How they got in: At-large bid

Basically: The Cougars ripped through its Mountain West Conference schedule for the second year in a row, but were even better this season going 14-2 for a second straight title for the first back-to-back championships in Provo since 1979 and 1980. Perfect at home with a 47-game winning streak, they're a veteran group that's been consistent while still improving. Along with winning the title, the Cougars set a program record for regular-season wins (25) and a conference record for regular-season conference wins (14). With a nice flow both inside and out, the offense is strong enough to handle itself against the running teams, while they can get down and dirty defensively with anyone.

Strengths: Defense. The Cougars won a majority of their games by playing good, solid in-your-face defense forcing opponents to connect on fewer than 39% of shot from the field and less than 30% from beyond the arc. They're also the top defensive rebounding team in the country ripping down close to 27 per game to go along with close to ten offensive boards.

Weaknesses: The bench is very short, and they turn the ball over way too often. For a team that's so defensively aggressive, winning the free throw battle is hard shooting under 66% as a team. As good as they were at home this year (16-0), they only won nine of their 16 games on the road.

Players you should care about: Junior guard Lee Cummard won co-Player of the Year honors in the Mountain West and joined junior center Trent Plaisted as first-team all-conference selections. Junior guard Ben Murdock does an excellent job of getting everyone involved offensively, and his play will set the tone and will have to carry the team through the first two rounds. If he's turning the ball over and other teams are getting into a steady transition game, the Cougars will be bounced.

Best wins: Louisville 78-76; at New Mexico 70-69

Worst losses: Michigan State 68-61; at UNLV 70-41 & 76-61 (MWC championship)