Aztecs’ NCAA pod
No. 11 Syracuse (16-9)
Coach: Jim Boeheim
Conference: ACC
Tournament history: 41st appearance with six trips to the Final Four and one championship (2003).
Last appearance: Lost in first round in 2019.
Top scorers: Buddy Boeheim (17.1); Alan Griffin (14.7); Quincy Guerrier (14.4).
Rebounds: Guerrier (8.8), Griffin (6.5).
Last 10 games: 6-4
The skinny: If this game was at the Carrier Dome, where the Orange went 13-1 this season, SDSU might be in trouble. But the Orange are 3-8 everywhere else this season and slipped into the tournament despite losing several games by uncharacteristically wide margins. The offense is dangerous (ranked 22nd in the Kenpom metric) with Jim Boeheim’s son Buddy, but the famed 2-3 zone has struggled to stop teams at times.
No. 3 West Virginia (18-9)
Coach: Bob Huggins
Conference: Big 12
Tournament history: 30th appearance with trips to the Final Four in 1959 and 2010.
Last appearance: Sweet 16 in 2018, losing to eventual champion Villanova.
Top scorers: Miles McBride (15.4); Derek Culver (14.6); Taz Sherman (13.6).
Rebounds: Culver (9.8); Oscar Tshiebwe (7.8).
Last 10 games: 6-4
The skinny: The Mountaineers were as high as No. 6 in the AP poll before losing three of their last four and dropping to ninth, although two were against surging Oklahoma State and one against No. 1 seed Baylor. The NET (23) and Kenpom (27) metrics both have them below the Aztecs. Unlike usual Huggins teams, which rely on smothering full-court defense, this one is elite at scoring, ranking 11th nationally in offensive efficiency. It came closer than anybody to beating Gonzaga, losing 87-82 on Dec. 2 in Indianapolis.
No. 14 Morehead State (23-7)
Coach: Preston Spradlin
Conference: Ohio Valley
Tournament history: Eighth appearance, with Sweet 16 appearances in 1956 and 1961.
Last appearance: Lost in 2011 second round after upsetting Louisville.
Top scorers: Johni Broome (13.9); Devon Cooper (12.2); Skyelar Potter (11.7).
Rebounds: Broome (9.0); Potter (5.8)
Last 10 games: 9-1
The skinny: Spradlin has the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament after winning eight, 13 and 13 games in his first three full seasons as head coach. They’ve won 19 of their last 20 games, including two against 26-4 Belmont in the past two weeks — in the regular-season finale and again in the Ohio Valley Tournament final. They played Ohio State in December and lost 77-44.