OAKLAND REGIONAL
No. 1 Memphis (32-3) vs. No. 13 Bradley (22-10)
Time: 6:27 (WBBM-Ch. 2)
How Memphis got here: beat No. 16 Oral Roberts 94-78, No. 9 Bucknell 72-56.
How Bradley got here: beat No. 4 Kansas 77-73, No. 5 Pittsburgh 72-66.
The buzz: Bradley has enjoyed a marvelous run, but it’s hard to imagine the Braves can hang with Memphis. Bradley has a good group of athletes, and they have a legit big-time center in Patrick O’Bryant, a 7-0, 260-pound sophomore. Still, the Braves’ only hope is that O’Bryant and talented F Marcus Sommerville (an Illinois transfer) hold their own up front against a plethora of Memphis big men and that somebody steps up and makes some three-pointers.
No. 2 UCLA (29-6) vs. No. 3 Gonzaga (29-3)
Time: 8:57 (WBBM-Ch. 2)
How UCLA got here: beat No. 15 Belmont 78-44, No. 10 Alabama 62-59.
How Gonzaga got here: beat No. 14 Xavier 79-75, No. 6 Indiana 90-80.
The buzz: Nobody has scored even 60 points against the Bruins since Feb. 23 — a span of eight games. Trust us: The Zags won’t win if they are held to less than 60. UCLA gives up 58.7 points, beats up foes on the boards and runs an efficient offense (48.3 percent from the field). They have an excellent backcourt in PG Jordan Farmar and SG Arron Afflalo. The Zags are good offensively, lackluster defensively. In forward Adam Morrison and center P.J. Batista, Gonzaga has an excellent frontcourt offensive duo, one that averages 47.9 points on 53.6 percent shooting.
One thing to keep in mind: The Zags have made more free throws (615) than their opponents have attempted (601).
ATLANTA REGIONAL
No. 1 Duke (32-3) vs. No. 4 LSU (25-8)
Time: 6:10
How Duke got here: beat No. 16 Southern 70-54, No. 8 George Washington 74-61
How LSU got here: beat No. 13 Iona 80-64, No. 12 Texas A&M 58-57.
The buzz: LSU’s only hope for an upset rests on big men Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Tyrus Thomas. They have to score points and keep Duke’s Shelden Williams from taking over down low. LSU is not going to be able to stop Duke G J.J. Redick, so if Williams also is ultra-productive, Duke rolls. LSU will be as physical as possible with Williams, so don’t be surprised to see LSU frontcourt reserves Darnell Lazare and Magnum Rolle get in foul trouble.
No. 2 Texas (29-6) vs. No. 6 West Virginia (22-10)
Time: 8:40
How Texas got here: beat No. 15 Penn 60-52, No. 10 N.C. State 75-54.
How West Virginia got here: beat No. 11 Southern Illinois 64-46, No. 14 Northwestern State (La.) 67-54.
The buzz: Teams met Nov. 21 in a semifinal of the Guardians Classic in Kansas City, with the Longhorns prevailing 76-75. Texas hammered WVU on the boards 41-22 that day, and you can expect a similar margin again. Texas thrives when its big men–center LaMarcus Aldridge and forwards P.J. Tucker and Brad Buckman–dominate down low. WVU, meanwhile, can win this only if it is hitting its three-pointers. More than half the Mountaineers’ shots are threes; they shoot 29 per game and make 10. WVU takes good care of the ball; it averages just 8.7 turnovers and has an incredible team assist-turnover ratio of 2-1.
