KEY PLAYERS

Frank Mason III, Kansas. National player of the year frontrunner still playing like it in March.

Lonzo Ball, UCLA. Can dominate without scoring, hits big shots when his team needs them, too.

Caleb Swanigan, Purdue. Practically carried the Boilermakers past Iowa State and into the Sweet 16 on his broad shoulders.

Nigel Williams- Goss, Gonzaga. The player who makes the Zags go .

Dillon Brooks, Oregon. Clutch, does whatever it takes to win even if he’s not hitting shots.

Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina. SEC coaches voted him the player of the year over those future NBA players at Kentucky. There’s a reason.

ANIMATED COACHES

Frank Martin, South Carolina. The Gamecocks’ unexpected run into the Sweet 16 means we get to see more screaming, stomping and death stares from the big man in the big suit.

Sean Miller, Arizona. Coaches with the intensity he played with at Pittsburgh, has yet to sweat through a shirt in this year’s tournament.

Bob Huggins, West Virginia. Huggy taught Martin a thing or two about sideline vitriol, spews venom with the best of them.

John Calipari, Kentucky. Coach Cal can recruit and he can shout, too.

Roy Williams, North Carolina. Don’t let that Southern charm fool you. Coach Roy is a dadgum competitor.

Josh Jackson, Kansas. Dynamic freshman makes the highlight reels multiple times a game, makes a great tandem with Mason.

Malik Monk, Kentucky. Can heat up in a hurry. Just ask North Carolina.

Allonzo Trier, Arizona. The Wildcats’ go-to player at crunch time.

Justin Jackson, North Carolina. Long, athletic, scores inside and out, carrying a big load with Joel Berry II fighting an ankle injury.

Derrick Walton Jr., Michigan. He’s been a big reason for the Wolverines’ story book postseason run.

Trevon Bluiett, Xavier. Hampered by injuries earlier this season, rounding back into form at just the right time.

NUMBERS

1—ACC team left in the bracket after nine qualified.

3—Teams still in the bracket for the Big 12, SEC, Pac-12 and Big Ten.

4—Trips to the Sweet 16 for Baylor, all since 2010.

11—Seed of Xavier, highest left in the tournament.

17— Combined NCAA Tournament games for Wisconsin seniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes, most in the country.

46—Assists to 10 turnovers by UCLA so far in the NCAA Tournament, the best ratio in the field.

20,400—Twitter followers for Butler mascot Blue III , aka Trip.

MORE TO WATCH FOR

Here’s hoping Wisconsin’s Vitto Brown gets another shot to sing on national TV. His rendition of “One Shining Moment” should not be his last appearance.

If Florida senior guard Canyon Barry’s underhanded free-throw shooting style looks familiar — at least to you older readers — it’s the same style is father, Rick, used while becoming one of the NBA’s best all-time free-throw shooters.

UCLA coach Steve Alford was repeatedly asked about the Indiana job while in Sacramento. Expect that to continue for as long as the Bruins are in the bracket; Alford led the Hoosiers to a national title as a player and left as the school’s all-time leading scorer.

Also expect plenty more proclamations from Lonzo Ball’s dad, LaVar. He’s already called his son better than Steph Curry and LeBron James, said he could have beaten Michael Jordan one on one back in the day and lashed out at anyone who has dared to criticize him, including Charles Barkley. UALBANY 20, CANISIUS 11 » With a 15-goal first half and 13 different players scoring goals, the # 8/9 UAlbany men’s lacrosse team earned its fifth consecutive victory with a 20-11 road win over Canisius on Tuesday.

UAlbany (5-1) outscored Canisius (3- 4) 15- 6 in the first half, including a ninegoal second quarter. It is the fifth consecutive game that UAlbany has won by at least nine goals.

As a team, UAlbany won 26 out of 35 faceoffs, spearheaded by TD Ierlan and Zach Ornstein. Ierlan was 16-for-18 from the X while Ornstein was 10-for17. The Great Danes also grabbed 40 ground balls to Canisius’s 28.

“Anytime you can go on the road for a midweek game and come away with a win is a sign of a mentally tough team,” said UAlbany head coach Scott Marr.

College baseball

BROWN13, UALBANY 5 » Another impromptu schedule BISPING, WRIGHT HONORED » Siena Basketball redshirt senior forward Brett Bisping and senior guard Marquis Wright have been lauded as National Association of Basketball Coaches ( NABC) District I Second Team selections. The duo was amongst five student athletes named to the Second Team, which is selected and voted upon by member

coaches of the NABC.

This marks the second straight season in which the Saints have placed a member on an NABC AllDistrict team. Bisping received NABC District I First Team honors last season, and is being honored for the fourth time in his career by the organization. In 2015, Bisping was named to both the NABC Honors Court and the NABC Allstate Goodworks Team.

A native of Peoria, Illinois, Bisping averaged 12.3 points this season and was tabbed both a Second Team All-MAAC and MAAC All- RPI 28TH AT NATIONALS » Niskayuna grad Khaled Abdoun placed 8th at 235 pounds, placing himself on the podium earning All-American status as a sophomore. Khaled becomes RPI’s 7th wrestling All-American under head coach Brad Nelson.

Alex Petersen went 1-2 at 125 pounds, Kitan Salako went 1-2 at 133 pounds, Austin Wilson went 1-2 record at 141 pounds, Matt Mawby went 1-2 at 149 pounds, Ryan Ford went 1-2 at 184 pounds and Jose Gandarill went 1-2 at 285 pounds.