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nament play against No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast, who upset eventual ACC champion Miami in November.
• VCU's Smart became a star during the Rams' surprise run to the Final Four two seasons ago. Now with its pressing "Havoc" style of play, VCU's No. 5 seed is its highest since getting a No. 2 in 1985.
• In a twist, Smart's team faces Akron, where he worked as an assistant under Keith Dambrot.
• "I guess it's been a really strange year," said Dambrot, whose team won the Mid-American Conference tournament despite the recent suspension of its starting point guard due to an arrest on drug trafficking charges. "I guess you can cap it off by playing against your best friend in the NCAA Tournament -- or ex-best friend."
• The Rams could have a potential third-round matchup with Michigan's high scoring backcourt duo of Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr.
• UCLA is the No. 6 seed after reaching the Pac-12 tournament final. Coach Ben Howland led the Bruins to three straight Final Fours from 2006-08 and fell in the 2006 title game to Florida. Those teams would meet in the third round if each wins their tournament opener.
• The region's opening-round matchups are: No. 1 Kansas against No. 16 Western Kentucky; No. 8 North Carolina against No. 9 Villanova; No. 5 VCU against No. 12 Akron; No. 4 Michigan against No. 13 South Dakota State; No. 6 UCLA against No. 11 Minnesota; No. 3 Florida against No. 14 Northwestern State; No. 7 San Diego State against No. 10 Oklahoma; and No. 2 Georgetown against No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast.
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