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#16 Central
Connecticut St. |
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#1 Ohio State |
Blue Devils
22-11 (16-2 Northeast)
NCAA bid: NEC champions
RPI: 147
Coach: Howie Dickenman (11th season at Central Conn. St., 3rd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Javier Mojica. The former walk-on earned NEC Player of the Year honors after averaging 16.7 points and 7.1 rebounds. He scored 25 in the NEC final win over Sacred Heart, hitting a key three-pointer in the final minutes.
Notable Wins: none
Record in last 10 games: 9-1
Last NCAA tournament: 2002, lost to Pittsburgh 71-54
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 16 seeds are 0-40 in the first round.
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Buckeyes
29-3 (15-1 Big Ten)
NCAA bid: Big Ten champions
RPI: 1
Coach: Thad Matta (3rd season at Ohio State, 2nd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Greg Oden. The freshman 7-footer was an All-Big Ten first-team pick, as well as the conference's freshman of the year and top defensive player. Oden was both efficient (61.4 percent shooting from the field) and dominant (9.3 rebounds, 3.5 blocks a game).
Notable Wins: at Illinois, Tennessee, Michigan State (2), Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2)
Record in last 10 games: 10-0
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, beat Davidson 70-62; lost to Georgetown 70-52
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 1 seeds are 40-0 in the first round.
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#15 North Texas |
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#2 Memphis |
Mean Green
23-10 (10-8 Sun Belt)
NCAA bid: Sun Belt champions
RPI: 137
Coach: Johnny Jones (6th season at North Texas, 1st NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Calvin Watson. The senior averaged a team-best 15.5 points per game and shot 38 percent from beyond the arc. He tallied 24 points in the Sun Belt title game.
Notable Wins: none
Record in last 10 games: 7-3
Last NCAA tournament: 1988, lost to North Carolina 83-65
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 15 seeds are 2-38 in the first round.
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Tigers
30-3 (16-0 Conference USA)
NCAA bid: C-USA champions
RPI: 8
Coach: John Calipari (7th season at Memphis, 4th NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Chris Douglas-Roberts. Douglas-Roberts led the Tigers in scoring with 15.4 ppg despite playing just 27 minutes a game. The sophomore guard shot 54 percent from the floor and was first-team All-C-USA.
Notable Wins: Kentucky
Record in last 10 games: 10-0
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, beat Oral Roberts 94-78; beat Bucknell 72-56; beat Bradley 80-64; lost to UCLA 50-45
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 2 seeds are 38-2 in the first round.
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#14 Penn |
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#3 Texas A&M |
Quakers
21-8 (12-1 Ivy)
NCAA bid: Ivy League champions
RPI: 88
Coach: Glen Miller (1st season at Penn, 1st NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Ibrahim Jaaber. Jaaber is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year. The senior averaged 16.1, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists, including a 32-point, six-rebound performance at Seton Hall.
Notable Wins: Drexel
Record in last 10 games: 10-0
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, lost to Texas 60-52
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 14 seeds are 5-35 in the first round.
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Aggies
25-6 (13-3 Big 12)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 17
Coach: Billy Gillispie (3rd season at Texas A&M, 2nd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Acie Law. The senior point guard was one of the nation's most dangerous players in the clutch, averaging 7 points in the final four minutes of Big 12 games. Can take over a game, scoring 20 or more points 16 times.
Notable Wins: at Kansas, Texas
Record in last 10 games: 7-3
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, beat Syracuse 66-58; lost to LSU 58-57
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 3 seeds are 35-5 in the first round.
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#13 Albany |
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#4 Virginia |
Great Danes
23-9 (13-3 America East)
NCAA bid: A-East champions
RPI: 78
Coach: Will Brown (6th season at Albany, 2nd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Jamar Wilson. Wilson is a two-time America East Player of the year. The senior led the conference in scoring (18.6), was second in assists (4.9) and fifth in rebounding (6.9).
Notable Wins: none
Record in last 10 games: 8-2
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, lost to UConn 72-59
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 13 seeds are 8-32 in the first round.
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Cavaliers
19-10 (11-5 ACC)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 55
Coach: Dave Leitao (2nd season at Virginia, 1st NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Sean Singletary. The junior point guard was an All-ACC first team selection after averaging 18.8 points per game and 20 in league play. The 6-footer is potent from the outside, hitting 40.3 percent from behind the arc.
Notable Wins: Arizona, Maryland (2), Duke
Record in last 10 games: 6-4
Last NCAA tournament: 2001, lost to Gonzaga 86-85
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 4 seeds are 32-8 in the first round.
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#12 Long Beach State |
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#5 Tennessee |
49ers
24-7 (12-2 Big West)
NCAA bid: Big West champions
RPI: 79
Coach: Larry Reynolds (5th season at Long Beach St., 1st NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Aaron Nixon. The senior guard pulled off double MVP honors, winning the Big West Player of the Year award and the Big West tournament MVP. Nixon had 29 points and 11 rebounds in the Big West final and averaged 18.4 points for the season.
Notable Wins: none
Record in last 10 games: 9-1
Last NCAA tournament: 1995, lost to Utah 76-64
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 12 seeds are 15-25 in the first round.
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Volunteers
22-10 (10-6 SEC)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 12
Coach: Bruce Pearl (2nd season at Tennessee, 2nd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Chris Lofton. The sharpshooting guard earned the AP SEC Player of the Year award despite missing four games with an injured ankle. Lofton led the league in scoring at 20.6 ppg and cracked the 30-point barrier six times.
Notable Wins: Memphis, Kentucky, at Arkansas, Florida
Record in last 10 games: 7-3
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, beat Winthrop 63-61; lost to Wichita State 80-73
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 5 seeds are 25-15 in the first round.
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#11 Stanford |
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#6 Louisville |
Cardinal
18-12 (10-8 Pac-10)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 63
Coach: Trent Johnson (3rd season at Stanford, 2nd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Lawrence Hill. The sophomore forward has improved his field goal percentage from 39 percent to 53 percent since last season. He leads the Cardinal in scoring and rebounding and is a solid defender.
Notable Wins: at Virginia, Washington State, UCLA, Oregon
Record in last 10 games: 4-6
Last NCAA tournament: 2005, lost to Mississippi State 93-70
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 11 seeds are 11-29 in the first round.
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Cardinals
23-9 (12-4 Big East)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 37
Coach: Rick Pitino (5th season at Louisville, 4th NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Terrence Williams. The second-team All-Big East pick is the Cardinals' leading scorer (12.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.2 rpg). Known for his explosive athleticism, Williams' maturation was the key to Louisville's turnaround.
Notable Wins: at Pitt, at Marquette
Record in last 10 games: 7-3
Last NCAA tournament: 2005 beat UL-Lafayette 68-62; beat Georgia Tech 76-54; beat Washington 93-79; beat West Virginia 93-85 OT; lost to Illinois 72-57
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 6 seeds are 29-11 in the first round.
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#10 Creighton |
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#7 Nevada |
Bluejays
22-10 (13-5 Missouri Valley)
NCAA bid: Missouri Valley champions
RPI: 20
Coach: Dana Altman (13th season at Creighton, 7th NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Nate Funk. Runner-up for the MVC Player of the Year, the senior guard led the league in scoring at 17.6 points per game and was the MVP of the MVC tournament after averaging 22 points and 6 rebounds.
Notable Wins: Xavier, Missouri State (3), at Bradley, Southern Illinois
Record in last 10 games: 7-3
Last NCAA tournament: 2005, lost to West Virginia 63-61
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 11 seeds are 11-29 in the first round.
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Wolf Pack
26-3 (14-2 WAC)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 23
Coach: Mark Fox (3rd season at Nevada, 3rd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Nick Fazekas. Fazekas is headed for All-America honors after another stellar season. The senior averaged over 20 points for the third straight season and was the WAC Player of the Year for the third time. He had 20 double-doubles and averaging 20.5 points and 11.2 rebounds.
Notable Wins: None
Record in last 10 games: 8-2
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, lost to Montana 87-79
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 7 seeds are 20-20 in the first round.
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#9 Xavier |
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#8 BYU |
Musketeers
24-8 (13-3 Atlantic 10)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 33
Coach: Sean Miller (3rd season, 2nd NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Justin Doellman. The senior forward led the A-10 regular-season champs in scoring (13.4) and rebounding (5.5). The four-year starter was first-team All-A-10 and had a 29-point game against URI.
Notable Wins: VCU, Villanova
Record in last 10 games: 9-1
Last NCAA tournament: 2006, lost to Gonzaga 79-75
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 9 seeds are 19-21 in the first round.
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Cougars
25-8 (13-3 Mountain West)
NCAA bid: At-large
RPI: 18
Coach: Dave Rose (2nd season at BYU, 1st NCAA tournament)
Best Player: Keena Young. The Mountain West Player of the Year spearheaded BYU's regular season title, averaging 17.1 points and scoring in double figures in 28 of 33 games. The senior also averaged 6.2 boards.
Notable Wins: UNLV, at Air Force
Record in last 10 games: 8-2
Last NCAA tournament: 2004, lost to Syracuse 80-75
NCAA tournament seed history: In the last 10 years, No. 8 seeds are 21-19 in the first round.
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| -Written by Cory McCartney and Bill Trocchi |
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