NCAA Tournament Preview: The Top Seeds
March 20, 2019
EAST:
School: Duke Blue Devils
Seed: 1
Conference: ACC
Record: 29-5 (14-4)
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (39th season)
Top scorer: RJ Barrett, 22.9 PPG
Tournament history: 43 appearances, 111-37, 5
championships (1991,1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)
School: Michigan State Spartans
Seed: 2
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 28-6 (16-4)
Coach: Tom Izzo (24th season)
Top scorer: Cassius Winston, 18.9 PPG
Tournament history: 33 appearances, 65-31, 2
championships (1979, 2000)
School: LSU Tigers
Seed: 3
Conference: SEC
Record: 26-6 (16-2)
Coach: Tony Benford (Interim for Will Wade)
Top scorer: Tremont Waters, 15.1 PPG
Tournament history: 22 appearances, 24-24, 4
Final Four appearances (1953, 1981, 1986, 2006)
School: Virginia Tech Hokies
Seed: 4
Conference: ACC
Record: 24-8 (12-6)
Coach: Buzz Williams (5th season)
Top scorer: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 16.6 PPG
Tournament history: 11 appearances, 6-10, 1
Elite Eight appearance (1967)
School: Mississippi State Bulldogs
Seed: 5
Conference: SEC
Record: 23-10 (10-8)
Coach: Ben Howland (4th season)
Top scorer: Quinndary Weatherspoon, 18.2
PPG
Tournament history: 11 appearances, 11-10, 1
Final Four appearance (1996)
School: Maryland Terrapins
Seed: 6
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 22-10 (13-7)
Coach: Mark Turgeon (8th season)
Top scorer: Anthony Cowan Jr., 16.0 PPG
Tournament history: 28 (1 vacated) appea-
rances, 41-26, 1 championship (2002)
WEST:
School: Gonzaga Bulldogs
Seed: 1
Conference: West Coast
Record: 30-3 (16-0)
Coach: Mark Few (20th season)
Top scorer: Rui Hachimara, 20.1 PPG
Tournament history: 22 appearances, 30-20, NCAA
tournament runner-up (2017)
School: Michigan Wolverines
Seed: 2
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 28-6 (15-5)
Coach: John Beilein (12th season)
Top scorer: Ignas Brazdeikis, 15.1 PPG
Tournament history: 29 appearances, 59-27, 1 champion
ship (1989)
School: Texas Tech Red Raiders
Seed: 3
Conference: Big 12
Record: 26-6 (14-4)
Coach: Chris Beard (3rd season)
Top scorer: Jarrett Culver, 18.5 PPG
Tournament history: 17 appearances (1 vacated), 11-17, 1
Elite Eight (2018)
School: Florida State Seminoles
Seed: 4
Conference: ACC
Record: 27-7 (13-5)
Coach: Leonard Hamilton (17th season)
Top scorer: Mfiondu Kabengele, 12.9 PPG
Tournament history: 17 appearances, 19-16, NCAA
tournament runner-up (1972)
School: Marquette Golden Eagles
Seed: 5
Conference: Big East
Record: 24-9 (12-6)
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski (4th season)
Top scorer: Markus Howard, 25 PPG
Tournament history: 33 appearances, 40-34, 1
championship (1977)
School: Buffalo Bulls
Seed: 6
Conference: MAC
Record: 31-3 (16-2)
Coach: Nate Oats (4th season)
Top scorer: CJ Massinburg, 18.3 PPG
Tournament history: 4 appearances, 1-3, Second round
(2018)
SOUTH:
School: Virginia Cavaliers
Seed: 1
Conference: ACC
Record: 29-3 (16-2)
Coach: Tony Bennett (10th season)
Top scorer: Kyle Guy, 15.6 PPG
Tournament history: 23 appearances, 29-22, 2 Final Four
appearances (1981, 1984)
School: Tennessee Volunteers
Seed: 2
Conference: SEC
Record: 29-5 (15-3)
Coach: Rick Barnes (4th season)
Top scorer: Grant Williams, 19.0 PPG
Tournament history: 22 appearances, 20-22, Elite 8 (2010)
School: Purdue Boilermakers
Seed: 3
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 23-9 (16-4)
Coach: Matt Painter (14th season)
Top scorer: Carsen Edwards, 23.0 PPG
Tournament history: 31 appearances (1 vacated), 37-29,
NCAA Tournament Runner-Up (1969)
School: Kansas State Wildcats
Seed: 4
Conference: Big 12
Record: 25-8 (14-4)
Coach: Bruce Weber (7th season)
Top scorer: Barry Brown Jr., 14.9 PPG
Tournament history: 31 appearances, 37-34, NCAA
Tournament Runner-Up (1951)
School: Wisconsin Badgers
Seed: 5
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 23-10 (14-6)
Coach: Greg Gard (3rd season)
Top scorer: Ethan Happ, 17.5 PPG
Tournament history: 24 appearances, 38-22, 1
Championship (1941)
School: Villanova Wildcats
Seed: 6
Conference: Big East
Record: 25-9 (13-5)
Coach: Jay Wright (18th season)
Top scorer: Phil Booth, 18.6 PPG
Tournament history: 39 appearances (1 vacated), 64-36,
3 Championships (1985, 2016, 2018)
MIDWEST:
School: North Carolina Tarheels
Seed: 1
Conference: ACC
Record: 27-6 (16-2)
Coach: Roy Williams (16th season)
Top scorer: Cameron Johnson, 16.9 PPG
Tournament history: 50 appearances, 124-46, 6 champion
ships (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017)
School: Kentucky Wildcats
Conference: SEC
Seed: 2
Record: 27-6 (15-3)
Coach: John Calipari (10th season)
Top scorer: PJ Washington, 14.8 PPG
Tournament history: 59 appearances (1 vacated), 128-49,
8 championships (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998,
2012)
School: Houston Cougars
Seed: 3
Conference: AAC
Record: 31-3 (16-2)
Coach: Kelvin Sampson (5th season)
Top scorer: Corey Davis Jr., 16.7 PPG
Tournament history: 21 appearances, 27-25, NCAA
Tournament runner-up (1983, 1984)
School: Kansas Jayhawks
Seed: 4
Conference: Big 12
Record: 25-9 (12-16)
Coach: Bill Self (16th season)
Top Scorer: Dedric Lawson, 19.1 PPG
Tournament History: 48 appearances, 103-45, 3 champion
ships (1952, 1988, 2008)
School: Auburn Tigers
Seed: 5
Conference: SEC
Record: 26-9 (11-7)
Coach: Bruce Pearl (5th season)
Top Scorer: Bryce Brown, 15.8 PPG
Tournament History: 10 appearances, 13-9, 1 Elite Eight
(1986)
School: Iowa St. Cyclones
Seed: 6
Conference: SEC
Record: 23-11 (9-9)
Coach: Steve Prohm (4th season)
Top Scorer: Marial Shayok, 18.6
Tournament History: 20 appearances, 19-19, 1 Final Four
(1944)