POSTSEASON CENTRAL

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Four American Athletic Conference teams will have the opportunity to compete for a national title following Sunday’s announcement of the 68-team field for the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
 
The American’s four NCAA selections include two of the last three NCAA champions – 2013 winner Louisville and 2011 titlist UConn. They join recent tournament mainstays Cincinnati and Memphis in the race for this year’s national championship.
 
SMU, which is ranked No. 25 and No. 23 in this week’s national polls, was not selected to the NCAA field, despite four wins against top-25 teams in the regular season and 12 conference wins for the first time since the 1992-93 season.
 
“We are extremely proud to send four of our teams to the NCAA Championship,” said Commissioner Mike Aresco. “All four teams and their coaches are truly deserving of the opportunity to compete for the national championship based on their strong results and rankings. Our teams have enjoyed tremendous success in our inaugural season, and we are confident that they will continue to play well in the postseason. At the same time, we are disappointed for SMU after their fine season, but their future, and our conference’s future, is very bright.”
 
Louisville, which captured the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships, begins its NCAA title defense Thursday, March 20, against 13th-seeded Manhattan, which is coached by former Cardinal assistant Steve Masiello. The Cardinals (29-5) will be the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and will play their second-round game in Orlando, Fla. Louisville has won its last 12 postseason games, is 20-1 in its last 21 postseason contests and is looking for its third consecutive Final Four appearance. Coach Rick Pitino is the only coach who has led two schools to NCAA Championships (Louisville in 2013 and Kentucky in 1996).
 
Cincinnati will make its fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and its fifth postseason appearance in the last six years as the Bearcats face Ivy League champion Harvard in Spokane, Wash., as part of the East Regional. Seeded No. 5, the Bearcats take a 27-6 overall record into the tournament and tied for the American Athletic Conference title at 15-3. Cincinnati is ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press top 25 poll and No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
 
UConn returns to NCAA tournament play for the 32nd time as the Huskies look for a fourth NCAA title. The Huskies earned the No. 7 seed in the East Region and will face No. 10-seeded Saint Joseph’s in the tournament’s second round in Buffalo, N.Y. UConn is ranked No. 21 in both national polls as the Huskies take a 26-8 record into the postseason.
 
Memphis also will make its fourth straight NCAA Championship appearance as the Tigers take a 23-9 record into tournament play. Memphis will be the No. 8 seed in the East Region and will face George Washington in second-round play in Raleigh, N.C. The Tigers have won 20 games for the 12th consecutive season and will make their 26th NCAA tournament appearance.
 
 
American Athletic Conference Selections to the 2014 NCAA Championship
Second Round - Thursday, March 20
No 4. Louisville vs. No. 13 Manhattan – Midwest Region, Orlando, Fla.
No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 12 Harvard – East Region, Spokane, Wash.
No. 7 UConn vs. No. 10 Saint Joseph’s – East Region, Buffalo, N.Y.
 
Second Round - Friday, March 21
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 George Washington – East Region, Raleigh, N.C.