TODAY’S GAMES

AT BOSTON

No. 2 Pittsburgh (26-4, 13-3 Big East) vs.

No. 15 Wagner (21-10, 14-4 Northeast)

Time: 4:10 p.m. PST

Skinny: Wagner forward Jermaine Hall, the 6-foot-5 Northeast Conference player of the year, faces the most physical, effective front court of his career. Wagner has no defensive answer for Pitt’s Julius Page, a fine jump shooter and leaper

No. 7 Indiana (20-12, 8-8 Big Ten) vs.

No. 10 Alabama (17-11, 7-9 Southeastern)

Time: 6:40 p.m. PST

Skinny: Both teams want to show their at-large selections were justified. Indiana, which lost to Maryland for the title last year, is a formidable three-point shooting team while Alabama had trouble making shots from the perimeter all season.

AT NASHVILLE

No. 1 Kentucky (29-3, 16-0 Southeastern) vs.

No. 16 Indiana Purdue Indianapolis (20-13, 10-4 Mid-Continent)

Time: 9:30 a.m. PST

Skinny: Indiana? Purdue? Both? Doesn’t matter. The top-seeded Wildcats will barely break a sweat. IUPUI is playing in its first NCAA tournament, and it figures to be a short trip. Kentucky, a team with legitimate national title hopes, figures to get out early with smothering defense feeding the transition game.

No. 8 Oregon (23-9, 10-8 Pac-10) vs.

No. 9 Utah (24-7, 11-3 Mountain West)

Time: Noon PST

Skinny: Oregon has one element that can be the ultimate difference-maker at this time of year: an outstanding point guard in Luke Ridnour. Utah is all about defense and balanced scoring, but it may rue some forgettable losses that cost them a higher seed.