1.   Also, Kim Clijsters, who defeated Venus a month ago, could loom as the semifinal opponent who disrupts an all-Williams final.

2.   Both the sixth-seeded Pierce and the fifth-seeded Martinez had lost seven times in a row to their semifinal opponents.

3.   Clemson has twice lost this season to Duke, its semifinal opponent, by a combined margin of five points.

4.   Sampras will next face his semifinal opponent of last year, Tim Henman, the British hope.

5.   Semifinal opponents Mississippi State and Syracuse have fewer steals than their opponents.

6.   The Los Angeles Lakers are waiting as the Western Conference semifinal opponent to whichever team advances.

7.   The teams even defeated their semifinal opponents in similar fashion, by rushing down the floor on fast breaks when they had the chance.

8.   They are all very athletic and appear capable of matching semifinal opponent Connecticut in that department.

9.   When the pair of sophomore roommates from Long Beach take the court tonight, UCLA is more than their West Regional semifinal opponent.

10.   Albert Costa advanced to the German Open final when his semifinal opponent Karol Kucera retired after three games Saturday because of foot blisters.