SATURDAY'S MATCHUPS by REGION (seeds in parentheses)

EAST
Duke (1) - Missouri (9)
Duke's unbelievable 3-point shooting separates the Blue Devils from most other clubs. Duke has five players who can hit threes: Shane Battier, Jason Williams, Michael Dunleavy, Nate James and Chris Duhon. As long as Duke gets solid play from its committee on the interior, the Blue Devils should have too much for Missouri.

The Tigers are talented offensively, but their style of play -- utilizing the full court and playing up-tempo -- really plays into the hands of Duke. Look for Duke to move on in this classic matchup of mentor versus pupil. Missouri's Quin Snyder, a former assistant at Duke under Coach K, has done a fantastic job in his first two years as head coach of the Tigers.

UCLA (4) - Utah State (12)
UCLA's big three of Jason Kapono on the wing, Earl Watson at the point and Dan Gadzuric on the interior should be enough to offset the Cinderella team out of the Big West. Stew Morrill's club, with 28 wins, certainly has proven it can win. And if you don't believe me, just ask Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien.

Kapono should have a big day against the zone defense Utah State utilized against Ohio State. But Kapono, Billy Knight and Co. are capable of making the three with inside-outside action because of the presence of Gadzuric. Expect Steve Lavin's Bruins to march on to meet Duke in a dynamite Sweet 16 matchup in the East.

Still, it won't be easy for the Bruins versus the Aggies as Bernard Rock, Shawn Daniels and Tony Brown all can flat-out play.

Boston College (3) - USC (6)
A great matchup between USC's Henry Bibby and BC's Al Skinner. Maybe we should let these coaches take the court and pit the offensive ability of Bibby against the defensive talent of Skinner -- both are former NBA players. But since that won't happen...

USC is an athletic team that is capable of being brilliant, but the Trojans can also be inconsistent. USC power forward Sam Clancy is one of the best-kept secrets on the West Coast. Clancy starred in the opening-round blowout over Oklahoma State (22 points, 13 rebounds), and he could be too much for the Eagles on the interior.

David Bluthenthal, Brian Scalabrine and Jeff Trepagnier are all capable of PTPer performances for the Trojans. Brandon Glanville is a solid point guard, as well. USC is a dangerous team for Big East champion Boston College.

The big question is this: Can USC find a way to slow down Troy Bell? All season, Boston College has found a way -- even when playing poorly -- to find enough spurts to get them to the winner's circle. Ryan Sidney must be effective, Xavier Singletary must be big from the wing and Jonathan Beerbohm must bring his best inside against this talented Pac-10 quintet.

Kentucky (2) - Iowa (7)
Kentucky's 1-2 punch of Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans must be at their best. Against Holy Cross, they had just enough to get the Wildcats to the second round.

On the inside, Jason Parker and Marvin Stone must step up to neutralize the talents of Iowa power forward Reggie Evans, a double-double man and the leading rebounder in the nation. It would have been interesting to see former Wildcat Ryan Hogan play against his buddies, but he is out with an injury. Also hurting the chances of Steve Alford's Hawkeyes is the knee injury of Brody Boyd, suffered against Creighton in the first round (Boyd is questionable).

When you think of what this Iowa team would have been with Luke Recker -- wow! They were 17-4 when Recker went down, struggled and then regrouped to win the Big Ten tournament. Alford is one of those coaches who has a magical touch at tourney time; he also did an outstanding job in the NCAAs at Southwest Missouri State.

The Wildcats will have their hands full, but their defense and the Prince-Bogans tandem should enable them to move closer to a potential Elite Eight showdown with Duke.

WEST
Stanford (1) - St. Joseph's (9)
Stanford's balanced inside and outside attack has been special all season long. I don't see any change in this matchup for Mike Montgomery's club. Jason and Jarron Collins give the Cardinal a strong interior presence, and Michael McDonald's ability to make the three and distribute the rock has been a big plus. Casey Jacobsen is an All-American who wants the ball at crunch time and who plays with an exuberance and a special winning style.

Stanford will meet one of the nation's most underrated backcourts in Marvin O'Connor and Jameer Nelson, my national Diaper Dandy of the Year. Phil Martelli's club has been winning all season behind the brilliant play of this dynamite duo. The question is: Does St. Joe's have enough inside? The answer, most likely, is no. Look for Stanford to get by the second round this time -- something it hasn't done the past two years.

Cincinnati (5) - Kent State (13)
The stock of Kent State's Gary Waters went up and up and up with the big comeback win over the Indiana Hoosiers in the first round. His kids play solid team defense and have proved once again that the Mid-American Conference is a dangerous league.

Check out the history of the Mid-American in the Big Dance: In 1998 Western Michigan toppled Clemson, in 1997 Eastern Michigan beat Duke, in 1995 Herb Sendek led Miami (Ohio) over Arizona and in 1991 Eastern Michigan marched to the Sweet 16 with Ben Braun at the helm.

The question now is this: Does Kent State have enough to take that Mid-American magic to the Sweet 16? Cincinnati's Bearcats were at their best versus BYU, giving the Cougars a real thrashing with their fierce defensive play. If Steve Logan is making shots from the perimeter and Kenny Satterfield is able to penetrate, look for Cincinnati to move to the Sweet 16.

I believe this will be a Maalox Masher, going right down to the end -- but somehow Logan will get them to the next round.

Maryland (3) - Georgia State (11)
Georgia State coach Lefty Driesell must have been tossing and turning since the draw came out because of the potential of this matchup. Driesell poured his heart and soul into the Maryland program for 17 years before he was shown the exit. Anything Lefty does, he does with a special passion.

Now he goes against a Maryland team that struggled against George Mason. But remember, Florida struggled last year against Butler in the first round -- needing a Mike Miller buzzer-beater to advance -- and wound up going to the title game. Maryland's first tourney game this year could be the one that gets all the bugs out for this Terp team that was brilliant down the stretch in ACC play.

Georgia State has three big-time performers who have played in big-time environments: Shernard Long (transfer from Georgetown), Kevin Morris (transfer from Georgia Tech) and Darryl Cooper (transfer from LSU). But Georgia State's starters will likely play 37 to 38 minutes, which means that the big edge goes to Maryland's depth. Its depth will be the difference.

Also, look for Terence Morris and Lonny Baxter to bounce back from sub-par efforts in the first round against George Mason.

Georgetown (10) - Hampton (15)
How many people thought Hampton would still be playing? But here they are, thanks to a magical 14-2 run at the end of the first-round game against second-seeded Iowa State.

Hampton has an effective inside-outside combo in Tarvis Williams, who can block shots and score, and Marseilles Brown at the point.

But Georgetown's defense, depth and size should be the difference. Michael Sweetney and Lee Scruggs should be a bit too much for Hampton on the interior, helped by Kevin Braswell's penetration. Look for the Hoyas to bring a smile to coach Craig Esherick's face as they advance to the Sweet 16.