TITLED TEAMS
[ 1 NORTH CAROLINA ] It’s no secret that the Tar Heels are efficient offensively, given their No. 4 national ranking. But a 25th rating on defense makes North Carolina a legitimate top seed.
[ 2 KENTUCKY ] In what has been characterized as a down season, the Wildcats still land a No. 2 seed. UK lacks the size of recent editions and will rely on finesse more than brute strength.
[ 3 UCLA ] No team in Division I averages more points than the Bruins, who have a half-dozen scorers averaging in double digits. The formerly suspect defense has upgraded to mediocre.
[ 4 BUTLER ] The Bulldogs dealt No. 1-ranked Villanova two of its three defeats this season. Back in November, they tripped up then-No. 8 (albeit beat-up) Arizona.
Cinderella search
Middle Tennessee State, which ambushed Michigan State in the tournament a year ago, takes aim at another Big Ten team — injury-troubled Minnesota. A nice ranking parlay: 55th in offensive and 47th in defensive efficiency.
Top players Lonzo Ball, guard, UCLA
The freshman elevated the Bruins’ offense from very good to out of this world. Just don’t show his awkward — if effective — shooting form at clinics.
Justin Jackson, forward-guard, North Carolina
In a lineup loaded with scorers, he is the most prolific, at 18.1 points per game. The junior enhanced his NBA prospects by returning to Chapel Hill.
Malik Monk, guard, Kentucky
The Wildcats, with limited size, were forced to become backcourt-oriented, and this freshman helped the conversion by averaging 20.5 points per game.
Rim shots
Kentucky has reached 56 tournaments and logged 177 NCAA games. For its opponent, Northern Kentucky: none and none.
It’s not easy for a so-called mid-major school to qualify for repeated appearances. Wichita State has earned six consecutive invitations or automatic berths.
Of the eight schools in the bottom half of the bracket, three are from Ohio — and none has “Ohio” in its name (Cincinnati, Dayton, Kent State).
A Cincinnati-Wake Forest meeting could provide the biggest size mismatch of the tournament — for coaches. Cincinnati boss Mick Cronin is 5 feet 7; Wake Forest’s Danny Manning is 6-10.