MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Four of the best floor generals in the nation have gathered at the South Regional, and their play will likely determine who punches their ticket for the Final Four.
After all, someone has to get the ball to the likes of Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin and North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough.
That responsibility falls to the Tar Heels’ Ty Lawson, the Sooners’ Austin Johnson, Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga and Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn.
“That’s a pretty good group, a pretty good quartet,” CBS Sports analyst Clark Kellogg said. “I like the fact that all are pretty strong. You look at Pargo and Flynn and Ty Lawson — those guys are powerfully built. Austin is lean, but he’s strong too.”
Flynn and Johnson will meet when Syracuse takes on Oklahoma in today’s first semifinal. Lawson and Pargo will square off in the Gonzaga-North Carolina matchup in the nightcap.
Lawson has shown he can play with his injured right toe, and Zags coach Mark Few has lost sleep thinking about him sprinting around and distributing the ball to the talent-laden Tar Heels.
“They’ve got about 77 entities that keep you up at night, but that one’s probably either 1 or 1-A,” Few said.
Lawson, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, averaged 16.1 points, 6.5 assists and two steals a game.
Few and Gonzaga will counter with the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Pargo, every bit as bruising as Lawson.
“Jeremy’s had a phenomenal year, and he’s playing great right now, so you know, they’re going to have to guard Jeremy too,” Few said.
Johnson, a 6-3, 176-pound senior, is charged with getting the ball to Griffin and has done a great job of it.
