SWEET 16 PREVIEW: March 21
East Region: MARYLAND (1) vs. KENTUCKY (4) | Friday, 9:55 p.m. ET

The Maryland-Kentucky matchup features two Goliaths of college basketball. Talk about two intense coaches on the sidelines -- Gary Williams and Tubby Smith will be fired up!

When the season started, Maryland was rated third in the preseason coaches' poll, while Kentucky was ranked fourth. That means the expectation was a potential Final Four matchup, not a Sweet 16 showdown.

It has been a soap-opera season for the 'Cats, with one problem after another. But right now, Kentucky is playing its best basketball of the season.

It has been a soap-opera season for the 'Cats, with one problem after another. But right now, Kentucky is playing its best basketball of the season. The 1-2 punch of Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans has been sensational. Who had a better performance than Prince in his 41-point effort against Tulsa in round two? Bogans has come through in the tourney (20 ppg) after having a sub-par season.

The big question for Tubby's Wildcats is simple: Do they have enough on the inside to offset the likes of Maryland's Lonny Baxter, Chris Wilcox, Tahj Holden and Ryan Randle? The strength inside favors Maryland big time.

Then there is All-American and ACC player of the year Juan Dixon, who is averaging 29 ppg and shooting 56 percent from the field in the Big Dance. He is so tough to stop. Point guard Steve Blake makes smart passes and should help the Terps get to the winner's circle.

Kentucky will fight, scrap and claw, which is a reflection of Smith. He's an amazing coach at tournament time, leading his teams (Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky) to the Sweet 16 in seven of the past nine seasons (Georgia lost to Chattanooga in the first round in 1997 and Kentucky lost to Syracuse in the second round in 2000).

Gary Williams' Terps have had a standard since day one, a goal of winning it all. I see Maryland advancing in a hard-fought battle.