!4 Oral roberts 3 Washington State

Region: East

Coach: Scott Sutton

Record: 23-10

Leading scorer: Forward/center Caleb Green, 20.5

Leading rebounder: Green, 9.3

Keys to victory: 1. Shoot the 3-pointer well. WSU has been vulnerable this season when other teams hit outside shots, and the Golden Eagles are capable of doing that today. Aside from Ken Tutt, a timely 3-pointer or two from reserve Marchello Vealy would help.

2. Get guard Tutt open. Even if the rest of his team is shooting well, Tutt will be looking to score and he’ll have to escape a solid WSU defense to do so. He is ORU’s top outside threat, and without him it’s unlikely that an upset will be in the cards.

3. Play defense for the full shot clock. Few teams the Golden Eagles have seen will be as patient on offense as the Cougars, so ORU must be willing to play consistent defense for 30-35 seconds on some possessions. Nothing will stamp out their tournament dreams like giving up an easy basket after half a minute in the half court.

Region: East

Coach: Tony Bennett

Record: 25-7

Leading scorer: Guard Derrick Low, 13.6

Leading rebounder: Guard Kyle Weaver, 5.5

Keys to victory: 1. Protect the basketball. Washington State has excelled on offense this season when it’s avoided sloppy turnovers, and doing the same against a gambling Oral Roberts defense tonight will go a long way towards helping the Cougars cause.

2. Keep Caleb Green away from the free-throw line. The Golden Eagles’ power forward has feasted on opposing defenses by drawing contact. Since the Cougars don’t have overwhelming depth up front, they’ll need to defend Green without fouling him, forcing the senior to hit shots from the field instead of from the line.

3. Find an offensive star. WSU has depended on different players throughout the season, but it would make like easier for them if someone stepped to the forefront early to take control of this game.