We all know the Dukes and Kentuckys and UCLAs of the world. But every year in the NCAA tournament there’s a handful of colleges and universities most fans have never heard of. For every North Carolina, there’s a Hampton. For every Arizona, an Elon.
Below is everything you need to know about the more obscure of the 68 teams dancing this March
BELMONT
Seed: 11
Region: West
First-round opponent: Arizona
Nickname: Bruins
Record: 26-6
Star player: G Ian Clark
Conference: Ohio Valley
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Colors: Red and blue
How they got here: Beat Murray State, 70-68 in overtime, in Ohio Valley tournament championship game
Famous alums: Country music artists Lee Ann Womack and Trisha Yearwood, American Idol finalist Kimberly Locke, tennis player Brian Baker
Notables: First season in Ohio Valley conference since coming over from Atlantic Sun. … Belmont’s original nickname as the Rebels, but it was changed in the 1990s because of its association with the Confederacy. … Nashville’s first radio station was founded at Belmont in 1922.
LIBERTY
Seed: Play-in game
Region: Midwest
First-round opponent: North Carolina A&T
Nickname: Flames
Record: 15-20
Star player: G John Caleb Sanders
Conference: Big South
Location: Lynchburg, Va.
Colors: Navy, white and red
How they got here: Beat Charleston Southern, 87-76, in Big South tournament championship game
Famous alums: ESPN personality Samantha Ponder, former MLB player Sid Bream, NFL running back Rashad Jennings
Notables: Just the second 20-loss team in NCAA tournament history. … Liberty was founded as Lynchburg Baptist College by Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church. … It’s the largest Evangelical Christian university in the world and the nation’s largest private non-profit university.
FLORIDA GULF COAST
Seed: 15
Region: South
First-round opponent: Georgetown
Nickname: Eagles
Record: 24-10
Star player: G Sherwood Brown
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Location: Fort Myers, Fla.
Colors: Cobalt blue and emerald green
How they got here: Beat Charleston Southern, 87-76, in Big South tournament championship game
Famous alums: MLB pitcher Chris Sale, retired MLB pitcher Don Carman
Notables: Completed the four-year transition from Division II to Division I for all athletic programs in 2011. … Youngest school in NCAA tournament, with its first classes held in 1997.
NORTHWESTERN STATE
Seed: 14
Region: South
First-round opponent: Florida
Nickname: Demons
Record: 23-8
Star player: F Dequan Hicks
Conference: Southland
Location: Natchitoches, La.
Colors: Purple and white
How they got here: Beat Stephen F. Austin, 68-66, in Southland tournament championship game
Famous alums: Former NFL quarterback Bobby Hebert
Notables: Led the country in points per game (81). … Mascots name is Vic the Demon. … Legend has it that the campus is haunted by a french maiden named Isabella who committed suicide on the grounds around the turn of the 20th century.
PACIFIC
Seed: 15
Region: East
First-round opponent: Miami
Nickname: Tigers
Record: 22-12
Star player: G Lorenzo McCloud
Conference: Big West
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Colors: Orange and black
How they got here: Beat UC Irvine, 64-55, in Big West tournament championship game
Famous alums: Musician Chris Isaak, MLB agent Scott Boras, NFL coach Pete Carroll
Notables: Former star Michael Olowokandi was a No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Clippers in 1998, but never panned out … Jets coach Rex Ryan’s father Buddy was an assistant football coach at Pacific. … Oldest chartered university in California (1851).
SOUTHERN
Seed: 16
Region: West
First-round opponent: Gonzaga
Nickname: Jaguars
Record: 23-9
Star player: F Malcolm Miller
Conference: SWAC
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Colors: Columbia blue and gold
How they got here: Beat Prairie View, 45-44, in SWAC tournament championship game
Famous alums: “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, Former Nets coach Avery Johnson
Notables: Historically black university. … Famous marching band, nicknamed the Human Jukebox, has been featued in multiple television commercials.
VALPARAISO
Seed: 14
Region: Midwest
First-round opponent: Michigan State
Nickname: Crusaders
Record: 26-7
Star player: F Ryan Broekhoff
Conference: Horizon League
Location: Valparaiso, Ind.
Colors: Brown, gold and lime green
How they got here: Beat Wright State, 62-54, in Horizon League tournament championship game
Famous alums: Former NBA player Bryce Drew (who also happens to be their coach), “30 Rock” actor John Lutz, former MLB manager Lloyd McClendon
Notables: Drew’s buzzer beater to beat Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA tournament is regarded as one of the best moments in March Madness history. … School is just 54 miles from downtown Chicago. … Largest independent Lutheran university in the country.
