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NCAAB Final Four: Memphis vs. UCLA

Posted on April 3, 2008 | 8:40 AM ET Filed under:

Saturday’s semifinal round of the men’s college basketball Tournament starts with the No. 1 Memphis Tigers (37-1 straight up, 17-19-2 against the spread) facing the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (35-3 SU, 21-14-2 ATS). Although the Tigers have the weaker ATS record, they were dominant against both Michigan State (+5.5) in the Sweet 16 and Texas (+3.5) in the Elite Eight.

The Bruins, meanwhile, were unable to cover against Texas A&M (+9.5) and Western Kentucky (+12.5), nearly falling to the Aggies before escaping with a 51-49 win. Josh Shipp is mired in a shooting slump at 6-for-27 since the Tournament began, attributable at least in part to a case of strep throat. That’s enough to make UCLA a 2-point underdog versus the Tigers.

This game features two sensational freshmen, one on either side. Memphis has point guard Derrick Rose scoring over 20 points per game this Tournament, while UCLA is also getting 20 a night (plus 11 rebounds) from center Kevin Love. Neither player was around two years ago when the Bruins beat Memphis in the Elite Eight.

The two freshmen represent the strengths of their clubs. The Tigers, however, might not have the interior presence to hold down Love. They’re also one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in Division I at 60.7 percent. UCLA has its flaws, most notably with their perimeter offense, but coach Ben Howland’s preference is to get the ball inside to Love.

Tip-off is at 6:05 p.m. Eastern from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, with CBS handling the coverage.



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