Arizona wasn't the only school to chase Derrick Williams after the power forward backed out of a commitment to Southern California two years ago in the wake of former coach Tim Floyd's NCAA scandal.
UConn made a pitch to Williams when he decided not to stick with the Trojans. Williams was intrigued by the Huskies and Memphis, but he chose Arizona to stay a bit closer to home.
''He was long, and he had skills, so he really wasn't a hard evaluation,'' Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. ''He was hard to get. He didn't end up in (our) uniform, but we're happy about the career he's had.''
UConn star guard Kemba Walker played alongside Williams at a recent summer camp, but he isn't lamenting what might have been in the Huskies' frontcourt - not even after watching Williams destroy Duke in the regional semifinals.
''I got a chance to watch the first half, and he was unstoppable,'' Walker said. ''The first thing that came to my mind was that he might be the best player in the country, the best player I've seen this year.''
Williams went to Arizona along with fellow USC commits Solomon Hill and Lamont ''MoMo'' Jones, Walker's childhood friend from New York.
''I got a lot of offers, and I had a lot of people talking to me when I decommitted, but Arizona was always near the top of the list of schools I wanted to go to,'' Williams said. ''I can't imagine playing with (Walker), but MoMo is pretty good himself.''
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READY TO COACH: Ronald Nored's singular focus these days is helping Butler to its second straight Final Four.
But when the season's over, he's putting down the basketball and picking up a clipboard.
Nored, a 6-foot junior guard, already has started practices in his second year of coaching Team Truth - an AAU team filled with high school juniors in Indianapolis. Games start the second week of April, so multitasking while getting ready for the season has been a challenge.
''We've already started practice,'' Nored said. ''It's going great. I have six guys back from my team last season and three new guys. We're rushing to put stuff in because we have our first game the second weekend in April, so we've got to hurry up and get things ready.''
Nored said it's sometimes hard to keep his players focused during practice. They all want to know what's happening with the Bulldogs.
''That's the first conversation at practice before we get started - I tell them about what's going on,'' Nored said. ''I told them last week that the first thing we're going to work on is not fouling at the end of games.''
Nored laughed after finishing the last sentence - an obvious playful jab at teammate Shelvin Mack, who fouled Pittsburgh's Gilbert Brown with 1.4 seconds remaining in the team's second-round game against Pittsburgh.
It nearly cost the Bulldogs the win, but Butler's Matt Howard was fouled with 0.8 seconds remaining and hit the game-winning free throw.
Nored said Butler coach Brad Stevens supports his coaching aspirations, and the two even talk strategy occasionally.
''I get to learn from the best everyday,'' Nored said.
Even so, Nored said he's not a Stevens clone.
''You've got to be yourself when you're coaching,'' Nored said. ''I'm not going to be coach Stevens out there. But the things I can take from him is his mindset through any situation. Whatever's going on - whether you're up or down a ton or somebody comes back on you. Just staying calm and just assuring your team that everything's OK if we continue to execute.''
So what makes Nored more nervous, playing or coaching?
Neither, he said.
''I'm usually prepared enough as a coach, that it's more like 'Let's go do this thing,''' Nored said.
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BOOK'S READ: Arizona assistant Emanuel Richardson has been a coach, mentor and friend to Kemba Walker since UConn's star guard was 14.
Richardson, known to everyone as ''Book,'' coached Walker on a traveling team in New York, occasionally allowing the precocious guard to sleep on his couch before trips to tournaments.
''He allowed me to be family to him,'' Richardson said. ''His mom was great in that she allowed me to be around him. I think she realized I didn't want anything from him except for him to be great. I would always challenge him, how great do you want to be? That's a state of mind.''
Richardson joined coach Sean Miller's staff at Xavier before following him out west to Tucson. Richardson's strong ties to New York have resulted in several recruiting coups for Miller's teams, but Walker is eager to show one of his father figures what he's learned.
''Book taught me a lot of things,'' Walker said. ''He's a big part of who I am as a player.''
Richardson still imparts advice to Walker when they speak or meet - including a bit that could come back to bite the Wildcats on Saturday.
''I told him you're always going to be judged by your wins and your losses,'' Richardson said. ''As the point guard, every win is yours and every loss is yours. So I would always tell Kemba, lead that team, lead that team. Why not you?''
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REMEMBER THE ALAMODOME?: The Alamodome has hosted numerous NCAA tournaments over the years, including Kansas' last championship in 2008 and the women's Final Four last year.
But its days as a favored site appear to be waning. This season's Southwest regional is the last NCAA tournament site scheduled at the Alamodome in the current cycle.
The opening of Reliant Stadium in Houston and Cowboys Stadium in Arlington have given the 18-year-old Alamodome stiff competition in Texas. Reliant is the home of this year's Final Four.
Lynn Hickey, tournament director and Texas-San Antonio athletic director, said officials are exploring ways to reconfigure the Alamodome to keep luring in the bigger games.
''We have to get creative,'' Hickey said.
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FRUGAL HOWARD: Butler senior forward Matt Howard was one of 10 children growing up with his family in Connersville, Ind., so he knows the value of stretching a dollar.
The 6-foot-8 forward is the target of jokes from teammates for some of his frugal tendencies. He hasn't shopped for clothing since last summer when he was trying to get an internship and he rides an old bicycle with broken handlebars that he had to bend back into place.
Only recently has he decided to splurge on a purchase - and that was dinner with his girlfriend.
''It was over $60,'' Howard said. ''That wasn't easy but I think she deserved it.''
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SHORT STUFF: Billy Donovan admits he had some second-thoughts about recruiting Erving Walker.
Florida's diminutive point guard stands only 5-foot-8 and when Donovan first saw him play at a camp, he was just 5-foot-4.
''I was like, you've got to be kidding me,'' Donovan said.
But Donovan's glad he decided to offer Walker a scholarship. He's averaging a team-leading 14.8 points and leads the team with 40 steals.
''It's not the physical attributes,'' Donovan said. ''It's the internal things - his mind, his understanding, his competitiveness. He's had to overcome to be a good player.''
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DRIVE-BY COACHING: Arizona coach Sean Miller has an unusual early memory of UConn coach Jim Calhoun's toughness.
Miller said Calhoun was hit by a car while out jogging before the Huskies faced Pitt during Miller's playing career with the Panthers. Miller remembers showing up to the arena before the game and hearing about the accident - and then seeing Calhoun in the arena with a bandage on his face, coaching the game anyway.
''He's such a warrior, and his team is filled with warriors like him,'' Miller said.
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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham and Beth Harris in Los Angeles, Brett Martel in New Orleans and Dave Skretta in Newark, N.J., contributed to this report.
