NCAA South Region capsules

1 DUKE (29-4)

Location: Durham, N.C. Conference: Atlantic Coast.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 6. Strength of Schedule Rank: 12.

NCAA Tournament Record: 99-33 (4 titles, 14 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in second round to Mercer, 78-71.

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

School: 939-251 (35 years). Overall: 1012-310 (40 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Amile Jefferson, F, 6-9, Jr., 7.1, 6.2, 62.8, 55.2

Justise Winslow, F, 6-6, Fr., 12.4, 5.8, 47.9, 59.8

Jahlil Okafor, C, 6-11, Fr., 17.6, 9.2, 66.8, 52.4

Quinn Cook, G, 6-2, Sr., 16.0, 3.3, 45.8, 88.5

Tyus Jones, G, 6-1, Fr., 11.8, 3.7, 42.4, 88.2

Other Key Players

Matt Jones, G, 6-5, So., 6.0, 2.5, 40.6, 75.0

Grayson Allen, G, 6-4, Fr., 4.0, 0.9, 43.5, 86.8

Marshall Plumlee, F, 7-0, Jr., 2.0, 2.4, 74.1, 75.0

About the Blue Devils: Okafor was the national high school player of the year last season and is a contender for college POTY this season. His misadventures at the free-throw line, however, have led to the invention of the term "Hackafor," a late-game strategy of sending him to the line ... Jones and Okafor agreed to attend Duke together. Jones IS a guy the Devils want with the ball late in a close game. Kid's got major onions ... Jefferson is a product of Friends' Central ... Duke is 12-1 since Krzyzewski kicked junior Rasheed Sulaimon (7.5 ppg) off the team ... The Devils have lost their first NCAA game 2 of the last 3 years. In 2012, they were upset by 15th-seeded Lehigh. (EB)

2 GONZAGA (32-2)

Location: Spokane, Wash. Conference: West Coast.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 8. Strength of Schedule Rank: 72.

NCAA Tournament Record: 19-17 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in third round to Arizona, 84-61.

Head Coach: Mark Few

School and Overall: 435-102 (16 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Kyle Wiltjer, F, 6-10, Jr., 16.7, 6.0, 53.6, 78.8

Przemek Karnowski, C, 7-1, Jr., 11.0, 5.8, 61.5, 52.0

Byron Wesley, G, 6-4, Sr., 10.8, 4.9, 52.4, 66.7

Kevin Pangos, G, 6-2, Sr., 11.5, 2.7, 46.0, 83.3

Gary Bell, G, 6-2, Sr., 8.2, 2.5, 40.9, 71.9

Other Key Players

Domantas Sabonis, F, 6-10, Fr., 9.5, 6.9, 67.7, 68.3

Kyle Dranginis, G, 6-5, Jr., 4.0, 2.4, 47.8, 80.5

Silas Melson, G, 6-4, Fr., 3.5, 0.8, 41.8, 46.7

About the Bulldogs: Gonzaga has won 16 of the last 17 WCC Tournaments ... Sabonis is the son of legendary Lithuanian player Arvydas Sabonis, who played extensively in Europe before spending seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers ... The Bulldogs love the deep ball, shooting 40.8% from the arc as a team ... Wiltjer spent his first two collegiate seasons at Kentucky, winning the 2012 national championship along with fellow freshman Anthony Davis, before sitting out last season and transferring to 'Zaga ... Few has the fourth-highest winning percentage ever for a Division I coach (.810), seated between Adolph Rupp and John Wooden, respectively, on the leaderboard. (SC)

3 IOWA STATE (25-8)

Location: Ames, Iowa. Conference: Big 12.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 9. Strength of Schedule Rank: 6.

NCAA Tournament Record: 16-16 (0 Titles, 1 Final Four).

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in regional semifinal to Connecticut, 81-76.

Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg

School and Overall: 115-55 (5 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Jameel McKay, F, 6-9, Jr., 11.3, 7.2, 59.1, 61.3

Georges Niang, F, 6-7, Jr., 15.2, 5.4, 47.0, 79.7

Dustin Hogue, F, 6-6, Sr., 10.1, 4.8, 57.7, 54.1

Naz Long, G, 6-4, Jr., 10.6, 2.9, 46.4, 74.5

Monte Morris, G, 6-2, So., 11.5, 3.5, 51.0, 74.0

Other Key Players

Bryce Dejean-Jones, G, 6-6, Sr., 11.4, 5.2, 49.3, 73.8

Abdel Nader, F, 6-6, Jr., 5.5, 3.1, 40.0, 78.8

Matt Thomas, G, 6-3, So., 5.2, 2.1, 37.1, 73.1

About the Cyclones: Hoiberg has turned the Cyclones into a nationally prominent program, making the tournament his second and third seasons in Ames and finally reaching the Sweet 16 in 2014 ... Iowa State has been money from the field, leading the Big 12 in field goals made, field-goal percentage and three-pointers made ... Long and Niang both shoot 40% from beyond the arc. Maybe one of them someday will lead the NBA in three-point shooting percentage, as their coach did (48.3%) in 2005 ... Niang lost 25 pounds after recovering from foot surgery last summer ... Morris led the nation with a 4.79 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. He's at 4.6 this year. (SC)

4 GEORGETOWN (21-10)

Location: Washington, D.C. Conference: Big East.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 25. Strength of Schedule Rank: 11.

NCAA Tournament Record: 46-28 (1 title, 5 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2013, Lost in second round to Florida Gulf Coast, 78-68.

Head Coach: John Thompson III

School: 248-114 (11 years). Overall: 316-156 (15 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Isaac Copeland, F, 6-9, Fr., 6.7, 3.8, 45.9, 79.1

L.J. Peak, F, 6-5, Fr., 8.2, 2.3, 38.6, 71.1

Joshua Smith, C, 6-10, Sr., 11.1, 6.1, 63.6, 63.4

Jabril Trawick, G, 6-5, Sr., 8.8, 3.7, 50.9, 66.3

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, G, 6-3, Jr., 16.0, 4.3, 41.7, 86.6

Other Key Players

Aaron Bowen, F, 6-6, Sr., 6.0, 2.2, 53.8, 55.3

Mikael Hopkins, F, 6-9, Sr., 5.2, 5.9, 45.9, 58.8

Paul White, F, 6-8, Fr., 5.1, 2.9, 39.6, 68.8

Tre Campbell, G, 6-2, Fr., 3.4, 1.1, 38.6, 70.8

About the Hoyas: They are 2-5 in the NCAAs since making Final Four in 2007. Each loss has been to a double-digit seed ... Trawick, from Abington Friends, is a nominee for the NABC Good Works Team, a prestigious community-service award ... Junior guard Riyan Williams is the son of former Hoya Reggie (1983-87). And freshman forward Trey Mourning's father is Alonzo (1988-92), their All-American big guy. Each barely plays . ... Freshmen accounted for 37 percent of their minutes played and 33 percent of the scoring ... Beat Villanova by 20 at home in mid-January ... Smith-Rivera is among their all-time leaders in free-throw percentage. (MK)

5 UTAH (24-8)

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah. Conference: Pac-12.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 19. Strength of Schedule Rank: 36.

NCAA Tournament Record: 35-30 (1 Title, 4 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2009, Lost in first round to Arizona, 84-71.

Head Coach: Larry Krystkowiak

School: 66-63 (4 years). Overall: 108-83 (6 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Jakob Poeltl, F, 7-0, Fr., 8.6, 6.9, 68.9, 41.7

Chris Reyes, F, 6-7, So., 4.7, 4.0, 48.2, 52.6

Jordan Loveridge, F, 6-6, Jr., 10.2, 3.7, 42.2, 86.0

Deion Wright, G, 6-5, Sr., 14.7, 4.7, 52.2, 84.3

Brandon Taylor, G, 5-10, Jr., 10.4, 2.5, 44.7, 87.5

Other Key Players

Dakarai Tucker, G, 6-5, Jr., 7.3, 2.4, 42.6, 79.0

Bekkott Chapman, F, 6-8, Fr., 6.2, 2.4, 49.2, 74.5

About the Utes: The Utes have the most wins by 20 points (14) in the country and are fourth in scoring differential ... Wright, whose brother Dorell played for the Sixers, is the first Ute since 2000 to earn consecutive first-team, all-league honors. Wright was also named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team. He is in the Pac-12 top 15 in points, steals, assists and blocks per game ... They are fourth in the nation in two-point FG defense (40.6%) ... Wright, who is 10th in country in steals (82), is just two off the school record held by Andre Miller ... Poeltl is one of just three Utah freshmen to average at least 8.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 40 blocks (Keith Van Horn, Andrew Bogut were the others) ... Krystkowiak is one of 22 former NBA/ABA players who are Division I head coaches. (MP)

6 SOUTHERN METHODIST (27-6)

Location: Dallas, Texas. Conference: American Athletic.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 12. Strength of Schedule Rank: 40.

NCAA Tournament Record: 10-12 (0 Titles, 1 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 1993, Lost in first round to Brigham Young, 80-71.

Head Coach: Larry Brown

School: 69-33 (3 years). Overall: 241-93 (10 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Ben Moore, F, 6-8, So., 7.1, 4.9, 45.1, 66.7

Yanick Moreira, C, 6-11, Sr., 11.3, 6.4, 56.3, 65.9

Sterling Brown, G, 6-6, So., 5.3, 4.1, 52.8, 77.1

Ryan Manuel, G, 6-4, Sr., 6.6, 3.4, 49.3, 61.5

Nic Moore, G, 5-9, Jr., 14.4, 2.3, 44.1, 87.5

Other Key Players

Markus Kennedy, F, 6-9, Jr., 11.2, 6.0, 56.3, 63.4

Cannen Cunningham, C, 6-10, Sr., 6.3, 3.5, 56.6, 74.5

Ben Emelogu, G, 6-6, So., 2.9, 1.7, 27.9, 72.2

About the Mustangs: Regular-season title was first since 1993, when they were in the Southwest ... Brown is 7-0 in NCAA openers ... Haven't won an NCAA game since 1988. Only year they won more than once was 1956 ... Kennedy, who's from Philly, played one season at Villanova. Missed first 10 games because of academics ... Led AAC in rebound margin ... Manuel and Cunningham both broke program record for games played held by Butch Moore (125, 1982-86) ... First back-to-back winning seasons since 1983-85 ... Moreira set program record with nine blocks against Midwestern State on Dec. 29 ... Moore tied school record with eight treys against Houston on Jan. 24. (MK)

7 IOWA (21-11)

Location: Iowa City, Iowa. Conference: Big 10.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 43. Strength of Schedule Rank: 34.

NCAA Tournament Record: 27-25 (0 Titles, 3 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in first round to Tennessee, 78-65 (ot).

Head Coach: Fran McCaffery

School: 95-64 (5 years). Overall: 346-251 (19 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Aaron White, F, 6-9, Sr., 15.9, 7.4, 51.4, 81.4

Jarrod Uthoff, F, 6-9, Jr., 12.2, 6.3, 43.1, 71.4

Adam Woodbury, C, 7-1, Jr., 6.8, 5.3, 48.8, 58.8

Peter Jok, G, 6-6, So., 7.1, 2.6, 36.5, 89.7

Mike Gesell, G, 6-1, Jr., 7.1, 2.0, 40.7, 66.7

Other Key Players

Gabriel Olaseni, C, 6-10, Sr., 8.3, 4.8, 54.1, 76.8

Anthony Clemmons, G, 6-1, Jr., 4.8, 1.8, 38.9, 75.9

Josh Oglesby, G, 6-5, Sr., 3.6, 2.0, 29.4, 100.0

Dom Uhl, F, 6-8, Fr., 2.2, 1.9, 35.2, 52.4

About the Hawkeyes: Fran McCaffery was the only coach from a major conference to offer Aaron White a scholarship. White has been a program changer. He is setting all kinds of school records and is the only active player with more than 1,700 points, 850 rebounds, 175 assists and 125 steals. He never gets tired, never makes bad plays and never stops attacking the rim. He will finish his career with more than 600 made free throws, a school record ... Jok is the brother of Penn's Dau Jok, who won the USBWA's Most Courageous Award last year ... They won their last six games of the regular season. (DJ)

8 SAN DIEGO STATE (26-8)

Location: San Diego, Calif. Conference: Mountain West.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 26. Strength of Schedule Rank: 76.

NCAA Tournament Record: 5-10 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in regional semifinal to Arizona, 70-64.

Head Coach: Steve Fisher

School: 338-184 (16 years). Overall: 447-263 (25 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Skylar Spencer, F, 6-10, Jr., 3.6, 5.1, 52.9, 47.7

Winston Shepard, F, 6-8, Jr., 11.2, 5.3, 41.3, 66.2

JJ O'Brien, F, 6-7, Sr., 10.1, 5.2, 46.6, 62.8

Matt Shrigley, F, 6-6, So., 4.8, 1.7, 32.2, 100.0

Aqeel Quinn, G, 6-3, Sr., 11.1, 2.8, 42.5, 70.6

Other Key Players

Dwayne Polee, F, 6-7, Sr., 7.6, 2.5, 33.3, 64.9

Trey Kell, G, 6-4, Fr., 5.8, 2.8, 35.2, 65.8

Malik Pope, F, 6-10, Fr., 5.1, 2.6, 45.2, 69.4

Angelo Chol, F, 6-9, Jr., 4.6, 3.1, 55.4, 49.1

Dakarai Allen, G, 6-5, So., 2.7, 1.8, 41.1, 67.7

About the Aztecs: Fell in the MW Tourney final to Wyoming despite a season-low four turnovers. They had just 18 in their three tournament games. In the title tilt, they also held advantages in points in the paint (18-6), points off turnovers (15-2) and bench points (21-1). They lost as the 2 seed for the first time since 1977 ... Always one of the top defensive teams, the Aztecs headed into the conference tourney as the second-best team in the country in scoring defense (53.4 ppg) and fifth-best in field-goal defense (37.6%). (MP)

9 ST. JOHN'S (21-11)

Location: Jamaica, N.Y. Conference: Big East.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 44. Strength of Schedule Rank: 24.

NCAA Tournament Record: 27-30 (0 Titles, 2 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2011, Lost in second round to Gonzaga, 86-71.

Head Coach: Steve Lavin

School: 81-54 (5 years). Overall: 226-131 (12 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Sir'Dominic Pointer, F, 6-6, Sr., 13.7, 7.6, 52.6, 72.3

Amar Alibegovic, F, 6-9, Fr., 1.5, 1.6, 35.9, 14.3

D'Angelo Harrison, G, 6-4, Sr., 17.8, 5.5, 42.2, 80.4

Rysheed Jordan, G, 6-4, So., 14.1, 3.7, 43.5, 66.0

Phil Greene, G, 6-2, Sr., 13.3, 3.2, 43.0, 73.1

Other Key Players

Chris Obekpa, C, 6-10, Jr., 5.9, 6.9, 46.4, 51.9

Jamal Branch, G, 6-3, Sr., 4.7, 2.5, 47.3, 73.9

About the Red Storm: Starting center Obekpa is suspended until March 29 for violating team rules. He's the school's career leader in blocked shots (321) ... Jordan (Robert Vaux High) has picked up his game since returning to the starting lineup in mid-January ... Harrison is the third player in program history to score 2,000 ... The 11-1 start was their best since 1985-86 ... A seven-game winning streak in December was their longest since they won eight straight in 1999-00 ... Won at Syracuse for the first time in 15 years ... Went 9-1 at Carneseca Arena, matching the best record in Queens since 1998-99 ... Got outrebounded by about three a game ... Started 2-6 in the Big East ... Last won an NCAA game in 2000, and have played in just one since 2002. (MK)

10 DAVIDSON (24-7)

Location: Davidson, N.C. Conference: Atlantic 10.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 35. Strength of Schedule Rank: 103.

NCAA Tournament Record: 8-13 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2013, Lost in second round to Marquette, 59-58.

Head Coach: Bob McKillop

School and Overall: 476-286 (25 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Peyton Aldridge, F, 6-7, Fr., 9.6, 5.2, 46.6, 70.0

Tyler Kalinoski, G, 6-4, Sr., 16.9, 5.7, 47.4, 83.8

Jordan Barham, G, 6-4, Jr., 11.7, 6.0, 59.5, 64.4

Jack Gibbs, G, 6-0, So., 16.0, 3.8, 50.2, 87.9

Brian Sullivan, G, 5-11, Jr., 13.1, 3.1, 40.7, 76.8

Other Key Players

Oskar Michelsen, G, 6-9, Fr., 6.2, 1.9, 39.5, 69.2

Jordan Watkins, G, 6-1, Jr., 3.8, 1.4, 44.2, 69.6

Nathan Ekwu, F, 6-7, Fr., 3.2, 3.3, 44.7, 40.5

Andrew McAuliffe, F, 6-8, So., 2.8, 2.7, 57.8, 44.4

About the Wildcats: Run one of the of the nation's most efficient offenses (1.19 points per possession) ... Shoot 40% from the arc and have the nation's best assist/turnover ratio ... Average 81 points ... Kalinoski shoots 43% from the arc ... Picked 12th in the 14-team Atlantic 10. Won last nine games in the regular season in first year in conference ... The nation discovered coach Bob McKillop when Stephen Curry went off on everybody in the 2008 tournament. He has been one of the best for years and proved it again with this offensive tour de force. (DJ)

11 UCLA (20-13)

Location: Los Angeles, Calif. Conference: Pac-12.

Bid: At-large. RPI: 48. Strength of Schedule Rank: 29.

NCAA Tournament Record: 102-39 (11 Titles, 18 Final Fours)

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in regional semifinal to Florida, 79-68.

Head Coach: Steve Alford

School: 28-9 (1 year). Overall: 491-244 (23 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Kevon Looney, F, 6-9, Fr., 12.3, 9.5, 47.4, 64.1

Tony Parker, F, 6-9, Jr., 10.9, 6.8, 54.2, 54.6

Norman Powell, G, 6-4, Sr., 16.3, 4.7, 45.4, 73.2

Isaac Hamilton, G, 6-4, So., 10.1, 3.6, 38.0, 69.0

Bryce Alford, G, 6-3, So., 15.5, 3.1, 39.3, 83.9

Other Key Players

Thomas Welsh, C, 7-0, Fr., 3.7, 3.7, 44.1, 57.9

Noah Allen, G, 6-6, So., 1.9, 1.4, 24.5, 56.0

Gyorgy Goloman, F, 6-10, Fr., 1.3, 1.3, 48.6, 22.2

About the Bruins: UCLA was just 2-8 against the rest of the NCAA field this season ... Alford made the Sweet 16 in 2014 in his first season at Westwood as a four seed. That team tied for the farthest an Alford-coached squad has ever made it in the tourney, as he also went to the regional semifinals in 1999 with a 12-seeded Missouri State team ... Looney has excelled as a freshman combo forward for the Bruins, sinking 45.8% of his threes on 1.5 attempts per game, while also crashing the offensive glass with the authority of an upperclassman, ranking 25th in the country in offensive rebounds (3.4) ... Hamilton scored 36 in a Pac-12 quarterfinal victory over USC that essential got them into the field. (SC)

12 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (28-4)

Location: Nacogdoches, Texas. Conference: Southland.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 33. Strength of Schedule Rank: 170.

NCAA Tournament Record: 1-2 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in third round to UCLA, 77-60.

Head Coach: Brad Underwood

School and Overall: 60-7 (2 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Jacob Parker, F, 6-6, Sr., 14.2, 5.5, 53.1, 82.9

Ty Charles, G, 6-5, Fr., 8.6, 5.0, 48.4, 79.0

Thomas Walkup, G, 6-4, Jr., 15.4, 6.3, 56.8, 74.6

Dallas Cameron, G, 6-2, So., 4.5, 1.3, 41.3, 69.0

Trey Pinkney, G, 5-9, Jr., 3.5, 1.8, 36.4, 68.3

Other Key Players

Clide Geffrard, F, 6-5, Jr., 8.8, 3.0, 51.0, 68.8

Jared Johnson, G, 6-0, Jr., 8.3, 1.4, 46.2, 82.2

Demetrious Floyd, G, 5-11, Jr., 6.9, 1.1, 45.6, 50.0

Tanner Clayton, F, 6-9, Sr., 4.2, 3.4, 49.0, 70.8

About the Lumberjacks: Walkup is the main man. He was the Southland Conference Player of the Year as well as the tournament MVP. He scored 24 points in the championship game against Sam Houston State, with 15 in the second half ... Underwood has the best 2-year record in NCAA history ... They became the first Southland team to win back-to-back tournament and regular-season titles since 1992-93 (Louisiana-Monroe) ... Lumberjacks nickname was proposed by English professor T.E. Ferguson, who found it an appropriate name because the school is surrounded by the piney woods of deep East Texas. (MP)

13 EASTERN WASHINGTON (26-8)

Location: Cheney, Wash. Conference: Big Sky.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 74. Strength of Schedule Rank: 212.

NCAA Tournament Record: 0-1 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2004, Lost in first round to Oklahoma St., 75-56.

Head Coach: Jim Hayford

School: 66-62 (4 years). Overall: 330-146 (16 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Venky Jois, F, 6-8, Jr., 16.6, 7.7, 60.8, 53.5

Ognjen Milijkovic, F, 6-7, So., 10.0, 3.2, 41.6, 74.3

Tyler Harvey, G, 6-4, Jr., 22.9, 3.7, 47.0, 85.0

Drew Brandon, G, 6-4, Sr., 9.9, 7.1, 42.1, 81.0

Parker Kelly, G, 6-4, Sr., 7.9, 2.6, 38.9, 79.3

Other Key Players

Bogdan Bliznyuk, F, 6-6, Fr., 8.7, 4.0, 59.2, 77.9

Felix Van Hofe, F, 6-5, So., 5.2, 1.4, 42.5, 58.8

Garrett Moon, F, 6-5, Sr., 1.3, 1.2, 55.9, 16.7

About the Eagles: Harvey's fantastic shooting splits (including 42.8% on three-pointers) on more than 15 field-goal attempts per game make him the nation's leading scorer and the Eagles' most electrifying player, although he was NOT named the Big Sky Player of the Year ... As a melting pot of a team, six of Eastern Washington's 16 players were born outside the United States ... The Eagles are another midmajor that could look to pull an upset with the long ball, shooting the seventh-most three pointers in the nation while shooting the ninth-best percentage (40.2%) ... Overcame an 11-point deficit with just 6:15 to go in the conference title game against Montana. (SC)

14 ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM (19-15)

Location: Birmingham, Ala. Conference: Conference USA.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 134. Strength of Schedule Rank: 108.

NCAA Tournament Record: 9-14 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2011, Lost in first round to Clemson, 70-52.

Head Coach: Jerod Haase

School and Overall: 53-55 (3 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

William Lee, F, 6-9, Fr., 7.8, 5.8, 48.1, 80.0

Tosin Mehinti, F, 6-9, So., 7.2, 4.8, 52.2, 58.6

Robert Brown, G, 6-5, Jr., 13.1, 3.7, 39.9, 73.3

Hakeem Baxter, G, 6-2, So., 7.6, 3.0, 37.5, 79.3

Nick Norton, G, 5-10, Fr., 7.6, 2.2, 39.8, 84.9

Other Key Players

Chris Cokley, F, 6-8, Fr., 8.0, 4.6, 54.8, 65.2

C.J. Washington, F, 6-8, Sr., 7.1, 3.9, 38.6, 72.6

Tyler Madison, G, 6-4, So., 6.2, 3.2, 45.5, 76.5

Denzell Watts, G, 6-2, So., 4.2, 1.6, 36.3, 75.0

About the Blazers: This is their first tournament as an automatic bid since 1987 ... UAB had a run to the Sweet 16 in 2004 as an No. 8 seed that included an upset of a top-ranked Kentucky team ... A low-scoring team that ranks just 137th in the country in points per game (68.9) ... Baxter, from Philadelphia Electrical, transferred to UAB after spending his freshman season at Maryland-Eastern Shore ... Shot 64% in the second half of their conference-title win over Middle Tennessee ... The bid serves as a consolation prize 3 months after president Ray Watts announced the shutdown of the football program. (SC)

15 NORTH DAKOTA STATE (23-9)

Location: Fargo, N.D. Conference: Summit League.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 92. Strength of Schedule Rank: 260.

NCAA Tournament Record: 1-2 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours).

Last NCAA: 2014, Lost in third round to San Diego St., 63-44.

Head Coach: David Richman

School and Overall: 23-9 (1 year).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Chris Kading, F, 6-8, Jr., 5.4, 3.9, 48.1, 50.0

A.J. Jacobsen, G-F, 6-6, Fr., 11.9, 4.2, 41.9, 82.0

Kory Brown, G, 6-4, Jr., 8.2, 4.9, 48.7, 58.0

Lawrence Alexander, G, 6-3, Sr., 18.9, 4.6, 42.8, 81.0

Carlin Dupree, G, 6-3, So., 7.0, 4.7, 36.9, 55.8

Other Key Players

Dexter Werner, F, 6-6, So., 8.0, 5.4, 49.7, 66.7

Paul Miller, G, 6-4, Fr., 6.5, 3.8, 36.3, 77.8

About the Bison: Lost three starters and six seniors off the team that upset Oklahoma in overtime in last year's NCAAs under Saul Phillips (now at Ohio U.). Alexander went for 28 points, eight rebounds and four assists ... Used a 17-4 run in the second half to hold off South Dakota State in a close conference title tilt ... Jacobsen and Werner are the only two players actually FROM North Dakota ... Jacobsen's mom Pat (Smykowski) was a NDSU all-timer and is in the school's athletic Hall of Fame ... Alexander, who plays over 38 minutes a game, is actually shooting better from the arc (44.1%) than he is from inside it (41.6%) ... Jacobsen (40.5%) is his co-sniper ... Average 9.75 turnovers a game ... Richman is an NDSU coaching lifer, starting as a grad assistant in 2003-04. (BV)

16 NORTH FLORIDA (23-11)

Location: Jacksonville, Fla. Conference: Atlantic Sun.

Bid: Automatic. RPI: 162. Strength of Schedule Rank: 323.

NCAA Tournament Record: First appearance.

Head Coach: Matthew Driscoll

School and Overall: 96-69 (6 years).

Probable Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%

Chris Davenport, F, 6-8, So., 11.5, 6.5, 54.1, 73.9

Remelo Banks, C, 6-11, So., 5.4, 2.9, 47.3, 55.7

Beau Beech, G, 6-8, Jr., 12.5, 5.7, 41.5, 79.2

Jalen Nesbitt, G, 6-6, Sr., 10.8, 5.6, 46.8, 73.3

Dallas Moore, G, 6-1, So., 15.9, 3.0, 48.8, 72.0

Other Key Players

Demarcus Daniels, F, 6-7, Jr., 9.4, 5.9, 50.0, 70.9

Trent Mackey, G, 6-3, Jr., 8.9, 1.6, 44.7, 86.4

About the Ospreys: Daniels was named the conference tournament's MVP ... The team is 16th in the nation in three-point attempts (788). Beech threw up 223 of them, making 83. Overall, the team shoots 39.1% from beyond the arc ... Their conference title victory extended their winning streak to a school-record eight straight ... Went through a rough stretch in which they lost consecutive games to Iowa, Tennessee, Austin Peay and Alabama ... The school, which had just 35 graduates in 1973, is now home to over 16,300 students ... University president John Delaney served two terms (1995-2003) as mayor of Jacksonville, Fla. ... The men's basketball team isn't the only athletic success story. The women's sand-volleyball squad is the three-time defending conference champions. (TM)