THE BREADOWN

Forward: Oklahoma loves to get down and dirty in the paint and few can match the tenacity of the Sooners’ 6-foot-8, 250-pound senior power forward Aaron McGhee, a left-handed version of USC’s Sam Clancy. The Sooners go after loose balls and rebounds like sharks at feeding time and it all begins down low for them. The Hoosiers, on the other hand, rely on the fluid game of 6-9, 220-pound small forward Jared Jeffries. The silky-smooth Jeffries is a matchup nightmare in the post because if he gets double-teamed, that opens up the Hoosiers’ dangerous perimeter game.

Center: Oklahoma sophomore center Jabahri Brown might get lonely in the middle because Indiana employs a three-guard, two-forward lineup. That’s fine with the Hoosiers, as the emotional 6-10, 210-pound transfer is averaging more fouls (4.0) than points (3.3) and rebounds (2.3) in the NCAA tournament.

Guard: While Indiana’s backcourt is the quintessential stop-and-pop outfit, the Sooners’ guards will drive to the basket just as soon as they’d launch a three-pointer. But when the Hoosier guards are on--witness the 15 three-pointers they made against Kent State in the South Regional final--they’re tough to beat. Oklahoma junior shooting guard Hollis Price is the heart and soul of the team.

Coaching: Oklahoma’s Kelvin Sampson, in his 19th season of coaching, and Indiana’s Mike Davis, in his second, are dealing with personal issues. Sampson’s father fell ill in San Jose at the West Regional and underwent emergency brain surgery. Davis is still trying to exorcise Bob Knight’s ghost in Bloomington, despite taking the Hoosiers to the Final Four for the first time since 1992.

Final Analysis: Oklahoma, which is riding a 12-game winning streak, is too relentless, too physical and too talented for Indiana, especially if Hoosier guard Tom Coverdale is out because of a sprained left ankle. The Hoosiers are apt to get rattled by physical play, and that plays right into the Sooners’ hands. Just look at what they did to Arizona in the Sweet 16.