This is the shooter’s region. Between No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 10 Davidson and No. 13 Eastern Washington, jumpers will be flying from everywhere, each team deadlier than the next from distance.
Duke’s road is far from an easy one, a possible roadblock with fifth-seeded Utah and superstar Delon Wright awaiting in the Sweet 16 after a potentially tricky third-round matchup against the No. 8 San Diego State/No. 9 St. John’s winner. The opening-round pairing of No. 6 SMU against 11th-seeded UCLA is intriguing, with Mustangs coach Larry Brown facing his old team.
Iowa State has the pieces to get to Indianapolis — if it can get past a potential matchup with SMU, which will be no easy task — and don’t look past Davidson, one of the best offensive teams in the country who could wreak havoc for Gonzaga.
Best Player: Jahlil Okafor, Duke
Polished big man with advanced post moves, feel for the game and footwork has NBA teams salivating at his potential.
Unsung Player: Nic Moore, SMU
AAC Player of the Year was a rock for the Mustangs, the kind of floor general who makes all the difference this time of year.
Best Second-Round Matchup: No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 9 St. John’s:
Size against speed, St. John’s five-guard lineup against San Diego State’s mammoth front line, the matchup will be a contrast in styles.
Second-Round Upset Watch: No. 4 Georgetown vs. No. 13 Eastern Washington
The Hoyas have lost three of their last four tournament openers, and will face one of the best scorers in the country in Eastern Washington guard Tyler Harvey, budding NBA prospect.
Bracket Buster: SMU
Larry Brown got the most out of this team despite defections and distractions, and has the size and guard play needed to knock off No. 3 Iowa State in the third round.
By The Numbers:
I22.9: Points per game for Eastern Washington’s Tyler Harvey, most in Division I
17: Consecutive NCAA Tournament berths for Gonzaga
Champion: Gonzaga
This is finally the year in Spokane. The Zags have the right mix of scoring punch inside and out, defensive tenacity and a senior leader in Kevin Pangos who puts them over the top.
1. Duke (29-4)
Conf.: ACC
PPG: 80.6 | OPP: 65.6
Post-ing up: Mike Krzyzewski became the first coach to reach 1,000 career wins, doing so with another incredible offense. Led by future lottery pick Jahlil Okafor, the Blue Devils ranked third in the nation in scoring.
Fr. C Jahlil Okafor (17.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG)
Sr. G Quinn Cook (15.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG)
Fr. G Tyus Jones (11.6 PPG, 5.8 APG)
16. North Florida (23-11)
Conf.: Atl. Sun
PPG: 75.7 | OPP: 67.8
Post-ing up: The Ospreys will be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance, but have won at Purdue and pushed Iowa.
16. Robert Morris (19-14)
Conf.: Northeast
PPG: 69.0 | OPP: 67.7
Post-ing up: Robert Morris finally is playing its best at the right time, entering the tournament with six straight wins.
8. San Diego State (26-8)
Conf.: Mountain West
PPG: 62.4 | OPP: 53.1
Post-ing up: The Aztecs lack the star its last few teams have relied upon, but they remain as good defensively as anyone, which is why San Diego State is back in the field of 68 for the sixth straight season.
Jr. F Winston Shepard (11.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG)
Sr. G Aqeel Quinn (11.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG)
Sr. F J.J. O’Brien (10.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG)
9. St. John’s (21-11)
Conf.: Big East
PPG: 71.2 | OPP: 67.2
Post-ing up: The senior-led Red Storm finally broke through, using their experience to fuel a second-half surge. The Johnnies will be playing without center Chris Obekpa, suspended for two weeks after a failed drug test.
Sr. G D’Angelo Harrison (17.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG)
Sr. F Sir’Dominic Pointer (13.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG)
So. G Rysheed Jordan (14.1 PPG, 3.2 APG)
4. Georgetown (21-10)
Conf.: Big East
PPG: 70.7 | OPP: 64.6
Post-ing up: After a string of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances was snapped, the Hoyas are back, but have struggled against the nation’s top teams, going 5-9 against teams in the RPI’s top 50.
Jr. G D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (16.2 PPG, 3.3 APG)
Sr. C Joshua Smith (11.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG)
Sr. G Jabril Trawick (9.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG)
13. Eastern Washington (26-8)
Conf.: Big Sky
PPG: 81.1 | OPP: 73.6
Post-ing up: You want to catch the Eagles opening-round game for one reason: Tyler Harvey. The explosive 6-foot-4 sophomore guard is an NBA prospect who led the nation in scoring and shot 43 percent from 3-point range.
So. G Tyler Harvey (23.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG)
Jr. F Venky Jois (16.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG)
So. F Ognjen Miljkovic (10.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG)
5. Utah (24-8)
Conf.: Pac-12
PPG: 72.1 | OPP: 56.9
Post-ing up: Utah enjoyed its best regular season in a decade, fueled by Delon Wright, who emerged as a National Player of the Year candidate, and the surprising production of 7-foot Austria import Jakob Poeltl.
Sr. G Delon Wright (14.9 PPG, 5.3 APG)
Jr. G Brandon Taylor (10.7 PPG, 44% 3-pt FG)
Fr. F Jakob Poeltl (8.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG)
12. Stephen F. Austin (29-4)
Conf.: Southland
PPG: 79.3 | OPP: 64.6
Post-ing up: The handwringing over unsightly basketball doesn’t include the Lumberjacks. Ninth in scoring (79.3), first in assists (17.8) and and fifth in field-goal percentage (.492) the Southland champions are easy on the eyes.
Jr. G Thomas Walkup (15.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG)
Sr. F Jacob Parker (14.2 PPG,. 47% 3-pt. FG)
Jr. F Clide Geffrard, Jr. (8.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG)
2. Gonzaga (32-2)
Conf.: West Coast
PPG: 79.1 | OPP: 60.9
Post-ing up: The Zags, in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th straight season, are a chic Final Four pick, the kind of team capable of knocking off Kentucky because of their balance, depth, size and outside shooting prowess.
Jr. F Kyle Wiltjer (16.7 PPG, 46% 3-pt. FG)
Sr. G Kevin Pangos (11.5 PPG, 5.0 APG)
Jr. C Przemek Karnowski (11.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG)
15. North Dakota State (23-9)
Conf.: Summit
PPG: 64.5 | OPP: 61.6
Post-ing up: The Bison pulled off a major upset last year as a No. 12 seed, knocking off No. 5 Oklahoma, and they have most of their team back. Keep an eye on senior Lawrence Alexander, an explosive lead guard.
Sr. G Lawrence Alexander (18.9 PPG, 44% 3-pt. FG)
Fr. G A.J. Jacobson (11.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG)
Jr. G Kory Brown (8.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG)
7. Iowa (21-11)
Conf.: Big Ten
PPG: 69.4 | OPP: 61.9
Post-ing up: A new era is officially underway under coach Fran McCaffery, who has led the Hawkeyes to the tournament for the second straight season, following an eight-year drought.
Sr. F Aaron White (15.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG)
Jr. F Jarrod Uthoff (12.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG)
Jr. G Mike Gesell (7.1 PPG, 3.8 APG)
10. Davidson (24-7)
Conf.: Atlantic 10
PPG: 80.1 | OPP: 69.0
Post-ing up: Coach Bob McKillop led aesthetically-pleasing Davidson to the A-10 regular season crown in its first year in the conference. The Wildcats have scored 90 or more points seven times.
Sr. G Tyler Kalinoski (17.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG)
So. G Jack Gibbs (16.2 PPG, 45% 3-pt. FG)
Jr. G Brian Sullivan (13.0 PPG, 3.8 APG)
3. Iowa State (25-8)
Conf.: Big 12
PPG: 78.4 | OPP: 69.3
Post-ing up: Transfer Jameel McKay has elevated Iowa State’s rebounding, a previous weakness, and the Cyclones remain an offensive juggernaut, 12th in scoring, eighth is assists and 19th in field-goal percentage.
Jr. F Georges Niang (15.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG)
So. G Monte Morris (11.9 PPG, 5.3 APG)
Jr. F Jameel McKay (11.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG)
14. UAB (19-15)
Conf.: C-USA
PPG: 68.9 | OPP: 67.3
Post-ing up: The Blazers had a difficult year, losing their football program, but survived overtime against regular season champion Louisiana Tech in the semifinals to claim their first berth in four years.
Jr. G Robert Brown (13.1 PPG, 3.1 APG)
Fr. F Chris Cokley (8.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
Fr. F William Lee (7.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG)
6. SMU (27-6)
Conf.: American
PPG: 69.7 | OPP: 59.9
Post-ing up: Larry Brown’s nomadic career is ending with another incredible success story. After landing on the wrong side of the bubble last year, the New York native has the Mustangs back where they haven’t been in 22 years.
Jr. G Nic Moore (14.5 PPG, 5.3 APG)
Sr. C Yanick Moreira (11.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG)
Jr. F Markus Kennedy (11.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG)
11. UCLA (20-13)
Conf.: Pac-12
PPG: 72.0 | OPP: 68.0
Post-ing up: The defensively-challenged Bruins need to outscore opponents, and they do have the weapons to do so, led by the dynamic backcourt of Norman Powell and Bryce Alford, coach Steve Alford’s son.
Sr. G Norman Powell (16.4 PPG, 4.7 RPP)
So. G Bryce Alford (15.1 PPG, 5.0 APG)
Fr. F Kevon Looney (11.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG)