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The Big Dance at a Glance:
Regional semifinals, day one

At the Water Cooler What happened Thursday Where the heck did Maryland's star guard Steve Francis disappear to? ... And while you are looking for Francis, put out an a.p.b. for Auburn's Chris Porter ... So much for the ballyhooed "juco transfer impact." We'll take plain old "transfers," like Scoonie Penn ... Auburn ran into the South's Curse of the No. 1 seeds -- only one No. 1 from that region has made it to the Final Four this decade ... Ohio State's Jim O'Brien deserves national coach of the year accolades more than Auburn's Cliff Ellis . No arguments from SEC country, right? ... Loss or not, a trip to the Sweet 16 was Iowa's Tom Davis going out on top ... UConn PG Khalid El-Amin gives hope to all doughy YMCA chuckers ... Iowa sixth-year senior Jess Settles wins the Matt-Brust-It-Felt-Like-Forever Award ... Hey, if you have been on the Gonzaga bandwagon, shove over, because a few more people want to hop on ... Name to know St. John's PG Erick Barkley , an unflappable freshman who makes the Red Storm go, coolly slicing through the lane and dicing defensive pressure. He had 24 points and 9 assists leading SJU past Maryland. Despite his collegiate experience, he's the type of point guard who can lead a team to the top. Top storyline How good? If Duke wins by another 40-point margin Friday night against SW Missouri State, watch for that "greatest ever" talk to start up. If Miami (Ohio)'s Wally Szczerbiak comes up with another 30-plus-point game (or, yikes, leads the Red Hawks to an upset of Kentucky), watch for that "NBA No. 1 pick" talk to begin. Random speculation Steve Francis heads to the NBA on a low-note. Chris Porter sticks around. Tourney trend Spokane pride If you haven't heard of Gonzaga's cradle yet, you have now. And it's not just Santangelo and Frahm -- notable Spokanites include John Stockton, Ryne Sandberg and hoopologist/crooner Bing Crosby. Who's hot Ohio St PG Scoonie Penn: 26 pts, 4 ast vs. Auburn St. John's SF Ron Artest: 8 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast vs. Maryland Gonzaga SF Richie Frahm: 17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast vs. Florida Who's not Maryland Steve Francis Florida Auburn In case you missed it... Second round, day two Second round, day one First round, day two First round, day one Selection Sunday Charting the Tournament, Game by Game Sweet 16 Second Round: S | W | E | MW First Round: S | W | E | MW The Bandwagon Steve Francis Un-clutch Erick Barkley Precocious Ron Artest NBA calling? Scoonie Penn It's the nickname Tom Davis 16 was sweet Auburn Nouveau riche Gonzaga Later, Gators Billy D No "Kid" magic

By Dan Shanoff, CNN/SI

Watching Thursday night's regional semifinal games from the South and West, it became apparent that of all the factors claimed to influence NCAA Tournament success -- a core of rebounders, great outside shooting, gimmicky defenses, a hot individual scorer, luck -- great play from point guards was common to all four winners advancing to the regional finals on Saturday.

St. John's freshman Erick Barkley, UConn sophomore Khalid El-Amin, Ohio State junior Scoonie Penn and Gonzaga junior Matt Santangelo all control their teams on both ends and have the most impact on their teams' victories.

Barkley is a precociously cool first-year player, though his year at prep school and international experience have shown through as he patiently played Samford's half-court game, led the Red Storm's 2-3 zone against Indiana and Maryland and -- most apparent -- controlled the tempo of each possession against the Terps, running at opportune times or showing the patience of a heady vet.

El-Amin looks like the dumpy YMCA chucker, but his quickness and knack for hitting the pull-up jumper give him the assassin's touch. He wasn't afraid to snap at teammate Kevin Freeman for a bad outlet pass and showed no fear as he mixed it up after the first half with Iowa's bulky Joey Range. The Huskies rely on El-Amin for emotional lift, offensive spark and the floor leadership to get all of their weapons involved. In a running game with Iowa, El-Amin had a field day with 21 points and 5 assists.

One could make the case for Penn as national newcomer of the year to go along with his Big Ten player of the year award. Penn, a transfer from Boston College who sat out during last season's miserable 8-22 campaign in Columbus, has been the reason for the Buckeyes' turnaround. He is unflappable against the press and loves to take the big shot. He has made super shooting guard Michael Redd even more effective. Come to think of it, he's made all of his teammates more effective. He's having the type of tournament that stands out, like Arthur Lee or Andre Miller from '98. He is -- and can continue -- carrying his team.

Santangelo is the enigma, coming into the tournament with none of the publicity of his fellow regional finalist lead guards. But Santangelo has shown a zealousness leading the defensive press, fearlessness taking the big three-pointer and consummate unselfishness dishing 21 assists in three tourney games.

Friday night, watch for the point guards, particularly Duke's spectacular William Avery, Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves, Temple's Pepe Sanchez and Kentucky's Wayne Turner, who holds the record for most NCAA Tournament games played. Talk about a vet.

Eight Questions for Friday's Eight
Regional Semifinalists