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No. 1 Kentucky vs. Where » New Orleans Arena, New Orleans Kentucky freshman John Wall likely will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft this summer. Two teammates are potential first-round picks. Fellow freshman guard Eric Bledsoe does not receive the same publicity as Wall or freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins, but he’s effective as well. The Buccaneers are a perimeter-oriented team led by 3-point shooter Justin Tubbs. Tommy Hubbard is a 6-foot-4 guard who is more effective inside. No. 8 Texas vs. Turnovers are a big problem for both teams. Wake Forest averages 15.2 a game to 14.5 for Texas, a byproduct of the Longhorns losing point guard Dogus Balbay to injury. For Texas, Damien James averages a double-double (18.0 points, 10.4 rebounds), while center Dexter Pittman, in 19.0 minutes a game, averages 10.6 points and 5.8 boards. Wake forward Al-Farouq Aminu’s inside presence allows teammates to excel defensively on the perimeter. He averages 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game. No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Washington This is an intriguing game because Marquette’s weakness is size while Washington’s offense comes mostly inside. The Huskies average 79.8 points a game with senior forward Quincy Pondexter (19.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas (17.1 ppg) leading the way. But the Huskies lack consistent outside shooters. The Golden Eagles make 40.6 percent of their 3-pointers. Lazar Hayward, at 6-foot-6, is their inside presence, but he’s a good one (18.1 ppg). No. 3 New Mexico New Mexico, a 29-game winner, has four starters averaging double figures in points. Junior guard Darington Hobson leads the Lobos in scoring (16.2), rebounding (9.2) and assists (4.6). Phillip McDonald makes nearly 40 percent of his 3-pointers. New Mexico’s weak interior defense shouldn’t hurt it in this game. Montana has five players who have made at least 39 percent of their 3s. But senior guard Anthony Johnson is the only player scoring in double figures (19.6). |
No. 6 Notre Dame Notre Dame is skilled, dependent on 3-pointers and defensively challenged. Old Dominion is athletic and defensive-minded. ND prospered late in the tough Big East when Luke Harangody (22.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg) went down with a thumb injury. He’s back and has taken on a sixth-man role. Gerald Lee (14.6 ppg) and Kent Bazemore (8.4 ppg) lead the hard-rebounding (plus-8.8 pg) Monarchs, who struggle from 3-point range.
No. 3 Baylor vs.
Where » New Orleans Arena, New Orleans Geography adds spice to this matchup; the schools are located two hours apart and will play in nearby New Orleans. Baylor starts three players 6-foot-10 or taller, including probable NBA lottery pick Ekpe Udoh (13.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg). The Bears can rebound (plus-6.7 pg), defend (38.4 percent FG) and block shots (7.0 pg), so it will be up to Sam Houston guards Corey Allmond (Oxon Hill) and Ashton Mitchell, who combined for 146 3-pointers, to draw them outside. No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 15 R. Morris
Where » Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I. After losing five of its last seven in the rugged Big East, is Villanova beaten down or hardened by competition? Robert Morris used defense to stifle Quinnipiac in the Northeast Conference finals and will look to NEC defensive player of the year Mezie Nwigwe (High Point) to deal with Wildcats star guard Scottie Reynolds (Herndon). Reynolds (18.5 ppg) teams with Corey Fisher (13.7 ppg) in an experienced backcourt that rises in the clutch. No. 7 Richmond vs. No. 10 St. Mary’s Atlantic 10 player of the year Kevin Anderson (17.8 ppg) and David Gonzalvez (14.5) have seven years of starting experience combined in the backcourt for Richmond, which has a long history of NCAA success as an underdog but is favored in this game. St. Mary’s is propelled by 6-11 center Omar Samhan, the WCC leader in points (20.9 ppg) and rebounds (11.0 pg). Will coming east and playing in the afternoon be a shock to the system of the California school, seeking its first NCAA win?
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No. 8 UNLV One team has “Runnin’” in its name, while the other would rather walk. The Missouri Valley Conference-champion Panthers, who set a school record for wins, want to slow down UNLV, open lanes for Kwadzo Ahelegbe (10.7 ppg) and bang inside with 7-footer Jordan Eglseder (12.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg). But the Rebels are deep and solid defensively. March Madness is all about point guards. UNLV plays with two: Tre’Von Willis (17.3 ppg) and Oscar Bellfield (9.2 ppg, 4.8 apg). No. 1 Kansas Where » Ford Center, Oklahoma City The Mountain Hawks don’t quite have the balanced, veteran-savvy team that American had coming out of the Patriot League each of the last two seasons. Instead of seniors, they rely heavily on freshman C.J. McCollum (18.9 ppg) and lots of 3-pointers. Sherron Collins (15.6 ppg, 4.4 apg) will get the Jayhawks rolling, and a cast of athletes and center Cole Aldrich (11.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg) will be far too much to handle in a warmup for their supposedly loaded bracket. No. 3 Georgetown Ohio and Georgetown have never met in the NCAA Tournament. But Bobcats coach John Groce was on the Ohio State bench as an assistant when the Hoyas played the Buckeyes in the 2006 and 2007 tournaments, losing to them the first time and beating them the second. Georgetown has lost in the NCAA first round only once (1997 vs. UNC Charlotte) in its last 19 trips to the Big Dance. No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 San Diego St. Look out: This one could get crazy thanks to the athletic, high-pressure defenses and high-turnover, low-percentage shooting offenses. The Aztecs are finally getting respect outside the Mountain West after winning nine of their last 10 behind Kawhi Leonard (12.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg). But an upset special? With Wayne Chism (12.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg) inside and Scotty Hopson (12.5 ppg), the Volunteers are legit, having made a potentially awful season pretty darn good. |
No. 7 BYU In a close game, give a decided edge to the Cougars, who lead Division I in free throw percentage (78.6 percent). History isn’t so kind. BYU has lost in the first round each of last three years and hasn’t won an NCAA game since 1993. Florida, the recent two-time national champion, squeaked into the tournament for first time since 2007. All five starters average double figures for the Gators. Junior guard Jimmer Fredette averages 21.7 ppg for BYU. No. 2 Kansas St. Junior guard Jacob Pullen (18.9 ppg), a fine outside shooter, leads Kansas State, which finished second in the Big 12 but has lost three of its last five games. Senior guard Denis Clemente is close behind at 16.2 ppg. North Texas makes its third NCAA appearance and first since 2007, when it lost to Memphis. The Sun Belt champ is 24-8, and 6-foot-8 junior forward George Odufuwa averages 10.7 rpg. That ranks 12th in Division I. No. 4 Vanderbilt v. No. 13 Murray St. OK, Murray State is 1-13 all-time in the NCAAs. But the Racers do have 30 wins, so Vanderbilt can’t take this one for granted. The Commodores don’t have a player who averages more than 14.7 points per game. But their balanced offense (77.3 ppg) ranks 29th in Division I. One spot ahead of them? Murray State, at 77.5 ppg. The Racers’ schedule was far easier, of course. But only two NCAA teams have a higher scoring margin this season. No. 5 Butler
Where » HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif. The Bulldogs spent much of the season in the national rankings and have wins over Xavier and Ohio State. Gordon Hayward (15.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg) was the Horizon League player of the year. Think this is a bunch of 3-point shooting underdogs? Nope. Butler ranks 15th in Division I in scoring defense (60.0). UTEP forward Derrick Caracter shoots 55.6 percent from the field and is a handful inside. Randy Culpepper, a 6-foot junior guard, averages 18.0 ppg. |
