Let the games begin! The field for the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship has been announced and we now know which eight teams will be playing at INTRUST Bank Arena.
INTRUST Bank Arena schedule for Thursday, March 15:
Session 1
1 p.m. CDT: Midwest Regional, No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Penn
approximately 3:30 p.m. CDT: Midwest Regional, No. 8 Seton Hall vs. No. 9 N.C. State
Session 2
6:20 p.m. CDT: West Regional, No. 6 Houston vs. No. 11 San Diego State
approximately 8:50 p.m. CDT: West Regional, No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Montana
Session 3 game times for Saturday, March 17 will be announced upon the completion of Thursday’s games.
Here’s a primer on the teams playing their 2018 NCAA basketball games in Wichita:
MIDWEST REGIONAL
University of Kansas Jayhawks
Lawrence, Kansas
Enrollment: 28,000
Record: 27-7 (13-5 in the Big 12 Conference)
Bid: Big 12 champ
NCAA Midwest Regional seed: 1
NCAA tournament appearances: 47
NCAA tournament record: 103-45
Last NCAA appearance: 2017, lost to Oregon in regional final
Final Fours: 14
Championships: 3 (1952, 1988, 2008)
Coach: Bill Self
Leading scorer: Devonte Graham, G, 17.3 ppg
Social media handle: @KUHoops
Hashtags: #KUbball #RockChalk
University of Pennsylvania Quakers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Enrollment: 22,000
Record: 24-8 (12-2 in the Ivy League)
Bid: Ivy League champ
NCAA Midwest Regional seed: 16
NCAA tournament appearances: 13
NCAA tournament record: 13-25
Last NCAA appearance: 2007, lost to Texas A&M in first round
Final Fours: 1
Championships: 0
Coach: Steve Donahue
Leading scorer: Ryan Betley, G, 14.4 ppg
Social media handle: @PennBasketball
Hashtags: #FightOnPenn #Whānau
Seton Hall University Pirates
South Orange, New Jersey
Enrollment: 10,000
Record: 21-11 (10-8 in the Big East Conference)
Bid: Big East at-large
NCAA Midwest Regional seed: 8
NCAA tournament appearances: 11
NCAA tournament record: 15-11
Last NCAA appearance: 2017, lost to Arkansas in first round
Final Fours: 1
Championships: 0
Coach: Kevin Willard
Leading scorer: Desi Rodriguez, F, 17.8 ppg
Social media handle: @SetonHallMBB
Hashtags: #GoPirates #HALLin
N.C. State University Wolfpack
Raleigh, North Carolina
Enrollment: 34,000
Record: 21-11 (11-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference)
Bid: ACC at-large
NCAA Midwest Regional seed: 11
NCAA tournament appearances: 26
NCAA tournament record: 37-25
Last NCAA appearance: 2015, lost to Louisville in regional semifinal
Final Fours: 3
Championships: 2 (1974, 1983)
Coach: Kevin Keatts
Leading scorer: Allerik Freeman, G, 15.4 ppg
Social media handle: @PackMensBball
Hashtags: #WPN #GoPack
WEST REGIONAL
University of Michigan Wolverines
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Enrollment: 44,000
Record: 28-7 (13-5 in the Big 10 Conference)
Bid: Big 10 champ
NCAA West Regional seed: 3
NCAA tournament appearances: 27
NCAA tournament record: 54-26
Last NCAA appearance: 2017, lost to Lost to Oregon in regional semifinal
Final Fours: 7
Championships: 1 (1989)
Coach: John Beilein
Leading scorer: Moritz Wagner, F, 14.5 ppg
Social media handle: @UMichBball
Hashtags: #GoBlue
University of Houston Cougars
Houston, Texas
Enrollment: 44,000
Record: 26-7 (14-4 in the American Athletic Conference)
Bid: AAC at-large
NCAA West Regional seed: 9
NCAA tournament appearances: 19
NCAA tournament record: 26-24
Last NCAA appearance: 2015, lost to Maryland in first round
Final Fours: 5
Championships: 0
Coach: Kelvin Sampson
Leading scorer: Rob Gray, G, 18.6 ppg
Social media handle: @UHCougarMBK
Hashtags: #ForTheCity #GoCoogs
San Diego State University Aztecs
San Diego, California
Enrollment: 30,000
Record: 22-10 (11-7 in the Mountain West Conference)
Bid: Mountain West champ
NCAA West Regional seed: 11
NCAA tournament appearances: 11
NCAA tournament record: 6-11
Last NCAA appearance: 2015, lost to Duke in the second round
Final Fours: 0
Championships: 0
Coach: Steve Fisher
Leading scorer: Malik Pope, F, 12.9 ppg
Social media handle: @Aztec_MBB
Hashtags: #GoAztecs #AztecMBB
University of Montana Grizzlies
Missoula, Montana
Enrollment: 11,000
Record: 26-7 (16-2 in the Big Sky Conference)
Bid: Big Sky champ
NCAA seed: 14
NCAA tournament appearances: 10
NCAA tournament record: 2-11
Last NCAA appearance: 2013, lost to Syracuse in first round
Final Fours: 0
Championships: 0
Coach: Travis DeCuire
Leading scorer: Ahmaad Rorie, G, 17.2 ppg
Social media handle: @UMGRIZZLIES
Hashtags: #GoGriz #GrizHoops
If you’re a college basketball fan planning to take in the NCAA tournament games in Wichita, be sure to check out this blog post: Your complete guide to attending the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament in Wichita.
To have all your NCAA in Wichita questions answered, check out our welcome page for basketball fans.
