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Rochestie Ignites WSU

When Washington State coach Tony Bennett invited Taylor Rochestie to the Cougars' campus, he saw an unselfish point guard who would be a good fit.

What he couldn't see coming from the transfer who went to Pullman, Wash., after Hurricane Katrina wrecked the Tulane campus in New Orleans was Rochestie's selflessness extending way beyond the basketball court.

Height Disadvantage?

Stanford has twin 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez.

Fortunately, Marquette center Ousmane Barro has a brother, Daouda. Unfortunately, he's 7 years old.

``Too young,'' Barro said with a chuckle.

Not to worry. Barro will have plenty of help when the sixth-seeded Golden Eagles face No. 3-seeded Stanford in the South Region's second round on Saturday. At 6-foot-10, Barro is Marquette's only player taller than 6-9.

Enjoyment Over

Any enjoyment UCLA got from its opening-round 41-point rout of Mississippi Valley State is over. Now, the top-seeded Bruins confront Texas A&M's big frontcourt in a rematch from last season to be played on the same court where the Bruins won by three points.

Fifteen months ago, UCLA was ranked No. 1 and used late-game defensive stops to hold off the Aggies 65-62 in the John R. Wooden Classic doubleheader at Honda Center.

Physical Toughness

In their flurry of interviews Friday, the two coaches and six players from Pittsburgh and Michigan State combined to use the words ``tough'' and ``toughness'' 31 times. Next most popular were ``physical'' and ``physicality,'' which earned 25 mentions.

Tigers Start Their Journey

Villanova coach Jay Wright spent the last three days talking to his team about avoiding a letdown following the emotional high of getting into the NCAA tournament.

He won't know if it sank in until Friday night, when the 12th-seeded Wildcats take the court against No. 5 seed Clemson (24-9) in the opening round of the tournament's Midwest Regional.