81.   The Great Eight was conceived last season as a matchup of the teams who reached the NCAA regional finals the previous spring.

82.   The good news for the Huskies is that they can get to the regional finals.

83.   The four regional finals are on Saturday.

84.   The Huskies eventually lost to North Carolina State in the regional final.

85.   The Huskies exceeded expectations last year by making it to the regional final of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, where they lost to North Carolina.

86.   The last three of those teams advanced to at least a regional final.

87.   The regional finals, for competitors who live the Fort Worth area, were at Cowtown Coliseum.

88.   The same way Rick Pitino had six years ago in another NCAA regional final against another Duke team that needed a miracle to win.

89.   The Tar Heels scared Tennessee in an NCAA regional final last season, and they remain deep despite the graduation of the all-American Tracy Reid.

90.   The two winners will move on to the regional finals at the Meadowlands, where the prospect of meeting Duke looms large.