NCAA Midwest Region capsules

Coach: John Calipari.

Entry: SEC champion.

Key player: Karl Anthony-Towns (9.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg)

Notable: The unbeaten Wildcats have trailed for just 178:56 of 1,375 minutes this season; 11 opponents have shot 30 percent or lower, including six ranked teams.

Coach: Steve Masiello.

Entry: MAAC champion.

Key player: Emmy Andujar (16.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg).

Coach: Edward Joyner.

Coach: Larry Davis.

Entry: American Athletic at-large.

Key player: Octavius Ellis (10.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg).

Notable: Davis is filling in for Mick Cronin, who took the rest of the season off after discovering he had an unruptured aneurysm in December.

Coach: Matt Painter.

Entry: Big Ten at-large.

Key player: A.J. Hammons (11.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg).

Notable: A year ago, Purdue finished last in the Big Ten. With two capable 7-footers in Hammons and Isaac Hass, the Boilermakers have enough size to be dangerous.

Coach: Bob Huggins.

Entry: Big 12 at-large.

Key player: Juwan Staten (14.5 ppg, 4.6 apg).

Notable: The health of injured starting guards Staten (left knee) and Gary Browne (left ankle) might determine whether the Mountaineers can make a deep run.

Coach: Bobby Hurley.

Entry: Mid-American champion.

Key player: Justin Moss (17.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg).

Notable: Hurley, a two-time NCAA champion at Duke, has Buffalo in its first NCAA tournament. Moss, the MAC Player of the Year, has been dealing with an ankle injury.

Coach: Mark Turgeon.

Entry: Big Ten at-large.

Key player: Dez Wells (15.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg).

Notable: In the Terrapins' first year in the Big Ten, Turgeon finished second — and in his first NCAA tournament — despite losing five players to transfer.

Coach: Bryce Drew.

Entry: Horizon League champion.

Key player: Alec Peters (16.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg).

Notable: Despite having the most inexperienced roster in its league, Valpo won 10 of its past 11 games to claim its second NCAA tournament bid in three years.

Coach: Bill Self.

Entry: Big 12 at-large.

Key player: Perry Ellis (13.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg).

Notable: The Jayhawks won their 11th consecutive Big 12 regular-season title. Ellis is expected to be close to 100 percent after missing games because of a knee injury.

Coach: Marvin Menzies.

Entry: WAC champion.

Key player: Remi Barry (13.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

Notable: The Aggies were in a class by themselves in the WAC, outscoring conference foes by 14 points a game. Opponents have made only 29 percent of their three-pointers.

Coach: Gregg Marshall.

Entry: Missouri Valley at-large.

Key player: Fred VanVleet (12.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5.3 apg).

Notable: The Shockers have one of the best backcourts in the country with VanVleet, Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton, but can they handle bigger foes in the NCAA tournament?

Coach: Tom Crean.

Entry: Big Ten at-large.

Key player: Yogi Ferrell (16.1 ppg, 4.9 apg)

Notable: The Hoosiers are back after a one-year absence despite losing nine of 14, and F Hanner Mosquera-Perea aggravated a knee injury in the Big Ten tournament.

Coach: Chris Holtmann.

Entry: Big East at-large.

Key player: Roosevelt Jones (12.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.7 apg).

Notable: With Jones out because of injury last season, the Bulldogs finished under .500 for the first time since 2004-05. His return got Butler back on track.

Coach: Rick Barnes.

Entry: Big 12 at-large.

Key player: Isaiah Taylor (13.0 ppg, 4.7 apg).

Notable: The Longhorns started the season ranked in the top 10 but struggled badly the second half of the season, and they haven't made it to the Sweet Sixteen since 2008.

Coach: Mike Brey.

Entry: ACC champion.

Key player: Jerian Grant (16.8 ppg, 6.6 apg).

Notable: The Irish have 14 more wins than a season ago; now they will look to make it to the NCAA tournament's second weekend for the first time since 2003.

Coach: Bill Coen.

Entry: Colonial Athletic champion.

Key player: Scott Eatherton (14.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg).

Notable: The Huskies are in the tournament for the first time since 1991, when they lost to North Carolina; they went five times in six years under Jim Calhoun in the 1980s.