WHAT TO LOOK FOR

How they got there: No. 1-seeded Connecticut hardly broke a sweat in dispatching Texas San Antonio and New Mexico, though Coach Jim Calhoun was sweating out the first game in bed because of a virus. The Huskies’ real health issue concerned forward Richard Hamilton, who hardly resembled a two-time Big East player of the year after suffering a leg injury in early February. Hamilton checked in with 12-for-22 shooting and 28 points against UTSA--not to be confused with a tennis tournament qualifier--to serve notice he is ready and able to lead Connecticut’s national championship run.

Tom Davis will have to wait another week to get that retirement watch from the good people in the Iowa administration that forced him out as Hawkeye coach effective at the end of this season. No. 5-seeded Iowa’s seniors kept the clock ticking for Davis in Denver. Sixth-year player Jess Settles had 35 points and 17 rebounds in the two games.

Florida Coach Billy Donovan, who made the Final Four as a guard for Rick Pitino’s three-point-popping Providence team in 1987, has the No. 6-seeded Gators a couple of arc de triomphes away from a March 27 reservation in down-state St. Petersburg. Donovan and his merry band of perimeter gypsies shot down Pennsylvania and Weber State, though almost shooting themselves in the foot with three second-half technicals against the upstart Wildcats.

The tournament selection committee allowed No. 10-seeded Gonzaga--a tiny Jesuit school from Spokane, Wash., to stay in state, so it was was only academic a victory would follow over Minnesota at Seattle. Minnesota helped matters by having four players suspended for alleged academic fraud. Stanford was certainly a fraud as the region’s No. 2-seeded team, getting beat at its own fire-up-threes-and-thug-it-up-around-the-basket game by Gonzaga.

* Difference-makers: Kent McCausland, the deadeye Hawkeye, made five consecutive three-point shots in the second half of Iowa’s come-from-behind victory over Arkansas. Quentin Hall, Gonzaga’s smallest player at 5 feet 8, had as many rebounds (eight) as the Stanford Tree, 7-1 Tim Young.

* Team updates: Connecticut’s Calhoun is listed as probable for Thursday’s game. Iowa’s Davis is glancing at Leisure World brochures. Donovan conducts a layup drill at Florida. Gonzaga Coach Dan Monson is not considering starting Hall at center.

* How it shakes out: The Davis Watch strikes midnight for Cinderella Iowa, Florida and Gonzaga put up three-pointers until they both drop, and Connecticut is left standing. Finally, a Final Four appearance for Calhoun.