Kansas is about to experience the advantages of being the overall No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional. If all goes well, it would have two games in nearby Oklahoma City followed by two games in nearby St. Louis followed by, well, the Final Four.
The greatest threat to the Jayhawks’ run to Indianapolis might be a showdown with Georgetown, seeded third in this region. The Hoyas have a great big man in Greg Monroe, a relentless guard in Chris Wright and an unorthodox style.
The Jayhawks’ second-greatest threat might be surviving that one ‘B’ game which almost every team experiences. Of course, the Jayhawks also have players on this team who experienced the national championship run in 2008.
CHECK OUT THE FULL NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET (PDF)
Kansas should have a fairly smooth run to the Sweet 16. Wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lehigh players asking for autographs, and the winner of UNLV-Northern Iowa will put up a fight before being worn down.
Maryland could get a few wins behind Greivis Vasquez, but one can’t beat five. Wait, Kansas also has a great bench.
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCHUP
No. 4 Maryland should remember two things about its game against Houston: Cougars coach Tom Penders has been around the game longer than the three-point shot or the pod system. And Houston’s Aubrey Coleman leads the nation in scoring (25.9).
BRACKET SLEEPER
No. 10 Georgia Tech has serious NBA talent, enough to challenge Ohio State. But the Ramblin’ Wreck sometimes comes out ramblin’ and sometimes ends up as a wreck.
BRACKET BUSTER
No. 5 Michigan State became a great story by getting to last year’s Final Four in Detroit. But this Final Four is in Indy, and the Spartans don’t have Goran Suton.
TOP PLAYER
Georgetown’s Greg Monroe. There are so few quality big men in college ball we forget this all-around, breath-taking player.
UNSUNG PLAYER
Adam Koch, Northern Iowa, has been the foundation of a winning program, and the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year played on the USA Under-19 team.
SHARPSHOOTERS
Lehigh, which hit 40.2 percent of its 3-pointers and 71.5 percent of its free throws, will have to make every shot count against Kansas.
OKLAHOMA CITY
1. Kansas 32-2
Location: Lawrence, Kan.
Nickname: Jayhawks
Points For: 81.8 Points Against: 63.8
POST-ing Up: Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich skipped the NBA Draft in order to go for a second national title in three years. Can they get it done?
8. UNLV 25-8
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Nickname: Rebels
Points For: 73.3 Points Against: 63.6
POST-ing Up: Guard Tre’Von Willis (17.3 ppg) is the go-to man for Lon Kruger’s Rebels, who are making their third tournament appearance in four years.
16. Lehigh 22-10
Location: Bethlehem, Pa.
Nickname: Mountain Hawks
Points For: 75.1 Points Against: 70.0
POST-ing Up: Freshman guard C.J. McCollum (18.9 ppg) gives fans of the Mountain Hawks lots to look forward to.
9. Northern Iowa 28-4
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Nickname: Panthers
Points For: 63.3 Points Against: 54.3
POST-ing Up: Don’t expect the Panthers to be blown out — in their last four NCAA Tournament appearances, they lost each game by five points.
PROVIDENCE
6. Tennessee 25-8
Location: Knoxville, Tenn.
Nickname: Volunteers
Points For: 73.6 Points Against: 64.9
POST-ing Up: Senior Wayne Chism (12.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and sophomore Scotty Hopson (12.5 ppg) have led the way for the Bruce Pearl’s Volunteers this season.
3. Georgetown 23-10
Location: Washington, D.C.
Nickname: Hoyas
Points For: 73.2 Points Against: 65.1
POST-ing Up: If the Hoyas get some production from anyone besides Chris Wright, Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman, watch out.
11. San Diego State 25-8
Location: San Diego, Calif.
Nickname: Aztecs
Points For: 70.6 Points Against: 61.8
POST-ing Up: Forwards Kawhi Leonard, Billy White and Malcolm Thomas attack the glass for the Aztecs, who are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.
14. Ohio 21-14
Location: Athens, Ohio
Nickname: Bobcats
Points For: 74.2 Points Against: 68.7
POST-ing Up: With five players averaging double-figures, led by junior guard Armon Bassett (16.9 ppg), the Bobcats won’t be afraid to get into a shootout.
SPOKANE
5. Michigan State 24-8
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Nickname: Spartans
Points For: 72.6 Points Against: 63.7
POST-ing Up: After getting to the Final Four in their backyard (Detroit) last year, Tom Izzo will try to lead his team to Indianapolis.
4. Maryland 23-8
Location: College Park, Md.
Nickname: Terrapins
Points For: 79.3 Points Against: 67.5
POST-ing Up: The talented-but-unpredictable Greivis Vazquez is the heart and soul of a talented-but-unpredictable Terrapins team.
12. New Mexico State 22-11
Location: Las Cruces, N.M.
Nickname: Aggies
Points For: 78.6 Points Against: 77.8
POST-ing Up: Guards Jahmar Young (20.5 ppg) and Jonathan Gibson (17.5 ppg) both need to score in bunches to give the defensively-challenged Aggies a chance.
13. Houston 19-15
Location: Houston, Texas
Nickname: Cougars
Points For: 78.6 Points Against: 74.6
POST-ing Up: Former Fordham coach Tom Penders is back in the NCAA Tournament with his fourth different team, having previously led Rhode Island, Texas and GW.
MILWAUKEE
7. Oklahoma State 22-10
Location: Stillwater, Okla.
Nickname: Cowboys
Points For: 74.3 Points Against: 68.1
POST-ing Up: With a player like 6-foot-6 junior James Anderson (22.6 ppg) capable of scoring 30 in any game, the Cowboys are a dangerous foe.
2. Ohio State 27-7
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Nickname: Buckeyes
Points For: 73.8 Points Against: 61.2
POST-ing Up: After putting up eye-popping statistics (19.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 5.9 apg), junior Evan Turner is drawing comparisons to NBA star Brandon Roy.
10. Georgia Tech 22-12
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Nickname: Yellow Jackets
Points For: 73.3 Points Against: 65.6
POST-ing Up: Paul Hewitt may have the most talented pair of big men in the country in junior Gani Lawai and freshman (and soon-to-be lottery pick) Derrick Favors.
15. UC Santa Barbara 20-9
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Nickname: Gauchos
Points For: 68.2 Points Against: 65.7
POST-ing Up: The Gauchos’ high-scoring tandem Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally could give the Buckeyes something to worry about.