Men's Basketball

John Clay: High-fiving our way to Dallas

ACC Duke Virginia Basketball
Virginia guard Joe Harris could be one of the tournament's pivotal seniors. Harris relished the Cavaliers' victory against Duke in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. AP

Five coaches who have been to the Final Four but have never won it all

1. Thad Matta, Ohio State

2. Jay Wright, Villanova

3. John Beilein, Michigan

4. Gregg Marshall, Wichita State

5. Lon Kruger, Oklahoma

Five coaches overdue for the Final Four

1. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin

2. Sean Miller, Arizona

3. Tony Bennett, Virginia

4. Jim Crews, Saint Louis

5. Steve Alford, UCLA

Five coaches you are glad are still around

1. Roy Williams, North Carolina, age 63

2. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse, age 69

3. Steve Fisher, San Diego State, age 68

4. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke, age 67

5. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin, age 66

Five coaches whose regular seasons have earned a good tournament

1. Tony Bennett, Virginia

2. Gregg Marshall, Wichita State

3. Mick Cronin, Cincinnati

4. Billy Donovan, Florida

5. Steve Fisher, San Diego State

Five coaches who know the way to the title

1. Rick Pitino, Louisville

2. John Calipari, Kentucky

3. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

4. Roy Williams, North Carolina

5. Billy Donovan, Florida

Five teams who are not hot

1. Syracuse — Lost five of its last seven games

2. Saint Louis — Lost four of last five games

3. Iowa — Lost six of last seven games

4. Memphis — Lost four of its last eight games

5. Wisconsin — Lost two of its last three games

Five teams that could make up for a disappointing season

1. Kentucky — No. 1 in pre-season AP poll

2. Michigan State — No. 2 in pre-season AP poll

3. Ohio State — No. 11 in pre-season AP poll

4. Gonzaga — No. 15 in pre-season AP poll

5. Baylor — No. 25 in pre-season AP poll

Five players who deserve the NCAA spotlight

1. Doug McDermott, Creighton

2. Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati

3. T.J. Warren, North Carolina State

4. Bryce Cotton, Providence

5. Glenn Cosey, Eastern Kentucky

Five players if you need a three-pointer

1. Niels Giffey, Connecticut, 53 percent

2. Kenny Kaminski, Michigan State, 48.6 percent

3. Ethan Wragge, Creighton, 47.3 percent

4. Drew Barham, Gonzaga, 46.7 percent

5. Travis Trice, Michigan State, 45.3 percent

Five guys you'd like at the foul line

1. Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia, 88.6 percent

2. Marcus Paige, North Carolina, 88.0 percent

3. Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga, 87.5 percent

4. Josh Gasser, Wisconsin, 87.2 percent

5. Doug McDermott, Creighton, 86.5 percent

Five freshmen who could play key roles

1. Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

2. Jabari Parker, Duke

3. Julius Randle, Kentucky

4. Tyler Ennis, Syracuse

5. Aaron Gordon, Arizona

Five great defensive teams, according to Ken Pomeroy

1. Arizona — first in defensive efficiency

2. Ohio State — third

3. Virginia — fourth

4. San Diego State — fifth

5. Louisville — sixth

Five great offensive teams, according to Ken Pomeroy

1. Creighton — first in offensive efficiency

2. Duke — second

3. Michigan — third

4. Wisconsin — sixth

5. Kansas — seventh

Five battle-tested teams

1. Kansas, played toughest schedule in nation according to Sagarin

2. Michigan, played the third-toughest

3. Iowa State, played the fifth-toughest

4. Baylor, played the eighth-toughest

5. Oklahoma, played 13th-toughest

Five NCAA teams that played cupcake schedules

1. Wichita State, played the 131st-toughest schedule in nation according to Sagarin

2. Louisville, played the 119th-toughest

3. Manhattan, played the 171st-toughest

4. Harvard, played the 174th-toughest

5. Louisiana-Lafayette, played the 187th-toughest

Five probable lottery picks

1. Joel Embiid, Kansas

2. Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

3. Julius Randle, Kentucky

4. Gary Harris, Michigan State

5. Jabari Parker, Duke

This story was originally published March 16, 2014 at 9:22 PM with the headline "John Clay: High-fiving our way to Dallas."

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