Merry Christmas, Hoops Fans

Right now, there is not one team that can beat North Carolina anywhere, at any time. I've even contemplated that very question in the past. But, as you can see on that list, there are a few teams that might keep it within 10 points.

Two of them play in Seattle on Saturday. No. 2 UConn goes to Starbucks City for a showdown with the High-Flyin' Zags of Gonzaga, the eighth-ranked team in the nation.

If it talks like a Final Four preview and walks like a Final Four preview, it's a Final Four preview.

UConn has a whole fraternity chapter of guards. Take your pick: UConn's leading scorer, Jerome Dyson; McDonald's All-American Kemba Walker; 07-08 unanimous all-Big East selection AJ Price; or Stamford's finest Craig Austrie. All of them are studs. All of them produce. And they all make Jim Calhoun's life -- at least when he's coaching them on the court -- at lot easier.

And there's that whole bruising inside presence thing, ya know, the best defensive center in college basketball, Hasheem Thabeet, and his sidekick, Jeff Adrien, the scariest man in hoops, especially with the mouthguard in.

Meanwhile, the Zags can fly up and down the floor like they have rockets on their shoes. They score about 79 points as a team, which isn't that huge of a number, unless you look at who they've played. Blowout wins against Maryland, Oklahoma State and Washington State look good; a strong performance and victory against Tennessee looked even better.

If big fella Josh Heytfelt doesn't kill you with his inside-outside game, then Gonzaga's collection of wingers will. Austin Daye, Matt Bouldin, Micah Downs and Stephen Gray all average nine or more points. And Jeremy Pargo (above) makes the team go with never-ending energy.

The Zags doubled up Texas Southern as a form of punishment for being the next opponent on their sked. Gonzaga lost a gritty game to Arizona in Phoenix before beating up Texas Southern.

UConn-Gonzaga will be a track meet, with some physical play underneath and a lot of textbook rebounding. Offensively, it will be like an NBA game. Gonzaga has the ninth most efficient offense in the nation; Connecticut has the eighth.

Just enjoy the game. I won't even attempt a prediction.

-- Tomorrow is going to the equivalent of a lifetime's supply of crack to a crack addict for hoops fans. Let me just map out this list and you can digest it ...

No. 9 Louisville vs. Minnesota in Glendale, Ariz., at 2 p.m.
No. 19 Michigan State at No. 5 Texas at 2 p.m. on CBS
No. 7 Xavier at No. 6 Duke at 2 p.m. also on CBS (one of these two games must be a regional broadcast)
Temple at Kansas at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN 2
Providence at Boston College at 4 p.m.
No. 2 Connecticut at No. 8 Gonzaga in Seattle at 4 p.m. on CBS (regional broadcast)
No. 22 Davidson at No. 13 Purdue at 4 p.m. also on CBS (national broadcast, trying to capitalize on the Curry Phenomenon)
BYU at No. 20 Arizona State at 4:30 p.m.
LSU at Texas A&M at 5 p.m.
Saint Mary's at Southern Illinois at 6 p.m.
No. 11 Syracuse at No. 23 Memphis at 7 p.m. on ESPN
URI at Oklahoma State at 7:30 p.m.
Northwestern at Stanford at 10 p.m. (haha, just playin')
VCU at No. 4 Oklahoma at 10 p.m. on ESPN 2

Seriously, just put it directly into my veins.

-- Maybe MLB should ask Mark Teixeira for some of his contract.

-- Not sure how to break this to you, Jack, but ... you're screwed.