John Walters

PHOENIX - Kevin Love, meet Josh Duncan. The bigs came up huge in the West regional semifinals on Thursday, setting up a low-block party between Xavier and UCLA on Saturday afternoon.

The Musketeers beat West Virginia in overtime, 79-75, in the opener. Duncan, their 6-9 senior forward, scored a career-high 26 points from all over the floor. The Cincinnati native was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and, just as impressively, 9-of-10 from the free-throw line (his teammates were a collective 3-of-11). Duncan collected his fourth foul with 12:31 remaining and played the rest of the game and overtime without fouling out. That may have been his biggest contribution.

Love, UCLA's phenomenal 6-10 freshman, was King of the Hilltoppers as he effortlessly poured in 29 points and 14 rebounds in the Bruins' 88-78 defeat of Western Kentucky. When he was not scoring and throwing outlet passes that would make Pete Newell proud, Love was once again a monster on defense. He patrolled the basket like a hockey goalie, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots as a function of savvy positioning, not mere athleticism.

This kid's a freshman? Really? The Lake Oswego, Ore., star has been unflappable all season long (just ask the Oregon student section) and he continued on his precocious path to the Final Four. The Bruins are a talented and experienced unit, no doubt about it, but they overcome adversity with Love.

Don’t we all?

Early in the second half Western Kentucky made a brief run, actually drawing a foul on the Bruins pivot man. On the ensuing UCLA possession, the Hilltoppers trapped UCLA point guard Darren Collison in the corner in the backcourt. Collison found Love near the free-throw line and lobbed a pass to him. Then, with a flick of his wrists, Love sent a two-handed pass on a line to the opposite free-throw line to James Keefe, who then found Russell Westbrook for the lay-up.

Western Kentucky. West Virginia (alma mater of Jerry West). Westwood. And NBA All-Star David West's old school. Perhaps the NCAA tournament selection did not intend it this way, but the four programs that advanced to the West regional semis all had a West element. It may have been accidental, but it was also occidental.

The West is known for sublime sunsets, and it appeared West Virginia's would come early. The Mountaineers fell behind by 18 points in the first half. Leading scorer Joe Alexander had just three points at the half. The Mountaineers, who drained eleven three-pointers in their opening-round victory against Arizona, were 0-for-6 from outside the arc at halftime. They'd finish 1-for-11 from three-point range, though Alexander acquitted himself somewhat with 15 second-half points ("somewhat" because Alexander missed a go-ahead free throw with 14.2 seconds in regulation after banking in a jumper to tie it).

Men's NCAA Tournament results Sweet 16 games Bracket  |  Schedule EAST REGION Louisville 79, Tennessee 60 North Carolina 68, Washington State 47 MIDWEST REGIONAL Davidson 73, Wisconsin 56  |  Kansas 72, 'Nova 57 SOUTH REGIONAL Memphis 92, Mich St. 74  |  Texas 82, Stanford 62 WEST REGION UCLA 88, Western Kentucky 78 Xavier 79, West Virginia 75, overtime

In overtime West Virginia lost Alexander to a fifth foul, but went up six. Xavier had not played an overtime game since blowing a second-half lead to Ohio State in last year's NCAA tournament. But the school from Cincinnati found a way to win against the Mountaineers and their coach, Bob Huggins, who first gained renown (and notoriety) as the coach at Cincinnati.

That way was junior swingman B.J. Raymond, who waited until the extra session to put an imprint on the game. Raymond scored eight of his 10 points in overtime, none more valuable than a three-pointer he twined off a cross-court inbounds pass with :02 remaining on the shot clock. That made the score 78-74 with 0:30 to play.

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It was Duncan, though, who made overtime possible. Xavier scored just seven points in the final seven minutes of regulation and all came from the fingertips of Duncan. Much has been written, and rightly so, about the 3rd-seeded Musketeers' offensive balance: six players average between 9.8 and 12.1 points per game. But with the contest on the line, it was Duncan again and again who sought the ball. Who made the shots.

Love, like Duncan, is a low-post player who possesses a feathery 20-footer. But during UCLA's more interesting than expected second half against the Hilltoppers, when a 21-point lead was frittered away to just three, Love provided a calming presence. Blocking shots. Grabbing rebounds. Breaking the press. But the most amazing thing about Love is what he never seems to do: hurt his team. Silly fouls, turnovers, playing out of position: you will rarely see Love succumb to errors common to most freshmen.

And so for at least one more game UCLA basketball games will remain a Lovefest. And for at least one more game Xavier will have Josh Duncan.

Love Duncan. It sounds like it should be an NBA motto (both factually and phonetically). Instead, it's the most intriguing individual match-up in the West regional final. Love-Hate is still a better, and more storied, rivalry. But Love-Duncan will do for an Elite Eight contest.

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