ELITE EIGHT PREVIEW: March 23
West Region: MISSOURI (12) vs. OKLAHOMA (2) | Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET
The Big 12 has to be happy with a conference showdown taking place out west as Missouri and Oklahoma will battle for a trip to Atlanta. Kelvin Sampson and Quin Snyder are certainly happy with their teams!
Sampson is one of the Rolls Royce coaches out there. He understands the game, relates well with people and can flat-out motivate. His Sooners put on a brilliant show in beating a talented Arizona team in the regional semifinal. The Wildcat squad is so good that if they all return, I will probably pick them pre-season No. 1 next year!
Hollis Price carried Oklahoma in the first half, hitting six trifectas while scoring 22 of his team's 33 points. Then Ebi Ere and Aaron McGhee came on strong when Price got into foul trouble -- the duo combined for 35 points as the Sooners put up a 55-30 second half scoring edge. It was a brilliant offensive show!
(Kelvin) Sampson is one of the Rolls Royce coaches out there. He understands the game, relates well with people and can flat-out motivate.
Sampson has gone through an emotional time, as his father is recovering from brain surgery. Anyone who knows Kelvin knows it is more than a typical father-son coaching relationship. His dad played a big part in his development for the love of the game.
Oklahoma is so athletic and talented, and they play defense hard. They did a great job against Luke Walton and Jason Gardner. Next comes a challenge against a red-hot Missouri team. The Sooners won their prior meeting this season, 84-71, behind 24 points, including five trifectas, from Price. Oklahoma dominated the boards in that game, 43-26.
Missouri also turned the ball over 18 times in that loss. Clarence Gilbert scored 26 points in the loss and he has to come up big again here. Kareem Rush struggled and shot 4-for-15 -- he must perform better in this regional final. Arthur Johnson, who was impressive against Dan Gadzuric on Thursday (14 points,13 rebounds), was held to four points and four boards against the Sooners. He also has to be a factor this weekend.
The Tigers are playing like the team most expected to see earlier this season. Missouri was a top 10 team in the preseason and opened 9-0. This is not a No. 12 seed; that was a joke. This team was on a roller-coaster ride, but now they are playing at their best.
I love Snyder. I love his coaching ability, his communication skills and recruiting skills. His team is playing well at the right time. They played great against Duke in the second round of the NCAA last season before falling.
Early this season, there was criticism galore but Snyder kept on believing in his club. He kept instructing and motivating his team. There is more balance, not just scoring from Rush and Gilbert. Rickey Paulding has come through on the wing.
Missouri is outstanding in transition. This club is not the same one Oklahoma handled with ease in Norman earlier this season.
Something tells me this regional and the magical moment will belong to Sampson and his Sooners. Can they control the glass? Missouri will have a hard time against McGhee and Company. Ere on the wing and Price on the perimeter give Oklahoma too many weapons. I feel the Sooners won't be denied. This will be an outstanding basketball match-up.
The Tigers have the arsenal to march on, but this Oklahoma team has been battle-tested with victories over Maryland, Connecticut and Kansas on its resume. I see them representing the Big 12 down in Atlanta.
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ELITE EIGHT PREVIEW: March 23
South Region: KENT STATE (10) vs. INDIANA (5) | Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Wow, can you believe it? Kent State vs. Indiana in the South battling for a trip to the Final Four! Not many people would have thought the Dukies would be sent home by the Hoosiers. Indiana showed heart, guts and a sense of pride.
Mike Davis' team did not quit despite falling behind 17 points in the first half. Now the Hoosiers take that momentum into the regional final against a Golden Flashes team that still feels it has something to prove.
Davis showed a burst of jubilation after the win over Duke. His team plays with intensity and emotion and has come on after a 7-5 start this season. Indiana played a quality non-league schedule that helped prepare this team for the tournament run.
Huffman was originally told he couldn't play for a Division I school. His mother told him to go to Division II before (former coach) Waters gave him a shot. He's now the school's all-time leading scorer.
While Duke struggled from the foul line against Indiana, Kent State was strong against Pittsburgh, hitting 19 of 23 from the line.
Can the Hoosiers put together another big performance after the emotional effort against the Dukies? Jared Jeffries was the main factor late against Duke, unstoppable on the offensive glass. He scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and he figures to give the Golden Flashes problems inside.
Both of these teams can scrap and battle on the defensive end. It figures to be an intense battle where the team that can show consistency from behind the arc has an edge.
If Jeffries had stayed healthy, I believe Indiana would have won the Big Ten title outright. Jeffries is so special with his versatility. He can beat you inside with penetration or by posting you up, or by going outside to shoot the jumper. The Hoosiers have other weapons like Jarrad Odle, who came up big against Duke.
Indiana is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1993, and you know this match-up is special. It is the revenge factor, baby, as the Hoosiers remember last year's first-round loss to the Golden Flashes. Indiana led by eight points at halftime before Kent State, then coached by current Rutgers coach Gary Waters, outscored the Hoosiers, 43-31, in the second half.
Jeffries was held to nine points in that loss. Trevor Huffman, who has been the key for Kent State so far in this tournament, scored 24 points in 38 minutes in the shocker. Indiana was plagued by 18 turnovers in the loss.
Remember, Huffman was originally told he couldn't play for a Division I school. His mother told him to go to Division II before Waters gave him a shot. He's now the school's all-time leading scorer.
The Golden Flashes have had a great run with victories over Oklahoma State out of the heavyweight Big 12; Alabama, the SEC West regular season champions; and Pittsburgh, one of the premier teams in the Big East.
Kent State has an outstanding perimeter game. That's the one thing about mid-majors -- they usually have strength on the outside because they return experienced players.
Stan Heath, the former Michigan State assistant under Tom Izzo, knows a thing or two about winning. He's one game away from another trip to the Final Four! Kent State struggled early, but Heath convinced his team that the style of play would work. The team learned the style that was needed and after a 4-4 start, Kent State has confidence and a 21-game win streak.
Antonio Gates has become a dominant player on the wing, and inside-outside threat who was brilliant against Pittsburgh with 22 points and nine rebounds. Huffman gives them the toughness and an ability to make the big play. Andrew Mitchell gives them an exceptional ballhandler.
Kent State can flat-out defend and guard people. They come out and play hard, and they take good shots on offense. They have earned their spot in the Elite Eight.
This will be another Maalox Masher. The difference will be Jeffries on the baseline. I feel the Hoosiers will march on in a tough battle, making the Final Four for the first time since 1992, the season that Indiana lost to Duke in Minneapolis.
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ELITE EIGHT PREVIEW: March 23
East Region: MARYLAND (1) vs. CONNECTICUT (2) | Sunday, TBA
Coaches Gary Williams and Jim Calhoun will battle for a trip to the Final Four. In an earlier matchup this season, Maryland dominated on the inside, where Chris Wilcox and Lonny Baxter were too physical on the baseline for the UConn Huskies.
This matchup it will come down to whether or not the Huskies can handle the physical play of the Terps.
But remember, this is a young Connecticut team that has come a long way since. The development of Ben Gordon on the perimeter and Emeka Okafor on the interior has made this a special team. Okafor has become one of the premier shot b****ers in the nation.
After winning twelve in a row, Connecticut is on fire! And the Huskies will face another high-flying team in the Maryland Terps, who've won 16 of their last 17 games.
This matchup will come down to whether or not the Huskies can handle the physical play of the Terps. My gut feeling is it will be a Maalox-masher. But ultimately, the strength of the interior should give Maryland the edge.
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ELITE EIGHT PREVIEW: March 23
Midwest Region: KANSAS (1) vs. Oregon (2) | Sunday, TBA
Oregon features the "Big Three" -- Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson and Frederick Jones, but when you look at this Kansas team, it is balance galore both inside and outside! The development of the Jayhawks' bench has contributed big-time. Especially their diaper dandies: Keith Langford with his scoring ability, Aaron Miles is a penetrator with superb quickness and Wayne Simien has been a major factor on the interior.
The dynamite duo of Nick Collison and Drew Gooden make the Jayhawks so difficult to match up with.
The dynamite duo of Nick Collison and Drew Gooden make the Jayhawks so difficult to match up with. Then there's the wing play of Kirk Hinrich and the jump-shooting ability of Jeff Boschee.
The Oregon Ducks can get points as quickly as anyone and are very explosive. Ernie Kent's club plays with a lot of passion and feeling. But the tempo of this game will favor the Kansas Jayhawks. Their ability to shoot the rock and the dynamite duo inside, led by All-American Gooden, should be too much for Oregon to handle on the interior and should set up Kansas to march on to their first Final Four since 1993.