<p>Glen Davis has a good-natured quip for just about any subject, whether it's his attention-grabbing nickname (Big Baby), ample appetite (he's a Charles Barkley-esque 310 to 320 pounds) or similarities to another former LSU star (Shaquille O'Neal).</p><p>Davis showed his serious side Friday, talking about his drug-addicted mother, a late-blooming relationship with his father and the lessons he learned from a troubled childhood.</p><p>He lovingly described his mother, Tonya Davis, as a role model even though she spent time in jail.</p><p>"Basically, for the majority of her life, she's been fighting demons," Davis said. "She's a recovering drug addict, but through the mist of that she still had love for her kids and supported what we did.</p><p>"Even with all she was going through, she would still tell us the right things to do. She would tell us, 'Your mom will always disappoint you, but God will never disappoint you.' It's tough to hear that sort of thing, but it's amazing that she would say that."</p><p>Davis and his two sisters managed to escape the inner-city perils that consumed their mother. The sophomore forward was the Southeastern Conference player of the year and helped the Tigers reach the regional final for the first time since 1987.</p><p>They will meet Texas on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Final Four at Indianapolis.</p><p>"There was a cycle going on in my family, but the curse stops with her," Davis said, referring to his mother. "All of her kids are doing something successful instead of going through her problems."</p><p>Davis said he doesn't smoke or drink, and he won't hang around anyone who does _ largely because of what his mother went through.</p><p>"Her wrongs made us strong," he said.</p><p>Davis didn't meet his father, Donald Robertson, until his sophomore year of high school.</p><p>"We established that I am your son and you are my father," Davis said. "We started building a foundation together. Now, we have a real, real relationship."</p><p>___</p><p>CULTURE SHOCK: Kenton Paulino attended a prep school in Maine before he enrolled at Texas. It was quite a change for the guard who grew up on the tough streets of South Central Los Angeles.</p><p>"I was used to the high-speed life of Los Angeles, the traffic and everything," Paulino said. "There is this quietness to Maine. It's a lot slower there. It was quite an adjustment."</p><p>Paulino played one season at Maine Central Institute, averaging 19 points a game and getting up his grades so he could play for the Longhorns. Off the court, he didn't have much of a social life.</p><p>"There was a lot of time to do nothing," he said. "We would walk to the railroad tracks and just throw rocks."</p><p>Paulino has done plenty in the NCAA tournament, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave Texas a 74-71 victory over West Virginia in the regional semifinals. He savored the moment, watching a replay of the shot numerous times after Thursday night's game.</p><p>By Friday, his attention turned to LSU.</p><p>"I just tried to enjoy it for the night because I know today we have to focus on something else," he said. "We've got a big game against LSU. So it's short-lived."</p><p>___</p><p>CHANGED MAN: Darrel Mitchell, the only senior in LSU's starting lineup, has noticed quite a change in coach John Brady over the last four years.</p><p>The two didn't hit it off right away. Mitchell played for his father in high school and shrugged off Brady's hard-nosed tactics.</p><p>"My freshman year, he was a tough cookie," Mitchell said. "I would just sit back and watch him and laugh, and I don't think he would like that."</p><p>Brady has toned things down with this year's team, recognizing its youth. Mitchell is joined in the lineup by three freshmen and a sophomore.</p><p>"He did a tremendous job being patient with these young guys and working with them from day one," Mitchell said. "He's done a tremendous job with us this season and I'm real proud of him."</p><p>Brady's biting wit is still intact, however.</p><p>"I need a hanky," he said after Mitchell finished.</p><p>___</p><p>BOUNCING BACK: No one was more eager to play in the NCAA tournament than Texas forwards P.J. Tucker and LaMarcus Aldridge.</p><p>A year ago, Tucker was the team's leading scorer and rebounder before poor grades ended his season after 17 games. Aldridge started his first 16 games as a freshman before a hip injury left him on the bench alongside Tucker for the rest of the season.</p><p>Without those two key players, Texas was knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.</p><p>"We just sat on the bench and vowed to each other that we were going to come back and make everything right," Tucker said. "We were going to do what we needed to do to put us in position to win a championship."</p><p>___</p><p>SHAQ'S PITCH: If LSU loses in the regional final, it might want to blame Shaquille O'Neal.</p><p>Huh?</p><p>You see, the former Tigers star met with Texas forward LaMarcus Russell during his senior year of high school. The two had lunch at a Dallas hotel, with O'Neal encouraging the youngster to give up on the idea of going straight to the NBA.</p><p>"He just emphasized how much fun you have in college and how much you miss out on it if you go to college," Russell remembered.</p><p>He took the advice and signed with Texas. Now, he'll get a chance to beat Shaq's old school.</p><p>___</p><p>BROWN KEEPING TABS: LSU will be playing Saturday on the 20th anniversary of its last win in a regional final. The coach of that team likes the Tigers' chances of getting back to the Final Four.</p><p>"I really think it can happen," Dale Brown said in a phone interview from Minneapolis, where he had a speaking engagement. "They've got nice players and they've got nice people and I think their coaching staff is really doing a good job right now."</p><p>The Tigers beat top-seeded Duke 62-54 to reach the regional final at the Georgia Dome. Brown's team also pulled off an upset in Atlanta, beating favored Kentucky at the now-demolished Omni to advance to the Final Four.</p><p>"Their situation is similar to what we faced," Brown said. "It was all Kentucky fans. Last night, it was almost all Duke fans. Hopefully, it won't be as off-balance Saturday with Texas."</p>