Ole Miss Rebels
Midwest Seed: 3
Record: 27-7 overall, 13-5 in Southeastern Conference-West Division
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Enrollment: 13,526
School Colors: Cardinal Red and Navy Blue
School Traditions: One of the Rebels' standards during basketball games is the playing of "Dixie," the national anthem of the South during the Civil War.
Coach: Rod Barnes
How they got to the NCAA Tourney: Earned an at-large bid after losing to Kentucky 77-55 in the SEC Tournament championship game.
How they got to the Sweet Sixteen: Defeated Iona, 72-70, in the first round and Notre Dame, 59-56, in the second round.
Where UA would face them: Sweet Sixteen
Go-to guys:PF Rahim Lockhart, 6-8, Sr. (12.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg)
SF Justin Reed, 6-8, Fr. (11.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
Did you know?: Ole Miss opened the season 11-0... Arizona State head coach Rob Evans is the former head coach of the Rebels... With 5-foot-5-inch junior point guard Jason Harrison, Ole Miss boasts one of the shortest players in Division I.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Midwest Seed: 1
Record: 26-7 overall, 13-3 Big Ten Conference
Location: Ubrana-Champaign, Ill.
Enrollment: 30,000
School Colors: Navy Blue and Orange
School Traditions: The Illinois mascot, Chief Illiniwek, has been around since 1930, when a fan dressed in Indian garb was introduced during a football game against Army at Yankee Stadium.
Coach: Bill Self
How they got to the NCAA Tourney: Earned an at-large bid based on regular-season record. The Illini shared a Big Ten regular-season title with Michigan State.
How they got to the Sweet Sixteen: Defeated Northwestern State, 96-54, in the first round and Charlotte, 79-61, in the second round.
Where UA would face them: Elite Eight
Go-to guys: PG Frank Williams, 6-3, Soph. (14.9 ppg, 4.3 apg)
PF Marcus Griffin, 6-9, Sr. (12.0 ppg, 6.3 rbg)
Did you know?: Senior shooting guard Corey Bradford holds the NCAA record for consecutive games with a three-point basket while starting every game in his career... Griffin, Williams and small forward Sergio McClain all played on the same high school team in urban Chicago.
Kansas Jayhawks
Midwest Seed: 4
Record: 26-6 overall, 12-4 Big 12 Conference
Location: Lawrence, Kan.
Enrollment: 24,000
School Colors: Red, White and Blue
School Traditions: On "Senior Day" each year, KU fans throw red, white and blue carnations on the floor with the introduction of each senior player. Jayhawk fans throw the flowers because oils from roses tend to mark - and mess up - the Allen Fieldhouse playing surface.
Coach: Roy Williams
How they got to the NCAA Tourney: Earned an at-large bid despite losing in the Big 12 semifinals.
How they got to the Sweet Sixteen: Defeated Cal State Northridge, 99-75, in the first round and Syracuse, 87-58, in the second round.
Where UA would face them: Elite Eight
Go-to guys: SF Kenny Gregory, 6-5, Sr. (15.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
PF Drew Gooden, 6-10 Soph. (15.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
Did you know?: The school's mascot, the Jayhawk, is a mythical red, blue and yellow bird that likely came about as a combination of two words. The jay, a noisy bird, and the sparrow hawk, a stealthy hunter, were combined to form a mascot that is both loud and dangerous... Williams' wife presented the team with a stuffed monkey following Sunday's game, which marked the first time KU has made the Sweet Sixteen since 1997, when they lost to Arizona. The team now has the monkey off its back.
Arizona Wildcats
Midwest Seed: 2
Record: 25-7 overall, 15-3 Pacific 10 Conference
Location: Tucson
Enrollment: 35,000
School Colors: Cardinal, Navy Blue and White
School Traditions: All Arizona fans stand until opposing teams make a basket, and most UA faithful wear red to games. After a missed free throw, UA fans chant in unison, "Nice shot, buddy!"
Coach: Lute Olson
How they got to the NCAA Tourney: Earned an at-large bid by finishing second in the Pac-10.
How they got to the Sweet Sixteen: Defeated Eastern Illinois, 101-76, in the first round and Butler, 73-52, in the second round.
Go-to guys: SG Gilbert Arenas, 6-3 Soph.(16.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
PF Michael Wright, 6-7 Jr. (16.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
Did you know?: Arizona was the first team to have all five starters - Loren Woods, Gilbert Arenas, Michael Wright, Jason Gardner and Richard Jefferson - named preseason Naismith Award nominees... Arizona used a full-court press for the first time in two seasons last Friday against Eastern Illinois.
