West

1 Connecticut

Player to Watch
Sophomore guard Khalid El-Amin is short (5'10") and pudgy (203 pounds) and a streaky shooter (41.1%). But he's also at his best in big games (23 points and five assists at Stanford in the Huskies' biggest win of the season, when star forward Richard Hamilton was out with a right-thigh bruise) and in the clutch (only 12 points in a one-point win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 12, but two came on his last-second, game-winning runner).

Scouting Report
The Huskies struggled late in the season, narrowly avoiding a number of losses, but convincing victories over Syracuse and St. John's to win the Big East tournament have them entering the NCAAs on a high. Hamilton made just five of 35 three-point attempts in the six games after recovering from his injury but was 5 of 9 in his last two games and seems to have regained his shooting touch.

Coach Jim Calhoun
Record 28-2
Team scoring 77.5 (FG%: 46.4) (3-pointers: 153-440, 34.8%
Opponent scoring 60.8 (FG%: 39.0)
Rebound margin +7.2
Team FT% 73.0
Whom not to foul Richard Hamilton (84%), Ricky Moore (82%)
Whom to foul Jake Voskuhl (61%), Edmund Saunders (63%)
Quality wins Michigan State 82-68, at Stanford 70-59

Prediction
After many almosts, Calhoun at last gets to the Final Four, but without a Brand name inside, he'll lose to Duke.

VS

16 Texas-San Antonio

Player to Watch
San Antonio's alltime top high school scorer and the most acclaimed recruit in Roadrunners' history, freshman guard Devin Brown, turned down Texas Tech and Wichita State to play for his hometown college. The Southland Conference freshman of the year was one of the top freshman scorers in Division I at 16.9 points per game; he also averaged 6.2 rebounds.

Scouting Report
Texas-San Antonio, which earned just its second NCAA bid, is a perimeter-oriented club that spent the season among the nation's top 10 in field goal percentage, despite a roster full of streak shooters. Guard Steve Meyer, who missed five games with a broken hand, came back to win conference tournament MVP honors by averaging 24 points a game. But with a 6'8", 215-pound center, a 6'6", 210-pound power forward and three guards, the lineup lacks height and width.

Coach Tim Carter
Record 18-10
Team scoring 77.9 (FG%: 47.6) (3-pointers: 193-552, 35.0%)
Opponent scoring 74.9 (FG%: 44.8)
Rebound margin -1.4
Team FT% 62.0
Whom not to foul Devin Brown (76%), Steve Meyer (73%)
Whom to foul Leon Watson (42%), McEverett Powers (55%)
Quality wins None