NCAA Tournament 2001 - Two more Final answers


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Two more Final answers


ESPN.com

The ACC ruled Saturday, with both Maryland Duke reaching the Final Four. One thing is for certain on Sunday, the ACC won't send a third team. But can the Pac-10 send at least one?

Here's a look at the two matchups in the South and Midwest that will complete the Final Four in Minneapolis.

Midwest Region
San Antonio (Sunday, 2:40 p.m. ET)
(2) Arizona vs. (1) Illinois

Why does everyone think Arizona is going to win? The Wildcats are really a co-No. 1. The Wildcats are on a roll and they got their best defensive effort of the season Friday night over Ole Miss. They handled a stingy defensive team and found other ways to score. Loren Woods is playing his best basketball of the season, running the floor and blocking shots and finishing in the post. If Arizona can get Woods and Michael Wright involved in the post; Jason Gardner hangs with Frank Williams; and Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas knock down the open shots, then the Wildcats can win. Both teams are driven to get to the Final Four, but Arizona wants some payback for losing to the Illini in Chicago in December. The emotional meter favors Arizona and that could be the decisive edge.

Why can't Illinois win? They can, easily. Illinois is just as hot as Arizona, dispatching Kansas rather easily after a few tight minutes. But the Illini is familiar with Arizona. Wright said it's like Illinois is in the Pac-10 by playing the Illini three times. Illinois' defense won't be as stingy but will be just as physical as the Rebels against Arizona. Illinois will switch up defenses against Arizona like it did against Kansas. Illinois made Kansas shoot 4 of 17 on 3s and could cause a similar problem for Arizona. But Williams can take over the game like he did Friday. He scored 30 and if he's as dominant than the Illini have a shot. This is the hardest game for a top seed but it's just as winnable as the other three.

West Region
Atlanta (Sunday, 5 p.m. ET)
(11) Temple vs. (1) Michigan State

Why should the Spartans win? They'll wear Temple down inside. Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian said he couldn't keep up with the numbers of bodies Michigan State throws at a team. Gonzaga felt the pain with a 47-28 rebounding deficit Friday. Andre Hutson, Zach Randolph and Jason Richardson pose an impressive frontline that doesn't miss opportunities in the post. The good sign for the Spartans was Charlie Bell's play Friday night. He scored 21 points and hit three 3-pointers to snap out of a mini slump. He got to the line to make 8 of 10 free throws. Temple will force the Spartans to play ugly, but they can win that way, too. They're starting to peak at the right time and they've been in this position before whereas the Owls are new to the spotlight.

How can Temple pull off the upset? Temple has a shot if the Spartans go totally cold on the perimeter and can't finish in the post. The Owls have to continue their incredible run from the perimeter. They destroyed Penn State for most of the game as Quincy Wadley and Lynn Greer continued to be big-time scorers. They're getting just enough out of Kevin Lyde, David Hawkins and Ron Rollerson inside, but they may need a Herculean effort from the threesome to hang with the Spartans frontcourt depth. John Chaney is close again to his first Final Four and it always can be his last shot. Temple is playing loose and with no pressure and that might make the Owls dig deeper to get Chaney to Minneapolis.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

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