NCAA Elite Eight: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Syracuse Orange

The 'Cuse needs Joseph to assert himself on offense.

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Syracuse

# 32 Kris Joseph - Guard/Forward
6-7 215 Senior Montreal, Quebec
13.5 ppg leads team, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 spg

Syracuse gave up 14 3-pointers to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet Sixteen and almost gave away the game at the end because of it. The 'Cuse have struggled defending the 3 all tournament long, and it doesn't help that standing between them and the Final Four are the Ohio State Buckeyes, and long-range threats Deshaun Thomas (7-for-15 this NCAA tournament from 3), Lenzelle Smith, Jr. (4-for-9) and William Buford (36-percent on 3-pointers this year).  The Orange must counter with some sharp-shooting of their own.  The number one catalyst is senior guard/forward Kris Joseph.  He's struggled shooting from the field to this point in the tournament (8-for-25) and has been a no-show from beyond the arc (1-for-8).  In fact, Joseph hasn't had more than two made three pointers in a game dating back to Feb. 25 at Connecticut -- a six game span, which was also the last time he hit the 20-point mark (he finished with 21).  Joseph is certainly capable.  He carried Syracuse to a 64-61 overtime win against Georgetown Feb. 8 where he totalled 29 points on 6-for-11 shooting from deep.  Look for him to be aggressive on offense early as coach Jim Boheim knows that his team will need Joseph to come up big if they're going to knock off the Buckeyes.

NCAA Elite Eight: Lousville Cardinals vs. Florida Gators

Beal has a textbook form and release on every shot.

No. 4 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 7 Florida Gators

#23 Bradley Beal - Guard
6-3 207 Freshman St. Louis, MO
14.6 ppg 6.5 rpg 2.2 apg

Florida has lived and died by the 3-point shot all year long.  So no one would've expected the Gators to advance to the Elite Eight with a 65-58 win over No. 3 Marquette Thursday shooting 25.9 percent (7 for 27) from behind the 3-point line.  The Florida big men, led by forward Patric Young were able to get just enough done in the paint, but it won't be as easy against the Lousville Cardinal interior D, led by forward Gorgui Dieng, and their physical, Big East-brand of basketball.  The Gators will need another hot shooting night from freshman guard Bradley Beal, who shot 8-for-10 against the Golden Eagles in the Sweet Sixteen and finished with 21 points.  Beal is a combo guard with a textbook release on his jumpshot and surprises defenders on penetration with a very sudden first step.  Louisville coach Rick Pitino knows how much of a problem Beal can be and will likely have multiple players defend him in order to make him feel uncomfortable.