On Saturday UCLA and UNC punched their final 4 tickets to San Antonio. How did the big boys, the strong number #1 seeds get it done? For UCLA it was a change of pace and a welcome one at that. The Bruins didn’t exactly open up a huge lead, but they were in control of the game the entire time. At the half they were up 9, and used a huge run early in the 2nd half to bust this one open, and went on to win 76-57. For UNC it was a tight game for about 25 minutes, and then their all American big man Tyler Hansbrough absolutely took over. Hansbrough had 20 2nd half points, most at crucial moments of the contest when Louisville had crawled back to a tie or within a few points, to propel the Heels forward.

So 2 tickets have been punched; the Tar Heels and Bruins will be representing the ACC and Pac-10 in the Final 4 this year in San Antonio. But 2 more slots remain: can Davidson pull another trick from their sleeve and upend the top seed Jayhawks? Can Texas stop the fast paced high flying top seeded Tigers? Here’s a breakdown of the 2 games:

Sunday

South Regional Final - (1) v (2) - 2:20p, Houston

Memphis is 36-1 this season, undefeated in Conference USA, with their lone loss coming to Tennessee. Their resume speaks volumes of their ability to win big games, but still, the Tigers have been a popular pick to be the first top seed to be bounced. So, naturally in response to that criticism all they’ve done is win their first 3 games, 2 in convincing fashion. They had an easy time with their #16 seed opponent UT-Arlington, and a few days ago absolutely manhandled the Michigan State Spartans. Those were the convincing wins, the trouble was the 3 point escape over Mississippi State. An interesting aspect of that 3 point win was that they were slowed down and forced to play more of a halfcourt game. They obviously ended up winning, as their big stars showed up: Rose (17, 9, 7) and Douglas-Roberts (17,5,4). This team loves to run, and they love transition baskets more than anyone left in the tourney. They spread the ball around well on the break too, and can motor to a huge lead in just minutes.

As soon as the brackets were revealed on Selection Sunday, my eyes were glued to the potential match-up of Memphis/Texas in the South region. Here we are in the elite 8 and we have just that. The Longhorns had an outside shot at a top seed and deservingly so, 31-6 is no slouch of a season. But after their Big-12 conference championship game loss to Kansas, they were awarded the #2 seed and ran with it. They plowed through Austin Peay 74-54, survived a late Miami run to win 75-72, and cruised past Stanford 82-62. Although the Miami game finished with a 3 point margin, Texas was hitting on most cylinders. The real coming out party of this team was their prolific win against the Lopez twins and Stanford. Texas plays a lot of 3 guard sets, and people expected trouble on the inside against the 7 foot Lopez towers; this was not the case. Damion James was a power in the paint, scoring 18 points. As Stanford focused more defensive attention inside, the big men were able to kick it out to guards like star D.J. Augustin, who finished with 23 points and 7 assists. In that game, Texas shot a marvelous 49.2% from the floor and held the Cardinal to a mere 33.8%.

This is going to be a heck of a ball game, that’s the big thing people should know: no team is going to run away with this one. These teams are too balanced, too deep, and too well coached to be blown out on either end. Texas is feeling good after toppling a good Stanford team and Memphis is still playing with a chip on their shoulder. Both teams are going to get good guard play. Augustin for Texas, Douglas-Roberts for Memphis. The teams can play inside too, with Dorsey and James. I think the edge in this game comes down to 2 things: homecourt advantage and coaching. This game is in Houston which is a virtual home game for the Longhorns. Now, you better believe Memphis will have their fans there, but the crowd will be a heavy Texas favorite which is big. As for coaching, both of these coaches have been to a final 4 before. But I like what Rick Barnes has done with this team in a tough Big-12. He’s been criticized in the past for some questionable coaching decisions, but things are rolling right now, and as long as they stick to their game, things should keep rolling. I like Texas to move on to San Antonio in a close one.

Midwest Regional Final - (1) v (10) - 5:05p, Detroit

The fans and alumni of the Jayhawks had very high expectations when Bill Self was hired some years ago now, and that hasn’t wavered one bit. They expect a championship every year, and so far, Self and his teams have only gotten as far as the Elite 8. This year, Kansas is stronger, faster, more experienced, and just a more complete basketball team. They finished the season a staggering 31-3 including a Big-12 championship game win over rival Texas. Arthur, Rush, Chalmers, and Jackson all averaged double figure scoring, and this team has a deep bench too. Kansas was the “worst” of the top seeds, but they’ve arguably played the best 3 games. They trounced Portland State by 24, topped UNLV by 19, and cruised past Villanova by 15. Like a Memphis team, this Kansas squad loves the fast break. They can score inside or kick it out and shoot the 3 with exceptional success.

Davidson was one of the last at-large bids for this year’s tournament. Looking at what they’ve done, kudos to the panel for putting them in. Lead by shooting sensation Stephen Curry, who averaged 25 per game in the regular season, Davidson has beaten 3 champions of different sorts in their 3 games thus far. They beat the West Coast regular season champions Gonzaga in their first round game, topped regular season Big East champion Georgetown, and finally beat Big-10 regular season champion Wisconsin. Stephen Curry is averaging a mind blowing 34.8 points per game, that’s good for 2nd all time in the tournament. Don’t be fooled though, this team goes far beyond just Curry. One of their post players, Andrew Lovedale, doubled his regular season numbers against Wisconsin and provides great energy. This is the Cinderella team of the tournament for sure, but after beating the #2 and #3 seeds in the region, it’s time to take them pretty seriously.

You’d love to give the experience edge in big games to Kansas and rightfully so. But in the regular season, Davidson played away from home at UCLA, at Duke, and at North Carolina. Despite losing those games, they came within arms reach in each contest and learned valuable lessons on how to play and beat the big boys. Obviously to win, they have to shoot the ball well. This team is based on shooting and nobody is better than Curry right now. If he gets off to a fast start it should be a good momentum builder for the Wildcats. But even if Curry is hot right from the start, I just don’t think this team has enough to beat a team as deep as Kansas. Kansas sends unbelievable athletes out there and role players that contribute at just the right times (Kahn, etc). I like the Jayhawks to be the 3rd top seed to reach the final 4, mainly because of their balance, their relentless fast break attack, and overlooked but very good defense.

Enjoy the games!

photos courtsey of wacotrib.com and loserswithsocks.com