The Edge

Coach: John Calipari, nine years at Memphis, six years in NCAA tournament.

How they got here: Automatic bid (CUSA tournament champion); West first round: def. No. 15 seed CS Northridge 81-70; West second round: def. No. 10 seed Maryland 89-70.

They'll keep winning if ...: The defense continues to be dominant. As good as the Memphis offense has run since Tyreke Evans took over at the point, it's been the defense that has gotten the Tigers to where they are. Putting pressure on opposing offenses and getting easy baskets in transition off turnovers helps Memphis get its motor running and out ahead of other teams because of the team's athleticism all over the floor.

Memorable moment: The Tigers' Conference USA winning streak looked like it was coming to an end when Tulsa took a one-point lead on Memphis with just 4.5 seconds left in their Jan. 13 contest. It was the Golden Hurricane's first lead of the game, and playing at home, it didn't seem like a solid defensive team like Tulsa would give up any more points. But Antonio Anderson took the inbounds pass and drove nearly the length of the court to the basket, scoring a double-clutch layup over Tulsa's shot-blocking center, Jerome Jordan, at the buzzer to give the Tigers the clutch victory. Pulling out the improbable win on the road against probably Memphis' biggest challenger in the conference gave the Tigers even more confidence and the rest of the conference even more of an inferiority complex.

Tyreke Evans

Go-to guys: Tyreke Evans may only be a freshman, but since he was installed as the team's point guard, the Tigers didn't lose a game. The 6-6, 219-pound Evans can drive to the hoop and finish or pull up for the mid-range jumper. He's also a very good passer who finds Memphis' shooters on the perimeter. One of those is senior Antonio Anderson, who always seems to come through with the clutch play, whether it's offensively or defensively. Up front, Shawn Taggart and Robert Dozier are both extremely active on the glass, getting a good share of their baskets off offensive rebounds.

Strengths: Memphis doesn't have a starter under 6-foot-5, which gives the Tigers' defense a lot of space covered. Taggart and Dozier really hound players who venture into the paint, while Anderson and Evans are both very strong on the glass, giving Memphis quite an advantage. And when John Calipari puts 6-8 freshman wing Wesley Witherspoon at the top of the Tigers' zone defense, it makes it even harder for teams to penetrate. Offensively, the Tigers can get to the hoop with Evans and Anderson strong enough to drive on most defenders. And on kickouts, Anderson, Doneal Mack and Willie Kemp are all solid shooters from beyond the 3-point arc.

Weaknesses: The Tigers haven't shown a whole lot of weaknesses in recent weeks. Like last year's team, though, the free-throw line isn't always kind to the Tigers. Memphis hit just 70.1 percent from the charity stripe in conference play, leading to comparisons to the 2007-08 team that missed crucial free throws down the stretch of the national title game. The Tigers' three regular-season losses all came when they shot 35 percent or worse from the field.

Coach: Ben Howland, six years at UCLA, five years in NCAA tournament.

How they got here: At-large bid; East first round: def. No. 11 seed VCU 65-64.

They'll keep winning if ...: Their shots keep falling. UCLA lost 65-55 to rival USC in the Pac-10 tournament semifinals because it suffered through its worst shooting performance of the season -- 27.1 percent (19 of 70). That doesn't happen often to the Bruins, who usually work their half-court offense until Darren Collison, a superb decision-maker, finds them an open shot. The Bruins, in fact, ended the regular season leading the nation in field goal percentage at 50.6 percent. That's not because they have a monster inside who dunks everything, it's because they can spread the court with good shooters and get good looks.

Memorable moment: UCLA recorded its best victory with an 85-76 home triumph against eventual Pac-10 regular-season champ Washington. The Bruins led nearly the entire game and improved to 22-1 against the Huskies in Pauley Pavilion since the 1986-87 season. Washington tied the game at 55 about halfway through the second half, but hot-shooting UCLA -- 62.1 percent in the second half -- went on an 11-3 run, and the Huskies couldn't catch up. Starting with this game, UCLA won six of seven before falling to USC in the Pac-10 semifinals.

Darren Collison

Go-to guys: Senior Darren Collison is one of the best and fastest point guards in the nation, the catalyst for a highly efficient UCLA offense. Entering the NCAA tournament, he averaged 14.5 points per game, makes a stunning 51.9 percent of his shots and has a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Just as important, he's a veteran of three Final Four appearances, so he knows how to win in March. Collison is surrounded by standout perimeter players -- 6-5 senior Josh Shipp (44 percent on 3-pointers), freshman Jrue Holiday (solid, if not spectacular as his recruiting clippings suggested) and designated bench shooter Michael Roll (48 of 94 3-pointers). Roll just needs a little bit of space to launch, and he's not afraid to shoot from anywhere.

Strengths: This is a Howland-coached team, so you know it buys into the principles of a hard-nosed man-to-man defense. The Bruins, without as much presence in the middle, haven't posted the lockdown defensive numbers they did during their three-year Final Four run, but they can still discombobulate careless opponents. UCLA led the Pac-10 in the regular season by forcing 14.7 turnovers per game, which, in turn, leads to fast breaks, which contributes to the Bruins' gaudy shooting percentage. Holiday often gets the assignment against the opponent's best wing player. How he holds up in the NCAA tournament will be key. UCLA's starting five excels at the free throw line, led by Collison and Shipp. Collison hits 91.4 percent and made a UCLA-record 43 in a row this season.

Weaknesses: Kevin Love was a one-and-done player, leaving the Bruins without a big man to run the offense through. Starting post Alfred Aboya has the size to play the part (6-9, 245) but he's more of a clean-up-the-messes kind of scorer rather than a primary low-post scorer. For sure, UCLA doesn't have the balance of previous seasons. Other than Roll, there isn't much scoring off the bench inside or outside. Collison was suffering from a tailbone injury late in the season that contributed to a horrible performance in the Pac-10 semifinals against USC -- 1 of 9 shooting, seven turnovers. If Collison is ailing (especially against guard-heavy Villanova), UCLA will need something off the bench from freshman guards Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson.

Both Memphis and Missouri are adept at forcing turnovers and bad shots that lead to easy baskets in transition. Both teams also have strong frontcourt players that are aggressive on the boards. The team that can best limit its turnovers and/or has the hot stroke from the perimeter should prevail.