Only eight teams remain in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and Saturday's action in the West and East regions will determine the first two clubs headed to the Final Four in New Orleans. The Midwest and South regional finals will be played on Sunday.
The early game on Saturday in the West region will see No. 4 seed Louisville, the Big East Tournament champ, take on Billy Donovan's No. 7 seed Florida Gators. Rick Pitino is 6-0 against his former assistant, and the Cardinals coach will be looking to make his sixth trip to the Final Four and second while at Louisville. Donovan is seeking his fourth Final Four appearance at the helm for the Gators, and a repeat performance of Thursday night from freshman Bradley Beal just might get Florida to New Orleans. Beal scored 21 points in the win over Marquette on eight of 10 shooting from the floor, also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
In the late game from the East region, No. 1 seed Syracuse takes on No. 2 seed Ohio State. Playing without Fab Melo, many thought the Orange would have been bounced from the Dance by this point, but Jim Boeheim's team has survived a few scares and now stand just one victory from the Final Four. Buckeyes big man Jared Sullinger will look to carry his team to New Orleans before likely bolting for the NBA.
Here is the full regional finals schedule:
Saturday:
West: No. 4 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 7 Florida Gators, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
East: No. 1 Syracuse Orange vs. No. 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes, 7:05 p.m. ET, CBS
Sunday:
South: No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 3 Baylor Bears, 2:20 p.m. ET, CBS
Midwest: No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks, 5:05 p.m. ET, CBS
For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com's complete scoreboard.
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on the Elite 8, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.
