NCAA West Region capsules
8:20 p.m. Friday in Omaha • TBS
BADGERS (31-3)
Coach: Bo Ryan.
Entry: Big Ten champion.
Key player: Frank Kaminsky (18.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.7 apg).
Notable: Losing a trusted senior point guard to an injury would be a serious blow for most teams, but the Badgers still rolled down the stretch without Traevon Jackson.
CHANTICLEERS (24-9)
Coach: Cliff Ellis
Entry: Big South champion.
Key player: Warren Gillis (13.1 ppg, 3.2 apg).
Notable: The Chanticleers' résumé includes a victories at Auburn, where Ellis earned three NCAA tournament appearances as coach of the Tigers.
[8] Oregon vs. [9] Oklahoma State
5:50 p.m. Friday in Omaha • TBS
DUCKS (25-9)
Coach: Dana Altman.
Entry: Pac-12 at-large.
Key player: Joseph Young (20.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.7 apg).
Notable: The Ducks had won seven in a row before being routed in the Pac-12 title game by Arizona on Saturday night. Oregon shoots 76 percent on free throws.
COWBOYS (18-13)
Coach: Travis Ford.
Entry: Big 12 at-large.
Key player: Le'Bryan Nash (17.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.0 apg).
Notable: The Cowboys hit a rough patch late in the season, losing five of six after beating Kansas and Baylor. They have five top-25 victories, including three against the top 10.
[5] Arkansas vs. [12] Wofford
8:50 p.m. Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla. • TNT
RAZORBACKS (26-8)
Coach: Mike Anderson.
Entry: SEC at-large.
Key player: Bobby Portis (17.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg).
Notable: Led by Portis, the SEC Player of the Year, the Razorbacks have their most victories since 1994-95, when they lost in the NCAA championship game to UCLA.
TERRIERS (28-6)
Coach: Mike Young.
Entry: Southern champion.
Key player: Karl Cochran (11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.7 apg).
Notable: The Terriers won at North Carolina State in December. Cochran was named conference Player of the Year and Young the league's Coach of the Year.
[4] North Carolina vs. [13] Harvard
6:20 p.m. Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla. • TNT
TAR HEELS (24-11)
Coach: Roy Williams.
Entry: ACC at-large.
Key player: Marcus Paige (13.9 ppg, 4.6 apg).
Notable: After Williams pushed his team to play with more toughness and urgency all season, the Tar Heels responded by reaching the ACC tournament final.
CRIMSON (22-7)
Coach: Tommy Amaker.
Entry: Ivy League champion.
Key player: Wesley Saunders (16.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.2 apg).
Notable: After winning a game in each of the last two NCAA tournaments, Harvard had a tough road back, needing to beat Yale in a one-game playoff for the automatic bid.
[2] Arizona vs. [15] Texas Southern
1:10 p.m. Thursday in Portland, Ore. • TNT
WILDCATS (31-3)
Coach: Sean Miller.
Entry: Pac-12 champion.
Key player: Stanley Johnson (14.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg).
Notable: One of the nation's best defensive teams, Arizona has won 11 consecutive games, including a rout of Oregon for the Pac-12 tournament title.
TIGERS (22-12)
Coach: Mike Davis.
Entry: Southwestern Athletic champion.
Key player: Madarious Gibbs (14.1 ppg, 4.3 apg).
Notable: The Tigers, who beat Michigan State and Kansas State on the road in December, have four scorers averaging in double figures.
[7] Virginia Commonwealth vs. [10] Ohio State
3:40 p.m. Thursday in Portland, Ore. • TNT
RAMS (26-9)
Coach: Shaka Smart.
Entry: Atlantic 10 champion.
Key player: Treveon Graham (16.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg).
Notable: The Rams played well to win the A-10 tournament but don't have the same havoc-causing defense since losing the face of that style, Briante Weber, to knee surgery.
BUCKEYES (23-10)
Coach: Thad Matta.
Entry: Big Ten at-large.
Key player: D'Angelo Russell (19.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.1 apg).
Notable: The Buckeyes may go only as far as Russell, the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year, takes them. He is the nation's leader in points per game among freshmen.
[6] Xavier vs. [11] Brigham Young
3:10 p.m. Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla. • TBS
MUSKETEERS (21-13)
Coach: Chris Mack.
Entry: Big East at-large.
Key player: Matt Stainbrook (12.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
Notable: The Musketeers led the Big East in field-goal percentage (47.3) and assists per game (16.4). They are 6-3 vs. ranked teams, with all three losses to Villanova.
COUGARS (25-9)
Coach: Dave Rose.
Entry: West Coast at-large.
Key player: Tyler Haws (21.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.3 apg).
Notable: G Kyle Collinsworth tied Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Anderson for the NCAA record with six triple-doubles, with all of Collinsworth's coming this season.
[3] Baylor vs. [14] Georgia State
12:40 p.m. Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla. • TBS
BEARS (24-9)
Coach: Scott Drew.
Entry: Big 12 at-large.
Key player: Rico Gathers (11.7 ppg, 11.6 rpg).
Notable: Baylor and Kentucky were the only teams to have at least a six-point lead in every regular-season game, although that streak ended for the Bears in the Big 12 tournament.
PANTHERS (24-9)
Coach: Ron Hunter.
Entry: Sun Belt champion.
Key player: R.J. Hunter (19.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.6 apg).
Notable: Led by high-scoring junior R.J. Hunter, the son of the coach, the Panthers return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since they upset Wisconsin in 2001.
about the writer
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.