THE BACK STORIES
[ 1 KANSAS ] This is the Jayhawks’ second consecutive season, 13th overall, as No. 1 seed in a regional. Kansas Coach Bill Self is making his 19th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
[ 2 LOUISVILLE ] Coach Rick Pitino is making his 21st NCAA appearance. A first-round victory probably would earn Cardinals a date against Big Ten tournament champion Michigan.
[ 3 OREGON ] Top seeded in a regional last season and in contention for another until losing Chris Boucher to a season-ending injury, the Ducks fell to Arizona in Pac-12 tourney title game.
[ 4 PURDUE ] The committee rewarded the Boilermakers for winning the Big Ten regularseason title despite their loss to Michigan in a conference tournament quarterfinal..
Cinderella search
Iowa State’s surprising run to the Big 12 tournament title landed them a tricky No. 5-vs.-No. 12 matchup that often results in a first-round tournament upset. But if the Cyclones can take care of Nevada, they could advance deep into the bracket.
Top players Dillon Brooks, forward, Oregon
The junior averaged 16.3 points per game and was voted Pac-12 player of the year after helping Oregon win a share of the conference’s regular-season title.
Jawun Evans, guard, Oklahoma State
The playmaking sophomore averaged 19 points and more than six assists a game. He scored 29 points in the Cowboys’ loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament championship game.
Frank Mason III, guard, Kansas
The Big 12 named Mason the player of the year after he became the first player in the conference to average more than 20 points (20.8) and five assists (5.1) per game.
Rim shots
Michigan State forward Miles Bridges could be a one-and-done. The freshman is averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds a game and is projected as a lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Oregon Coach Dana Altman could face his former team, Creighton, in the second round. Altman coached the Blue Jays for 16 seasons and became their winningest coach before he left for Oregon in 2010.
Oklahoma State lost its first six Big 12 conference games before winning 10 of its final 14.
Nevada is making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007.