Advertisement

TODAY’S GAMES

Share

No. 1 Washington vs. No. 8 Pacific

* Site: Boise, Idaho. Time: 12:20 p.m. PST.

* How they got here: Washington def. No. 16 Montana, 88-77; Pacific def. No. 9 Pittsburgh, 79-71.

* The Buzz: The Huskies had some trouble with Montana and need to play much better today. Guards Nate Robinson, Tre Simmons and Will Conroy are going to get the better of their Pacific counterparts, but the Huskies’ frontcourt remains a concern. Washington was outrebounded by Montana, whereas Pacific has a lot of height and out-toughed a physical Pitt team. Pacific big men Christian Maraker, Tyler Newton and Guillaume Yango need to be active on offense.

No. 2 Wake Forest vs. No. 7 West Virginia

* Site: Cleveland. Time: 5 p.m.

* How they got here: Wake Forest def. No. 15 Chattanooga, 70-54; West Virginia def. No. 10 Creighton, 63-61.

Advertisement

* The Buzz: Wake Forest struggled mightily for a half against outmanned Chattanooga, and the Demon Deacons need to play with a sense of urgency from the opening tip. Wake Forest Gs Chris Paul, Justin Gray and Taron Downey will have a quickness advantage, but they can’t be content to shoot only three-pointers. C Eric Williams must do some damage in the low post. West Virginia has a perimeter attack and must make its three-pointers to win.

No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 Texas Tech

* Site: Tucson. Time: 10:10 a.m.

* How they got here: Gonzaga def. No. 14 Winthrop, 74-64; Texas Tech def. No. 11 UCLA, 78-66

* The Buzz: Texas Tech has an excellent guard duo in Jarrius Jackson and Ronald Ross, but they’d better be on because its frontcourt is nothing special. That is Gonzaga’s advantage. In Ronny Turiaf and J.P. Batista, the Bulldogs have the low-post threats to hurt the Red Raiders. Gonzaga F Adam Morrison has a strong mid-range game and can convert the occasional three-pointer.

*

Compiled by Mike Huguenin of the Orlando Sentinel.

Advertisement