SOUTH REGIONAL

At Indianapolis

* Auburn (28-3) vs. Oklahoma State (23-10): Auburn freshman David Hamilton missed the first-round win over Winthrop because he returned to Compton after his mother suffered a stroke and died. The funeral was Friday, and the reserve forward will also not be with the team today. Hamilton averaged 18.5 minutes before breaking his right leg in a pickup game at Compton on Christmas Eve that sidelined him for 17 games. He played in the Southeastern Conference tournament, then took the leave of absence. Oklahoma State, coming off a first-round victory over Syracuse, has won seven of its last nine. Both losses were to Kansas, one by a point on the road in overtime. Against the Orangemen, the Cowboys never trailed and were tied only once. Desmond Mason scored 28 and Adrian Peterson had 21, making the Cowboys one of only three teams to have two players score at least 20 on the tournament’s opening day.

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Detroit Mercy (25-5) vs. Ohio State (24-8): Detroit is in the second round for the second year in a row after beating UCLA on Thursday and limiting Baron Davis and Earl Watson to a combined 10-for-23 shooting and 25 points. Now comes another big challenge for the Titans’ defensive-minded guards. The Ohio State tandem of Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd is one of the best in the country, even if Penn did miss 10 of 12 shots, including seven of eight three-pointers, in the first-round win over Murray State. Redd made up for Penn’s woeful shooting by making half of his 20 shots and scoring a game-high 27. Guards Jermaine Jackson and Rashad Phillips combined for 34 points against UCLA.

AT ORLANDO, FLA.

Indiana (23-10) vs. St. John’s (26-8): Both are coming off blowout wins, Indiana by 20 over George Washington and St. John’s by 26 over Samford. The Hoosiers didn’t beat any team by more than 11 during Big Ten play, and the 108 points marked their best-ever output in the tournament. They are in the second round for the second year in a row, this time after denying St. John’s Coach Mike Jarvis the chance to meet his former team today. It’s the first trip to the round of 32 for St. John’s in six years. Ron Artest had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Samford. Neither team has been to the Sweet 16 in the past four years, with the Hoosiers last winning two tournament games in 1994, the Red Storm in 1991.

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Creighton (22-8) vs. Maryland (27-5): “We will have to play like we’ve never played before just to be in the game,” Creighton Coach Dana Altman said. The challenge includes slowing down Maryland, something rarely accomplished, and handling the Terrapin press. The Bluejays’ recovery from the 13-point second-half deficit in the first round against Louisville gave them their first tournament victory since 1991 and only their second in 25 years. Maryland defeated last year’s Cinderella team, Valparaiso, by 22 in the first round, and will be looking to keep Creighton from becoming this year’s miracle team. Laron Profit and Terence Morris each scored 18 points and Steve Francis had 15 and seven assists against Valparaiso.