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[Greenbacks]

Kansas

In the past nine years, the Jayhawks have been a No. 1 seed six times and a No. 2 seed three times. Pretty amazing. But Bill Self's team has just one Final Four appearance to show for it during this stretch (as a 2-seed in 2012). This is the 10-year anniversary of KU's last championship and the Jayhawks are among the favorites to cut down the nets.

 

[Greenbacks]

Kentucky

John Calipari may have just one championship to his credit as a head coach, but his teams have regularly made deep runs the past decade-plus. Going back to his time at Memphis, Coach Cal's teams have reached the Elite Eight in nine of the past 11 trips to the Dance (six out of seven at Kentucky). The success has not come only as a top seed, either; UK reached the Final Four in 2011 as a 4-seed and lost in the title game in 2014 as a 7-seed. This year's team is playing its best ball entering the tournament and is quite the dangerous 5-seed.

 

[Greenbacks]

Loyola-Chicago

The Ramblers are dancing for the first time since 1985, when Alfredrick Hughes & Co. reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 4 seed before running into Patrick Ewing and Georgetown. Yeah, it's been a while. I just wanted to reminisce a little, but Porter Moser's team is certainly good enough to bust some brackets as a No. 11 seed.

 

[Greenbacks]

Michigan State

The Spartans are trying to avoid something that's never happened under Tom Izzo, missing the Sweet 16 in three straight seasons. As the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, the odds are on their side, but that was also the case two years ago when Michigan State lost in the first round as a No. 2 seed.

 

[Greenbacks]

NC State

This is the seventh straight NCAA tournament appearance in which the Wolfpack are an 8-seed or worse, dating back to 2005. Despite the unfavorable draws in this span, not only is NC State 4-2 in first-round games, but the Pack have reached the Sweet 16 three times as well (as an 8-, 10- and 11-seed). This year, Kevin Keatts' team received a 9-seed and is certainly capable of another Sweet 16 run, although it's more difficult with top-seeded Kansas looming in the second round.

 

[Greenbacks]

New Mexico State

It's been 25 years since the Aggies won an NCAA tournament game. They've lost their past nine games since then, all as a No. 12 seed or worse. The seeding woes haven't changed, as they are a 12-seed, but this team is certainly good enough to win a game.

 

[Greenbacks]

North Carolina
The Tar Heels fell at the buzzer in the 2016 title game, but returned to win it all last year, giving Roy Williams his third national championship. We mentioned earlier how difficult it is to repeat, but do you know what else is hard? Winning 27 first-round games without a loss, which is exactly what Williams' teams have done in his career. No other coach in history has won more than 14 straight.
More bad news for North Carolina opponents: The Heels have reached at least the Elite Eight each of the eight times they've been a top-two seed under coach Williams. That differs greatly from the disappointments he suffered under the same circumstances as the head man at Kansas.

<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(220, 221, 223); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 565px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">Roy Williams' Teams As A Top-Two Seed
NCAA Tournament Advancement

	KANSAS	NORTH CAROLINA
Appearances	9	8
Won Championship	0	3
Final Four/Runner-Up	3	2
Elite Eight	1	3
Sweet 16	2	0
Round of 32	3	0

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</aside>One last interesting note on the Tar Heels: The favorite has won 32 of North Carolina's past 33 NCAA tourney games dating back to 2009. The only game in which the underdog won outright was the 2016 championship game, which Villanova won.

 

[Greenbacks]

Providence

The Friars have just one victory in their past six trips to the NCAA tournament. That came two years ago when Rodney Bullock's layup with 1.5 seconds helped them defeat USC. They are a No. 10 seed this year and face Texas A&M on Friday.

 

[Greenbacks]

Purdue

The Boilermakers are looking to reach the Sweet 16 in consecutive years for the first time since 1998 to 2000. As a No. 2 seed for the first time in 20 years, you'd think they'd feel good about that happening, but Purdue has mostly disappointed in its history as a top-two seed, having advanced past the Sweet 16 just once in five tries.
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(220, 221, 223); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 565px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Purdue As A Top-Two Seed
School History

YEAR	SEED	RESULT
1998	2	Sweet 16
1996	1	Second Round
1994	1	Elite Eight
1990	2	Second Round
1988	1	Sweet 16

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[Greenbacks]

Rhode Island

The Rams are trying to win an NCAA tournament game in back-to-back years for the first time in history. This is their best seed ever (No. 7), so that's encouraging. As mentioned above, it's the 20th anniversary of URI's furthest advancement, when they made the Elite Eight as an 8-seed under head coach Jim Harrick, led by the backcourt of Cuttino Mobley and Tyson Wheeler. It's also the 30-year anniversary of making the Sweet 16 as an 11-seed on the shoulders of Tom Garrick. Those are the only two times URI has made it to the second week of play in the tournament.

 

[Greenbacks]

St. Bonaventure

Not only are the Bonnies in the Dance for just the fourth time since reaching the Final Four in 1970, they haven't won a tourney game since then, either. On the positive, this is the best seed in school history (No. 11), but they'll have to win on Tuesday against UCLA to reach the round of 64.

 

[Greenbacks]

Seton Hall

While Kevin Willard has taken the Hall to the tournament each of the past three years, it has been 14 years since the Pirates' last NCAA tournament victory. Their matchup against NC State should be one of the more entertaining first-round games.

 

[Greenbacks]

Syracuse

The last time Cuse was in the tournament, it was a double-digit seed for the first time. That worked out well, as the Orange became the first No. 10 seed to reach the Final Four. Jim Boeheim's bunch will have to work even harder to recreate that magic this year, as they begin play in the First Four against Arizona State on Wednesday.

 

[Greenbacks]

TCU

Jamie Dixon was the point guard the last time TCU won an NCAA tournament game. That was 31 years ago. Now, he's the head coach of the Horned Frogs, who are making their first tourney appearance in 20 years.

 

[Greenbacks]

Texas

The Longhorns are one of two teams to win an NCAA tournament game as a double-digit seed three years in a row (1995-97). Since then, they are 0-4 as an 8-seed or worse. They'll try to put an end to that streak this year, as they landed a No. 10 seed and will face Nevada on Friday.

 

[Greenbacks]

Texas Tech

As the No. 3 seed in the East, the Red Raiders are a top-four seed for the second time ever. The only other time was in 1996 when they reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 3 seed before losing to Georgetown. Chris Beard has done a tremendous job with this team, and Tech's goal is certainly more ambitious than simply earning the school's first tourney win since 2005, when Bob Knight was the head coach.

 

[Greenbacks]

UCLA

Steve Alford has led the Bruins to the Sweet 16 three times in as many trips, including once as an 11-seed in 2015. UCLA will have to follow a similar path as that team if the Bruins are to do it again, as an 11-seed once again, this time beginning in the First Four. Alford has never advanced past the Sweet 16 in his head-coaching career.

 

[Greenbacks]

Villanova

This is the fifth straight year the Wildcats have earned a top-two seed, and in their past eight appearances they've either reached the Final Four or failed to escape the first weekend. Talk about feast or famine ... well, at least Nova won the national title in 2016. Regardless of past results, Villanova is among the favorites to cut down the nets this year. Here's a look at how Jay Wright's teams have actually fared better when the expectations aren't so lofty:

 

[Greenbacks]

Virginia

Virginia has been near the top of the rankings for much of the season, but the Cavaliers' recent tournament struggles are cause for concern. Under Tony Bennett, Virginia has played nine tourney games against teams that weren't 15- or 16-seeds. UVA is just 4-5 in those games, averaging 78.8 points per game in the wins and just 51.8 PPG in the losses. In their two previous trips as a No. 1 seed under Bennett in 2014 and 2016, they were eliminated in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively.

 

[Greenbacks]

Virginia Tech

The only time the Hokies ever won more than one game in a single tournament was in their first appearance back in 1967, when they won a pair of games to reach the Elite Eight. Since then, they have just four tourney wins, one in each of four different decades. Buzz Williams may be the right man for the job of turning things around, though, as he took Marquette to three consecutive Sweet 16s (including one Elite Eight) from 2011 to 2013. The Hokies have an intriguing first-round meeting with Alabama for starters.