NCAA Tournament Play-in Capsules: Midwest Region
MIDWEST REGION
■ WHERE: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
■ TIME: 3:40 p.m. today
■ TV: truTV (54)
■ LINE: Lamar -3; total 129
■ RECORDS: Lamar 23-11; Vermont 23-11
■ HOW THEY GOT HERE: Lamar won the Southland tournament; Vermont won the Sun Belt tournament
■ RECORD VS. NCAA FIELD: Lamar 0-4; Vermont 0-5
■ THE BUZZ: Guard-centric Lamar is coached by Pat Knight. Guards Mike James, Devon Lamb and Anthony Miles average a combined 43.6 points, 15.8 rebounds (the 6-foot-2-inch Lamb, who is extremely athletic, averages an incredible 7.9 per game), 7.8 assists and 5.1 steals. The Cardinals have no frontcourt scorers of note. Vermont is more balanced offensively, but its best outside shooter is 6-8 forward Matt Glass. The Catamounts need a big game from 6-8 forward Brian Voelkel offensively and on the boards. Vermont's leading scorer is freshman guard Four McGlynn, who hasn't started a game all season; Vermont is the only Division I team whose leading scorer hasn't started once. The faster the pace, the better it is for Lamar.
MIDWEST REGION
No. 12: California vs. South Florida
■ WHERE: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
■ TIME: 6:10 p.m. today
■ TV: truTV (54)
■ LINE: California -2½; total 115
■ RECORDS: California 24-9; South Florida 20-13
■ HOW THEY GOT HERE: California received an at-large bid out of the Pac-12; South Florida received an at-large bid out of the Big East.
■ RECORD VS. NCAA FIELD: California 1-5; South Florida 3-10
■ THE BUZZ: This should be an interesting contrast in styles. South Florida is ill-equipped to play a fast-paced game, so the Bulls want to keep the score in the 50s; California wouldn't mind a faster pace and having the score in the low 70s. One positive for Cal: While USF cannot handle a fast pace, the Bears can survive a slowdown game. USF plays lockdown defense, both in the lane and on the perimeter; the Bulls are athletic, and coach Stan Heath has gotten them to bear down on defense. Cal is proficient from 3-point range, and coach Mike Montgomery needs Allen Crabbe or Justin Cobbs to get hot from the outside. USF doesn't have anyone averaging double figures in scoring, but does have seven players averaging 6.7 to 9.6 points. Freshman point guard Anthony Collins is vital to the Bulls' offensive success, so you can expect Montgomery to use uber-defender Jorge Gutierrez, the Pac-12's Player of the Year who played at Findlay Prep, on Collins.
MIKE HUGUENIN/YAHOO! SPORTS
