Gophers

NCAA capsules: Midwest Region

March 17, 2014 at 5:04AM

[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.

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