What to Look For

* How they got there: Duke--back in the Sweet 16 after a three-year absence--had its usual blowout in the first round but beat Oklahoma State by only six in the second. The reintroduction of center Elton Brand into the lineup is requiring adjustments, and the Blue Devils aren’t quite as sharp as they had been. Roshown McLeod blossomed in Brand’s absence, but shooting guard Trajan Langdon needs to avoid the kind of slump he had before the tournament.

How did Syracuse get this far? The Orangemen survived Iona only because of Marius Janulis’ game-winning shot, then beat New Mexico in an ugly offensive game. The Orangemen shot only 34%, but their zone defense helped hold injury-depleted New Mexico and the Lobos’ disappearing star, Kenny Thomas, to 26% shooting. Todd Burgan is the leading scorer, and Etan Thomas is an intimidating shot blocker.

It sounds about as odd as the phrase “eighth-ranked Princeton,” but UCLA is now the darkhorse in the NCAA tournament. A squeaker over Miami saved the Bruins from another devastating Princeton/Tulsa episode in the first round. But against Michigan, UCLA played to its talent level, and that is awesome. What was new? Defense and half-court offense that flowed from passing, not one-on-one duels. Losing Baron Davis is a concern, but you can’t dismiss the Bruins’ tournament-tried seniors and their will to win.

Kentucky is rolling, having beaten South Carolina State by 15 points in the first round before eliminating phenomenal Saint Louis freshman Larry Hughes from what might be his only NCAA tournament in the second, winning by 27 points.

* Difference-makers: J.R. Henderson, Kris Johnson and Toby Bailey. The UCLA seniors have that 11-2 NCAA record and NBA talent. When they zero in on exactly what needs to be done, they are very difficult to stop.

* Four questions: Can Duke sharpen its game against Syracuse before the tough tests ahead?

Are the Orangemen still counting their lucky stars after beating Iona?

Can UCLA play as well without Baron Davis as it did with him?

Can the Bruins’ young inside reserves repeat their Michigan performance against Kentucky’s Mohammed?

* Looking forward to: If UCLA can somehow get past Kentucky, how about a rematch with Duke, which beat the Bruins at Cameron Indoor Stadium last month, 120-84. If the Bruins keep playing defense and passing in the half-court offense the way they did against Michigan, a game against Duke would be a lot closer.

* Glimpse at the coaches: Mike Krzyzewski has been to the Final Four seven times and could surpass Dean Smith’s 10 appearances if he doesn’t get lured away by the NBA. (John Wooden holds the record with 12.) Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim used to be known as a sideline whiner, but he’s changed and some people think it’s because he recently married. It’s easy to criticize Steve Lavin, but at the moment the guy has a 5-1 NCAA tournament record, and the zone UCLA played against Michigan was well thought out. (By the way, Lavin tried to called Purdue’s Keady for advice on playing Michigan but never reached him.) Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith’s career started to take off after a 1994 first-round victory when he was at Tulsa. The victim? UCLA.

* How it shakes out: Duke over Syracuse, but the other game? A tough call, but if UCLA plays smart defense against Kentucky, brings its best running game and calls on every ounce of tournament fight in those three seniors. . . . But Duke still beats UCLA.