TODAY’S GAMES

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Utah

* Site: Tucson. Time: 12:40 p.m. PST.

* How they got here: Oklahoma def. No. 14 Niagara, 84-67; Utah def. No. 11 Texas El Paso, 60-54.

* The Buzz: The key for Utah is center Andrew Bogut, a double-double machine who may be the nation’s best player. All of the pressure is on him today; he needs to score 30 if the Utes are to win. Utah’s problem is that it does not have a consistent No. 2 scorer, so Oklahoma’s big men can be expected to beat on Bogut all day. The Sooners are better offensively than in seasons past. Point guard Drew Lavender is jet-quick, and in big men Kevin Bookout and Taj Gary, the Sooners have an impressive low-post duo. Utah has to get some points from its backcourt of Tim Drisdom and Marc Jackson. It would help if a lot of those points came from outside, which would open up the lane for Bogut.

No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 7 Cincinnati

* Site: Indianapolis. Time: 5:10 p.m.

* How they got here: Kentucky def. No. 15 Eastern Kentucky, 72-64; Cincinnati def. No. 10 Iowa, 76-64.

* The Buzz: Don’t expect a lot of offense since both teams play gritty, in-your-face defense. Cincinnati relies heavily on its frontcourt of Jason Maxiell, Eric Hicks and James White for points, with Maxiell the key player. If Kentucky shuts him down, Cincinnati is in trouble. Some three-pointers from Armein Kirkland and Nick Williams would help the Bearcats’ cause. Kentucky lacks great individual talent, but the players know their roles, generally don’t make silly mistakes and play defense with passion. Forwards Chuck Hayes and Kelenna Azebuike are the keys offensively. Guard Patrick Sparks may have trouble getting off his shot against the physical Bearcats.

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Compiled by Mike Huguenin of the Orlando Sentinel.