MIDWEST REGIONAL CAPSULES
Tar Heels.
27-6, 16-2.
Roy Williams
Unaccustomed to secondround departures, the Tar Heels figure to have a lengthier stay this time. They have depth and athleticism at every position, enabling them to maintain their preferred frenetic pace for 40 minutes with fresh legs. You’ll know things are going their way if most of their points are coming from layups and dunks.
Wildcats.
27-6, 15-3.
John Calipari
After being blown out by Duke in the season opener, they rebounded well to make their typical lateseason charge. Their winning formula starts with a plethora of size that helps dominate opponents on the backboard. The size also allows them to take highpercentage shots and force teams to stay out of the interior. The lack of consistent three-point shooting will be a challenge.
Cougars.
31-3, 16-2.
Kelvin Sampson
A defense that ranks among the best in the country. An offense powerful enough to score 80 or more points 10 times during the regular season. A veteran and tested roster led by an experienced head coach. Houston is a team very capable of making a run deep into March. One asset that could be a major factor in the tournament: Houston is strong from deep (54th nationally in makes behind the arc during the regular season) and superb at defending the 3-point line.
Jayhawks.
25-9, 12-6.
Bill Self
It’s been a weird season for Kansas, which saw its run of 14 consecutive Big 12 regular-season championships snapped amid injuries and attrition. The Jayhawks retooled with a lineup filled with four freshmen. Dedric Lawson, the fourth-year junior forward (a transfer from Memphis), has been Kansas’ catalyst as a double-double machine. Freshman point guard Devon Dotson has been a steadying force. The Jayhawks were 19-1 at home, but only 6-8 in road or neutral-site games.
Tigers.
26-9, 11-7.
Bruce Pearl
The Tigers got off a fast start and were in the top 10 before Christmas. Then things went sideways as they split their next 14 games. A fast finish, including a run to the SEC tournament title, has them peaking at the right time. Auburn’s game is to shoot a lot of threes and live with the results. When those fall, the Tigers are dangerous. If they don’t fall, there could be an early exit.
Cyclones.
23-11, 9-9.
Steve Prohm
The Cyclones, who rotate interchangeable parts in a four-guard lineup, can fill it up offensively, averaging almost 78 points with the potential to heat up and run away from opponents – as shown in winning the Big 12 tournament. Their issue is stopping opponents from doing the same; defensively, they’ve been inconsistent at best; while losing six of eight to end the regular season, Iowa State allowed opponents to average 82.7 points in the losses. Senior guard Marial Shayok, an all-Big 12 performer, shoots at a nearly 50 percent clip and 39.6 percent on three-pointers. Sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton provides significant scoring punch off the bench (13.4 ppg).
Terriers.
29-4, 18-0.
Mike Young
This isn’t your ordinary Southern Conference team. The Terriers were perfect in league play and ran through the conference tournament.
Aggies.
28-6, 15-3.
Craig Smith
In his first year, Smith set the bar pretty high. The renewed energy and enthusiasm he brought is self-evident even without the results on the court. The combination of veterans like Sam Merrill and the rapid development of newcomers like Neemias Queta helped the Aggies turnaround last season’s 8-10 league record.
Huskies.
26-8, 15-3.
Mike Hopkins
The Huskies ran away with the Pac-12 regular-season title behind the play of Pac-12 player of the year Jaylen Nowell and defensive player of the year Matisse Thybulle. Washington was dominant while playing a 2-3 zone (imported by second-year coach Mike Hopkins, a longtime Syracuse assistant) that is difficult to prepare for. Opponents averaged just 64 points; Washington ranks No. 2 nationally in blocks (5.9) and 10th in steals (8.9). But the Huskies’ offense sometimes disappears.
Pirates.
20-13, 9-9.
Kevin Willard
After losing three consecutive games to fall squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble, the Pirates played themselves into the field with back-to-back wins over Big East kingpins Marquette and Villanova and then a run to the tournament title game. Myles Powell is a dynamic player with takeover abilities, scoring 30 points or more eight different times this season. Making sure Seton Hall has a second scoring option will be key for advancement in the NCAAs.
Buckeyes.
19-14, 8-12.
Chris Holtmann (5-4 in four appearances).
The Buckeyes lost three consecutive games to close out the regularseason — all without forward Kaleb Wesson. His return in the Big Ten tournament
Aggies.
30-4, 15-1.
Chris Jans,
Two years under Chris Jans, two NCAA tournament appearances. New Mexico State – which nearly knocked off Kanas early in the season – continued its recent dominance of the WAC behind a stingy defense (64.4 points a game, 28th in the nation) that absolutely dominates the glass.
Huskies.
23-10, 14-4.
Bill Coen
The Huskies likely will rely on outside shooting to advance. They averaged more than 25 shots ar game from beyond the three-point line and made 38.8% of those attempts. The defense will have to improve, however.
Panthers.
24-9, 13-5.
Ron Hunter (1-2 in two appearances).
Overview: With all five starters averaging at least 11 points a game, Georgia State boasts a balanced and potent scoring attack that dominated the Sun Belt conference for much of the season. Leading scorer D’Marcus Simonds can certainly fill the stat sheet, but is quite inefficient (42.1 FG%, 29.3 3FG%, 67.6 FT%) for a high-volume shooter. Texas. champ.
Wildcats. 27-6, 14-4
Abilene, Southland first appearance. Joe Golding (first appearance). The Wildcats upset No. 4 seed New Orleans in their first conference tournament for their first March Madness bid.
Gaels.
17-15, 12-6.
Tim Cluess
It’s been a tale of two seasons for Iona. After getting out to an ugly 2-9 start, the Gaels are on their way to their fourth straight NCAA tournament, thanks in part to a 10-game winning streak to end the season.
— USA TODAY