By Gabby Watson, producer of March To Madness

John Supinie, Peoria Journal Star:  In search of a way to handle Ohio State's 3-2 zone defense, Illinois coach Bruce Weber watched tapes of former West Virginia coach John Beilein's team playing ball.  Guess it worked.

Liz Clarke, Washington Post:  Before the season Big East coaches picked Georgetown to finish seventh in the Big East despite lofty expectations.  It looks like they were right -- but can the Hoyas overcome their shortcomings before it's too late?

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News:  The Big 12 is working hard to get as many teams as possible into the NCAA tournament this year.  "We still have a chance to get six teams in. I don't envy the selection committee," said John Underwood, the Big 12's associate commissioner for men's basketball and game management.

Pete Thamel, New York Times:  Binghamton's rise to the top of the America East has been meteoric -- but at what cost?  One professor accuses the athletic department of influencing grading and others are curious about the team's changing recruiting practices.

Bruce Pascoe, Arizona Daily Star:  Arizona has much to be excited about rebuilding on next season.  "You know going in it's a rebuilding process," says Scout.com analyst Dave Telep. "But the value in this job is always strong, and Russ Pennell's contribution has helped increase that. What happened at Arizona sends a great message that when you have fans and get players to band together, you can get it going."

Steve Walentik, Columbia Daily Tribune:  Missouri seems to be on the cusp of an NCAA tournament berth in what seems to be a season of firsts.  "There's a lot of firsts that are taking place," Tigers coach Mike Anderson said. "Guys are playing with a lot of confidence ... It goes with winning, I think."

Myron P. Medcalf, Minneapolis Star Tribune:  Minnesota was riding high until they stumbled against Northwestern.  Now the Gophers are in a position to start from scratch trying to prove themselves worthy of postseason action.



 
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