KEYS TO THE GAME

Style of play: Undersized Mississippi uses an aggressive man-to-man defense and a motion offense heavy on screens. Guards Jason Harrison and David Sanders like to slash to the basket and pass to forward Justin Reed. The Rebels run few post plays, which should help UCLA center Dan Gadzuric stay out of foul trouble. UCLA will employ its 1-4 set offense as well as the motion that has been sporadically successful the last three weeks.

Matchup to watch: Jason Kapono vs. Aaron Harper. Sanders, the best Mississippi defender, probably won’t defend Kapono because he is only 6 feet 3. That will leave the less tenacious 6-7 Harper to hold down the Bruins’ leading scorer. If his teammates set screens, Kapono could get plenty of open shots. Harper, however, is Mississippi’s best three-point shooter and could give as good as he gets.

Intangibles: Both teams are coming off Sweet 16 appearances, yet finished the regular season in disappointing fashion. The team able to regroup during the last four days of practice will win.

Magic numbers: UCLA has a significant height advantage. Harrison, the Mississippi point guard, is 5-5 and will be matched against 6-6 Cedric Bozeman. And 6-8 Rebel post player Derrick Allen must contend with the 6-11 Gadzuric.

Final analysis: Provided freshman point guards Bozeman and Ryan Walcott don’t make too many mistakes, the Bruins should win behind Gadzuric’s post presence and Kapono’s perimeter shooting.