James Harden/AP

By Gabby Watson, producer of March to Madness

Jay Drew, The Salt Lake Tribune:  BYU vs. UNLV is shaping up to be the hottest rivalry in the Mountain West.  Cougar guard Lee Cummard even joked that his wife should enter the arena wearing a heavyweight boxing championship belt, referencing the fight that almost broke out the last time these two teams faced each other.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times:  The transition of power is nearly complete with the Sun Devils assuming top dog status in Arizona with their No. 17 ranking.

Keith Jarrett, Asheville Citizen-Times:  Clemson's coach Oliver Purnell is trying to keep a positive attitude facing North Carolina even though the Tar Heels have dominated the Tigers.  "It's not about the 50-something losses (in Chapel Hill), it's about the three we lost last year," Purnell said on the ACC coaches' teleconference.  "Now that our guys have been in those situations, hopefully they will react better."

Andrew Santillo, Troy Record:  Siena freshman Kyle Downey is working hard before and after practice trying to increase his playing minutes.  "I kind of feel like whenever I step on the court, I always have to prove myself," Downey said. "Even if it's practice, today because every day is a new day, especially with this team."

Charles Bennett, Charleston Post Courier:  Even though Charleston is only one game behind Southern Conference leader Davidson, Cougars coach Bobby Cremins is still feeling uncomfortable about his team's performance.  "We're fighting for wins, and they're winning by 20 points," Cremins stated.


Michael DiRocco, Florida Times-Union:  Florida's center Kenny Kadji admits to having coach Billy Donovan's voice in his head all the time.  "Before games. Before practice. When I get out of practice. Every day," Kadji said. "Even before I go to sleep, it's just in my head. I just think about it."  However Donovan's haunting is making Kadji a better player.

Mercedes Mayer, Fort Worth Star Telegram:  TCU is starting to develop teamwork on the court instead of depending almost exclusively on star forward Kevin Langford.  "We're starting to develop confidence in other players as well," TCU coach Jim Christian said.