The Edge

Coach: Bruce Weber, six years at Illinois, five years in NCAA tournament.

How they got here: At-large bid.

They'll keep winning if ...: They find offense when they need it, unlike the 12-minute scoring drought they experienced against Purdue the last time out. The Illini were 12-0 when shooting more free throws than the opposition, 13-1 when committing fewer turnovers and 21-4 when putting at least 60 points on the board. Illinois is 8-4 in the NCAA tourney under Weber, including a national championship game loss against North Carolina in 2005 and a Sweet 16 run in 2004. His teams don't give up and play hard-nosed, man-to-man defense, losing only twice this season by more than 10 points.

Memorable moment: Four days after managing just 33 points in a home loss against Penn State, Illinois revived its floundering offense by shooting 58.3 percent from the field in a 70-68 victory at Ohio State on Feb. 22. The Fighting Illini knocked down nine of 17 3-pointers, dished out 23 assists on 28 field goals and never trailed. It was the 150th win at Illinois for sixth-year coach Bruce Weber.

Mike Davis

Go-to guys: Sophomore forward Mike Davis (6-9, 210) led the conference with eight double-doubles and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. He scored in double digits 21 times and led the team in rebounding 21 times during the regular season. Sophomore guard Demetri McCamey (6-3, 205), a third-team choice, led the Illini in scoring (11.9) during the regular season and had a team-high five 20-point games. Sophomore center Mike Tisdale (7-1, 235) averaged 10.8 points and finished the regular season fourth in the league in field-goal percentage (54.0) and blocks (43). Senior guard Trent Meacham (6-2, 195) is a career 41.1-percent shooter from 3-point distance.

Strengths: Illinois entered the Big Ten tournament ranked third nationally in scoring defense (56.5), fourth in 3-point defense (28.5 percent), seventh in assists (17.8 per game) and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.42). Led by senior guard Chester Frazier (6-2, 195) with a Big Ten-best 5.3 assists per game, the Fighting Illini registered assists on 70.2 percent of their field goals, the highest percentage in Division I. Eight different players led the team in scoring and the bench outscored the opposition in 21 of 31 regular-season games.

Weaknesses: During conference play, Illinois ranked ninth in the Big Ten in scoring thanks to a couple of startling stinkers. On Jan. 29, Minnesota held the Illini to their lowest point total in 24 years in a 59-36 victory. Just three weeks later, Illinois scored its fewest points since 1947 in a 38-33 loss to Penn State in Champaign. The Fighting Illini also finished 10th in the conference in 3-point shooting (32.0 percent) and eighth in free-throw shooting (69.2).

Coach: Rick Pitino, eight years at Louisville, six years in NCAA tournament.

How they got here: Automatic bid (Big East tournament champion); Midwest first round: def. No. 16 seed Morehead State 74-54; Midwest second round: def. No. 9 seed Siena 79-72; Midwest regional semifinals: def. No. 12 seed Arizona 103-64.

They'll keep winning if...: Terrence Williams plays like an All-American and the defense keeps on shutting down opponents. All Rick Pitino teams shoot 3-pointers and guard well, but Williams is the Cardinal most capable of making the big shots in key spots to get Louisville out of a jam. The close call against Siena in the second round appeared to be a wake up call for the Cardinals as they were absolutely relentless against Arizona, forcing 14 turnovers and hitting 14 of 29 3-pointers. The Cardinals have made at least 48 percent of their field goals in five of their last six games. The defense is fueled by the clamp-tight defense. Opponents don't consistently beat the pressure, as the Cardinals keep changing looks, having held seven of their last eight opponents to 66 points or fewer. Four of those teams were held to less than 60.

Memorable moment: When the Cardinals met Kentucky on Jan. 4, Pitino's crew was 8-3, a record that included an embarrassing loss to Western Kentucky. It seemed to have control of the game by holding a seven-point lead with 51 seconds left, but Earl Clark turned the ball over twice, UK's Jodie Meeks scored seven in a row, and all of the sudden the game was tied. It looked like a meltdown was imminent, which could have led to a downward spiral, but Edgar Sosa nailed a 3-pointer to give the team a needed 74-71 win. It sparked the team to a nine-game winning streak and Louisville reappeared in the top 10 in the polls.

Earl Clark

Go-to guys: Terrence Williams is vindicated. Some questioned his decision to return for one more year rather than enter the NBA draft, but he's had an excellent senior season that likely increased his appeal to pro scouts. He's the team's second-leading scorer, but the most dangerous player because he can beat opponents both inside and outside and has no problem passing out of a double-team to find the open man, as evidenced by his team-leading five assists per game. Earl Clark leads the team at 14 points per game, and freshman Samardo Samuels has had a nice year patrolling the middle.

Strengths: Like a typical Pitino-coached team, UL plays aggressive defense and has a number of players comfortable shooting from the parking lot. Entering the Big East tournament championship game, the Cardinals had double-digit steals 13 times, including four in a row in March, and held more than half of its opponents to 60 points or fewer. On offense, the Cards were 19-0 during the regular season when making eight or more 3-pointers in a game.

Weaknesses: The one place Williams is not really dangerous is at the free throw line, where he's a 57 percent shooter. Louisville shoots just 64 percent from the line as a team, and there's no regular who shoots better than Edgar Sosa at 74 percent. That makes late-game situations tricky. The Cardinals defense has been vulnerable to teams that can get the ball in the middle of the zone on the inside.

We all remember what Western Kentucky did in the NCAA tournament last year and with a balanced offensive attack and solid defense, the Hilltoppers could do it again. But Illinois gets the slight edge in this first-round matchup because of the better frontcourt -- led by Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale -- and a more experienced coach.