HOOP TALK WITH CBS SPORTS' SETH DAVIS

Three of the nations top 10 teams take the court as CBS Sports' ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR continues on Saturday Feb. 23  and Sunday, Feb. 24   (2:00-6:00 PM, ET; both days).  Saturday's live action features a regional doubleheader beginning with Army at Navy and an SEC match-up as Arkansas takes on Kentucky (2:00 PM, ET), followed by St. John's against *No. 4-ranked Duke and a Big 12 showdown as *No. 5-ranked Kansas travels to Oklahoma State (4:00 PM, ET).

Sunday's doubleheader tips-off with a live regional broadcast featuring Alabama at Auburn and Syracuse at *No. 21-ranked Notre Dame (2:00 PM, ET). The weekend's action wraps up with a Big Ten battle featuring *No. 10-ranked Wisconsin taking on Ohio State. All contests will be broadcast in HDTV.

AT THE HALFÒ, CBS Sports' halftime studio show hosted by Greg Gumbel, along with Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis, provides all the day's news, scores and highlights live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Eric Mann produces and Bob Matina directs.

Tony Petitti is Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports.

(*Coaches poll rankings as of 02/18/08)

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HOOP TALK WITH CBS SPORTS' SETH DAVIS

(On Syracuse-Notre Dame): I've often said there are three certainties in life -- death, taxes and Notre Dame on the bubble. This is one year where Notre Dame won't have to sweat out Selection Sunday. The Fighting Irish are one of the most surprising teams in the country. Nobody could have predicted in the preseason that Luke Harangody would be Big East freshman of the year, but the kid has shown an incredible amount of talent and toughness -- similar to North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, only a little more skilled. Several Big East coaches have told me that this is the best defensive team Mike Brey has had in South Bend.

(On Arkansas-Kentucky): This will be an emotional game for Arkansas coach John Pelphrey, who was part of Rick Pitino's "Unforgettables" who famously lost to Duke in the 1992 East regional final. Once the game starts, the Hogs will lock in on winning the game because after losing two of their last three, their NCAA tournament hopes are on the line. Kentucky played so badly against Vanderbilt (losing by 41) that people forget they've actually lost seven of their last eight. I'd be surprised if the Wildcats didn't come out and play a good game. Their ability to win will hinge on whether Arkansas makes outside shots. That has been a problem for the Hogs.

(On St. John's-Duke): The Blue Devils have definitely hit the late-February doldrums. They were incredibly flat in their losses at Wake Forest and Miami this week. That is bad news for Norm Roberts' team, because you know Duke is going to come out blazing being back at home in front of the Cameron Crazies. Duke's freshman forward Kyle Singler is a special talent. Like most teams Duke plays, St. John's has no answer for him.

(On Kansas-Oklahoma State): Bill Self returns to his alma mater with arguably the most talented team in the country. Kansas still lacks a well-defined go-to guy, but the Jayhawks have a lot of guards who can get their own shot and a quartet of bigs as good as any frontline in the nation. They're also going through a bit of the February doldrums, but they can't afford a loss here, lest they blow their shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

(On Wisconsin-Ohio State): The Buckeyes are getting dangerously close to playing themselves out of the NCAA tournament. They've now lost three of their last five games, including at Iowa and Michigan. It's not surprising that a young team would show such inconsistency, but the Buckeyes need to stop settling for threes and get to the foul line more. Unfortunately, Wisconsin is not the type of team you want to play if you're trying to cure a toughness problem. Bo Ryan's Badgers are disciplined and smart. Ohio State will have to play its best game of the season to win.