Key players: Fr. Matt Howard (6-8 Sr.) 16.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg; G Shelvin Mack (6-3 Jr.) 15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.6 apg; C Andrew Smith (6-11 Soph.) 8.9 ppg.
Noteworthy: Butler lost to Duke in last year's title game.
Key players: Frank Hassell (6-9 Sr.) 15.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg; Kent Bazemore (6-5 Jr.) 12.5 ppg; Ben Finney (6-5 Sr.) 9.2 ppg, 3.1 apg.
Noteworthy: Old Dominion scored a first-round upset over Notre Dame in last year's tournament.
Key players: G Jacob Pullen (6-0 Sr.), 19.6 ppg; G Rodney McGruder (6-4 So.), 11.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg; F Curtis Kelly (6-8 Sr.), 10.0 ppg.
Noteworthy: The Wildcats won their final six regular-season games, including an 84-68 win over Kansas. They have 10 players averaging 12-plus minutes a game.
How they got here: Won WAC tournament.
Key players: Tai Wesley (6-7 Sr.) 14.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg; Brockeith Pane (6-1 Jr.) 11.2 ppg, 3.5 apg; Brian Green (6-1 Sr.) 10.8 ppg.
Noteworthy: The Aggies quietly won 23 of their last 24 regular-season contests to finish ranked in the top 25.
Key players: F Jon Leuer (6-10 Sr.), 18.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg; G Jordan Taylor (6-1 Jr.), 18.2 ppg, 4.8 apg; F Keaton Nankivil (6-8 Sr.), 10.3 ppg.
Noteworthy: The Badgers are making their 13th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
How they got here: Won Atlantic Sun tournament.
Key players: G Ian Clark (6-3 So.), 12.4 ppg; F/C Mick Hedgepeth (6-9 Jr.), 10.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg; F/C Scott Saunders (6-10 Jr.), 10.0 ppg.
Noteworthy: The Bruins have outscored the opposition by an average of 18.5 points per game.
Key players: G Erving Walker (5-8 Jr.) 14.5 ppg; F Chandler Parsons (6-10 Sr.), 11.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg; C Vernon Macklin (6-10 Sr.), 11.5 ppg.
Noteworthy: Coming off their first SEC regular-season title since 2007, the Gators hope to avoid a repeat of last year when they got bounced in the NCAA's first round.
How they got here: Won Big West tournament.
Key players: G-F Orlando Johnson (6-5 Jr.), 21.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg; F James Nunnally (6-7 Jr.), 16.4 ppg; F Jaime Serna (6-9 Jr.), 8 ppg.
Noteworthy: The Gauchos are headed back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.
Key players: F Reeves Nelson (6-8 So.) 13.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg; G Malcolm Lee (6-5 Jr.) 13.0 ppg; F Tyler Honeycutt (6-8 So.) 12.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg.
Noteworthy: The Bruins finished second in the Pac-10 but dropped their conference tournament opener to Oregon.
Key players: G Kalin Lucas (6-1 Sr.), 17.0 ppg; F Draymond Green (6-7 Jr.), 12.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.0 apg; G Durrell Summers (6-5 Sr.), 11.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg.
Noteworthy: The Spartans have six Final Four appearances in the last 12 seasons and are tied for seventh all-time with eight.
Key players: G Dwight Hardy (6-2 Sr.) 17.9 ppg; F Justin Brownlee (6-7 Sr.) 12.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg; G Paris Home (6-3 Sr.) 7.7 ppg.
Noteworthy: Senior starting guard D.J. Kennedy, who averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Big East tournament.
Key players: G Steven Gray (6-5 Sr.), 13.8 ppg; F Elias Harris (6-7 So.), 12.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg; C Robert Sacre (7-0 Jr.), 12.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg.
Noteworthy: The Bulldogs roll into the tournament — for the 13th straight season — with nine straight wins.
Key players: G Jimmer Fredette (6-2 Sr.), 27.9 ppg, 4.3 apg; G Jackson Emery (6-3 Sr.) 12.7 ppg; F Noah Hartsock (6-8 Jr.) 8.6 ppg, 6 rpg.
Noteworthy: The Cougars boast the nation's scoring leader in Fredette, but the loss of Brandon Davies to suspension hurts.
How they got here: Won Southern Conference tournament.
Key players: F Noah Dahlman (6-6 Sr.), 20.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg; G Cameron Rundles (6-1 Sr.), 14.0 ppg; G Jamar Diggs (6-2 Sr.), 12.5 ppg.
Noteworthy: The Terriers enter on an eight-game winning streak.