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Midwest-Florida vs. Butler, UNLV vs. Oregon

Florida and Oregon are the obvious choices to move into the Elite Eight from these match-ups. The Gators are the defending champions and return a trio of seemingly NBA-ready starters from last season in PF Joakim Noah, G Taurean Green and C Al Horford. Butler did well to avoid what would have been a classic 12-5 upset in the first round and pulled out a big win against Maryland. But A.J. Graves and company are in way over their heads against arguably the best team in the tournament. All the luck in the world isn't going to save them from a double digit beating in this one.

Oregon, meanwhile, got away from their game in the first round and it almost cost them when Miami of Ohio made a late push. They bounced back with a convincing win over upstart Winthrop on Saturday. UNLV surprised everyone by handily beating second-seeded Wisconsin to advance to the Sweet 16. The Rebels boast a senior laden squad and a balanced attack but will need to play good defence if they hope to stop the Ducks from raining down threes.

Regardless of who comes out on top in the Oregon - UNLV game, they will be hard pressed to stop Florida. The Gators just have too much talent and experience at too many positions to be stopped by either of these schools.

-Charlie Blore

 

West-Kansas vs. Southern Illinois, Pitt vs. UCLA

Kansas can be as dominant a squad as any when it gets hot. The Jayhawks pummelled Niagara and then easily took care of a good team from Kentucky. They also have by far and away the most balanced attack of any team in the tournament: in beating Niagara 107-67, the Jayhawks leading scorer had just 19 points. That being said, Kansas also has loads of high-end talent in guards Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush, as well as forward Julian Wright-each of whom could single-handedly win games if need be. Southern Illinois will be no pushover though. The Salukis are big and play excellent defence-holding Virginia Tech and Holy Cross to 48 and 51 points respectively. Nonetheless, they will be hard pressed to shutdown the eight-headed monster from Kansas.

UCLA won't blow teams out of the water and that's probably the only knock on them. The Bruins play sound defense and get just enough scoring from the solid backcourt play of Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison. They also have experience and good coaching on their side. Pittsburgh should give them a real stiff test. The Panthers can rely on C Aaron Gray to be a force down low and some pretty good perimeter players to chip in as well. Still, it would be a surprise if Kansas and UCLA don't hook up in the Western regional final.

If and when they do, it will be a beauty. Offence against defence and whereas in other sports defence is known to win championships, that's not necessarily the case in NCAA Basketball. Kansas is the better team on paper and UCLA will have to shoot the ball well if they want to go to Atlanta for the Final Four.

-CB

 

South-Ohio State vs. Tennessee, Texas A&M vs. Memphis

Say what you will about Greg Oden, but the kid can play ball. He's all the presence a team could need in the post and he moves the ball well for a big man with a bum hand. The Buckeyes get solid play from the guards Ron Lewis and Mike Conley Jr. But Tennessee brings a ton of talent to their end of the floor, too. Guard Chris Lofton runs the show but his backcourt partner JaJuan Smith is a big-time player as well. The Volunteers looked dominant in giving Long Beach State the beating of their lives in the first round and followed that up with a tight win over a very good Virginia team. The difference maker in this one will be Oden, though, as Tennessee just doesn't have the big bodies to contain him.

Texas A&M has played a very difficult schedule this year and still managed to post a good record. The Aggies are led by Acie Law IV who's an absolute beast at the point. They stumbled a bit in the last weeks leading up to the tournament and that probably cost them a number two ranking. The book on Memphis prior to the tourney was that they were a paper tiger, having not been seriously tested in Conference USA. The Tigers will have a chance to shut their critics up if they can beat the Aggies. Guard Chris Douglas-Roberts is the team's leading scorer and F Joey Dorsey gives them solid play near the glass. Memphis will need to bring their 'A' game if they hope to knock off Law and company.

The Aggies should join the Buckeyes in the eight and if they do, anything can happen because Law can take over a game by himself. He may have to shoot the lights out though because Oden and Ohio State seem destined for a trip to Atlanta.

-CB

 

East?-UNC vs. USC, Georgetown vs. Vanderbilt

The first of two East Regional semi-finals pits a North Carolina team, who many believe can win it all against a Southern California squad that pulled off one of the tournament's biggest shockers. UNC easily dispatched Eastern Kentucky in the opening round and followed that up with a 81-67 win over Michigan State led by all-American PF Tyler Hansbrough. USC, meanwhile, sent Arkansas home in the opening round, and shocked college basketball with an 87-68 win over phenom Kevin Durant and his Texas Longhorns. While Trojans' guard Nick Young has had a spectacular tournament thus far, look for the Tar Heels' superior talent and depth to be too much for L.A.'s other team.

The other semi has the Big East champs from Georgetown taking on a feisty Vanderbilt side that has already upset Florida in the regular season and Washington State in the tournament. The Commodores are led by SEC player of year Derrick Byars and will hope to continue playing the role of the spoiler. But a Hoyas' team led by Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert should be able to dispatch of an overmatched Vandy.

The final might turn out to be the best game of the regional finals. Both Georgetown and North Carolina are traditional powerhouses and seem to be peaking at the right moment. However, give the edge to the Tar Heels. Their superior depth plus experienced coaching from Roy Williams should be enough to get them on to Atlanta and the Final Four.

-David Blye

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