LSU vs. Rutgers
TV: 6 p.m., ESPN.
LSU (30-7) has overcome the turmoil since its coach, Pokey Chatman, resigned after the Southeastern Conference tournament amid allegations of improper relationships with players. Interim coach Bob Starkey, a former assistant, has said he does not want the head-coaching job on a permanent basis. The Tigers are in the Final Four for the fourth straight year, but they never have reached the championship game. No. 3 seed LSU lost four of its final eight regular-season games and also lost the SEC tourney final. Center Sylvia Fowles averages 17.2 ppg and 12.7 rpg.
A team with no seniors that immediately relied heavily on four freshman, No. 4 seed Rutgers (26-8) lost four of its first six games, but coach C. Vivian Stringer felt her team’s lack of defensive intensity was as big a culprit as its inexperience. The group that lost to Duke by 42 points Dec. 4 would beat the top-ranked Blue Devils in the regional semis and go on to give Stringer her second Final Four team in 12 years as Rutgers’ coach. Rutgers has four players averaging between 12.0 and 12.8 ppg, with touted freshman guard Epiphanny Prince (12.6) the No. 2 scorer.
Tennessee vs. N. Carolina
TV: 8:30 p.m., ESPN.
No. 1 seed Tennessee (32-3) is in the NCAA Final Four for the 17th time in the last 26 seasons, all under coach Pat Summitt. In that time the Vols have won six national titles, none since 1998. Two of the Vols’ three losses this season were to Final Four teams-North Carolina (70-57) in December and LSU (63-54) in the SEC tournament. Candace Parker, the only Chicago-area product in the Final Four, has taken her remarkable game up a notch in the NCAA tourney, never more so than in the regional final against Mississippi. In 25 minutes she had 24 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals and 3 assists. Sidney Spencer and Shannon Bobbitt can take the pressure off Parker with three-point shooting.
A year after three Atlantic Coast Conference teams made the Final Four, North Carolina (34-3) is the ACC’s lone team at the big dance. The No. 1 seed Tar Heels lost three of their final six regular-season games (two to Duke) as guard Ivory Latta, the 2006 national player of the year, struggled offensively. UNC rebounded to win the ACC tourney. This is the third team -and second straight – coach Sylvia Hatchell has taken to the Final Four in her 21 years as Tar Heels coach. She won a national title in 1994.
East Region
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Georgetown
Time: 4:05 p.m.
Rrecords: North Carolina 31-6, Georgetown 29-6.
How they got here: North Carolina d. No. 16 Eastern Kentucky, 86-65, d. No. 9 Michigan State, 81-67, d. No. 5 USC, 74-64; Georgetown d. No. 15 Belmont, 80-55, d. No. 7 Boston College, 62-55, d. No. 6 Vanderbilt, 66-65.
The buzz: UNC unleashed a fearsome 18-0 second-half run to overcome a 16-point deficit and beat USC on Friday night. The Heels also played much better defense in the second half. Georgetown isn’t likely to attempt to run with the Heels, as the Trojans did. Instead, Georgetown will look to make it a halfcourt game on both ends, relying on its inside strength. North Carolina won Friday night despite a horrible game from Tyler Hansbrough, who seemed intimidated by USC freshman big man Taj Gibson. UNC won’t win this with another bad game from Hansbrough, who will be going against a more physical frontcourt on Sunday than he saw Friday. UNC enjoys an advantage on the perimeter. The Hoyas’ only legititmate three-point threat is PG Jonathan Wallace, and you can expect the Heels to switch defenders on Wallace frequently in an attempt to wear him down. Georgetown needs big games from 7-2 C Roy Hibbert and F Jeff Green, who is going to cause the Heels some matchup problems. And surely the Hoyas know that in four of UNC’s six losses, the Heels were outrebounded. UNC, which has a big depth advantage, needs to look to attack Green and Hibbert, both of whom can be foul-prone.
The pick: Georgetown.
Midwest Region
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 3 Oregon
Time: 1:40 p.m.
Records: Florida 32-5, Oregon 29-7.
How they got here: Florida d. No. 16 Jackson State, 112-69, d. No. 9 Purdue, 74-67, d. No. 5 Butler, 65-57; Oregon d. No. 14 Miami of Ohio, 58-56, d. No. 11 Winthrop, 75-61, d. No. 7 UNLV, 76-72.
The buzz: This one is all about Oregon’s perimeter shooters. The Ducks are hitting an otherworldly 46.8 percent of their three-pointers in the tourney and all five of the Ducks’ starters can hit from outside. Gs Aaron Brooks and Tajuan Porter have combined to make 185 three-pointers. A bit over 42 percent of the Ducks’ shots come from three-point range (they average 24 three-point attempts per game), and Oregon doesn’t really look to go inside. Maarty Leunen is the Ducks’ leading rebounder, but offensively he is more comfortable shooting jumpers than he is in the low post. The Ducks have more quickness on the perimeter than Florida, and it’ll be interesting to see how UF tries to handle Brooks and Porter. Gators PG Taurean Green needs to ramp up his defensive intensity. Four Ducks starters shoot at least 78 percent from the line, too. The Gators allow foes to make a bit less than 30 percent of their three-point attempts; still, look for Florida to try to do what it did Friday against Butler: invite the drive. In that scenario, UF’s big men get more involved defensively. Offensively, UF needs to be prepared for a scrambling-style defense, and Green must value every possession, which hasn’t always happened this tournament. Florida needs Walter Hodge and Corey Brewer to try to get into the lane; against the Ducks, that often leads to easy baskets because of their lack of size.
The pick: Oregon.
South Region
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Memphis
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Records: Ohio State 33-3, Memphis 33-3.
How they got here: Ohio State d. No. 16 Central Connecticut State, 78-57, d. No. 9 Xavier, 78-71 (OT), d. No. 5 Tennessee, 85-84; Memphis d. No. 15 North Texas, 73-58, d. No. 7 Nevada, 78-62, d. No. 3 Texas A&M, 65-64.
The buzz: Memphis has won 25 in a row, Ohio State 20 in a row. Both survived close games Thursday, Ohio State winning in a shootout with Tennessee and Memphis out-toughing Texas A&M in a defensive battle. While Ohio State played a lot of grind-it-out affairs late in the regular season, the Buckeyes have the athletes – especially on the perimeter – to run with Memphis, which favors a fast pace. Still, the Buckeyes seem more comfortable with the game in the high 60s/low 70s, games in which C Greg Oden has more of an impact. The Tigers substituted liberally and wore down A&M, and look for more of the same today as they’ll attempt to tire out Oden. Memphis is strong in the low post, so the biggest sub-plot to this game is how effective the Tigers can be with Oden in their way. One thing to watch: Joey Dorsey is Memphis’ best low-post threat, but he’s also foul-prone. If Oden can coax Dorsey into foul trouble, Memphis is in big trouble. Both teams are strong on the perimeter; Ohio State has four good three-point shooters, the Tigers three. Ohio State is less sloppy with the ball than Memphis, and neither is particularly proficient from the line. Memphis, though, has been money from the line the past two games.
The pick: Ohio State.
West Region
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 UCLA
Time: 6:05 p.m.
Records: Kansas 33-4, UCLA 29-5.
How they got here: Kansas d. No. 16 Niagara, 107-67, d. No. 8 Kentucky, 88-76, d. No. 4 Southern Illinois, 61-58; UCLA d. No. 15 Weber State, 70-42, d. No. 7 Indiana, 54-49, d. No. 3 Pittsburgh, 64-55.
The buzz: Kansas was held to its second-lowest point total of the season Thursday, but still prevailed. UCLA, meanwhile, was involved in its sixth consecutive game in which it didn’t score more than 70 points. The Jayhawks want a fast pace, but the Bruins aren’t going to allow that to happen. Kansas proved against Southern Illinois that it could handle a blue-collar team that plays great defense; now it has to prove it can beat an athletically gifted team that plays great defense. Kansas has lost four times; in three of the losses, the Jayhawks scored 66 or fewer points, and in the other, they scored 71. The Jayhawks should enjoy an advantage in the low post, where Julian Wright, Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson are as talented a quartet as you can find. But UCLA generally finds a way to negate its opponent’s height advantage. As usual, UCLA will rely on its perimeter players to provide the bulk of its offense. UCLA PG Darren Collison is going to have to work hard on the defensive end trying to contain Kansas’ Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers (who was shut down by SIU on Thursday) and Russell Robinson. UCLA wing players Arron Afflalo and Josh Shipp are more physical than their KU counterparts, and Afflalo, in particular, is going to be a tough matchup for the Jayhawks. The biggest wild card is KU swingman Brandon Rush, who has lacked consistency this season but still has a world of talent.
The pick: UCLA.