No. 1 SYRACUSE
Record: 28-4
Coach: Jim Boeheim
Bid: At-large
Star power: Forward Wes Johnson averages 16 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists and may be one of the top 10 toughest matchups in the tournament.
Last 10: 7-3
Reasonable expectation: As long as beefy post player Arinze Onuaku recovers from his quad injury by the Sweet 16, Orangemen should reach the Final Four. Without him, an Elite Eight run might be tough.
No. 2 KANSAS STATE
Record: 26-7
Coach: Frank Martin
Bid: At-large
Star power: Guard Jacob Pullen can make you fear more than his Abe Lincoln-style beard. He averages over 19 points and three assists a game and tends to be at his best against the best opponents.
Last 10: 7-3
Reasonable expectation: K-State has enough defense and athleticism to reach the Final Four if their offense doesn't let them down. Almost a certain Elite Eight team.
No. 3 PITTSBURGH
Record: 24-8
Coach: Jamie Dixon
Bid: At-large
Star power: With four starters in double-figures, the Panthers are nothing if not balanced. But guard Ashton Gibbs averages 15.8 points while hitting more than 40 percent of his 3-pointers and 89 percent of his free throws.
Last 10: 8-2
Reasonable expectation: Panthers could easily reach Sweet 16 and might make it all the way to the Final Four with the right draw. Physical and athletic, Pitt can go far if it can consistently knock down perimeter jumpers.
No. 4 VANDERBILT
Record: 24-8
Coach: Kevin Stallings
Bid: At-large
Star power: Senior point guard Jermaine Beal averages 14.7 ppg, hits 80 percent of his free throws and plays defense as well as he plays offense.
Last 10: 7-3
Reasonable expectation: Commodores have the depth, offensive and defensive balance and experience to reach the Elite Eight. Another offensive meltdown like the one they suffered against Mississippi State in SEC semifinal (52 points) could also send them home by second round.
No. 5 BUTLER
Record: 28-4
Coach: Brad Stevens
Bid: Horizon League champion
Star power: When his back's healthy, wing Gordon Hayward is a match-up nightmare, averaging 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He also hits 83 percent of his free throws.
Last 10: 10-0.
Reasonable expectation: Bulldogs shouldn't be anything more than a darkhorse to get past Sweet 16, but with a 20-game winning streak and the Final Four in their hometown of Indianapolis, Butler's precise offense and opportunistic defense just might shock the world.
No. 6 XAVIER
Record: 24-8
Coach: Chris Mack
Bid: At-large
Star power: Jordan Crawford. The Indiana transfer and younger brother of former Kentucky star Joe Crawford leads the Muskateers in scoring with 19.7 ppg. Hitting nearly 40 percent of his 3-pointers and 77 percent of his free throws, Crawford will be tough for anyone.
Last 10: 8-2
Reasonable expectation: Deep and talented, the X Men are the team you don't want to face in the second round. Could reach Sweet 16.
No. 7 BRIGHAM YOUNG
Record: 29-5
Coach: Dave Rose
Bid: At-large
Star power: Guard Jimmer Fredette scored 49 in December win at Arizona and averages 21.7 per game to go along with 4.7 assists.
Last 10: 7-3
Reasonable expectation: The Cougars' five losses have all come against NCAA Tournament-caliber teams. They can score with anyone, and in a tight game they have a decided edge at the foul line, where they've hit at least 80 percent of their free throws in 17 games. Sweet 16 a realistic goal.
No. 8 GONZAGA
Record: 26-6
Coach: Mark Few
Bid: At-large
Star power: Guard Matt Bouldin averages 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists as one of the most complete point guards in the tournament.
Last 10: 8-2
Reasonable expectation: Until they were blown out by St. Mary's in West Coast Conference title game, the Bulldogs looked like an Elite Eight threat. They might still get there but they currently look more likely to fall in Sweet 16 or round of 32.
No. 9 Florida State
Record: 22-9
Coach: Leonard Hamilton
Bid: At-large
Star power: No FSU player averaged more than 12 points per game and only two - frontcourt players Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton - have averages in double figures.
Last 10: 6-4
Reasonable expectation: The Seminoles are stout defensively, holding opponents to just 37 percent shooting from the field and 60.2 points per game. They share the basketball (more than 14 assists per game), but they are turnover-prone (16.7 per game), too. A tough team to figure.
No. 10 FLORIDA
Record: 21-12
Coach: Billy Donovan
Bid: At-large
Star power: Forward Chandler Parsons (12.1 points, 6.8 rebs, 2.5 assists) is one of the most polished and calm players in the tournament, having knocked off both N.C. State and South Carolina on last-second shots.
Last 10: 4-6
Reasonable expectation: With dangerous Brigham Young on tap for the Gators' tourney opener, Florida should be gone by the close of the first weekend.
No. 11 MINNESOTA
Record: 21-13
Coach: Tubby Smith
Bid: At-large
Star power: Guard Lawrence Westbrook averages 12.5 points and provides the kind of all-around, physical play that Smith has always preferred from his players.
Last 10: 7-3
Reasonable expectation: Gophers ran out of gas in final half of Big Ten title game against Ohio State, but it's a balanced team that could frustrate both first-round foe Xavier and probable second-round opponent Pitt.
No. 12 TEXAS-EL PASO
Record: 26-6
Coach: Tony Barbee
Bid: At-large
Star power: Louisville transfer Derrick Caracter averages 14 points and eight rebounds and hits 56 percent of his field goals. At 6-9, 275 pounds he gives the Miners a dangerous inside presences.
Last 10: 9-1
Reasonable expectation: Owning a 16-game winning streak at one point, Miners clearly have the talent to reach Sweet 16 despite Conference USA tourney loss to Houston.
No. 13 Murray State
Record: 30-4
Coach: Billy Kennedy
Bid: Ohio Valley champions
Star power: You want balance? Here are the Racers' leading scorers: Ivan Aska (10.6 ppg); B.J. Jenkins (10.5); Danero Thomas (10.4); Tony Easley (10.4).
Last 10: 9-1
Reasonable expectation: Murray State is looking to snap its 11-game NCAA losing streak that dates back to 1988.
No. 14 Oakland
Record: 26-8
Coach: Greg Kampe
Bid: Summit champions
Star power: Keith Benson (17. 3 points and 10.3 rebounds) is the Golden Grizzlies' bellcow, but Derick Nelson keyed the run to the tournament.
Last 10: 10-0
Reasonable expectation: Nelson scored 36 in the Summit title game with a broken nose. This trip likely won't last as long as Oaklnad's previous tournament appearance, when it won the play-in game in 2005
No. 15 North Texas
Record: 26-6
Coach: Johnny Jones
Bid: Sun Belt champions
Star power: The backcourt of Josh White and Tristan Thompson combines for 20 points per game.
Last 10: 10-0
Reasonable expectation: Winners of their last 11, the Mean Green are hot. They also have a huge talent mismatch in the opening round.
No. 16 Vermont
Record: 25-9
Coach: Mike Lonergan
Bid: American East champs
Star power: Marqus Blakely averages more than 17 points for a team that scores more than 70 per night.
Last 10: 9-1
Reasonable expectation: In its last trip to the NCAA tournament, then-No. 13-seeded Vermont beat Syracuse 60-57. This senior class at Vermont has 90 career wins, the most in school history. They won't get to 91.
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