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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.

Season Begins Now?

Dan Dakich noticed a lull during the shootaround schedule Thursday, so Indiana's interim coach had a little fun: He invited a few dozen young fans onto the court, placed them in the lane and knocked down free throws over their screams and waving hands.

Then, during the Hoosiers' practice, a manager walked along the lines, slapping high-fives while urging the players, ``Let's have fun with this.''

UCONN Takes on SD

San Diego coach Bill Grier came up with a couple of ways to prepare for 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet.

``We had one of our kids get on the shoulders of another one of our kids and practice all week, then we held brooms up all around,'' Grier said Thursday.

He was joking.

But his ideas may not have been too far fetched. The 13th-seeded Toreros (21-13) haven't faced anyone with Thabeet's size and shot-blocking ability - a major concern heading into Friday's first-round NCAA tournament game against No. 4 seeded Connecticut (24-8) in the West Region.

Familiar Territory

Georgetown can't help but feel like it's been here before. That's anything but the case for Maryland-Baltimore County.

Once again, the Hoyas are a No. 2 seed, and they're spending the first weekend of the NCAA tournament in North Carolina for a second straight year.