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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 3:44 p.m., Friday, April 4, 2008

Final Four matchup: Memphis-UCLA

By JIM O’CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer

A quick look at tomorrow's Final Four semifinal matchups between Memphis and UCLA.

TV time: 12:07 p.m. Hawaii time.

Station: KGMB (CBS), channel 9, cable 07, digital 007, high definition 1007

MEMPHIS VS. UCLA

MEMPHIS (37-1)

ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR:

Memphis 87, No. 16 Texas-Arlington 63

Memphis 77, No. 8 Mississippi State 74

Memphis 92, No. 5 Michigan State 74

Memphis 85, No. 2 Texas 67

STARS: Junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts (17.7 points, 4.2 rebounds) was a first-team All-America and freshman guard Derrick Rose (14.6 points, 4.7 assists), a third-team pick, lived up to the billing as the best point guard among a very talented group of first-year players.

COACH: John Calipari took Massachusetts to the Final Four in 1996, then left for a brief stint with the New Jersey Nets in the NBA. This is his eighth season at Memphis. The Tigers are 218-64 in that span, including 11-4 in the NCAA tournament.

KEY POINT: Reserve guard Andre Allen (3.3 points, 2.1 assists) has been suspended for the Final Four for violating team rules. The Tigers have taken an us-against-the-world mentality over what they perceive as a slight in being given a chance to win the national championship. Entering the tournament free throw shooting was the biggest question about the team, but the Tigers are 93-for-138 (67.4 percent) in the four NCAA games, well above their 60.7 mark for the season.

UCLA (35-3)

ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR:

UCLA 70, No. 16 Mississippi Valley State 29

UCLA 53, No. 9 Texas A&M 49

UCLA 88, No. 12 Western Kentucky 78

UCLA 76, No. 3 Xavier 57

STARS: Center Kevin Love (17.6 points, 10.7 rebounds) is just one of six freshmen to be selected first-team All-America since 1983, and his tough inside play has become the face of UCLA basketball. Junior guard Darren Collison (14.8 points, 3.8 assists), a tremendous free throw shooter who has made 83 of his 92 foul shots, was a third-team All-America.

COACH: Ben Howland has taken the Bruins to the Final Four three straight years. His 97 wins over that span, including a school-record 35 this season, is the best run in UCLA history.

KEY POINT: The Bruins have five players making their third Final Four appearance, the only ones with any experience among the four teams. It's still about defense for UCLA, the only team still playing that allows less than 60 points per game.