Closing time for establishments around Lucas Oil Stadium arrived as a half-dozen police vehicles escorted Kelvin Sampson and victorious No. 1 seed Houston through the empty downtown streets, sirens blaring and without caution or concern for anyone with a to-do list when the sun came up five hours later in Indiana.

A pair of veteran-heavy teams in No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Michigan State have a common denominator ahead of Sunday's matchup in the NCAA Tournament South Region final -- a pair of red-hot freshmen.