SOUTHEAST REGIONAL

* No. 1 Kansas (33-1) vs. No. 8 Purdue (18-11)--Boilermaker Coach Gene Keady said Thursday at the prospect of facing the top-ranked Jayhawks: “I’m going to go home and throw up.” That may be a more appealing thought than having to face Kansas’ front line of 6-foot-11 Raef LaFrentz, 6-11 Scot Pollard and 6-7 Paul Pierce, who combined for 49 points and 46 rebounds in a 78-64 first-round victory over Jackson State. Keady’s team slipped by Rhode Island, 83-76, in overtime behind Brad Miller’s 31 points. It is highly unlikely that Miller, the Boilermaker center, will have such a game against the Jayhawks, leaving the offense to the Purdue backcourt. Point guard Chad Austin scored 15 against Rhode Island, but now has Jacque Vaughn guarding him. That means the other guards who play regularly for Purdue, Alan Eldridge and Jaraan Cornell, will both need big games. Neither scored against Rhode Island.

* No. 4 Arizona (20-9) vs. No. 12 College of Charleston (29-2)--The Cougars proved to the rest of the Southeast that they were for real by defeating fifth-seeded Maryland, 75-66, and the Wildcats showed they might not be--struggling to get past South Alabama, 65-57. But the first round has always been the problem for Arizona--it lost there in 1992, 1993, and 1995. But when the Wildcats get that first victory, they tend to go far--making it the round of 16 last year and the Final Four in 1994. College of Charleston will have to contend with Arizona’s guard rotation of Mike Bibby, Miles Simon and Jason Terry and swingman Michael Dickerson. The four combined for 48 of Arizona’s points Thursday. Charleston’s strength is inside with Stacy Harris, who scored 22 against Maryland, and center Thaddeous Delaney. The Cougars will be attacking a small Arizona front line that was outrebounded by undersized South Alabama.