WEST REGIONAL

AT DENVER

* Connecticut (29-2) vs. New Mexico (25-8)--The Huskies didn’t need Coach Jim Calhoun, who stayed in bed sick with a virus, to steamroller Texas San Antonio in the first round, and they shouldn’t need him in the second round either. The Lobos have only eight sound players and even one of them, star center Kenny Thomas, is playing with a strained groin that kept him out of the last two Western Athletic Conference tournament games. Since the Huskies go 10 deep, New Mexico should be expected to tire quickly. It is likely UConn’s junior star, Richard Hamilton, will turn pro after this season, so there’s a sense of urgency for Calhoun to make his first NCAA Final Four appearance.

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Arkansas (23-10) vs. Iowa (19-9): The Razorbacks clicked on all their running, gunning, pressing cylinders against Siena, a team happy to have returned to the tournament after a 10-year absence. The Hawkeyes will not go away so easily. Don’t underestimate the importance of emotion. Iowa players have been vocal in their dedication of this tournament to Coach Tom Davis, who has been forced into retirement by the school administration. The first-round win over Alabama Birmingham meant that Davis will leave Iowa having never lost a first-round NCAA game, but this veteran Hawkeye team, led by sixth-year senior Jess Settles, thinks it would be nice to humble those in the administration who had decided Davis’ better coaching years were in the past.

AT SEATTLE

* Stanford (26-6) vs. Gonzaga (26-6): The Bulldogs will try to go 3-0 against Pacific 10 teams this season. Gonzaga has already beaten Washington State (70-61) and Washington (82-71). Point guard Matt Santangelo said the Bulldogs suffered from NCAA nerves in almost blowing a big lead before getting their first-ever NCAA tournament victory, against Minnesota on Thursday. “Now we’ve got that out of our system,” Santangelo said. The Cardinal was not impressive in a first-round win over No. 15 Alcorn State. But the Cardinal struggled in the first round last year too, then moved on to the Final Four. Stanford was bothered into 21 turnovers by Alcorn’s quickness on defense, but Gonzaga may find itself in a bad matchup. The Bulldogs don’t have Alcorn’s quickness and Stanford has much more inside strength.

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Florida (21-8) vs. Weber State (25-7): The Wildcats were able to celebrate the biggest first-day upset (76-74 over third-seeded North Carolina) and the eye-opening 36-point performance by junior forward Harold “The Show” Arceneaux. Now Weber State must move from beating an Atlantic Coast Conference team to trying to upset one from the Southeastern Conference. The Gators are 12th in the nation in scoring (80.7 points) and fourth in three-point shooting. The most interesting Gator to watch is 6-foot-8 freshman swingman Mike Miller, who will shoot, and score, from nearly anywhere. Weber State, which has five players with junior college experience, was unfazed by North Carolina’s pressure and reputation. The Gators are younger and less experienced than the Tar Heels.