Midwest Regional

Michigan State (31-4) vs. Oklahoma (22-10): Oklahoma barely made the field of 64, sneaking in when Michigan State’s victory over Illinois in the Big Ten tournament championship game denied the Illini an automatic berth. Now the Sooners play Michigan State as only the third 13th-seeded team to make the Sweet 16. The top-seeded Spartans have won 20 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in the nation behind Duke’s 29. “It’s about time for them to lose,” Oklahoma guard Michael Johnson said. “If it’s not against us, it might be the next game.” For it to be in this one, the Sooners will almost certainly need to keep making three-pointers at a rate that will stretch the defense and, at least on that end of the court, neutralize the Spartans’ superior inside strength. Even Oklahoma power forward will step out behind the arc, forcing Antonio Smith of Michigan State, No. 2 in Big Ten rebounding, away from the basket. Oklahoma at least has some recent practice at dealing with highly regarded guards, albeit ones with different styles. The Sooners held Arizona’s Jason Terry, the Pacific 10 player of the year, to four-of-17 shooting and three assists in the first-round victory in Milwaukee. They get bull-like Mateen Cleaves, the Big Ten player of the year in a vote by coaches, tonight.

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HOW THEY COMPARE

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MSU Okla Record 31-4 22-10 Avg. Pts. 72.5 71.5 Opp. Avg. Pts. 59.5 62.1 Margin 13.0 9.4 FG Pct. .479 .423 Opp. FG% .427 .404 3-Pt. FG% .340 .390 Opp. 3-Pt. FG% .319 .325 3-Pt. FG-Game 4.4 8.7 Opp. 3-Pt. FG-Game 4.5 5.0 FT% .736 .652 Rebound Margin 9.8 3.2 TO Diff. 1.6 1.4 Avg Steals 8.1 7.2 Avg Blocks 2.8 4.2

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Kentucky (27-8) vs. Miami of Ohio (24-7): The schools are about two hours apart--and a million miles. They operate in such different worlds that Kentucky did not recruit any RedHawks, not even star Wally Szczerbiak, and Miami did not bother making a futile pass at any future Wildcats. “We never really cross paths, you know,” Miami Coach Charlie Coles said. “If I see Tubby [Smith, his Kentucky counterpart] out recruiting in the same gym, I’m in the wrong gym.” They will be in the same one tonight for the first time since 1992-93. Miami won four of six meetings during one stretch, but enough about the 1920s. The third-seeded Wildcats have an eight-game tournament winning streak and vastly superior depth, but the RedHawks have the confidence that comes with having just beaten a team spotted one place higher, No. 2 Utah.

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HOW THEY COMPARE

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Mia Ken Record 24-7 27-8 Avg. Pts. 68.4 76.2 Opp. Avg. Pts. 60.5 63.0 Margin 7.9 13.2 FG% .452 .479 Opp. FG% .420 .379 3-Pt. FG%. .336 .333 Opp. 3-Pt. FG% .313 .327 3-Pt. FG-Game 6.0 6.1 Opp. 3-Pt. FG-Game 4.7 6.8 FT%. .766 .634 Rebound Margin 1.5 6.0 TO Diff. 2.2 1.5 Avg Steals 6.7 7.9 Avg Blocks 2.0 5.4

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