WHAT TO LOOK FOR

How they got here: Top-seeded Kansas survived a big scare, trailing Holy Cross by five points on two occasions in a first-round game at St. Louis. The Jayhawks, though, got it together in time to pull out a 70-59 victory over the Crusaders before thumping No. 8-seeded Stanford, 86-63. No. 4-seeded Illinois, meanwhile, had the easiest go of it in the region playing in Chicago. The Fighting Illini spanked San Diego State, 93-64, and then handled surprising Creighton, 72-60. No. 6-seeded Texas is the region’s lone party-crasher. The Longhorns built a 22-point lead against Boston College and settled for a 70-57 victory, and they led by 23 against No. 3-seeded Mississippi State before hanging on for the 68-64 upset in Dallas. No. 2-seeded Oregon had to overcome first-round jitters at Sacramento but settled down to beat Montana, 81-62. The Ducks then played catch-up all afternoon with Wake Forest before catching and passing the Demon Deacons, 92-87.

Difference makers: Kansas guard Kirk Hinrich, who severely sprained his left ankle in the first half against Holy Cross and was on crutches afterward, gave the Jayhawks an emotional lift when he came off the bench against Stanford, scoring 15 points with eight assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes. Illinois guard Frank Williams will have to avoid another first-half nap, in which he was held scoreless by Creighton, if the Illini hope to duplicate last year’s regional semifinal victory over Kansas. Texas point guard T.J. Ford had 31 points and 13 assists in the Longhorns’ two wins, not bad numbers for a freshman. But he also committed a freshman-like 11 turnovers. Oregon point guard Luke Ridnour led the Ducks’ high-powered Quack Attack, scoring 46 points and making nine three-pointers in Oregon’s two victories.

Team tidbits: Kansas, which has had a No. 1 seeding five times in the last 14 seasons and been in the Final Four twice (1991 and 1993) in that time frame, seemingly has its best shot at winning its first national title since 1988. Second-year Illinois Coach Bill Self is in his fourth consecutive NCAA tournament, having taken Tulsa in 1999 and 2000. The Fighting Illini have been to the Sweet 16 five times (1981, ‘84, ‘85, ‘89, ‘01), the Elite Eight three times (1984, ‘89, ‘01) and the Final Four once (1989). Texas is in its third Sweet 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Longhorns won three NCAA tournament games in 1990 and two in 1997. Oregon, which won the first NCAA championship in 1939, is in its first Sweet 16 since 1960.

How it shakes out: A focused Kansas, with its inside-out game of Hinrich and forward Drew Gooden, should be too much for Illinois to handle, especially if Hinrich is sound and Williams goes to sleep for a half again. Oregon’s Ridnour, a seasoned sophomore, should exploit the freshman Ford and force him into enough turnovers to get the Ducks’ transition game going and send Texas home. In a fast-paced and three-point bombs-away regional final, the Ducks, who have been gaining confidence with every tournament game, should outrun and outgun the Jayhawks. Oregon’s perimeter players--Ridnour, Luke Jackson and Frederick Jones--are taller and more physical than Kansas’ guards.