Gophers

NCAA preview capsules: South Region

March 17, 2014 at 5:05AM

[1] FLORIDA VS. [16] ALBANY/MT. ST. MARY'S

3:10 p.m. Thursday in Orlando • TBS

Gators (32-2)

Coach: Billy Donovan.

Entry: Southeastern champion.

Player to watch: Casey Prather (14.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg).

Notable: The Gators are seeking their third national championship under Donovan, coming into the NCAA tournament having won a school-record 26 games in a row.

GREAT DANES (18-14)

Coach: Will Brown.

Entry: American East champion.

Player to watch: Peter Hooley (15.7 ppg, 2.6 apg).

MOUNTAINEERS (16-16)

Coach: Jamion Christian.

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Entry: Northeast champion.

Player to watch: Rashad Whack (17.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg).

[8] COLORADO VS. [9] PITTSBURGH

12:40 p.m. Thursday in Orlando • TBS

BUFFALOES (23-11)

Coach: Tad Boyle.

Entry: Pacific-12 at-large.

Player to watch: Josh Scott (14.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg).

Notable: Colorado survived the loss of its top player, Spencer Dinwiddie, to injury, and is headed to the NCAAs for the third straight year, the first time the Buffaloes have done that.

PANTHERS (25-9)

Coach: Jamie Dixon.

Entry: ACC at-large.

Player to watch: Lamar Patterson (17.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.3 apg).

Notable: Pitt — which had no bad losses on its résumé — boosted its tournament credentials by knocking off North Carolina in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.

[5] VCU VS. [12] STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

6:27 p.m. Friday in San Diego • truTV

RAMS (26-8)

Coach: Shaka Smart.

Entry: Atlantic 10 at-large.

Player to watch: Treveon Graham (15.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg).

Notable: The Rams are making their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAAs. They have won at least one game in each of their first three trips, including a trip to the Final Four in 2011.

LUMBERJACKS (31-2)

Coach: Brad Underwood.

Entry: Southland champion.

Player to watch: Jacob Parker (14.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.0 apg).

Notable: The Nacogdoches, Texas, school hasn't lost in nearly four months. The Lumberjacks were excluded last year after losing their conference championship game.

[4] UCLA VS. [13] TULSA

8:57 p.m. Friday in San Diego • truTV

BRUINS (26-8)

Coach: Steve Alford.

Entry: Pacific-12 at-large.

Player to watch: Jordan Adams (17.2, ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.3 apg).

Notable: The Bruins — in their first season under Alford, who replaced the fired Ben Howland — upset Arizona 75-71 in the Pac-12 tournament championship on Saturday.

GOLDEN HURRICANE (21-12)

Coach: Danny Manning.

Entry: Conference USA champion.

Player to watch: James Woodard (15.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg).

Notable: The Golden Hurricane closed with 11 consecutive victories under second-year coach Manning, the former Kansas star, earning its first NCAA tournament berth since 2003.

[2] KANSAS VS. [15] EASTERN KENTUCKY

3:10 p.m. Friday in St. Louis • TBS

JAYHAWKS (24-9)

Coach: Bill Self.

Entry: Big 12 at-large.

Player to watch: Andrew Wiggins (17.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg).

Notable: The Jayhawks will likely be without 7-footer Joel Embiid until the tournament's second weekend. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year has a stress fracture in his lower back.

COLONELS (24-9)

Coach: Jeff Neubauer.

Entry: Ohio Valley champion.

Player to watch: Corey Walden (14.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.0 apg).

Notable: Eastern Kentucky beat Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament final to earn its eighth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2007.

[7] NEW MEXICO VS. [10] STANFORD

12:40 p.m. Friday in St. Louis • TBS

LOBOS (27-6)

Coach: Craig Neal.

Entry: Mountain West champion.

Player to watch: Cameron Bairstow (20.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg).

Notable: Bairstow, a 6-9 senior forward, scored 17 points in a 64-58 victory over San Diego State in Saturday's conference championship game, the Lobos' third title in a row.

CARDINAL (21-12)

Coach: Johnny Dawkins.

Entry: Pacific-12 at-large.

Player to watch: Dwight Powell (14.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.2 apg).

Notable: Stanford received its 17th NCAA tournament berth but first since 2008, shortly before Dawkins was hired from Duke's staff to replace Trent Johnson.

[6] OHIO STATE VS. [11] DAYTON

11:15 a.m. Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y. • Ch. 4

BUCKEYES (25-9)

Coach: Thad Matta.

Entry: Big Ten at-large.

Player to watch: LaQuinton Ross (15.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg).

Notable: The Buckeyes have been one of the most up-and-down teams in the field, rising to No. 3 nationally after a 15-0 start only to lose five of six and fall out of the top 25.

FLYERS (23-10)

Coach: Archie Miller.

Entry: Atlantic 10 at-large.

Player to watch: Devin Oliver (12.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.4 apg).

Notable: Dayton, which survived a loss in the A-10 tournament quarterfinals, is located about an hour from Ohio State, with the schools' last meeting coming in the NIT in 2008.

[3] SYRACUSE VS. [14] WESTERN MICHIGAN

1:45 p.m. Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y. • Ch. 4

ORANGE (27-5)

Coach: Jim Boeheim.

Entry: ACC at-large.

Player to watch: C.J. Fair (16.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg).

Notable: The Orange is trying to reverse a late-season fade. Syracuse was 25-0 and No. 1, but lost four of six to close the season and then fell to North Carolina State in the ACC quarterfinals.

BRONCOS (23-9)

Coach: Steve Hawkins.

Entry: Mid-American champion.

Player to watch: David Brown (19.4 ppg).

Notable: The Broncos, in the NCAA field for the first time since 2004, have won 12 of 13. They average 26.1 free throws per game and shoot them at a 72.5 percent clip.

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