9 Wichita State vs. 2 Ohio State West Regional Final

Tonight at 6pm on CBS, the 9 seeded Wichita State Shockers 29-8 (12-6 Missouri Valley) take on the 2 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes 29-7 (13-5 Big Ten) in a West Regional Final at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. After taking down Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, and La Salle, the Shockers are vying for their first trip to the Final Four since 1965. The latest win in a string of victories came in an impressive 72-58 Sweet 16 victory over La Salle on Thursday night. It was a dominating showing by the Shockers after they led by 16 going into the second half. Point guard Malcolm Armstead led WSU with 18 points. Cleanthony Early is the team leader in points with 13.7 points per game. Ohio State earned another thrilling finish Thursday night after defeating Arizona 73-70. LaQuinton Ross drained a long three with under three seconds remaining to give the Buckeyes the win. Last Sunday, Aaron Craft nailed a three with 0.2 seconds left to give them the victory over Iowa State. DeShaun Thomas leads the team with 19.7 points per game. This should be a great matchup between the point guards Malcolm Armstead and Aaron Craft. Look for the Buckeyes to come out with an impressive win and march onto the Final Four for the second consecutive year.

4 Syracuse vs. 3 Marquette East Regional Final

Today at 3:30pm on CBS, the 4 seeded Syracuse Orange 29-9 (11-7 Big East) take on the 3 seeded Marquette Golden Eagles 26-8 (14-4 Big East) in a East Regional Final at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The Orange earned the right to play in the Elite 8 by defeating 1 Indiana 61-50 on Thursday night. The attacking zone of the 'Cuse held the Hoosiers to a season low 50 points. Point guard Michael Carter-Williams led the team with 24 points. They led 34-22 after one half and held on for the win. C.J. Fair leads the team with an average of 14.4 points per game for coach Jim Boeheim. Marquette received the chance to be in the Elite 8 with a 71-61 upset over 2 Miami (FL) on Thursday night. The Eagles' stingy defense held the Hurricanes to just 21 percent shooting in the first half and 1 of 9 from behind the arc. Jamil Wilson led the Eagles with 16 points off the bench in the win. Vander Blue, the team's leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, chipped in 14 in the win for coach Buzz Williams. This should be a great game when these two teams meet for the last time. When these two teams met on February 25 in the Bradley Center, Marquette hung on for 74-71 home win. I think that 'Quette will come out on top again as both teams look for their first trip to the Final Four since 2003.

4 Michigan State at 18 Ohio State Game Preview

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Today at 3pm on CBS, the 4 Michigan State Spartans 22-5 (11-3) travel to Value City Arena to take on the 18 Ohio State Buckeyes 19-7 (9-5). Michigan State comes into this game after dropping their first home game of the season, a 72-68 decision at the hands of 1 Indiana on Tuesday night. They are the only team in the nation to play four straight conference games against ranked opponents. They are 4-3 against ranked opponents this season and have beaten the Buckeyes at the Breslin Center on January 19, 59-56. Keith Appling leads the Spartans with 13.8 points per game. He also averages 3.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for coach Tom Izzo. Ohio State enters this home contest after a 71-45 blowout at home against 18 Minnesota on Wednesday night. On Thursday, Aaron Craft was named to the Capital One All American Academic Team. He is a nutrition major with a GPA of 3.92. Deshaun Thomas, a National Player of the Year candidate, leads the team with 20.1 points per game for coach Thad Matta. I think this should be a really good game but look for the experience and the depth of Michigan State to take over and win this crucial Big Ten game.