Here’s a look at the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament as March Madness gets set to tip off Tuesday:
No. 1 North Carolina (27-6)
Conference: ACC
Coach: Roy Williams (16th season)
Post-ing up: Despite having none of the core from back-to-back national title game appearances (2016-17), the Tar Heels have another championship contender. With a talented mix of veterans and youngsters, North Carolina feature the third-highest scoring offense in the country.
No. 16 Iona (17-15)
Conference: MAAC
Coach: Tim Cluess (Ninth season)
Post-ing up: Even in Cluess’ toughest season in New Rochelle, the Gaels became the first team in MAAC history to win four consecutive conference tournaments. That didn’t seem possible just over a month ago, but Iona is on a 10-game winning streak and dancing for the sixth time in eight years.
No. 8 Utah State (28-6)
Conference: Mountain West
Coach: Craig Smith (First season)
Post-ing up: Learn the name Sam Merrill. The junior guard is an elite shooter, high-level playmaker and quality defender who beat out Nevada’s Martin twins, Cody and Caleb, for Mountain West Player of the Year honors.
No. 9 Washington (26-8)
Conference: Pac-12
Coach: Mike Hopkins (Second season)
Post-ing up: The conference is down, but Washington is up, featuring the Pac-12 Player of the Year, guard Jaylen Nowell, a coach with plenty of tournament experience as an assistant at Syracuse and lockdown defender Matisse Thybulle.
No. 5 Auburn (26-9)
Conference: SEC
Coach: Bruce Pearl (Fifth season)
Post-ing up: The best 3-point shooting team in the SEC (37.5 percent), Auburn features an electric backcourt in Bryce Brown and Jared Harper, and sophomore Chuma Okeke does a little bit of everything, from defending to rebounding and scoring.
No. 12 New Mexico State (30-4)
Conference: WAC
Coach: Chris Jans (second season)
Post-ing up: A rising star, Jans has guided the Aggies to the dance in his first two seasons as coach, and has done it with very different rosters. This year’s team lacks a star, but it hasn’t mattered, as it rides a 19-game winning streak into the tournament.
No. 4 Kansas (25-9)
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Bill Self (16th season)
Post-ing up: The Jayhawks reign atop the Big 12 came to an end after 14 seasons, due to injury and other key absences. Still, Kansas remains formidable, in large part due to Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson, one of the premier forwards in the country.
No. 13 Northeastern (23-10)
Conference: Colonial
Coach: Bill Coen (13th season)
Post-ing up: The Huskies knocked off top-seeded Hofstra to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. Northeastern could be a trendy upset pick, sporting size and a group of shooters making 48 percent from the field, plus nearly 39 percent from the perimeter.
No. 6 Iowa State (23-11)
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Steve Prohm (Fourth season)
Post-ing up: There are two Iowa State teams — the one that beat Texas Tech, Kansas State and Kansas, and the group that lost to Big 12 cellar-dweller West Virginia, also-ran Arizona and mediocre TCU. Pick them at your own risk.
No. 11 Ohio State (19-14)
Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Chris Holtmann (Second season)
Post-ing up: The defensive backbone of the unheralded group produced a 12-1 start, but a late-season collapse put its spot in jeopardy. After missing the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, Holtmann has the Buckeyes back for the second straight year.
No. 3 Houston (31-3)
Conference: American
Coach: Kelvin Sampson (Fifth season)
Posting up: The AAC regular-season champions are one of the nation’s most under-appreciated teams. They are stingy defensively, selfless offensively, physical on the glass and are led by Corey Davis Jr., a well-rounded and highly skilled senior guard.
No. 14 Georgia State (24-9)
Conference: Sun Belt
Coach: Ron Hunter (eighth season)
Post-ing up: This isn’t your typical mid-major. The Panthers block shots (4.8) at a high rate, create turnovers (15.2) and have a versatile star guard in junior D’Marcus Simonds, their leading scorer and distributor.
No. 7 Wofford (29-4)
Conference: Southern
Coach: Mike Young (17th season)
Post-ing up: A mid-major in name only, Wofford played North Carolina, Mississippi State and Oklahoma tough on the road, went 21-0 in the quality Southern Conference and has experience, led by senior leading scorers Fletcher Magee and Cameron Jackson.
No. 10 Seton Hall (20-13)
Conference: Big East
Coach: Kevin Willard (Ninth season)
Post-ing up: Picked to finish eighth in the Big East, the Pirates overachieved after graduating four starters. Myles Powell, Seton Hall’s only consistent scorer, emerged as one of the nation’s premier shooting guards and Willard got the most out of his inexperienced supporting cast.
No. 2 Kentucky (27-6)
Conference: SEC
Coach: John Calipari (10th season)
Post-ing up: Kentucky has been one of the nation’s most improved teams since its early struggles, with wins over North Carolina, Tennessee and Kansas. Sophomore forward PJ Washington is a dynamic force on both ends, and freshmen Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson are skilled shot-makers.
No. 15 Abilene Christian (27-6)
Conference: Southland
Coach: Joe Golding (eighth season)
Post-ing up: Just five years after moving into the Division I ranks, Abilene Christian is part of March Madness. A quality 3-point shooting team (38.6 percent) that shares the ball (15.6 assists), the Wildcats finished over .500 for the first time in the program’s short history at this level.
