1. WICHITA ST. (34-0) Conf.: Missouri Vall. PPG: 75.5 | OPP: 59.6 Post-ing up: The first team to enter the Tournament undefeated since UNLV in 1990-91, the Shockers do everything well — sharing the ball and not turning it over, defending, shooting from the perimeter and rebounding.
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16. TEXAS SOUTHERN (19-14) Conference: SWAC | PPG: 76.2 | OPP: 73.7 Post-ing up: Aaric Murray is one of the nation’s top inside threats, a skilled 6-foot-10 big man with 3-point range.
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16. CAL POLY (13-19) Conf.: Big West | PPG: 63.3 | OPP: 63.8 Post-ing up: Cal Poly will play in the NCAAs for the first time after winning its conference as a seven-seed, the lowest-seeded Big West team to win.
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8. KENTUCKY (24-10) Conference: SEC PPG: 75.9 | OPP: 66.6 Post-ing up: Freshman-heavy Kentucky, with six McDonald’s All-Americans, went through severe growing pains. Yet this remains a talented team that can still make good on all its untapped potential.
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9. KANSAS ST. (20-12) Conference: Big 12 PPG: 69.7 | OPP: 65.7 Post-ing up: The only freshman in the Big 12 who averaged more than Kansas State guard Marcus Foster was Andrew Wiggins. Foster isn’t just a scorer — he’s an improving rebounder and distributor.
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4. LOUISVILLE (29-5) Conference: AAC PPG: 82.1 | OPP: 61.0 Post-ing up: Even without Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng, the defending champions remained just as devastating this season, running the nation’s 12th-best offense and 17th-best defense.
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13. MANHATTAN (25-7) Conference: MAAC PPG: 77.4 | OPP: 70.0 Post-ing up: The preseason favorites advanced to the Big Dance for the first time in a decade, with a deep roster, the league’s best defense and 11 wins in their past 12 games, including the conference tournament.
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5. SAINT LOUIS (26-6) Conf.: Atlantic 10 PPG: 70.0 | OPP: 61.2 Post-ing up: The back-to-back Atlantic 10 regular-season champions have the experience needed, defensive wherewithal and star power to make a Final Four run, but the Billikens have lost four of five.
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12. XAVIER (21-12) Conf.: Big East | PPG: 72.2 | OPP: 67.9 Post-ing up: The Musketeers were swept by Seton Hall while failing to win more than two games in a row since the beginning of January.
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12. N.C. STATE (21-13) Conf.: ACC | PPG: 70.8 | OPP: 69.5 Post-ing up: The Wolfpack ran off four straight wins and advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals to steal one of the last bids.
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3. DUKE (26-8) Conference: ACC PPG: 78.6 | OPP: 67.1 Post-ing up: The Blue Devils have one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country (39.3 percent), but everything revolves around star freshman Jabari Parker, who could be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
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14. MERCER (26-8) Conf.: Atlantic Sun PPG: 79.3 | OPP: 66.4 Post-ing up: The Atlantic Sun brought us the story of last year’s tournament, Florida Gulf Coast, and it may have a similar sleeper in Mercer, a team that nearly beat Texas and toppled Seton Hall.
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6. UMASS (24-8) Conf.: Atlantic 10 PPG: 76.1 | OPP: 70.8 Post-ing up: Brooklyn product Chaz Williams nearly decided to play professionally overseas, but the dynamic point guard returned for his senior season and led UMass to its first NCAA berth since 1998.
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11. IOWA (20-12) Conference: Big Ten | PPG: 82.0 | OPP: 70.1 Post-ing up: The Hawkeyes’ high-powered attack ranked sixth in the nation in scoring. Iowa, though, lost six of its last seven.
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11. TENNESSEE (21-12) Conference: SEC | PPG: 71.3 | OPP: 61.1 Post-ing up: The Vols are a handful in the paint, led by double-double machine Jarnell Stokes, an imposing 6-foot-8, 260-pound junior.
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7. TEXAS (23-10) Conference: Big 12 PPG: 74.1 | OPP: 70.0 Post-ing up: Texas is a rebounding powerhouse with an impressive freshman point guard in Isaiah Taylor. It can bust a bracket. Just ask high seeds Iowa State and Kansas, two of the Longhorns’ victims.
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10. ARIZONA ST. (21-11) Conference: Pac-12 PPG: 75.0 | OPP: 68.9 Post-ing up: Though the regular season didn’t match the high expectations, the Sun Devils are capable, led by the dynamic duo of point guard Jahii Carson, a potential first-round pick, and skilled big man Jordan Bachynski.
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2. MICHIGAN (25-8) Conference: Big Ten PPG: 74.4 | OPP: 65.4 Post-ing up: The Wolverines lost their best two players to the draft and lost their best remaining player — Mitch McGary — to a season-ending injury, yet still ended up as regular-season conference champions.
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15. WOFFORD (20-12) Conf.: Southern PPG: 67.7 | OPP: 62.4 Post-ing up: The Terriers aren’t an offensive force, but they sure can defend. They limit possessions and grind out victories, a style that can create problems for undisciplined opponents.
AP
