The story line: It was a pretty good bet before the season that each of these teams would be in the Sweet 16. But given their regular-season struggles, that both have advanced this far is a shocker. Both teams have great talent, and the players seem to have finally realized that you must play good defense to win a game. How good are these teams? It wouldn’t be a surprise if one makes it to the Final Four.

The “X” factors: UCLA senior center Dan Gadzuric and Missouri sophomore center Arthur Johnson are often-forgotten offensive pieces. For all the perimeter talent these teams have  and they have a ton  both are much more effective when their big guys are scoring inside. Johnson is a power guy while Gadzuric is more of a finesse player.