*The defending national champion
tries to take the next step toward Atlanta without being victimized by a
potential 2007 version of “Hoosiers”.
*The 2005 national champion tries
to take another step toward making it “two out of three”.
*A couple of teams try to extend
seasons that have already lasted longer than anyone outside of Eugene and Las
Vegas imagined they might back in November.
*And two teams that played way back
when – Nov. 15 – have a reunion in the Meadowlands.
That’s the lineup for Night II of
the 2007 Sweet 16.
All tip-offs are
Eastern Time
EAST
REGIONAL
At East
Rutherford
No. 2 Georgetown (28-6) vs. No. 6
Vanderbilt
How they got here:
Georgetown (Belmont, 80-55; Boston College, 62-55); Vanderbilt (George Washington, 77-44; Washington State, 78-74, 2OT)
Records vs. tournament field:
Georgetown 12-4, Vanderbilt 7-5
Keys for Georgetown:
Containing Derrick Byars and Shan Foster, and matching up with
the Commodores’ jump shooters.
Keys for Vanderbilt: Doing
something to take the Hoyas out of their half-court offensive rhythm; keeping
the ball out of Jeff Green’s hands as much as possible.
Frank Says: Unless Coach
Kevin Stallings can find a way to neutralize the play of the frontcourt
combination of Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas will be just a Sunday win
away from the Final Four after this one.
No. 1 North Carolina (30-6)
vs. No. 5 USC (25-11)
How they got here: North
Carolina (Eastern Kentucky, 85-65; Michigan State, 81-69); USC (Arkansas, 77-60;
Texas, 87-68)
Records vs. tournament field:
North Carolina 15-5, USC 11-7
Keys for North Carolina:
Hitting enough jump shots to keep the Trojans from collapsing around
Tyler Hansbrough; matching up with USC wings Nick Young and
Lodrick Stewart.
Keys for USC: Keeping the
speed of UNC point guard Tywon Lawson in check.
Frank Says: The Trojans beat
the Tar Heels early last season in the L.A. Sports Arena. Both teams are much,
much better now. The gut says that Lawson will be the one factor that USC Coach
Tim Floyd isn’t going to be able to compensate for.
MIDWEST
REGIONAL
At St. Louis
No. 1 Florida (31-5) vs. No. 5
Butler (25-9)
How they got here: Florida
(Jackson State, 112-69; Purdue, 74-67); Butler (Old Dominion, 57-46; Maryland,
62-59)
Records vs. tournament field:
Florida 10-3, Butler 8-3
Keys for Florida: Stringing
two strong halves together; chasing Butler’s jump shooters around in half-court
and early-offense situations.
Keys for Butler: Pulling
shot blockers Joakim Noah and Al Horford away from the lane; not
allowing the Gators to get too many point-blank shots in the low
post.
Frank Says: If the Gators
don’t come from Jump Street with a lot of energy and focus, Butler has a shot.
If not . . . it’s been a nice season, Bulldogs!
No. 3 Oregon (28-7) vs. No. 7 UNLV
(30-6)
How they got here: Oregon
(Miami-Ohio, 58-56; Winthrop, 75-61); UNLV (Georgia Tech, 67-63; Wisconsin,
74-68
Records vs. tournament field:
Oregon 10-6, UNLV 6-2
Keys for Oregon: Executing
well in the half court if the Rebels are able to slow down their transition
attack.
Keys for UNLV: Staying in
front of Aaron Brooks, Tajuan Porter and Bryce Taylor and forcing
them to becoming drivers (into help) instead of pull-up or spot-up jump
shooters.
Frank Says: The Rebels’
solid play on both ends of the floor continues and puts them in the title game
against the defending national champion.
Inducted into the USBWA Hall of
Fame in April, 2005, Frank Burlison is Scout.com’s national basketball expert and is
also a columnist for the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram. He can be reached at
frank.burlison@presstelegram.com. Read more of Burlison’s pieces at
www.frankhoops.com