EAST REGIONAL

* Fate agreed with the selection committee--at least in this region. The top seeds, Massachusetts and Georgetown, play for the championship with the stakes clear and anticipation huge. But for the Minutemen, a trip to the Final Four would be only part of the reward. Massachusetts coaches and players said Friday that they have been hoping to play Georgetown since the brackets were announced. “This is a great challenge for us,” Coach John Calipari said. “Georgetown has won a national championship and been to Final Fours, and we’ve never done that. [Hoya Coach John Thompson] is a definite Hall of Famer and I’m just a young guy who’s still learning. Our whole staff lives for games like this.”

The Hoyas are bigger, probably a little quicker, and utilize their bench more. Stay focused on the key subplot featuring Allen Iverson, Georgetown’s All-American point guard, and Massachusetts guard Carmelo Travieso. Travieso said he has not been hampered by the back injury he suffered Wednesday when he fell from a platform. But that might change if he chases Iverson for 30-40 minutes.

The Minutemen are making their second appearance in a regional title game. Oklahoma State defeated Massachusetts last season in the East Regional final at East Rutherford, N.J., 68-54, the site of this season’s Final Four. Georgetown last played in a regional title game in 1989 losing to Duke, 85-77, also in the East Regional at East Rutherford.