GET TO KNOW NO. 1

Kansas (30-4)

With stunning depth and enviable experience, the Big 12 champion Jayhawks earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed. Senior forward Perry Ellis (team-high 16.7 ppg) and junior guard Wayne Selden (13.3) are eager to lead Kansas back to the title game for the first time since 2012 and win the championship for the first time since 2008.

CINDERELLA

No. 11 Wichita State

The Shockers had a history of upsets before rising to national prominence. Behind gritty point guard Fred VanVleet, they will have to take the hard road through the tournament, starting with a First Four game against Vanderbilt. But they're in a relatively weak side of the South bracket, with potential games against No. 6 Arizona, an up-and-down No. 3 Miami squad and No. 2 Villanova, which has a history of too-early exits.

TOP FIRST-ROUND

MATCHUP

No. 4 California

vs. No. 13 Hawaii

The Golden Bears are young but talented in their second season under coach Cuonzo Martin. The Rainbow Warriors have flown under the radar with a 27-5 record and a three-point loss to Oklahoma in December.

FREE THROWS

Wichita State was 1-3 early in the season while VanVleet sat out with a hamstring injury. ... Villanova has left the tournament early the last three seasons, losing its second game in 2014 and 2015 and its opener in 2013. ... No. 7 Iowa is trending downward. The Hawkeyes have lost six of eight, including a defeat to 15-19 Illinois in the Big Ten tournament. ... No. 10 Temple could get another shot at Big 5 rival Villanova, which beat the Owls 83-67 in the regular season.