Daily Word: Elite Eight bids up for grabs

Each day, some of our college hoops experts discuss the biggest issues, trends and themes in and around college basketball.

1. Gonzaga beat UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in December. What can the Bruins learn from studying that film?

Andy Katz: They actually hung with Gonzaga for a spell. But that game holds little relevance. UCLA is playing much better basketball, and Bryce Alford is shooting the best he has this season. The confidence for the Bruins hasn't been this high all season, but I'm still picking Gonzaga.

C.L. Brown: UCLA can see what not to do in relation to its effort from that first meeting. Kevon Looney admitted the Bruins took plays off in that game, but they were still maturing in December. UCLA is much better now than they were back then. But then again, so is Gonzaga.

Dana O'Neil: I'm not sure if that film is relevant so much anymore. UCLA is a different team, much more content to play at a slightly slower pace, relying more on Tony Parker. The first is the real key here. If UCLA tries to get in a shooting contest with Gonzaga, it isn't going to win it. The Bruins need to control the tempo to have a chance.

2. In another rematch, NC State faces Louisville. How is this Cardinals team different from the one that lost three out of four in February?

Katz: The Cardinals have remade themselves without Chris Jones. This team is more streamlined and proved plenty of the pundits wrong. Not having Jones has ensured this team is even more together than it was earlier in the season. If Rick Pitino can win two more games, this might end up his best late-season coaching job.

Brown: For starters, they have a freshman point guard. Quentin Snider isn't the scorer or defender that Jones was. But he is improving in increments, and Louisville has learned to play with him as the floor leader. That's all the Cardinals can ask right now.

O'Neil: Terry Rozier is the difference. The guard is playing with increased confidence and has seized the role of team leader since Jones' dismissal. His ability to knock down jumpers as well as 3-pointers has given Louisville's otherwise stagnant offense a shot in the arm. He'll have to play that well offensively and also contend with Cat Barber on defense in this one.

3. Few teams have been able to solve the Jahlil Okafor problem this season. How should Utah attack the Duke big man?

Katz: The Utes will probably double-team, but they've got Delon Wright to get out on the perimeter. San Diego State didn't have that person to jump out and still contend shots. Utah must win this game on the defensive end because the Utes cannot match Duke's scoring.

Brown: Rather than double-team or have defenders sagging all in the lane, foul him. That's right, send him to the free throw line, where he's shooting 51.6 percent. When the game against Notre Dame in the ACC tournament was tight in the second half, that's exactly what Notre Dame coach Mike Brey did, and the Irish knocked Duke out.

O'Neil: By committee would be the smartest option. There's no way Jakob Poeltl can handle Okafor alone, nor do I expect that Larry Krystowiak will ask him to. Dallin Bachynski will be called in to service and perhaps more. The Utes will need to keep the guards and the ball out of the paint so Okafor alone can't beat them.

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Games To Watch

By ESPN.com

UCLA vs. Gonzaga, 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS

The selection committee's decision to include UCLA in the field was scrutinized, yet the Bruins survived the first weekend. There's talk that UCLA advanced thanks to a favorable call and No. 14 seed UAB's upset of Iowa State. UCLA can prove it belongs if it beats Gonzaga, a team it lost to by 13 points in December.

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NC State vs. Louisville, 7:37 p.m. ET, TBS

NC State's Anthony Barber is averaging 15 points per game in the NCAA tournament after going scoreless in the Wolfpack's ACC tournament loss to Duke. Against Louisville, Barber will have to deal with the Cardinals' pressing defense led by Terry Rozier.

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Utah vs. Duke, 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS

Duke and Utah are similar teams in that they each run their offense through a freshman big man (Jahlil Okafor and Jakob Poeltl) and surround them with 3-point shooters. Utah has the eighth-best 3-point percentage nationally, while Duke ranks at No. 22.

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Michigan State vs. Oklahoma
[br /]10:07 p.m. ET, TBS

With No. 1 seed Villanova and No. 2 seed Virginia both gone, the East Region is wide open. Oklahoma, the region's No. 3 seed, can inch closer by bouncing Michigan State, a team that ranks in Ken Pomeroy's top 15 in adjusted offensive efficiency.

They Said It

By ESPN.com

36 and won

- Devin Booker (@DevinBook) March 27, 2015

ESPNU Basketball Podcast

By ESPN.com

Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg check in with newsmakers from around college basketball.

• March 31: Tom Crean on Final Four
• March 24: Tom Izzo, Larry Krystkowiak
• March 18: Bracket breakdown
• March 9: Kansas' Bill Self
• March 2: Bo Ryan, Dave Rose