Players, coaches and teams you can count on (five at a time) in the Big Dance
Breaking down the NCAA Tournament field of 68, five at a time:
Five coaches who have been to the Final Four but never won it all
▪ Bob Huggins, West Virginia
▪ John Beilein, Michigan
▪ Jim Larranaga, Miami
▪ Gregg Marshall, Wichita State
▪ Bruce Weber, Kansas State
Five coaches who would love to win it a second time
▪ John Calipari, Kentucky
▪ Bill Self, Kansas
▪ Tom Izzo, Michigan State
▪ Jay Wright, Villanova
▪ Jim Boeheim, Syracuse (maybe next year)
Five coaches overdue for the Final Four
▪ Sean Miller, Arizona
▪ Mike Brey, Notre Dame
▪ Mark Few, Gonzaga
▪ Tony Bennett, Virginia
▪ Dana Altman, Oregon
Five coaches due for a Final Four
▪ Matt Painter, Purdue
▪ Scott Drew, Baylor
▪ Mark Turgeon, Maryland
▪ Mick Cronin, Cincinnati
▪ Archie Miller, Dayton
Five coaches we’re going to miss in this tournament
▪ Tubby Smith, Memphis
▪ Lon Kruger, Oklahoma
▪ Rick Barnes, Tennessee
▪ Bruce Pearl, Auburn
▪ Ben Howland, Mississippi State
Five coaches who know the way to the title
▪ Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
▪ Roy Williams, North Carolina
▪ Rick Pitino, Louisville
▪ Bill Self, Kansas
▪ John Calipari, Kentucky
Five up-and-coming coaches
▪ Bryce Drew, Vanderbilt
▪ Chris Collins, Northwestern
▪ Kevin Keatts, UNC-Wilmington
▪ Richard Pitino, Minnesota
▪ Mike White, Florida
Five teams that could make up for a disappointing season
▪ Duke: No. 1 in preseason
▪ Xavier No. 7 in preseason
▪ Virginia: No. 8 in preseason
▪ Wisconsin: No. 9 in preseason
▪ Rhode Island: No. 21 in preseason
Five teams who are thrilled to be here
▪ Northern Kentucky, first appearance in first year of eligibility
▪ Jacksonville State, finished fourth in OVC
▪ Iona, finished six games behind Monmouth in the MAAC
▪ East Tennessee State, three-way tie for first in a one-bid league
▪ Oklahoma State, started 0-6 in Big 12 play
Five teams that were unranked in the preseason
▪ Baylor
▪ SMU
▪ Cincinnati
▪ Florida State
▪ Florida
Ken Pomeroy’s five best NCAA offensive teams
▪ Oklahoma State
▪ Villanova
▪ UCLA
▪ North Carolina
▪ Marquette
Ken Pomeroy’s five best NCAA defensive teams
▪ Virginia
▪ Gonzaga
▪ South Carolina
▪ West Virginia
▪ Florida
Five players who deserve the NCAA spotlight
▪ Mike Daum, South Dakota State
▪ John Collins, Wake Forest
▪ Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt
▪ Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina
▪ Jock Landale, St. Mary’s
Five players if you need a three
▪ Markus Howard, Marquette (54.9 percent)
▪ Bryce Alford, UCLA (44.9 percent)
▪ Matt Thomas, Iowa State (43.8 percent)
▪ Calvin Hermanson, St. Mary’s (43.7 percent)
▪ Phil Forte, Oklahoma State (42.0 percent)
Five guys you’d like at the foul line
▪ Phil Forte, Oklahoma State (95.3 percent)
▪ Andrew Rowsey, Marquette (93.3 percent)
▪ Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame (91.5 percent)
▪ Dusty Hannahs, Arkansas (89.0 percent)
▪ Kris Jenkins, Villanova (88.6 percent)
Five seniors we’re glad stuck around
▪ Josh Hart, Villanova
▪ Wesley Iwundu, Kansas State
▪ Monte Morris, Iowa State
▪ Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin
▪ Chris Boucher, Oregon
Five freshmen who could play key roles
▪ Jayson Tatum, Duke
▪ Lonzo Ball, UCLA
▪ Malik Monk, Kentucky
▪ De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky
▪ Josh Jackson, Kansas
Five battle-tested teams
▪ Oklahoma State, played third-toughest schedule according to Sagarin
▪ Iowa State, played fourth-toughest
▪ Baylor, played fifth-toughest
▪ Louisville, played sixth-toughest
▪ Virginia, played seventh-toughest
Five NCAA teams that played cupcake schedules
▪ St. Mary’s, played 132nd-toughest schedule
▪ Gonzaga, played 122nd-toughest schedule
▪ Wichita State, played 120th-toughest schedule
▪ Cincinnati, played the 88th-toughest schedule
▪ SMU, played the 86th-toughest schedule
Five probable lottery picks
▪ Lonzo Ball, UCLA
▪ Josh Jackson, Kansas
▪ Jayson Tatum, Duke
▪ Jonathan Isaac, Florida State
▪ Lauri Markkanen, Arizona
John Clay: 859-231-3266, @johnclayiv
This story was originally published March 12, 2017 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Players, coaches and teams you can count on (five at a time) in the Big Dance."