MARCH MADNESS PREVIEW: Arizona vs. UConn (Tonight, 7:05 PM EST; TV: CBS)
Two elite players face off in the Elite Eight when the Arizona Wildcats face the Connecticut Huskies in Anaheim.
The Wildcats are led by Derrick Williams, the potential first overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Williams is coming off a stellar game against Duke. The forward scored a career-high 32 points, and energized the crowd with some spectacular dunks.
The Huskies are led by Kemba Walker, who dismantled San Diego State in the Sweet 16 with 36 points -- 22 coming in the second half.
Neither team can be labeled a one-man show. In the blowout of Duke, the Wildcats received excellent contributions from point guard Lamont Jones, who scored 16 points but also dished off some impressive assists, and swing man Solomon Hill, who added 13 points, and five rebounds.
Defeating Duke is one thing, but the way Arizona did it with it such ease is another. Rarely does a modern-era Duke team look so outmatched in one half as they did against Arizona in the second half.
The task remains difficult tonight for Sean Miller's team when they face the lone-remaining Big East team in the tournament.
The Huskies seemed to handle second-seed San Diego State's regional advantage in Anaheim on Thursday night with the poise needed to make a Final Four.
Jim Calhoun's squad made a long trip to Southern California and managed to shoot an impressive 47.4 percent from the field.
As great as Kemba Walker's performance was, he was aided by the exceptional performance of Jeremy Lamb. The swing man scored 24 points on nine-of-11 shooting, and scored seven points inside the last two minutes of a rather close contest.
The winner of the game plays the winner of Kentucky-North Carolina in the Final Four in Houston.
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