COACH: Jim Calhoun (430-165, 18th season; 678-302 overall).
KEY PLAYER: Emeka Okafor. The junior center, a unanimous selection as a first-team AP All-American, is the most dominant big man in the nation. He averages 17.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.2 blocks. But back spasms forced him to miss three games, including two in the Big East tournament, and then he played just 19 minutes in the region finale after suffering a stinger that affected his right arm. That makes his effectiveness a question.
ROAD TO FINAL FOUR: The Huskies, the No. 2 seed in the Phoenix Region, had the easiest path. They opened with a 70-53 win against No. 15 Vermont, beat No. 7 DePaul 72-55, No. 6 Vanderbilt 73-53 and then No. 8 Alabama 87-71.
FINAL FOUR HISTORY: Connecticut only reached the Final Four one other time, in 1999, but made the most of it. Behind 27 points from star Richard Hamilton, the Huskies beat Duke 77-74 in St. Petersburg.
THE LOWDOWN: UConn was the consensus preseason favorite to win the title and has looked like the team to beat in the postseason. Junior guard Ben Gordon, the region MVP, has been playing like an All-American (36 points against Alabama), but the Huskies need Okafor, even if he only rebounds and defends.
DID YOU KNOW?: When UConn reached the '99 Final Four, it advanced out of Phoenix.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
LOCATION: Stillwater, Okla.
ENROLLMENT: 31,000
CONFERENCE: Big 12
RECORD: 31-3
RANKING: No. 4
COACH: Eddie Sutton (325-127, 14th season; 755-291 overall).
KEY PLAYER: John Lucas III. The junior point guard and son of former NBA player John Lucas transferred from Baylor and, like former teammates Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State) and Kenny Taylor (Texas), was allowed to play immediately. He earned co-player of the year honors in the Big 12 (with teammate Tony Allen) then carried the Cowboys to the Final Four with his 3-point shot with 6.9 seconds left to beat Saint Joseph's.
ROAD TO FINAL FOUR: The Cowboys, the No. 2 seed in the East Rutherford Region, won in the lone bracket that was ruled by chalk. They beat No. 15 Eastern Washington 75-56, No. 7 Memphis 70-53, No. 3 Pittsburgh 63-51 and No. 1 Saint Joseph's 64-62.
FINAL FOUR HISTORY: Oklahoma State is in the national semifinals for the sixth time. The school won titles in 1945 and 1946 under legendary coach Henry Iba. Iba got his team back to the Final Four in 1949 (losing in the finale to Kentucky) and 1951. Sutton took the Cowboys to the semifinals in 1995, losing to eventual champ UCLA.
THE LOWDOWN: The Cowboys weren't supposed to be as good as Missouri, Kansas and Texas in their own league, let alone one of the last four standing. But Allen, a senior guard, and senior forward Ivan McFarlin have benefited from the transfer talent.
DID YOU KNOW?: Speaking of transfers, you can't overestimate the impact of the former Brandon stars by way of UCF, juniors Joey and Stevie Graham. Joey was the Big 12 newcomer of the year.
- Compiled by Brian Landman.
GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS
LOCATION: Atlanta
ENROLLMENT: 16,586
CONFERENCE: ACC
RECORD: 27-9
RANKING: No. 14
COACH: Paul Hewitt (75-53, fourth season)
KEY PLAYER: Jarrett Jack. After junior leading scorer B.J. Elder went down in the first two minutes of Friday's region semifinal with a badly sprained ankle, things looked bleak for Georgia Tech. Jack, a sophomore point guard, disagreed. In Sunday's win over Kansas, he scored a career-high 29, had nine rebounds and added six assists, highlighting Tech's strengths of depth and balance.
ROAD TO FINAL FOUR: Seeded No. 3 in the St. Louis Region, Georgia Tech defeated No. 14 Northern Iowa 65-60, beat No. 6 Boston College 57-54, defeated No. 10 Nevada 72-67 and beat No. 4 Kansas 79-71.
FINAL FOUR HISTORY: The Yellow Jackets are in search of their first national championship, advancing to the Final Four for only the second time in school history. Their only other appearance was in 1990.
THE LOWDOWN: Having played all season in what many consider the toughest conference in the country has apparently served Georgia Tech well. Even without Elder the Yellow Jackets have continued to thrive. Their keys? Stifling defense and balance. Three players average in double figures and six average at least 8.8. They don't overwhelm, however. Heading into Sunday, they had won their three tournament games by a total of 13 points.
DID YOU KNOW?: Georgia Tech's Will Bynum (who hit a 3-pointer Sunday to break a 71-71 tie late in the overtime) faces former high school teammate and now Oklahoma State Cowboy Tony Allen Saturday.
DUKE BLUE DEVILS
LOCATION: Durham, N.C.
ENROLLMENT: 11,929
CONFERENCE: ACC
RECORD: 31-5
RANKING: No. 6
COACH: Mike Krzyzewski (621-180, 24th season).
KEY PLAYER: Chris Duhon. The senior guard is playing with a severely bruised right rib, an injury sustained in the ACC final, so his numbers aren't what they were in the regular season. But his mere presence on the court makes Duke better. He runs the offense and is the undisputed leader, the guy Krzyzewski calls an extension of himself on the court. He scored just four in Friday night's region semifinal, but had 10 rebounds and eight assists.
ROAD TO FINAL FOUR: The No. 1 seed in the Atlanta Region, Duke defeated No. 15 Alabama State 96-61, beat No. 8 Seton Hall 90-62, beat No. 5 Illinois 72-62 and defeated No. 7 Xavier 66-63.
FINAL FOUR HISTORY: Duke is making its 14th appearance in the Final Four, its first since winning the national championship in 2001. Nine of those trips have come under the guidance of Krzyzewski.
THE LOWDOWN: Duke is making its tournament run with five players averaging at least 11.7 points. While Duhon isn't 100 percent healthy, Luol Deng and J.J. Redick have raised their games. Deng is averaging 17.7 points and Redick 17.3 in NCAA Tournament action. Before Sunday's game, the Blue Devils' average margin of victory in the tournament was 25.3, so they've proved they can win big and they can pull out the close games like Sunday.
DID YOU KNOW?: Duke is 4-0 in NCAA Tournament games in Atlanta. In addition, Krzyzewski is 64-16 in tournament games, second to former North Carolina coach Dean Smith's 65.
