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Show DAILY Friday, March 31, 2006 HERALD ‘MEN’‘SS NCAA TOURNAMENT An inside look at the Final Kour Capsules by JIM O'CONNELL | The Associated Press A quick look at Saturday's national semifinal matchups: LSUVS.UCLA GEORGE MASONVS. FLORIDA George MasonPatriots (27-7) LSU Tigers (27-8) ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR: Beat No. 6 seed Michigan State 75-65; beat No. 3 North Carolina 65-60; beat No. 7 ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR: Beat No. 13 lona 80-64; Wichita State 63-55; beat No. 1 Connecticut 86-84; OT. beat No. 2 Texas 70-60, OT. beat No. 12 Texas A&M 58-57; beat No. 1 Duke 62:54; STARS; You can't miss Gien “Big Baby" Davis. The 69, STARS: A teamwithfive starters averaging between 13,7 and 11.0 points per game doesn't have a star. Six-foot-7 Jai Lewis leads in rebounding at 7.7 per game and FoJarin Campbell leads in assists at 4.3 per game. 300-plus-pounder was the Southeastem Conference player, ofthe year. He had a double-doubie in 10 of the last 15 gamesand has scored in double figures the last 39 games. INJURIES: The Tigers have been playing without junior point guard Tack Minor sincelate when he underwent knee surgery. Magnum Rolle hyperextended his knee in practice Thursday but is expected to play. INJURIES: The Patriots have been relatively injury free this season and that has meantlittle playing timefor the bench. Nonstarters have scoreda total of 298 points — fewer than 9 a game — all season. COACH: John Brady is in his ninth season at LSU and the Tigers didn't win a gamein their previous two NCAA tournament appearances under him. He is one of the more fiery coaches in the game and TV directors love to COACH: Jim Larranaga was0-2 in the NCAA tournament before the fourgamerun that landed George Masonin the Final Four. He is 166-104 in nine seasons at George Mason andincluding his 11 seasons at Bowling Green getshotsofhis facial reactions. has a career record of 364-273 KEY POINT: Three senior Starters, solid defense andjust KEY POINT: The Tigers are a tough matchup with Davis and Tyrus Thomasinside and Darrel Mitchell hitting 3- 10 turnovers per game in the NCAA tournament haveallowed the Patriots to go on this history-making run for a mid-major program. Associated Press fle Ponto ea Mason forward/center Jai Lewis pointers at a 40 percentclip. Their win over Duke was a defensive gem, holding the Blue Devils to their lowest pointtotal since 1996. Florida Gators (31-6) UCLA Bruins (31-6) ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR: Beat No. 14 South Alabama ROADTO THE FINAL FOUR: Beat No. 15 Belmont, 78-44; beat No. 10 Alabama 62-59; beat No. 3 Gonzaga 73-71; beat No. 1 Memphis 50-45. 76-50; beat No. 11 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 82-60; beat No. 7 Georgetown 57-53; beat No. 1 Villanova 75-62. STARS:Jordan FarmarandArron Afflalo are among the coun- STARS: Joakim Noah has tumed from being known as “Yannick Noah's son” to one of best open-court big men in college basketball. Taurean Green, who had never started a college gameuntil this season, is considered oneof the top point guards in the country. try's best backcourts and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who has been emerging all season, averages 8.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. INJURIES: It would be hard to imagine a team had more injunies this season than the Bruins. Every scholarship player has beeninjured at somepoint this season and seven missed a total of 87 games. Backup center Lorenzo Mata broke his nosein practice Wednesday night andwill wear a mask on INJURIES: Corey Brewer missed twostarts and parts of two other games in January with an ankle injury and Lee Humphrey missed one game and saw limited time in another in late January after injuring his left (non-shooting) shoulder in a bicycle fall Saturday. (COACH:Ben Howland hasthe Bruinsin the Final Fourin his COACH: Billy Donovanis one of six men to play and coach in a Final Four, He wasa player with Providence in 1987 and he took the Gators all the way to the championship game in 2000, losing to Michigan State. He is one of 12 third season. This team plays the same defensive-oriented style as his teams at Pittsburgh did whenhe rebuilt that program, taking it to consecutive regional semifinal appearances. He also took Northem Arizona to the NCAA tournament. KEY POINT:The Bruinsare all about defense and that was active coaches with more than oneFinal Four appearance. KEY POINT:The Gators started the season with a 17Associated Pressfile photo Florida forward/center Joakim Noah AssociatedPress file phot LSU forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis gamewinning streak and comeinto the Final Four having won nine straight, a span in which they have not allowed more than 71 points. THE SKINNY: George Mason hasthe edgein terms of experience and Florida has the edge in talent, a scenario that has beentrue for the Patriots throughout the toumament. The Gators are bigger, quicker and deeper, and George Mason doesn't care. THE PICK The Patriots have captured the nation’s attention but the Gators won't get caught in that andwill just run and run. Florida 82-68 Associated Pressfile photo UCLA guard Jordan Farmar apparent when they held Memphis to 45 points in the regional final. UCLA has won 11 straight games andonly one team — Gonzaga — managedto score more than 60 points. THE SKINNY: This will be another of those contrasting matchups the NCAA tournamentprovides each season. LSU is heavy up front, while the Bruinsrely on their backcourt. It sounds simple, a but whichever team can find a way to score against a good defense will win. THE PICK FarmarandAfflalo are very good as a backcourt but Davis and Thomas are formidable up front. LSU 63-58 ' It's that timeof year again! Advertise your GarageSale in the Daily Herald and heraldextra.com for only You get 15 lines of text and a GarageSale kit* (which includessigns, price tags and balloons) *While supplies last Private party. Restrictions apply. Call today to place yourad! 373-6450 DailyXHerald |