**Boston College vs. Villanova**

--This might be the most anticipated of the Sweet 16 pairings, featuring former Big East rivals who split a pair of head-to-head meetings last season. Most sports books have installed top-seeded Villanova as a 2 1/2-point favorite with a total of 141. Gamblers can back the Eagles to win outright for a plus-125 payoff (risk $100 to win $125).

--Villanova (27-4 straight up, 13-14 against the spread) survived a second-round tester against Arizona, prevailing by an 82-78 count as a 7 1/2-point favorite. Allan Ray scored a team-high 25 points and dished out four assists, while Randy Foye added 24 points and six rebounds. The 160 combined points sailed 'over' the 142 1/2-point total.

--Boston College (28-7 SU, 18-12 ATS) has won seven of its last eight games both SU and ATS. The lone loss during that stretch is a 78-76 defeat to Duke in the ACC Tournament finals. The Eagles advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins in Salt Lake City over Pacific and Montana. They had to go double overtime before taking out 13th-seeded Pacific, while an early second half surge put away the Grizzlies.

--Al Skinner's team owns a 6-0 spread record as an underdog.

--Villanova is 2-6 ATS in its last eight games.

--The 'over' is 4-1 in the last five games with a total between these schools.

--The 'over' has been a money maker for both teams, posting an 18-12 mark for BC and a 16-11 record for 'Nova.

--The 'over' has hit in six of BC's last eight outings.

--Tip-off on CBS is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Eastern.

**George Mason vs. Wichita State**

--Regardless of who wins this Sweet 16 matchup at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., there will be a serious Cinderella squad advancing to the Elite Eight from a mid-major conference (think Kent State in '02, Gonzaga in '99).

--Most spots have installed George Mason (25-7 SU, 17-9 ATS) as a 1 1/2-point 'chalk' with a 124-point tally. The Shockers are plus 110 on the money line.

--Wichita State (26-8 SU, 15-13 ATS) advanced to the regional semifinals with wins against 10th-seeded Seton Hall and No. 2 seed, Tennessee. The Shockers destroyed the Pirates, taking a double-digit lead early and never looking back. The going wasn't quite as easy against the Vols, but Wichita State made the clutch plays down the stretch in a 80-73 victory.

--Despite playing without starting guard Tony Skinn, the Patriots beat sixth-seeded Michigan State 75-65 in the first round. They won outright as 4 1/2-point underdogs, cashing money-line tickets in the plus-180 range. Next, George Mason sent the reigning champs home, rallying from a seven-point halftime deficit to collect a 65-60 win against North Carolina.

--The 'under' is 18-10 for George Mason.

--The 'over' is on a 4-1 run for the Shockers, but is just 14-14 overall.

**Florida vs. Georgetown**

--Most spots are listing Florida (29-6 SU, 17-11 ATS) as a three-point favorite with a total of 129. The Hoyas are plus 140 on the money line.

--Billy Donovan has taken the UF basketball program to unprecedented heights during his 10-year tenure. Before Billy the Kid was hired, the Gators had been invited to the Big Dance a total of five times and had advanced to the Sweet 16 just twice. With Donovan? Eight consecutive trips to the Tournament, and now, a third trip to the Sweet 16.

--Florida has split the four Sweet 16 games in school history. The Gators lost to Syracuse at the Meadowlands in '87 when Rony Seikaly dominated Dwayne Schintzius. They beat UConn in Miami during the '94 Tournament when Donyell Marshall missed a pair of free throws that would've won the game in the final seconds of regulation. In '98, Gonzaga beat UF in Phoenix on a last-second tip-in by Casey Calvary. The Gators beat top-seeded Duke at the Carrier Dome in '00.

--Georgetown (23-9 SU, 15-12 ATS) absolutely dominated Ohio State in a 70-52 win over the regular season champs of the Big Ten. The Hoyas dealt woodshed treatment as two-point underdogs, hooking up money-line players, including yours truly, with a plus-125 payoff. Roy Hibbert had 20 points and 14 rebounds to pace the winners.

--The Hoyas are 5-3 ATS as underdogs this season.

--Florida has won seven consecutive games, including a sweep of South Alabama and Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Jacksonville last week. The Gators were the only team in the field to win by 20 points or more in both games, besting the Jaguars and Panthers by 48 combined points. Joakim Noah continued his spectacular play at both ends of the floor, producing a two-game stat line that read like this: 33 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists and nine blocks.

--These schools met in the first round of the NIT in March of '98 with the Hoyas capturing a 71-69 in Gainvesville. The Gators avenged that loss the following November, besting Georgetown by a 72-62 count.

--The 'under' is 18-10 for Georgetown, 17-12 for Florida.

--The 'under' has cashed in five straight games for the Hoyas and seven of their last eight.

--This game will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of BC-'Nova.


**Connecticut vs. Washington**

--UConn (29-3 SU, 14-13 ATS) is a six-point 'chalk' at most books with the total marked at 156, the highest tally of all the region semifinal games. For bettors thinking upset, Washington can be had to win outright for a plus-220 return.

--Washington (26-6 SU, 15-15 ATS) advanced to the Sweet 16 by virtue of wins (both SU and ATS) over 12th-seeded Utah State and fourth-seeded Illinois.

--UConn barely showed up last weekend in lackluster efforts against Alabany and Kentucky. The Huskies were in danger of becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16th seed, trailing by 12 nearly midway through the second half. But thanks to a 19-point second-half explosion from Marcus Williams, UConn eventually won a 72-59 decision.

--Williams was the catalyst again in Sunday's second-round win over Kentucky, scoring 20 points and handing out eight assists in the 87-83 triumph. Although UConn moved on, it lost at the counter as an eight-point 'chalk.' Jim Calhoun's team has now lost five in a row ATS.

--Lorenzo Romar's squad is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games.

--Washington has only been an underdog twice this year, winning outright in both spots (at Arizona and vs. Illinois).

--The 'under' is 16-14 overall for Washington, 14-13 for UConn.

--These schools met in the '98 Tournament with UConn dodging Washington's upset bid when Richard Hamilton beat the buzzer with a putback in the lane as the horn sounded, giving his team a 75-74 'non-covering' win as a 9 1/2-point favorite.