Billy Donovan, Florida: "I love him. I've always loved him. I've got a tremendous amount of respect for him because I think just what he's been through. I think he started off with Billy Gillispie there as a young player, and then John (Calipari) came in, and then (Miller's) playing with (John) Wall and (Eric) Bledsoe and (DeMarcus) Cousins and those guys, and then they basically lose a lot of guys to the NBA, and then last year, comes in a new crop of guys.

"I just think he's a 'steady Eddie.' I think he's an incredible 'core glue guy' that probably in a lot of ways is overshadowed by maybe (Michael Kidd-)Gilchrist or (Anthony) Davis or (Marquis) Teague.

"But (Miller) is a really, I think, a guy that presents a lot of problems because, one, he's highly intelligent. He plays a lot of different positions. He's a mismatch when you play him at the three. He's a mismatch at the four. He can even play the two.

"He's battle-tested, he's been through it. He's got incredible leadership qualities ... He just seems like he always embraces the new faces that come in there. ... I always just see him doing whatever he has to do to help his team win."

Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt: "(Miller's) a good player. I really like him. I like how he plays, I like how he acts. Look, I don't coach him, so I'm not the authority on it, but I admire him as a player.

"He makes big shots. He's a big shot maker and a really good player for them. He has really, in my opinion, appears to have sacrificed himself for the benefit of their team, and he is a big reason why they are (twenty-eight) and one."

Rick Stansbury, Mississippi State: "Darius Miller is the fiber that holds that whole team together. He's the key to them.

"He's come off the bench, been a complementary player and learned to accept that (role) if he is going to play. He's played enough minutes that he gets to play a lot, starter minutes most nights. He's a high-character kid, and Cal has done a great job getting him to buy into that role. He's a very valuable piece for them.

"That game got on the line at Vanderbilt, and who made shots for them? Miller jumped up and made them. The game got on the line tonight; who jumped up and made shots? Miller.

"And he's got one thing no one else on that team has — experience. He's a fourth-year senior, he's been through a lot of wars. He's a terrific player for them. ... To me, he's their most valuable player."

Mark Story