorepeat theirimprobable four-game runtothetitle.GeorgeFant, whohada double-double inthetitlegame, is themaincog.It wouldhelp ifT.J. Pricecangethotfrom thearc,andBran-don Harris (8.3 ppg) canprovidea benchspark.

South region

College basketball

NCAADivision Imens tournament - A look at the teams

1. IndianaNickname: Hoosiers. Location:Bloomington.Record:27-6, 14-4.Bid:BigTenat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toKentucky inSweet16.Coach: TomCrean,7-6in sixappearances.Overview: ThePreseasonNo. 1Hoosiershadtwoseparatestretches atopthe USATODAYCoaches' Poll butdropped toas lowasNo.8during theseason. VictorOladipojoinedCodyZelleras a Playerof theYearcandidateandfirst-teamAll-BigTenselection.

2.MiamiNickname: Hurricanes.Location:Coral Ga-

bles,Fla.Record:27-6, 15-3.Bid:AtlanticCoastchamp.Lastappearance:2008, lost toTexasin sec-ondround.Coach:JimLarranaga, 5-5in fiveappear-ances.Overview: NooneexpectedMiamito bethebest team intheACCentering this seasonexceptmaybecoach JimLarranaga. Butthisveteran roster provedolddogscanlearn newtricks. InLarranaga'ssecond season,Miamiplayershavebought intohis coachingstyleandhisemphasisondefense.

3.MarquetteNickname: GoldenEagles. Location:Mil-waukee.Record:23-8, 14-4.Bid:BigEastat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toFloridainSweet16.Coach: BuzzWilliams, 5-4in four appear-ances.Overview:Marquettewon't beatyou behindthethree-point line,where it shoots just29.9%.On theother hand, itis oneof thenation'sbest shootinginsidethe line.JuniorforwardDavanteGardner(11.5)is thesec-ond-leading scorer andcomes offthe bench.

4. SyracuseNickname: Orange.Location:Syracuse,N.Y.Record:26-9, 11-7.Bid:BigEastat-largeLastappearance:2012, lost toOhioStateinElite Eight.Coach:JimBoeheim,48-28 in29appear-ancesOverview: TheOrangeentered theBigEasttourneyhaving lost fouroffivebut lookedto

beback ontrackbymaking thechampi-onshipgame. Instead,theOrangeblewa16-point, second-half leadand lostto Louis-ville.Willthe team that isoneof thenation'sleaders in field goalpercentagedefense,stealsandblocked shotsshowup intheNCAAs?

5.UNLVNickname: Runnin'Rebels.Location:LasVegas.Record:25-9, 10-6.Bid:MountainWestat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lostto Coloradoinsecondround.Coach: Dave Rice, 0-1in oneappearance.Overview: TheRebels returnfortheir fourthconsecutiveappearance, butareseeking theirfirstNCAAvictorysince2008.While theteamis fullof tournament experience, its topplay-

er, freshmanstandout AnthonyBennett,willbegetting hisfirst tasteofthe postseason.

6. ButlerNickname: Bulldogs.Location: Indianapolis.Record:26-8, 11-5.Bid:Atlantic10 at-large.Lastappearance:2011, lostto Connecticut innational final.Coach: BradStevens,11-4 in fourappear-ances.Overview: Allfivestarters average 9.8ppgorbetter.TheBulldogshave proved themselvesagainstnon-conference talent suchas UNC,IndianaandGonzaga.Andwhilethat Indianawinseems like a long time ago, theprogramhasshownwith twonational titlegameappearances it knowshow toplayin March.

7. IllinoisNickname: FightingIllini.Location:Champaign.Record:22-12 , 8-10.Bid:BigTenat-large.Lastappearance:2011, lost toKansas inthirdround.Coach:JohnGroce,3-2in twoappearances.Overview: Illinois' 12-0startdieddownaftertheIllini's rocky2-7beginning toBig Tenplay. Thequick-triggered Illini hadthethird-most3-point attemptsofany team inthecountrybut finished244in three-pointper-centage.

8. North Carolina StateNickname:Wolfpack. Location:Raleigh.Record:24-10,11-7.Bid:AtlanticCoastat-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toKansas inSweet16.Coach:MarkGottfried,7-8 ineightappear-

ances.Overview: TheWolfpackenteredthe seasonasACCfavorites, butstruggledagainstmar-queeteams innonconference andconferenceplay.The talentis there,but theplayhasbeeninconsistent.Still, anyteamwith LorenzoBrown, C.J.Leslie andRichardHowellcouldbea dangerousone intheNCAAtournament.

9. TempleNickname: Owls.Location:Philadelphia.Record:23-9, 11-5.Bid:Atlantic10 at-large.Lastappearance:2012, lostto South Floridain second round.Coach: FranDunphy,2-14 in14appearances.Overview: TheOwlswon theirfinalsevenregular-season games, includingan 84-76victoryoverVCU.TheyareledbyA-10playerof theyearKhalifWyatt.Despite theirrecent

success, theywill need tostepupon defense.TheOwlshave allowedopponents67.7ppgandtheyshoot only 43%, averagesthatranktoward theA-10basement.

10. ColoradoNickname: Buffaloes.Location:Boulder.Record:21-11, 10-8.Bid:Pac-12at-large.Lastappearance:2012, lost toBaylor in thirdround.Coach:TadBoyle, 1-1inoneappearance.Overview: TheBuffaloesare inthetourna-ment for thesecondyear ina row,whichthey hadnotdonesince1963.AndreRo-berson, Pac-12defensiveplayerof theyear,missedthe finaltwogamesofthe regularseasonwith a viralillnessbutreturned inthe

conferencetournament.

11. BucknellNickname: Bison. Location: Lewisburg, Pa.Record: 28-5,12-2.Bid: PatriotLeaguechamp.Lastappearance: 2011,lostto Connecticutinsecondround.Coach: Dave Paulsen,0-1in oneappearance.Overview: TheBison setschooland leaguerecordsforwins. Theseniors,headlinedbyMikeMuscala,markedthemselvesas thewinningestbunch in schoolhistory.Muscalais theschool's careerscoringleaderandtheleague'splayerof theyear, defensiveplayerofthe year andscholar-athleteofthe year.

12. CaliforniaNickname: GoldenBears. Location:Berkeley.Record:20-11, 12-6.Bid:Pac-12at-large.Lastappearance:2012, lostto South Floridain first round.Coach:MikeMontgomery,17-15 in15ap-pearances.Overview: Calis in thetournamentforthefourth timein Montgomery's fiveseasons.AllenCrabbefinishedwiththe Pac-12'stopscoring average,andCalled theconferenceinfield-goal percentagedefense.The GoldenBearshad a seven-gamewinstreak snappedbyrivalStanfordto endthe regular season.

13.MontanaNickname: Grizzlies.Location:Missoula.Record:25-6, 19-1.Bid:BigSkychamp.Lastappearance:2012, lostin second roundtoWisconsin.Coach:WayneTinkle, 0-2in two appear-ances.Overview: Evenmissingsenior leaderWillCherry (foot injury) forextendedperiodsdidn'tslowtheGriz.He returned for theconference tournament.Theyalso havebeenwithout topscorerMathiasWard(footsur-gery) fornearlyamonth.KareemJamar, theBigSkyMVP, helpedkeepthings oncourse.

14. DavidsonNickname:Wildcats.Location:Davidson,N.C.Record:26-7, 17-1.Bid:Southernchamp.Lastappearance:2012, lostto Louisville insecondround.Coach:BobMcKillop, 3-6in sixappearances.

Overview: TheWildcats enterona 17-gamewinning streak.Verybalancedwithsix differ-entplayersleadingthe team inscoring inagame, paced by two-timeconferenceplayer-of-the-year JakeCohen.NikCochranis thenation's top free throwshooterona teamthat hits about80%.

15. PacificNickname: Tigers.Location:Stockton,Calif.Record:22-12, 13-5.Bid:BigWestchamp.Lastappearance:2006, lostto BostonCollegein first round.Coach:BobThomason, 2-4in four appear-ances.Overview: Thomasonis retiringafter25seasonsathis almamater, andhis teamhasgivenhima greatsendoff,ridinga seven-gamewinning streakto theBigWest title.LorenzoMcCloudis thelonedouble-figurescorerandis amongeight regularswho haveconnectedon at least20 three-pointers.

16. LIUBrooklynNickname: Blackbirds.Location:Brooklyn,N.Y.Record:20-13, 12-6.Bid:NortheastConfer-encechamp.Lastappearance:2012, lostto MichiganState in second round.Coach:JackPerri, first appearance.Overview: After a 5-10 startunderfirst-yearcoach Perri, theBlackbirds lostonly threegames therestof theseason toclaimtheirthird consecutive conference title, anNECfirst. Thecrown came despite losing lastseason'sNECplayerof theyear, Julian Boyd,

toa knee injuryin December.Thisseason,Jamal OlasewerewonNECplayer of theyear.

16. JamesMadisonNickname: Dukes.Location:Harrisonburg,Va.Record:20-14, 11-7.Bid:ColonialAthleticchamp.Lastappearance:1994, lost toFloridain firstround.Coach:MattBrady,first appearance.Overview: Inthe regular season, theDukesdropped sixgames byfourpointsorfewer. Averyexperiencedcrewwith fourfifth-yearseniorsstarting, includingDevonMoore,whoownsthe school career record forassists.Nota lotof size onthe interiorbut cansurroundtheperimeterwithbig guards.

East region

ByCharlieRiedel,AP

Kansas JeffWithey


8/8

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