FIRST LOOK

* Story line: Thanks to Connecticut’s late surge to beat Duke, the final won’t be a rematch of an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament second-round game. Georgia Tech center Luke Schenscher enjoyed his moment in the sun against Oklahoma State, but he will be matched up against Emeka Okafor, the best interior player in the nation.

* How they advanced: Georgia Tech defeated Northern Iowa, Boston College, Nevada and Kansas before beating Oklahoma State. Connecticut defeated Vermont, DePaul, Vanderbilt and Alabama before beating Duke.

* Common opponents: Georgia Tech knocked Connecticut off its early-season No. 1 perch with a convincing 77-61 win during the preseason NIT in November. Okafor played hurt, and was held to two-of-10 shooting in 34 minutes. Connecticut lost to ACC member North Carolina; Georgia Tech split against the Tar Heels.

* Style of play: Georgia Tech’s perimeter defense and three-guard attack won’t matter to Okafor. Schenscher will have to defend the Husky center without getting into foul trouble.

* X factor: Connecticut guard Ben Gordon has been sensational in the tournament and is a better scorer than anyone in the Georgia Tech backcourt. However, the Yellow Jackets have several long-range options, from Marvin Lewis to B.J. Elder to Jarrett Jack to Will Bynum.

* What to expect: Okafor should dominate and Connecticut should win. But Georgia Tech is getting production from so many players that the game should be interesting until the final buzzer.

-- Steve Henson