EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? Just the mere mention of Jameer Nelson’s enormous tattoo brings a smile from John Lucas.

“Yep … ‘All Eyes on Me,'” the Oklahoma State guard said. “I think it’s great. That’s how he feels. He plays that way, and he lives up to it.”

Lucas will get his chance to see Nelson up close when he leads the second-seeded Cowboys against Saint Joseph’s in the East Rutherford Regional final.

“Tomorrow night, maybe all eyes will be on me,” Lucas said Friday. “This is the moment I’ve been hoping for and praying for my whole life.”

In Nelson and Delonte West, the top-seeded Hawks have what many consider the best backcourt in the nation. Lucas and Tony Allen are pretty talented, too, and intend to prove it tonight with a trip to the Final Four at stake.

Lucas, son of the former NBA standout by the same name, admits he’s seen a lot of Nelson this season. So have a lot of people — Nelson was a unanimous All-America pick.

“I’ve been watching him all year. I like what he does,” Lucas said. “He’s a terrific player. I take a little of what he does off him for my game.”

Naturally, Lucas noticed the tattoo that stretches in big letters across Nelson’s upper back, from shoulder to shoulder. Nelson got it last summer to go along with a smaller one reading “No Fear” on his right arm.

Nelson brings his dizzying array of drives, spins and clever shots into a matchup that Saint Joseph’s (30-1) sees as speed vs. strength. Coach Phil Martelli described Oklahoma State’s bulky front players as looking “like linemen.”

Saint Joseph's guard Jameer Nelson reacts after beating Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Oklahoma State plays the Hawks in the Elite Eight today in East Rutherford, N.J.

As for suggestions that the guard tandems will decide it, Allen disagrees. He’s not being ornery, either — like Lucas, he stuck around to see some of the Hawks’ 84-80 win over Wake Forest on Thursday night and was duly impressed.

“I think it’s all about buckets,” Allen said. “The game ain’t going to be judged on quickness. You can be Carl Lewis, but the game is going to come down to buckets.”

Nelson pushes the Hawks at both ends of the court. He and West open up a lot three-point tries — Saint Joseph’s takes 24 treys per game, twice as many as Oklahoma State (30-3).

Nelson has scored 81 points in three NCAA Tournament games this March while West has added 57. Their improvised style is a lot different than the one employed by Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton.

Martelli said he got only one hour of sleep after the Hawks’ latest win, staying up most of the night and morning to study tape of the Cowboys.

As of Friday afternoon, Sutton said he had not decided how he’d guard the Hawks. Allen is the Cowboys’ best defender and leads the team with a 16-point average.

Allen scored 23 points to highlight a 63-51 win over Pittsburgh in the regional semifinal.

“They’re one of the best backcourts in the nation, and I feel like we’re one of the best backcourts,” Lucas said. “But it’s not going to come down to who has the best backcourt. It will come down to who has the best team.”