Xavier's Next Problem Is A Big One: UCLA's Love

PHOENIX, March 28 -- Top-seeded UCLA has looked vulnerable in its last two NCAA tournament games, but the one constant has been the play of freshman Kevin Love, who saved the Bruins in the second round against Texas A&M and exploited a significant interior advantage in Thursday's West Region semifinal against Western Kentucky.

In a region final matching two defensive-minded teams, no assignment will be more challenging for third-seeded Xavier than the task of containing Love, who has scored in double figures in every game of his college career. But if any school has the ability to at least slow the freshman, it could be Xavier, which has succeeded defensively against some of the nation's most prominent big men.

"Our team takes it as a challenge," said Xavier's Derrick Brown, who expects to see some time guarding Love. "We don't want to get outdone by a 40-point effort by someone. At the same time, we realize it's a team sport. We're not like, 'Okay, you've got him, good luck.' Team-based defense, that is what gets the job done."

In a 103-77 victory against Kansas State on Dec. 31, Brown and reserve forward Jason Love held standout Michael Beasley to a career-low five points. Beasley, who scored in double figures in every other game of his college career, made only 1 of 6 field goal attempts and also had five turnovers.

"I think Beasley is the most talented player in the country," Kevin Love said. "For him to get five points shows you what they can do on defense and how they can take a guy out of a game."

Jason Love, who expects to guard Kevin Love extensively Saturday, said his strategy would be similar to the one he used against Beasley. Match Love's physicality, limit his offensive rebounds and use a 7-foot-5 wingspan to challenge every shot.

That recipe has helped Xavier throughout the NCAA tournament. Xavier held Purdue's 6-foot-8 Robbie Hummel, a guard-forward who is comfortable playing on the perimeter, to a 2-for-10 shooting effort in Xavier's second-round NCAA tournament victory. On Thursday, Brown and Love helped slow West Virginia's Joe Alexander through large stretches of Xavier's 79-75 overtime victory. Alexander, who had averaged 24.6 points in March, finished with 18 points on 8-of-18 shooting, but he did not score a point until nearly eight minutes into the game.

But Kevin Love, who has never scored fewer than 11 points in a college game, is a unique specimen. The 6-foot-10, 271-pound Love uses his size to establish particularly deep post position, creating easy layup opportunities. He also has the uncanny knack of securing offensive rebounds and scoring putbacks.

"He is like a beast down there," Jason Love said. "He is a real estate guy; he likes to get everything around the basket."

Xavier Coach Sean Miller said keeping Kevin Love from dominating the rebounding battle is more important than guarding him because "UCLA's best offense at times has been just second shots. We can't give UCLA those pounding second shots that wear you out."

Kevin Love said he has seen virtually every type of defense this season, including double- and triple-teaming and opponents that choose either to front him or play behind him. He said physical battles in practice with UCLA reserve Alfred Aboya throughout the season left him bruised but also toughened him. He said Xavier reminds him of two physical teams UCLA played this year: Texas A&M and Washington. Brown understands defenders, regardless of how sound they play, can't totally stop the best player on the floor or deny him the ball, adding: "He is going to make a couple, and we will go back and run our offense. We don't want it to be a clinic. We don't want it to be just layups. Everything has to be earned."

Love, who averages a team-high 17.6 points per game, has emerged as UCLA's go-to offensive player. In the waning moments of the Texas A&M game, Love made two fade-away jumpers to help the Bruins win by two. On Thursday, he scored a career-high 29 points against a Western Kentucky team that lacked formidable interior players.

"It is one thing to be as physically big and gifted as he is, but he plays the game like he is 25 years old," Miller said. "He has great hands and understands positioning and defense, offense. He is so much different than playing against Michael Beasley or Greg Oden. It is hard for me to believe he was in high school a year ago."

Xavier has not slowed every notable front-court player it has faced this season. In Xavier's 80-65 victory against Indiana on Nov. 24, 6-foot-9 D.J. White made 7 of 9 shots and scored 16 points.

Jason Love said he planned to watch more tape of Kevin Love on Friday night and spend the evening visualizing how he planned to play defensively. He said his priority would be to limit Love's rebound total, hopefully holding him to single digits in rebounds. But he knows he can't do it alone.

"Our team hangs our hat on defense, and it's going to be a team effort," Jason Love said. "It's not Love vs. Love."