MIDWEST REGION BREAKDOWN

FIRST-ROUND GAMES

Thursday at Oklahoma City

1. Kansas vs. 16. Lehigh

8. UNLV vs. 9. Northern Iowa

Thursday at Providence, R.I.

3. Georgetown vs. 14. Ohio U.

6. Tennessee vs. 11. San Diego State

Friday at Milwaukee

2. Ohio State vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara

7. Oklahoma State vs. 10. Georgia Tech

Friday at Spokane, Wash.

4. Maryland vs. 13. Houston

5. Michigan State vs. 12. New Mexico State

THE PARTICULARS

MOST OVERSEEDED: None, really, though it would not have been surprising to see New Mexico State at No. 13.

MOST UNDERSEEDED: Tennessee. The Volunteers beat Kansas and Kentucky, won 10 games away from home, have 25 wins against the nation's 19th-toughest schedule and own an RPI of 14th. They were seeded sixth, but should've been a spot higher.

BEST PLAYER: Ohio State swingman Evan Turner. Most observers feel the Player of the Year race came down to Turner and Kentucky freshman John Wall. Though Wall has more talent and should be a superstar in the NBA, an extremely strong case can be made for Turner, who has to do it all for the Buckeyes. He leads Ohio State in scoring (20.3 points per game) and shoots 54.3 percent from the field. He also leads the Buckeyes in rebounds and assists and is second in blocks and steals.

FIVE OTHERS TO WATCH: Kansas center Cole Aldrich, Oklahoma State guard James Anderson, Kansas guard Sherron Collins, Georgetown center Greg Monroe, Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez.

BEST PLAYER YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF: Houston guard Aubrey Coleman. Houston underachieved, but don't blame Coleman. He leads the nation in scoring, and leads the Cougars in rebounds and steals and is second in assists. Coleman has good range but has can hit the 15-footer and get to the rim. He's a little quick on the trigger from 3-point range at times, but he makes up for that by getting to the line almost 10 times per game.

FIVE OTHERS TO WATCH: San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard, Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum, Maryland freshman Jordan Williams, UNLV guard Tre'Von Willis, New Mexico State guard Jahmar Young.

NUMBERS GAME: There are nine conference tournament champions in the region -- Ohio State (Big Ten), Kansas (Big 12), UC Santa Barbara (Big West), Houston (Conference USA), Ohio (Mid-American), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley), San Diego State (Mountain West), Lehigh (Patriot) and New Mexico State (WAC). There are eight Big Six conference schools in the region, plus two from the Mountain West.

BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS: The 7-10 matchup of Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech is interesting on a couple of levels. First, it matches teams from the Big 12 and ACC. Second, both enjoyed some good wins but also some weird losses. Third, and most important, it should be a good game within a game. Oklahoma State is all about its guards, Georgia Tech is all about its big guys. The 4-13 Maryland-Houston matchup should be fun because both teams like to run. The 6-11 Tennessee-San Diego State game bears watching. There will be some good athletes hitting the boards and trying to get in transition.

THE BUZZ: Houston's Tom Penders is the seventh coach to take four teams to the NCAA Tournament. He also took Rhode Island, Texas and George Washington to the NCAAs. … This is Kansas' fourth season in a row with at least 27 wins. … This is UC Santa Barbara's fourth NCAA appearance and the 20th anniversary of the Gauchos' only NCAA win. ... Ohio U's best player is Indiana transfer Armon Bassett, who went to two NCAA Tournaments with the Hoosiers. … Northern Iowa is making its second NCAA appearance in a row and its fifth in seven seasons. Before this run, UNI had made one appearance, in 1990. All five Panthers starters returned from last season. … Michigan State reserve guard Isaiah Dahlman is the older brother of Wofford forward Noah Dahlman, the Southern Conference player of the year. Unfortunately for family members, Isaiah and the Spartans are playing Friday in Spokane and Noah and the Terriers are across the country on the same day, playing in Jacksonville.

MIKE HUGUENIN/RIVALS.COM