March 26--CLEVELAND -- After Notre Dame defeated Butler to advance to the Sweet 16, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey made some time to grieve.
The Irish coach took Sunday to fly down to Orlando to be with his family after his mom, Betty, died on Saturday. The family watched some basketball together, smoked a few cigars around the pool and shared stories about Betty Brey on Sunday, Brey's 56th birthday.
"I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I got back on the plane to come home," said Brey, who arrived back in South Bend at 1 a.m. Monday. "But got a good night's sleep Sunday night and was ready to roll."
Brey was joking around with players at the Irish's open practice on Thursday. Brey said his father, Paul, is 84 and is battling Alzheimer's and said he and his brother and sister, who live in the area, talked about how to care for his father with Betty gone.
In the midst of one of the most important stretches of his career, Brey said he was grateful and happy to have the time with his family.
"We got to spend the day watching (basketball) with my dad, brother and sister and we sat there and scouted Wichita State, Kansas," Brey said. "I turned to my brother and said you've got Kansas. My sister, my dad, you've got Wichita State and give me the notes afterward."
His players are determined to beat the Shockers on Thursday for Brey.
"We developed a close relationship with coach and with the staff and with each other so when one person has a loss we all have a loss," sophomore guard Demetrius Jackson said. "It was tough but tough things can make us stronger going forward."
No scars on Cats: In 2010, West Virginia bounced Kentucky from the tournament to get to the Final Four, but most of the Wildcats are oblivious to what happened then.
"That really doesn't relate to us because like you said, it was five years ago," said Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis.
Of more concern to Kentucky is the Mountaineers' full-court pressure, which has help West Virginia create the most turnovers per 100 possessions this season, according to kenpom.com.
"They're creating havoc, they're taking you out of your offense, they're creating opportunities for tough shots or turnovers," coach John Calipari said. "They're playing very physical, they're coming in and letting you know it's going to be body to body, you had better be ready."
