MIDWEST REGIONAL
Top-seeded teams
No. 1 Kansas: Guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich turned their backs on the NBA draft to get another crack at an NCAA title. The Jayhawks begin the tournament as the top-seeded team overall.
NCAA tournament region-by-region previews
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
A look at the top teams, players and interesting facts in the Midwest, West, East and South.
No. 2 Ohio State: The Buckeyes are not the biggest team but cause match-up problems by starting five players between 6 feet 5 and 6-8, four of whom can play guard.
No. 3 Georgetown: The paranoia should be with the Hoyas' opponents. Georgetown has a solid backcourt and a dominating big man. Sound familiar?
No. 4 Maryland: The Terrapins were building to a hot finish, then were dumped by Georgia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinal. They could meet again in this regional's final.
Cinderella search
Oklahoma State has beaten Kansas and Kansas State this season, so top-10 teams won't awe the Cowboys, who can put up points in a hurry.
Top players
Evan Turner, guard/forward, Ohio State: Turner carried the Buckeyes through the Big Ten tournament, which should improve his NBA draft status. But, really, how much higher can he go? The 6-7 Turner is already projected as the No. 2 pick.
Greivis Vasquez, guard, Maryland: Vasquez, from Caracas, Venezuela, is the only player in ACC history to have 2,000 points, 700 assists and 600 rebounds. A few NCAA victories here and he becomes a Terrapin legend.
Greg Monroe, center, Georgetown: This wouldn't be a truly great Hoyas team without a beast of a big man. Monroe is the latest to pick up the Patrick Ewing legacy. He averages 16 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game.
Rim shots
The regional features three players of the year from power conferences: Turner, Vasquez and James Anderson of Oklahoma State. Anderson averages 22 points per game. He had 27 points in the Cowboys' upset of Kansas and 30 in his team's upset of Kansas State.
San Diego State is led by 6-7 freshman Kawhi Leonard, the team's leading scorer (12.8) and rebounder (9.9). But, come on, how far does Coach Steve Fisher think a freshman can take a team in the NCAA tournament?
Twice Ohio has needed to win only one game to get to face the Ohio State University in the tournament. But Ohio lost to Georgia Tech in 1960 and Louisville in 1961. The two teams could meet in the Sweet 16 this season. If Ohio gets there, it will be because guard Armon Bassett continues to sizzle. He is averaging 29 points in the last four games.
Lehigh, making its fourth tournament appearance, has never been given much of a chance. The Mountain Hawks were matched against Georgetown, a No. 1 seeded team in 1985, and Temple, a No. 1 seeded team in 1988. Lehigh would have played No. 1 Kentucky in 2004, but it lost to Florida A&M in the play-in game.
-- Chris Foster
WEST REGIONAL
Top-seeded teams
No. 1 Syracuse: The Orange took the last of the regional top seedings despite a two-game losing streak and a quadriceps injury that could sideline senior center Arinze Onuaku. Coach Jim Boeheim said Onuaku was not expected to play in a first-round game Friday against Vermont. Onuaku said his leg was "getting better."
No. 2 Kansas State: This will be the Wildcats' 24th tournament appearance and the highest they've been seeded. Kansas State has won at least two games in 16 of its 23 previous tournaments.
No. 3 Pittsburgh: The Panthers have made the last nine NCAA tournaments and have advanced to the Sweet 16 in five of the previous eight. But they are only 6-5 against other tournament teams this season.
No. 4: Vanderbilt: The Commodores finished second in the Southeastern Conference East but were otherwise rarely tested. Vanderbilt was 2-0 in nonconference games against tournament teams, beating St. Mary's, 72-70, on the road, and Missouri, 89-83, at home.
Cinderella search
Texas El Paso has played this role before, upsetting Kentucky in the 1966 NCAA final in one of college basketball's landmark games. The Miners are physical, can shoot (47.6%) and have a play-making guard in Julyan Stone.
Top players
Wesley Johnson, forward, Syracuse: The Big East Conference player of the year didn't let a late-season hand injury slow him down. He averages 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds and even shoots better than 38% from three-point range.
Jimmer Fredette, guard, Brigham Young: He is among the nation's leading scorers with a 21.7 average, shoots 44.8% from three-point range and 89.6% (206 of 230) from the free-throw line.
Jordan Crawford, guard, Xavier: This will be Crawford's second tournament. His first, as a freshman for Indiana, ended in a one-game, zero-points-in-21-minutes appearance. He's averaging 19.7 points in his first season with the Musketeers.
Rim shots
The parents of Kris and Maurice Joseph have some details to work out. Kris is a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward for Syracuse. He averages 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds and, because of Onuaku's injury, might get a start against Vermont — which is captained by his older brother, Maurice, a 6-4 senior guard who is averaging 14.1 points.
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