LAWRENCE — The madness is here — almost. The NCAA Tournament begins tonight with two “First Four” matchups in Dayton, Ohio.

But the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks got an early dose of the Big Dance on Tuesday, when Sports Illustrated released its regional covers for its NCAA Tournament preview edition.

Kansas freshman guard Ben McLemore graced the cover of one edition, posing in Allen Fieldhouse while surrounded by KU students. The cover came just one day after McLemore was selected second-team All-America by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

It’s the second Sports Illustrated cover for a Kansas player this season. Senior guard Elijah Johnson appeared on a regional cover for the magazine's season preview edition back in November. Three other players appeared on tourney preview covers: Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk and Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams.