TODAY’S GAMES

AT SPOKANE, WASH.

No. 5 Connecticut (21-9, 10-6 Big East) vs.

No. 12 Brigham Young (23-8, 11-3 Mountain West)

Time: 11:40 a.m. PST

Skinny: Connecticut is led by the inside-outside combination of guard Ben Gordon and center Emeka Okafor. The Huskies have three players who shoot better than 40% on three-pointers. Brigham Young will have the size advantage inside but must deal with Okafor, the nation’s leading shot blocker. Travis Hansen and Mark Bigelow give the Cougars size and scoring on the wings. Connecticut must establish a quick tempo and minimize turnovers.

No. 4 Stanford (23-8, 14-4 Pac-10) vs.

No. 13 San Diego (18-11, 10-4 West Coast)

Time: 2:10 p.m. PST

Skinny: Julius Barnes is the leading scorer, but Josh Childress, a 6-foot-8 wing player, is the Stanford player to watch. The Cardinal has won 20 games for nine consecutive seasons and this version is more athletic than recent Stanford teams. San Diego beat Gonzaga in the WCC tournament final to earn an automatic berth. Stanford must find a way to control 6-10 center Jason Keep, who leads the Toreros in scoring and rebounding.