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Who’s already in the NCAA Tournament?

It’s Championship Week, the beginning of the best time of the year, a week that’s sometimes even madder than The Madness itself.

Looking for information on every team in the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 68? We’ve got team capsules below, updated every day. Check them out:

Yale (22-6,13-1/Ivy League)–Party like it’s 1962. The Bulldogs are back in the big dance for the first time since John F. Kennedy was in the White House, after leaving no doubt during a 13-1 crusade across the Ivy League. The 54-year drought felt even more burdensome after a heartbreaking finish to last season, when Yale blew a lead at Dartmouth in what would have been a tournament-clinching game and then lost in a one-game playoff to bitter rival Harvard.

These Bulldogs are deep and balanced, with heady and explosive sophomore guard Makai Mason (15.8 ppg, 3.7 apg) leading the way. 6-8 senior forward Justin Sears (15.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.8 apg) is smart and can stretch the floor a little bit with a nice jumper, and rugged 6-6 forward Brandon Sherrod (12.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg) is as tough as they come underneath. Sherrod left the team last year to sing with the world-famous Whiffenpoofs (that’s how you know we’re talking about Yale here), but now he’s better than ever, even setting an NCAA record for most consecutive made field goals, with 30 straight.

Northern Iowa (22-12, 11-7/MVC)-This is no first-round pushover. The Panthers were a five-seed in last year’s NCAA’s, and advanced to the second round before falling to Louisville. In 2010, UNI orchestrated one of the biggest upsets in tournament history, stunning No. 1 Kansas after a memorable three from Ali Farokmanesh.

These Panthers don’t have the same talent as those squads, but they do have a bona-fide star in do-everything guard Wes Washpun, who hit the game-winner to give UNI the Missouri Valley championship. Washpun scored 28 in Northern Iowa’s win over Iowa State in December, and had 21 and 8 assists in their upset of No. 1 North Carolina in November. He can play against the big boys. So too can Northern Iowa, which enters the tournament winners of 11 of 12.

UNC-Asheville (22-11, 12-6/Big South)–Get used to seeing Asheville in your tournament bracket. The Bulldogs could be around for a while, as their top two scorers, 6-5 guards Dylan Smith and Dwayne Sutton, are freshmen, and four of their top five scorers are underclassmen. This is a very balanced team, as five players average in double figures in scoring, led by Smith at 13.5 ppg.

Asheville does own a win at Georgetown in December, and is a stingy defensive team, ranking 77th in the nation in points allowed at 67.5 ppg.

Florida Gulf Coast (19-13, 8-6/Atlantic Sun)–Dunk City is back! Florida Gulf Coast has returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since its near-incomprehensible run to the Sweet 16, as a 15-seed back in 2013. This group doesn’t have as much talent as that 2013 squad, and there’s no way it’s making a Sweet 16 run, but it’s still nice to see the Eagles back in the NCAA Tournament.

Marc Eddy Norelia leads the Eagles in scoring at 17.2 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game.

Iona (22-10, 16-4/MAAC)–With all of the attention surrounding MAAC compatriot Monmouth this season, Iona flew under the radar. But this is a very good team, too–as the Gaels proved by beating Monmouth on the road and then in the conference title game. Iona is an up-tempo team that loves to push the ball up and down the floor, and they’ve got a few guys who can give opponents fits, including 6-4 senior guard A.J. English.

The Wilmington, DE native averaged 22.4 points, 6.2 assists and 5 rebounds per game this season and has drawn the attention of NBA scouts. It’s not all about English, either–as 6-8 senior forward Jordan Washington can fill it up (13.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg), as can sophomore guard Deyshonee Much (13.1 ppg). This is a senior-laden team, and could be dangerous in the first round.

KEY STATS: 79.6 ppg (35th)

UNC-Wilmington (25-7, 14-4/CAA)–The Seahawks are back in the big dance for the first time since 2006, after storming back from ten down to knock off top-seeded Hofstra in the CAA title game. UNC-Wilmington uses a small lineup, defends really well, and plays at an above-average pace.

The team’s top five scorers are all 6-5 or smaller, including three–Denzel Ingram (12.5 ppg), Craig Ponder (11.1) and Jordan Talley (8.6 ppg) who are 6-1 or smaller. 6-5 junior guard Chris Flemmings (16.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) leads the team in scoring. The Seahawks do have a little bit of size in seven-footer C.J. Gettys, who averages 15 minutes per game.

KEY STATS:

37.6 rpg (102nd)

79.2 ppg (42nd)

Austin Peay (18-17, 7-9/OVC)–The Governers stunned the rest of the OVC by storming through the conference tournament, knocking off three of the top four seeds and stealing the automatic NCAA bid. Instead of producing a Belmont or Tennessee-Martin squad that might have been able to win a first-round game, the OVC champ is now relegated to the play-in game in Dayton.

It’s a nice story for Austin Peay, which hadn’t been in the NCAA Tournament since 2008, and made one little girl very happy. The Govs are led by 6-8 senior center Chris Horton (18.9 ppg, 12 rpg) 6-2 sophomore guard Josh Robinson (16.7 ppg) and 6-5 guard Khalil Davis (11.2 ppg).

Chattanooga (29-5, 15-3/SoCon)–Matt McCall for National Coach of the Year! The Mocs boss weathered the loss of preseason Player of the Year Casey Jones (who helped lead the team to upsets of Georgia and Illinois), yet somehow still led Chattanooga to a school-record 29 wins and a sweep of the SoCon regular season and tournament titles. Oh, and did we mention this was his first year on the job?

McCall, a former assistant under Billy Donovan, still has plenty of talent in 6-5 junior Tre’ McLean (12.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg), and 6-10 forward Justin Tuoyo (11 ppg, 5 rpg). He’s also got near-power-conference size and a ton of depth, as eight guys chip in with at least 7 ppg.

How resillient is this group? Just one day after they lost Jones, they went out and beat Dayton, 61-59, in Dayton. McCall is the third coach the program has had in four years. He’s done a pretty impressive job. This team has also bought in on defense, giving up just 66.6 points per game, which ranks 56th in the country.

Holy Cross (13-19, 5-13/Patriot)–Holy Cross stunned the rest of the Patriot League by rolling through the conference tournament and stealing its automatic bid. The ninth-seeded Crusaders hadn’t won any road conference games during the season (0-9), and had lost five straight overall heading into the tourney. So of course, they won four straight in opponents’ gyms to capture the league crown. In doing so, they became the 25th team in history to advance to the NCAAs with a losing record. Only three teams in history have entered the Big Dance with a worse record.

A big reason for Holy Cross’ stunning resurgence was 6-7 junior forward Malachi Alexander, who exploded for 26 points and 9 rebounds in the Crusaders’ title game win over Lehigh. He’s come alive since the calendar hit March, averaging 20 points in four games (up from his 12 ppg during the regular season). 6-6 junior guard Robert Champion is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 per.

One of the main reasons for the Crusaders’ struggles during the regular season was their inability to score the ball. Holy Cross ranks 326th in the nation in scoring at 65.3 ppg.

South Dakota State (26-7, 12-4/Summit)–For the fifth straight year, either South Dakota State or North Dakota State will represent the Summit League in the NCAA Tournament. The Jackrabbits avenged last year’s title game loss to the Bison to advance to the NCAA’s this year, and they should be a tough out in the first round. Get your Nate Wolters throwback jerseys ready.

6-9 freshman Mike Daum is hard to handle down low, and he’s the team’s leading scorer at 15.2 points per game. 6-1 senior guards George Marshall (14.9 ppg, 2.7 apg) and Deondre Parks (14.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) can both provide some scoring punch as well.

Gonzaga (26-7, 15-3/WCC)–It wouldn’t have been right if Gonzaga, which has reached the tournament in 17 straight seasons, had been left out of this year’s dance. Sure, the Zags don’t have a plethora of signature wins, but this team still has Senior Class Award candidate Kyle Wiltjer (20.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and unguardable sophomore big man Domantas Sabonis (17.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg). The loss of 7-1 center Przemek Karnowski to season-ending back surgery in December was a major blow, but several players from last year’s Elite Eight team remain.

Green Bay (23-12, 11-7/Horizon)–The high-flying Phoenix (see what we did there?) are among the nation’s most explosive teams, averaging 84.2 points per game, which ranks 6th nationally. Green Bay also ranks 5th in the country in possessions per game, averaging nearly 80 per. They’ll enter the NCAA’s having won eight of nine, including four straight in Detroit to capture the Horizon League title.

The Phoenix are led by 6-1 senior guard Carrington Love, who’s averaging 17.7 points and 3.5 assists per game. 6-4 junior guard Charles Cooper dunks really hard and can also fill it up, averaging 13.9 points (and 5.6 boards) per game.

Oh, and keep an eye on radio announcer Matt Menzl. That guy is just disruptive.

Fairleigh Dickinson (18-14, 11-7/NEC)–Fairleigh Dickinson turned it on at the right time, winning five straight games at the end of the season to push past .500 and earn the NEC’s automatic bid. While the Knights have absolutely no shot at reaching the second round, they do have a number of capable scorers, including 6-1 sophomore guard Darian Anderson, who leads the team at 15.4 per.

6-6 sophomore Earl Potts Jr. went off in the NEC final against Wagner, pouring in 27 points and grabbing 7 boards. He averages 14.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg. Two other players, 6-4 guard Marques Townes and 6-2 guard Stephan Jiggetts, average in double figures for FDU.

 

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