[1] WICHITA ST. VS. [16] CAL POLY/TEXAS SO.
6:10 p.m. Friday in St. Louis • Ch. 4
SHOCKERS (34-0)
Coach: Gregg Marshall.
Entry: Missouri Valley champion.
Player to watch: Cleanthony Early (15.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
Notable: The Shockers are the first team in D-I history to win its first 30 games in the regular season. They are the 18th team to enter the NCAAs undefeated; seven of those won it all.
MUSTANGS (13-19)
Coach: Joe Callero.
Entry: Big West champion.
Player to watch: Chris Eversley (13.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg).
TIGERS (19-14)
Coach: Mike Davis
Entry: SWAC champion.
Key player: Aaric Murphy (21.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg).
[8] KENTUCKY VS. [9] KANSAS STATE
8:40 p.m. Friday in St. Louis • Ch. 4
WILDCATS (24-10)
Coach: John Calipari.
Entry: SEC at-large.
Player to watch: Julius Randle (15.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg).
Notable: Kentucky is the first AP preseason No. 1 that didn't earn a No. 1 seed since Kansas in 2005. But the Wildcats might be getting it together now after their close loss to Florida.
WILDCATS (20-12)
Coach: Bruce Weber.
Entry: Big 12 at-large.
Player to watch: Marcus Foster (15.6 ppg, 2.5 apg).
Notable: The Wildcats earned their sixth NCAA tournament berth in seven years, but only once in those previous five trips did they advance past the first weekend, in 2010.
[5] ST. LOUIS VS. [12] N.C. STATE/XAVIER
6:20 p.m. Thursday in Orlando • TNT
BILLIKENS (26-6)
Coach: Jim Crews.
Entry: Atlantic 10 at-large.
Player to watch: Jordair Jett (13.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.8 apg).
Notable: The Atlantic 10 regular-season champions have lost four of five following a 25-2 start. Opponents have shot only 28 percent from three-point range.
WOLFPACK (21-13)
Coach: Mark Gottfried.
Entry: ACC at-large.
Player to watch: T.J. Warren (24.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg).
MUSKETEERS (21-12)
Coach: Chris Mack.
Entry: Big East at-large.
Player to watch: Semaj Christon (17.1 ppg, 4.2 apg).
[4] LOUISVILLE VS. [13] MANHATTAN
8:50 p.m. Thursday in Orlando • TNT
CARDINALS (29-5)
Coach: Rick Pitino.
Entry: American Athletic champion.
Player to watch: Russ Smith (18.3 ppg, 4.7 apg).
Notable: The Cardinals are trying to become the first team to repeat as national champion since Florida in 2006-07. Louisville is 20-1 in its past 21 postseason contests.
JASPERS (25-7)
Coach: Steve Masiello.
Entry: MAAC champion.
Player to watch: George Beamon (19.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg).
Notable: Masiello is a former Pitino assistant. Rhamel Brown is the second player in conference history to gain three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
[2] MICHIGAN VS. [15] WOFFORD
6:10 p.m. Thursday in Milwaukee • Ch. 4
WOLVERINES (25-8)
Coach: John Beilein.
Entry: Big Ten at-large.
Player to watch: Nik Stauskas (17.5 ppg, 3.3 apg).
Notable: The Wolverines reached the title game last year as a No. 4 seed. Michigan won the Big Ten without big man Mitch McGary, who has been out because of a back injury.
TERRIERS (20-12)
Coach: Mike Young.
Entry: Southern champion.
Player to watch: Karl Cochran (15.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg).
Notable: Young was named the Coach of the Year in the conference. The Terriers are making their third trip to the NCAA tournament in the past five years.
[7] TEXAS VS. [10] ARIZONA STATE
8:40 p.m. Thursday in Milwaukee • Ch. 4
LONGHORNS (23-10)
Coach: Rick Barnes.
Entry: Big 12 at-large.
Player to watch: Jonathan Holmes (13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg).
Notable: The revitalized Longhorns will try to be tough in the paint. They average 15.1 offensive rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots per game.
SUN DEVILS (21-11)
Coach: Herb Sendek.
Entry: Pacific-12 at-large.
Player to watch: Jahii Carson (18.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.5 apG).
Notable: Behind point guard Carson, the Sun Devils made the bracket for the first time since 2009 despite losing five of seven down the stretch.
[6] UMASS VS. [11] IOWA/TENNESSEE
1:45 p.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C. • Ch. 4
MINUTEMEN (24-8)
Coach: Derek Kellogg.
Entry: Atlantic 10 at-large.
Player to watch: Chaz Williams (15.8 ppg, 7.0 apg).
Notable: Not only is this the first NCAA tournament berth for UMass since 1998, the Minutemen are also on a run of three consecutive 20-win seasons under Kellogg.
HAWKEYES (20-12)
Coach: Fran McCaffery.
Entry: Big Ten at-large.
Player to watch: Devyn Marble (17.3 ppg, 3.5 apg).
VOLUNTEERS (21-12)
Coach: Cuonzo Martin.
Entry: SEC at-large.
Player to watch: Jordan McRaee (18.6 ppg, 2.5 apg).
[3] DUKE VS. [14] MERCER
11:15 a.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C. • Ch. 4
BLUE DEVILS (26-8)
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski.
Entry: ACC at-large.
Player to watch: Jabari Parker (19.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg).
Notable: Only one of Duke's Final Four runs came as a No. 3 seed. That was in 1990, when the Blue Devils lost to UNLV in the NCAA championship game in Denver.
BEARS (26-8)
Coach: Bob Hoffman.
Entry: Atlantic Sun champion.
Player to watch: Langston Hall (14.7 ppg, 5.6 apg).
Notable: The Bears score nearly 80 points a game and have only one player averaging in double figures. Hall, a 6-4 junior point guard, won the 2014 A-Sun Player of the Year.