UNC Greensboro Spartans: 27-7, 15-3 in the Southern Conference
Head coach: Wes Miller (7th season)
Players to watch: Francis Alonso (15.6 PPG, 41.0 3PT%); James Dickey (8.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG); Marvin Smith (12.3 PPG, 33.2 3PT %)
Season recap: After the Spartans struggled for years in the Southern Conference, Miller has turned them into winners.
2017-18 marked the second consecutive 25-plus win season for UNC Greensboro, propelled by a lockdown defense. The Spartans rank sixth in the country in points allowed and shoot a lot of 3-pointers, albeit inefficiently. The Spartans kept it close against now-No. 1 Virginia early in the season despite shooting 4-of-26 from deep and picked up a quality win against ACC foe N.C. State on the road by making 12 triples.
UNC Greensboro finished the season on a tear, winning 11 of its 12 final games en route to the Southern Conference tournament title, helping it punch just its third NCAA tournament berth ever. Alonso has carried the team from deep, but Smith, Dickey and Isaiah Miller both have also take an inordinate amount of 3-pointers, albeit at a lower clip.
How they make a run: Led by Alonso, Spartans get hot from deep and make double-digit 3-pointers, enough to shock one or two early round opponents—with a Sweet 16 exit as their ceiling.
How they falter: Their high-seeded opponent’s talent is ultimately too much for the upstart program to handle, getting dealt a first-round exit.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.