Final Four capsules

[1] UCLA (35-3) vs. [1] Memphis (37-1)

6:07 p.m., Chs. 9, 13, Alamodome, San Antonio

Breaking down UCLA

Even as some of the stars of the Bruins’ last two Final Four teams (Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo) moved on, coach Ben Howland has kept UCLA as loaded as any team in the country. This season, it meant bringing in Kevin Love and watching the freshman dominate the Pac-10. Love’s full-court outlet passes, blocked shots and slick moves inside have helped the Bruins roll through four games in the tournament, but there’s a lot more to UCLA. Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook have the speed to keep up with any backcourt, and Howland’s teams play defense well. Memphis scored 45 points in the teams’ regional final meeting in 2006. The cast is different, but the style is the same for UCLA.

Breaking down Memphis

The Tigers are in the Final Four for the first time since 1985, forcing their way through after regional final losses the last two years. Memphis possesses no shortage of flair, from the vision of point guard Derrick Rose’s vision, to Chris Douglas-Roberts’ creativity to Joey Dorsey’s personality. The Tigers played a challenging early schedule to offset what predictably turned into a an unbeaten run through Conference USA, then easily dispatched three of their four NCAA tournament opponents (Mississippi State was the exception) to make it to San Antonio. It was in the Alamodome that Memphis’ season ended a year ago against Ohio State, and there has been little question the Tigers would not be judged well if they did not make it back. Free throw shooting was a season-long issue for Memphis, though it made 30 of 36 attempts against Texas in the regional final.

Matchup to watch

UCLA C Kevin Love vs. Memphis C Joey Dorsey

Dorsey talked trash to Ohio State’s Greg Oden before last year’s regional final, then came up lame as the Buckeyes rolled into the Final Four. Now, the Baltimore native gets a crack at another talented freshman center, who could be one-and-done in the college game. If Love gets rolling and can also neutralize Dorsey on the glass, Memphis could struggle.

Prediction: A low-scoring game probably benefits UCLA, but the Bruins can play at a faster tempo as well. UCLA has some unfinished Final Four business and will survive with a 76-72 win.

[1] North Carolina (36-2) vs. [1] Kansas (35-3)

8:47 p.m., Chs. 9, 13, Alamodome, San Antonio

Breaking down North Carolina

The glaring question for UNC for the last two months was point guard Ty Lawson’s health. The only team to defeat the Tar Heels with Lawson in the lineup was Maryland, which beat up center Tyler Hansbrough inside and prevented him from taking over at any stage. As good as Hansbrough is, Lawson (with his relatively healthy ankle) is the difference-maker. He has help in the backcourt, both from a fine perimeter shooter (Wayne Ellington) and a cool backup (Quentin Thomas). There’s also sixth man Danny Green, who almost always finds a way to make Carolina better when he’s on the court.

Breaking down Kansas

It might be best for the Jayhawks to look at how Maryland beat a full-strength UNC team. Kansas doesn’t have quite the blunt force in the paint as the Terps did, but it does have a defender (Brandon Rush) who could get the chance to shadow Lawson for much of the night much like Greivis Vasquez did Jan. 19. The week’s dominant story line is Kansas’ first shot at former coach Roy Williams since he left Lawrence, Kan., in 2003. But the look of relief from Jayhawks coach Bill Self after Sunday’s regional final victory suggests a great weight was lifted from Kansas. The Jayhawks are athletic, talented and balanced. There might not be a dominant big guy on the roster, so they’ll have to try to slow Hansbrough by committee.

Matchup to watch

Kansas G Brandon Rush vs. North Carolina G/F Marcus Ginyard:

As callous as it sounds, the best thing that happened to this year’s Kansas team was Rush tearing his right ACL last May and opting to return to school. The junior is capable of dominant games, and he should get to carry a decent portion of the offense against the Tar Heels. He’ll probably contend with Ginyard, who like Rush is a superb defensive player.

Prediction: UNC will establish a breakneck pace and Hansbrough will enjoy another fine day, leading to an 87-75 victory and a spot in the title game for the Tar Heels.

Patrick Stevens