Connecticut
Storrs, 31-4.
Nickname: Huskies.
Coach: Jim Calhoun.
Region: West.
Seed: No. 1.
Bid: At large.
Tournament Record: 46-27, 29 years.
Last NCAA Appearance: 2009.
Conference: Big East.
Top Scorers: A.J. Price 14.7; Jeff Adrien 13.7; Hasheem Thabeet 13.5; Jerome Dyson 13.2 (injured); Kemba Walker 9.0.
Top Rebounders: Hasheem Thabeet 10.9; Jeff Adrien 10.0; Stanley Robinson 5.7; Jerome Dyson 4.1 (injured).
Top Assists: A.J Price 4.8; Jerome Dyson 3.2 (injured); Kemba Walker 2.9; Craig Austrie 2.3.
3-point threats: A.J Price 81; Craig Austrie 34.
Last Ten: 7-3.
t performance with 23 points and five assists against Missouri in the regional finals. Senior forward Jeff Adrien and 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet average double-doubles. … With the loss of Jerome Dyson, A.J. Price and Stanley Robinson have increased their scoring averages over the last seven games.
Michigan State
East Lansing, 30-6.
Nickname: Spartans.
Coach: Tom Izzo.
Region: Midwest.
Seed: No. 2.
Bid: At large.
Tournament Record: 47-21, 23 years.
Last NCAA Appearance: 2009.
Conference: Big Ten.
Top Scorers: Kalin Lucas 14.6; Raymar Morgan 10.2; Goran Suton 10.1; Chris Allen 8.7.
Top Rebounders: Goran Suton 8.1; Raymar Morgan 5.3; Delvon Roe 5.0.
Top Assists: Kalin Lucas 4.6; Travis Walton 3.2.
3-point threats: Chris Allen 52; Durrell Summers 428; Kalin Lucas 38.
Last Ten: 9-1.
The Skinny: Michigan State’s East Lansing campus is 90 miles from Detroit’s Ford Field. Many in the expected record crowd of 70,000-plus will be Spartans fans. Duke is the last team to play in a Final Four in its home state, losing to Arkansas in the 1994 national final in Charlotte. … Playing in Ford Field didn’t help the Spartans much in a 98-63 loss to North Carolina on Dec. 3. … Coach Tom Izzo is making his fifth Final Four appearance with the Spartans, winning it all in 2000. … Kalin Lucas, the Big Ten’s player of the year, leads the Spartans in scoring and assists. … Travis Walton, the conference’s defensive player of the year, was one of the keys in holding Louisville to 23 points below their average in the regional final. … Senior center Goran Suton averages 10.1 points and 8.3 rebounds, numbers that grew to 19.5 and 9.5 in the Spartans’ last two wins.
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North Carolina
Chapel Hill, 32-4.
Nickname: Tar Heels.
Coach: Roy Williams.
Region: South.
Seed: No. 1.
Bid: At large.
Tournament Record: 100-39, 41 years.
Last NCAA Appearance: 2009.
Conference: Atlantic Coast.
Top Scorers: Tyler Hansbrough 20.9; Ty Lawson 16.3; Wayne Ellington 15.6; Danny Green 13.3; Deon Thompson 10.7.
Top Rebounders: Tyler Hansbrough 8.1; Ed Davis 6.6; Deon Thompson 5.8; Danny Green 4.8; Wayne Ellington 4.8;
Top Assists: Ty Lawson 6.5; Danny Green 2.8; Wayne Ellington 2.7; Larry Drew 2.0.
3-point threats: Wayne Ellington 77; Danny Green 71; Ty Lawson 49.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: North Carolina tied Kentucky as the only schools to win 100 NCAA tournament games with its win over Oklahoma in the regional finals. … The Tar Heels’ defense stood out as they held Oklahoma to 60 points, 19 below its average. … Ty Lawson’s speed and open-court ballhandling make the Tar Heels the offensive power they are. In his three tournament games, he averaged 20.3 points with 20 assists and onlyy two turnovers. … Tyler Hansbrough, the reigning national player of the year, leads UNC in scoring and rebounding. … Coach Roy Williams is making his seventh Final Four appearance and third with the Tar Heels. Williams won his only national title in 2005, his second year at North Carolina. Williams had led Kansas to four Final Fours, losing twice in the title game. … The Tar Heels are heading to their record 18th Final Four and seeking a fifth NCAA title. … North Carolina is the only team with players who have Final Four experience, including starters Lawson, Hansbrough, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington.
Villanova
Philadelphia, 30-7.
Nickname: Wildcats.
Coach: Jay Wright.
Region: East.
Seed: No. 3.
Bid: At large.
Tournament Record: 48-29, 30 years.
Last NCAA Appearance: 2009.
Conference: Big East.
Top Scorers: Dante Cunningham 16.2; Scottie Reynolds 15.2; Corey Fisher 10.7; Corey Stokes 9.5; Dwayne Anderson 9.1.
Top Rebounders: Dante Cunningham 7.4; Dwayne Anderson 6.0; Reggie Redding 5.0; Antonio Pena 4.2.
.8.
3-point threats: Corey Stokes 76; Scottie Reynolds 72; Dwayne Anderson 31; Corey Fisher 30.
Last Ten: 8-2.
The Skinny: The Wildcats return to the Final Four for the first time since 1985, when center Ed Pinckney and coach Rollie Massimino led the biggest upset in Final Four history, 66-64 over Georgetown. … Coach Jay Wright is making his first Final Four appearance. … Villanova has played terrific defense following an early scare from American in the first round. The Wildcats had smothering defensive performances against UCLA and Duke before surviving a Big East battle with Pittsburgh in the regional final. … Despite struggles from 3-point range in the tournament, the Wildcats have scored at least 77 points in each of the four games. … Dante Cunningham, the Wildcats leading scorer and rebounder, was the Big East’s most improved player this season. … Guard Scottie Reynolds has been the Wildcats’ go-to guy, and he was just that in the regional final. … Role players Dwayne Anderson, Reggie Redding, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes have all had an impact in the last four games.