A look at tonight's four Sweet 16 games:

East Region

No. 2 Georgetown vs. No. 6 Vanderbilt

Time: 6:27 p.m.

Records: Georgetown 28-6, Vandy 22-11.

How they got here: Georgetown d. No. 15 Belmont 80-55, d. No. 7 Boston College 62-55; Vandy d. No. 11 George Washington 77-44, d. No. 3 Washington State 78-74 (2OTs).

The buzz: These teams played in mid-November in Nashville, with Georgetown winning by 16. The Hoyas carved up Vandy's defense, which is no surprise considering the talent difference between Georgetown's big men and Vandy's.

The Commodores' hopes rest with their three-point shooters. Derrick Byars, Dan Cage and Shan Foster have to be hot, or Vandy has no chance. When Vandy is hitting its three-pointers, it also gets a lot of easy layups off back-door cuts because defenses have to shift their emphasis to the perimeter.

Hoyas F Jeff Green and C Roy Hibbert should have success in the paint, and if Vandy has to worry too much about that duo, G Jonathan Wallace - a good three-point shooter himself - is going to get open looks on the perimeter. In addition, the Hoyas' physical defense and rebounding ability are going to cause problems for Vandy.

The pick: Georgetown.

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 5 USC

Time: 8:57 p.m.

Records: North Carolina 30-6, USC 25-11.

How they got here: North Carolina d. No. 16 Eastern Kentucky 86-65, d. No. 9 Michigan State 81-67; USC d. No. 12 Arkansas 77-60, d. No. 4 Texas 87-68.

The buzz: The Tar Heels are the deepest team in the tournament, players 1-10, and have tremendous athleticism. They want a fast pace (the Heels have scored less than 70 points just once and more than 85 a total of 18 times this season) and have a number of weapons, both inside and out. They sometimes are lax on defense, though, something that can't be said about the Trojans.

USC has good athletes, but the Trojans do not want to get into a track meet with the Heels. Instead, they'll look to control the tempo and try to have the game end up in the high 60s or low 70s. USC's lack of a true point guard could be problematic, considering the quickness of Heels PG Ty Lawson. Look for USC to be patient on offense and as physical as possible on defense.

One guy to watch is USC freshman big man Taj Gibson, who is foul-prone; if he's on the bench, the Trojans are going to get eaten up inside. USC also needs Lodrick Stewart to be "on" from three-point range.

The pick: North Carolina.

Midwest Region

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 5 Butler

Time: 6:10 p.m.

Records: Florida 31-5, Butler 29-6.

How they got here: Florida d. No. 16 Jackson State 112-69, d. No. 9 Purdue 74-67; Butler d. No. 12 Old Dominion 57-46, d. No. 4 Maryland 62-59.

The buzz: Butler is small, slow and unathletic; the Bulldogs don't create a lot of turnovers or even hit a high percentage of their shots. So why should Florida be afraid? Because Butler doesn't make mistakes (the only team in the nation that averages less than 10 turnovers per game), is deadly from the line and usually is able to control the tempo. For instance, Butler held Tennessee - which averages 80.8 points per game and scored 78 and 86 in games against Florida - to 44 points.

The Bulldogs are patient and don't mind running the shot clock down. Plus, of their six losses, four came in their league against teams used to their style and another came against Southern Illinois, which employs the same style as Butler. At the same Time, Butler is small, slow and unathletic.

Florida's perimeter defense is strong, so the Gators should crush the Bulldogs on the boards and get open looks from three-point range. Florida's frontcourt should have a huge day, and as long as the Gators don't get too impatient and commit a flurry of turnovers (we mean you, Taurean Green), they should win.

The pick: Florida.

No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 7 UNLV

Time: 8:40 p.m.

Records: Oregon 28-7, UNLV 30-6.

How they got here: Oregon d. No. 3 Miami of Ohio 58-56, d. No. 11 Winthrop 75-61; UNLV d. No. 10 Georgia Tech 67-63, d. No. 2 Wisconsin 74-68.

The buzz: UNLV is the lowest-seeded team still alive in the tournament - but the Runnin' Rebels won 30 games, so this is no Cinderella story. UNLV is a well-coached, cohesive group with a nice collection of athletes. F Wendell White is a solid offensive player; he can score in the low post and also hit the 15-footer. Gs Wink Adams, Kevin Kruger and Michael Umeh are three-point threats, and reserve C Joel Anthony is one of the best shot-blockers in the nation. Coach Lon Kruger's attention to detail on defense is why UNLV is here.

The Runnin' Rebels can't afford to let Oregon play at its pace; like many middle seeds, UNLV is going to want to bump-and-grind and be physical. Oregon has been a surprise this season. The Ducks love to run, and in Gs Aaron Brooks, Tajuan Porter and Bryce Taylor, they have three good perimeter players who are athletic and can shoot the "3." Big man Maarty Leunen isn't a banger, and the Ducks usually don't get much from their bench. Their scrambling defense causes problems, though, and they're good from the free-throw line.

The pick: Oregon.