News and notes from around the NCAA Tournament

When Kyle Washington first met Caleb and Cody Martin, he figured there was no way he was going to tell them apart. They’re identical twins, after all. They even have the same hairstyle. Basically, the odds were stacked against him.

“But they’re very different, the two,” said Washington, whose Cincinnati Bearcats are set to take on Nevada’s Martin brothers’ for a Sweet 16 berth. “But we’re extremely close . . . I have a great relationship with them. I’m not going to hide. I’m not going to deny it. That’s not going to translate when we get in the 94 feet. I’m going to compete against them like anybody else, because we’re trying to achieve something as a team.”

“It’s just funny how the world works. It just comes full circle.”

It’s been more than three years since the day Washington first saw double. All three were part of NC State in 2014, and all three ended up transferring, bringing them to this moment. No. 2 Cincinnati will try to go against the bracket buster trend that has so far typified this tournament. No. 7 Nevada — a team that routinely plays only six or seven players, but boasts one of the best offenses in the country — will try to spoil the party.

But though both the Martins and Washington are intent on coming out on top, in many ways Saturday, there will be three brothers on the Bridgestone Arena hardwood.

“He was kind of our big brother there, when we came there as freshmen, and he got us through the whole entire college experience while he was there,” Caleb said. “You know, we loved each other like brothers and we fought each other like brothers.”

FAMILY TIES

The NCAA women’s tournament is filled with players with famous connections. Princeton, which lost to No. 2 Maryland in the Kansas City Region on Friday afternoon, is a prime example. Tigers star and Ivy League player of the year Bella Alarie is the daughter of former Duke star and NBA player Mark Alarie. Leslie Robinson is the daughter of Craig Robinson, who is a former two-time Ivy League player of the year for Princeton, former Oregon State coach, and current Knicks vice president of player development and G League operations. Leslie Robinson’s aunt is Michelle Obama. Qalea Ismail’s father, Qadry, played 10 seasons in the NFL and her uncle, Raghib, played nine seasons in the NFL. Baylor’s Kalani Brown, the daughter of former NBA player P.J. Brown, scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the No. 2 Bears’ 96-46 win over No. 15 Grambling on Friday in the Lexington Region. Gonzaga guard Laura Stockton, the daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton, plays against Stanford on Saturday afternoon in the Lexington Region. Stanford guard Anna Wilson is the sister of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

YOGA HELPS BLUE DEVILS

College teams do all sorts of activities so that their players can develop bonds with each other. In Duke’s case, that included a chance for each team member to get in touch with his inner self. Yes, they did yoga.

“At one point we were all doing yoga during the summer, before school started,” freshman forward Wendell Carter Jr. said. “The meditation at the end was probably the best for me because you’re not thinking about basketball, you’re not thinking about anything. You’re just kind of living in the moment. That definitely helped me a lot.

“It helps clear your mind. I’ve learned that’s really a big thing when it comes to playing in tournaments that are high profile, high energy,” he said. “Things can get reckless at times. Being able to ease your mind helps you.”

The stretching does not hurt either. “For sure, it opened up a lot of joints,” said the player who was honest enough to acknowledge, when asked his favorite yoga pose, that he prefers “downward-facing dog.”

FIVE-STAR COACH

Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley has long had a close relationship with his counterpart Saturday, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, going back to the time when the latter successfully recruited Danny’s brother Bobby for the Blue Devils. It was natural to ask if Danny had been sought by Duke, too.

“I didn’t have enough stars,” Hurley said. “I was probably a three-and-a-half star player and Duke historically doesn’t go for those. I think there was some token recruitment. I don’t even think I ever got a home visit, though.”

With the slightest smile, he added, “Let me change that. I eliminated them from my list early on. So, I didn’t want that. Too successful.”

IDENTITY CRISIS

Before Loyola played, and beat, Miami on Thursday, there was the perfect storm of identity confusion. There are four Loyolas in the country: Loyola University (Chicago), Loyola University Maryland, Loyola University New Orleans and Loyola Marymount (Los Angeles). The four are unrelated, according to the Loyola-Chicago website. But wait, we’re not done because there are also two Miami schools to choose from: The University of Miami (Florida) and Miami University (Ohio). Only one of the aforementioned six, however, has won the NCAA basketball championship. Chicago’s Loyola Ramblers did it in 1963, beating Cincinnati, 60-58 in overtime, for the title.

POTTY TRAINED

This question was posed to Nevada coach Eric Musselman: Coach, you’ve got to be one of the most hydrated coaches on the sideline. You always have a cup of water or something in your hand going up and down. The question is have you ever had to use the restroom while coaching a basketball game and seriously thought about leaving?

His answer: Yes and yes and yes. They’re small sips that I’m taking. As you get older, you’ve got to use the bathroom a little bit more. And so I do worry, especially when the timeouts are longer in this tournament. It’s been a great concern of mine. Our staff’s well prepared in case I have to leave. So far, so good, though.

20

The number of teams vying for their first NCAA title: Kansas State, Buffalo, Tennessee, Nevada, Gonzaga, Houston, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Marshall, Texas Tech, Butler, Purdue, Rhode Island, Bucknell, Clemson, New Mexico, Auburn, Charleston, TCU, Syracuse

*Late game not included