Jonathan Lee    AccuScore Analyst
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UCLA over Xavier 

The Bruins have managed to make it interesting for everybody, but the important thing is they just keep winning.  When the brackets came out it seemed that UCLA was destined to reach the Final Four, and it still appears that way even though Howland’s crew is doing a great job of making fans worry.  It was point guard Darren Collison’s turn to have a stinker as he finished with 4 points and 4 turnovers before fouling out with over 5 minutes remaining on the clock.  The Bruins did not handle the press from Western Kentucky very well, but it seemed to be a lack of assertiveness attacking the basket and some uncharacteristic sloppy play more than anything else.  Kevin Love continued to be just an absolute monster inside scoring 29 points with 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 assists.  James Keefe and Russell Westbrook both added double-doubles as well making up for another poor performance by starting power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.  Josh Shipp picked up his play a bit with 14 points, but he too was also lackadaisical handling the ball.  Needless to say, the Bruins will need to play with more focus and intensity to get a win against Xavier and reach a third consecutive Final Four.

The Musketeers similarly blew a huge lead in the Sweet Sixteen before holding on for a win.  Balance has been the key to Xavier’s success all year, and that trend has continued throughout the tournament.  Xavier’s offensive style may play into the hands of UCLA’s tough defense.  The Musketeers run lots of isolation plays, and don’t run a ton of screens for their shooters.  The Bruins have terrific on-ball defenders in Westbrook and Collison, and even Shipp can play position defense if he does not have to chase opponents all around the floor.  Xavier might want to create more motion, and focus on the dribble drive to try and get that perimeter trio in foul trouble just like they were against Western Kentucky.  Josh Duncan has been doing his best Carlos Boozer impression during the tournament averaging 20.6 points per contest becoming a true go-to guy in the post.  He’ll have to deal with a multitude of Bruin post defenders however, and will need to rebound much better (18 total so far) to keep Love, Keefe, and Mbah a Moute off the offensive glass.

This Elite Eight match-up should prove to be a close tough game, but I still see UCLA pulling out a win.  The Bruins may not look like an elite team, but they simply find ways to win.  The Musketeers, as almost every team in the country, does not have an answer for Love in the post, and that will ultimately be the difference.

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