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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coaching pals collide in Sweet 16

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Ever since Thad Matta and Sean Miller shared a tiny office at Miami of Ohio nearly two decades ago, the coaches’ friendship has survived job changes, practical jokes and a few hundred bucks in unpaid lunch tabs.

“I wouldn’t be here today without him,” Miller said Wednesday. “I learned a lot from him, enjoyed being around him when we worked together, and we remain very good friends.”

They remained close after their teams faced off in a memorable Ohio State victory over Xavier in the NCAA tournament six years ago, and they’re still close heading into their next meeting tonight at the Staples Center, when the second-seeded Buckeyes (28-7) meet Miller’s Arizona Wildcats (27-7) in the West Region semifinals.

“I don’t like the fact that we’re playing, but I’m happy as can be for him,” Matta said.

With underdogs La Salle and Wichita State playing the late game, Ohio State and Arizona are the only seeds in the top eight left in what looks like the least attractive regional.

“We’re not caught up in the sexiness and all that,” Arizona guard Mark Lyons said. “I feel like my teammates are handsome, but that’s (beside) the point.”

Both teams have a mix of veteran talent and emerging youngsters, leading to a few marquee positional matchups that are tough for both coaches to predict.

Ohio State hero Aaron Craft faces a stiff challenge against Lyons, the ball-hawking guard described by Miller as the hoops equivalent of a running quarterback. Deshaun Thomas, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer, will be checked on most possessions by Solomon Hill, the Wildcats’ rangy senior from Los Angeles.

Underdogs? They don’t think so

Wichita State and La Salle busted a few brackets with their early wins in the NCAA tournament. Just don’t script their matchup as a meeting of underdogs.

“The beautiful thing about the NCAA tournament is to see great teams that you don’t see every night and to see different players that you might see some day at the next level,” La Salle coach John Giannini said.

The ninth-seeded Shockers (28-8) and No. 13 Explorers (24-9) meet in the second West Regional semifinal tonight.

The Explorers won a play-in game against Boise State to get into the NCAAs. Then they took out Kansas State and Mississippi in Kansas City, and haven’t been back to Philly since.

The Shockers did return home after their upset of No. 1 seed Gonzaga last weekend.