No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 2 Texas
WHERE: Reliant Stadium, Houston.
WHEN: 1:20 p.m.
ANNOUNCERS: Jim Nantz and Billy Packer.
RECORDS: Memphis 36-1, Texas 31-6.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Memphis d. No. 16 UT Arlington 87-63, d. No. 8 Mississippi State 77-74, d. No. 5 Michigan State 92-74; Texas d. No. 15 Austin Peay 74-54, d. No. 7 Miami 75-72, d. No. 3 Stanford 82-62.
THE BUZZ: Memphis has more talent, so Texas needs to play at an extremely high level – and feed off the crowd – if it is to pull the upset. Texas’ lack of size in the backcourt could hurt against a big group of Memphis guards, and Texas’ lack of bulk in the frontcourt could hurt against Memphis’ big guys. But Texas may actually enjoy a quickness advantage, and the Longhorns’ superb ballhandling should reduce Memphis’ transition baskets. Making the Tigers set up and play in a half-court set is a huge step toward beating them. Look for Memphis coach John Calipari to use his depth to his advantage; Texas coach Rick Barnes doesn’t have the same type of talent on his bench that Calipari does, but Barnes still needs to use his reserve big men, if for nothing else to come in and be physical. It would help Texas’ cause if 6-foot-10 junior Connor Atchley can hit some perimeter shots; that obviously would serve a two-fold purpose – it would force Memphis’ big guys to worry about his offense and presumably open the lane for guards D.J. Augustin and Justin Mason to get to the basket. A.J. Abrams’ three-point ability also will be huge for the Longhorns. As usual, Memphis center Joey Dorsey bears watching; when he plays well, Memphis is almost impossible to beat. Texas forward Damion James has been phenomenal in the NCAAs, but this will be the first tourney opponent for Texas whose big men are as athletic as James.
THE LINE: Memphis by 3.5.
HUGUENIN’S PICK: Memphis by 2.
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 10 Davidson
WHERE: Ford Field, Detroit.
WHEN: 4:05 p.m.
ANNOUNCERS: Gus Johnson and Len Elmore.
RECORDS: Kansas 34-3, Davidson 29-6.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Kansas d. No. 16 Portland State 85-61, d. No. 8 UNLV 75-56, d. No. 12 Villanova 72-57; Davidson d. No. 7 Gonzaga 82-76, d. No. 2 Georgetown 74-70, d. No. 3 Wisconsin 73-56.
THE BUZZ: Davidson is trying to become the first team ever to beat a No. 1, a No. 2 and a No. 3 seed to reach the Final Four. Davidson also is trying to become the first No. 10 seed to ever reach the Final Four; Kansas, meanwhile, is trying to reach the Final Four without having beaten a team seeded better than No. 8.
In its past two games, Davidson has beaten arguably the two best defensive teams in the tournament in Georgetown and Wisconsin; indeed, the Wildcats made the Badgers’ vaunted defense look high-schoolish. The reward is a game against Kansas, which is experienced and has a great mix of athletic big men and quick perimeter players. As always, Davidson needs Stephen Curry – unquestionably the MVP of the tourney so far – to again be hot from beyond the arc; when Curry is hitting his three-pointers, the court opens up for the rest of the Wildcats. Point guard Jason Richards is the nation’s assists leader, and he gets the ball to the right people at the right time; Richards also has three-point ability. Davidson’s big guys aren’t stars, but they are serviceable. The key for the Wildcats is getting some points from big men Andrew Lovedale and/or Thomas Sander and for that duo to stay out of foul trouble and on the court. Kansas has three good ballhandlers, but the Jayhawks still need to watch out for Davidson’s quickness on defense. Kansas prefers a fast pace, as does Davidson. KU’s big guys can run all day, and the Jayhawks’ perimeter guys can get to the rim or stop and pop.
THE LINE: Kansas by 9.
HUGUENIN’S PICK: Kansas by 5.
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Louisville
WHERE: Bobcats Arena, Charlotte
TIME: 8:05 p.m.
ANNOUNCERS: Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas.
RECORDS: North Carolina 35-2, Louisville 27-8.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: North Carolina d. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s 113-74, d. No. 9 Arkansas 108-77, d. No. 4 Washington State 68-47; Louisville d. No. 14 Boise State 79-61, d. No. 6 Oklahoma 78-48, d. No. 2 Tennessee 79-60.
THE BUZZ: North Carolina has absolutely mauled opponents in the NCAA tournament. However, so has Louisville – and the Cardinals’ competition has been better. Louisville’s defense – a mix of aggressive man-to-man and a zone – has been superb in the second half of the season. It will need to continue to be so if the Cardinals are to win this game. So much ink is given to Tar Heels forward Tyler Hansbrough that many folks overlook UNC’s other players. Ty Lawson is one of the nation’s best point guards. Wayne Ellington has great range and also can get into the lane. Danny Green is a big-time scorer off the bench. Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson are effective garbage-men around the basket. In short, the Heels are loaded. UNC does a lot of its damage from 15 feet in, not surprising given Hansbrough’s presence. In fact, the Tar Heels average just 5.6 three-pointers per game. UNC leads the nation in offensive rebounds and also gets to the line more than any other team. Louisville has the height to negate UNC’s usual advantage on the boards. If the Cardinals are to pull the upset in what essentially is a UNC home game, they have to win the rebounding battle. UNC outrebounds foes by about 12 per game; Louisville is at plus-3.2. Louisville has had a propensity to be sloppy with the ball, and UNC will turn those turnovers into transition baskets. Look for Louisville center David Padgett to be more involved in the offense. Earl Clark has been a beast off the bench, and he’ll be a matchup problem for the Heels. Louisville has four effective three-point shooters, and if those guys are knocking down some perimeter shots, Louisville becomes extremely difficult to defend. Look for the Cardinals to try to make this somewhat of a grind-it-out affair. Louisville isn’t going to win a track meet with the Tar Heels.
THE LINE: North Carolina by 5.5.
HUGUENIN’S PICK: Louisville by 3.
McCLELLAN’S PICK: UNC by 5.
SKWARA’S PICK: UNC by 3.
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 3 Xavier
WHERE: U.S. Airways Center, Phoenix.
TIME: 5:40 p.m.
ANNOUNCERS: Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery.
RECORDS: UCLA 34-3, Xavier 30-6.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: UCLA d. No. 16 Mississippi Valley State 70-29, d. No. 9 Texas A&M 51-49, d. No. 12 Western Kentucky 88-78; Xavier d. No. 14 Georgia 73-61, d. No. 6 Purdue 85-78, d. No. 7 West Virginia 79-75 (OT).
THE BUZZ: UCLA hasn’t looked all that good the past two rounds. The Bruins had a 21-point halftime lead against Western Kentucky, but the Hilltoppers were in the game until the final minute. The Bruins barely got past Texas A&M in the second round, thanks to a ferocious defensive effort. In short, the Bruins look vulnerable. Xavier has the type of team to take advantage of that vulnerability. Whether the Musketeers can pull it off is another matter. Xavier has five players averaging in double figures, but the Musketeers absolutely need a big game from 6-9 forward Josh Duncan, whose perimeter game opens up the lane for Xavier’s slashers. Xavier also is a good rebounding team, and the Musketeers have more depth and more athleticism in their frontcourt than UCLA. The Bruins could use a return to form from swingman Josh Shipp, a solid all-around player whose shot has deserted him of late (he’s 15 of 46 from the floor in the past six games, including 4-for-22 from three-point range – and two of those three-pointers were against Western Kentucky). The Bruins also need a steady game from Darren Collison, who was thoroughly outplayed by Western’s Tyrone Brazelton. UCLA guard Russell Westbrook is the wild card. His quickness makes him a handful on both ends. If Xavier puts lockdown defender Stanley Burrell on Westbrook, Collison and/or Shipp could have big games. UCLA’s biggest weapon is freshman big man Kevin Love, who has been almost unstoppable in the second half of the season. His presence is why UCLA outrebounds opponents by more than eight per game.
THE LINE: UCLA by 6.
HUGUENIN’S PICK: UCLA by 3.
McCLELLAN’S PICK: UCLA by 7.
SKWARA’S PICK: UCLA by 7.
