TOURNAMENT NOTES

How tradition-rich is the South Regional field of UCLA, Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse?

At least one of these four teams has participated in every Final Four since 1986.

All but Syracuse have won national titles (actually, multiple national titles), and Syracuse has been a national runner-up twice, in 1987 (to Indiana) and 1996 (to Kentucky).

“You look at our bracket here, it’s like a Final Four bracket right now,” Duke’s Roshown McLeod said.

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The hot talk among Duke and Kentucky fans is, assuming both teams win tonight, a rematch of their 1992 game in the East Regional final, when Christian Laettner made a buzzer-beater after an 80-foot inbounds pass by Grant Hill to lead the Blue Devils to a 104-103 overtime win.

But not from Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the winning coach of that game.

“We haven’t talked about Kentucky,” Krzyzewski said. “Why would we talk about Kentucky when we’re playing Syracuse? I don’t believe in talking about things that might not happen.”