1. Louisville (29-5) — The Cardinals have one of the most talented teams in the country. Brooklyn native Russ Smith (above) is super streaky and will likely make the difference between a run to the title or an early exit.
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16. Liberty (15-20) — Liberty epitomizes the beauty of championship week, a struggling team that found itself at the right time, and is now one of 68 teams playing for the national championship.
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16. N.C. A&T (19-16) — The Aggies are back in the dance for the first time since 1995, winning the MEAC Tournament with a surprising run as the
No. 7 seed. North Carolina A&T lost a November game at Cincinnati, 93-39.
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8. Colorado St. (25-8) — The Rams’ five senior starters — Colton Iverson (above), Dorian Green, Greg Smith, Pierce Hornung and Wes Eikmeier — are called the “Fun Five,” a quintet which has led the Rams to two straight NCAA berths.
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9. Missouri (23-10) — Inconsistent yet potent, Missouri could make a run behind brilliant point guard Phil Pressey (above), who runs the Tigers’ up-tempo and balanced attack to a T. UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi has added needed size.
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5. Oklahoma St. (24-8) — Marcus Smart (above), the Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year, helped the Sooners go from sub-.500 to the NCAA Tournament in just one year. The future lottery pick runs Oklahoma State’s high-powered attack.
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12. Oregon (26-8) — The kind of team that struggles in March, the Pac-12 tourney champs lack that go-to guy. Freshman point guard Dominic Artis (above) is worth watching — the Ducks will go to him with the game on the line.
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4. St. Louis (27-6) –St. Louis is playing with a purpose, to honor the memory of former coach Rick Majerus. The Billikens feature a variety of weapons and have five players who average 9.8 points per game or more.
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13. N. Mexico St. (24-10) — Center Sim Bhullar (above), a 7-foot-5, 350-pound freshman, is one of the nation’s top shot-blockers. The Aggies are making their second straight trip to the tournament and will do so red-hot, with 18 wins in their last 20 games.
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2. Duke (27-5) –Everyone’s favorite team to root against got a huge boost with the return of senior Ryan Kelly (above). His return brings the Blue Devils back into the championship conversation.
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15. Albany (24-10) — Albany surprisingly advanced out of the America East as the No. 4 seed. Mike Black (above) and Jacob Iati are dangerous senior shooters, but overall, this lackluster offense isn’t keeping any of the top teams up at night.
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7. Creighton (27-7) — A chic sleeper pick in early-January before a mid-season slide, Creighton has found itself late, with seven wins in its last eight games. Doug McDermott is a first-round pick, and the Bluejays are lethal from deep.
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10. Cincinnati (22-11) — Cincinnati began 12-0, but then the schedule got a lot more difficult. The Bearcats are beasts on the boards and play physical defense, but rarely spread the ball and have abysmal outside shooting.
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3. Michigan St. (25-8) — With six Final Four appearances since 1999, the Spartans are always a threat to make a deep run, but point guard Keith Appling (above) has to overcome his inconsistency for Michigan State’s balanced attack to get going.
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14. Valparaiso (26-7) — Playing for coach Bryce Drew, who hit one of college basketball’s most famous buzzer beaters for the Crusaders in 1998, Valparaiso’s international roster is one of the best shooting teams in the country.
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6. Memphis (30-4) — The Tigers force a ton of turnovers and sport a balanced offense, leading to their 16-0 record in Conference USA. Though Memphis has lost only one game since Dec. 15, it is 1-3 against other teams in the tournament. Above: Chris Crawford
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Middle Tennessee St. (28-5) — Post-ing up: Kudos to the committee for including the stingy Blue Raiders, despite their loss in the Sun Belt semifinals. They defeated Vanderbilt and Ole Miss and won 17 straight games before their recent hiccup. Above: Bruce Massey
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St. Mary’s (27-6) –The patient and sharpshooting Gaels are a difficult matchup for big teams. They spread the floor, let point guard Matthew Dellavedova (above) create and hammer the opposition from beyond the arc.
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