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By
Channing McCarthy
NBADraft.net
3/27/08
One of the aspects
that makes Men’s college basketball enjoyable (and women’s
as well) is that more often that not, the superior team will defeat
a team with one or two finer individual talents. With that said,
perhaps more than any other region, the West is comprised of the
best teams; in the purest sense of the word. Out of the four teams
left in the region, only Western Kentucky does not feature a roster
that boasts at-least four double digit scorers (both UCLA and West
Virginia have four players in double figures, while Xavier has five).
These teams are also noted for their defensive proficiency as well.
So while this Region in all likelihood will not match the fireworks
of the East, the caliber of individual talent showcased in the South,
or the intrigue of the David/Goliath scenario that will play out
in the Midwest; look for the West to be the region most dominated
by physicality and intensity.
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Russell
Westbrook
Icon SMI |
Russell Westbrook
UCLA
Darren Collison
has done nothing but enhance his overall level of play, and not
too much of an objection would be raised if someone referred to
Kevin Love has the best freshmen in America, outside of Manhattan,
Kansas. But the most significant development coming out of Westwood
this season has been the meteoric development of Bruin sophomore,
Russell Westbrook. Last season, Westbrook averaged a little more
than 3 points a game (3.4 to be exact) and for the most part was
a non-factor. Fast forward one season later and he is producing
a stat line that consists of over 12 points, nearly 4 rebounds,
4 assists, and over 1 and a half steals. To a novice fan, 12 points
doesn’t seem to be that much offensive production, but when
one takes in consideration both the depth of the Bruins and the
fact that Westbrook is coached by Ben Howland; and that number becomes
much more impressive. Depending on the game situation, more than
likely, Westbrook is going to draw either Courtney Lee or Tyrone
Brazelton (more on him in a minute) as a defensive assignment (in
either case he is going to have his hands full). If Westbrook is
able play his usual stellar D, as well as attack the Hilltoppers
offensively with his explosion, penetration, and distribution; then
the heart rate of all Bruins fans should be at much more stable
levels than they were against Texas A&M.
Tyrone Brazelton Western Kentucky
It’s not
too much of a stretch to say that before this year’s tournament,
the only Hilltopper that the majority of hardcore basketball insiders
could name was WKU senior, Courtney Lee. Well, that is changing
in a hurry, as outside of Stephen Curry, Tyrone Brazelton has been
arguably the tournament’s most outstanding player. While his
season averages of 13.9 points and nearly four assists were a perfect
complement to Lee; thus far through the tournament he has been the
primary reason that Western Kentucky is still in the field. After
scoring 33 points against Drake (punctuated by a game winning assist
that still has Bob Knight talking…literally), Brazelton followed
it up with a solid 15 point outing against San Diego. The intriguing
thing about the Hilltoppers match up with UCLA is that Brazelton
along with Lee have more than enough firepower to give the Bruins
perimeter trio of Shipp, Westbrook and Collison problems. The big
question is will he answer the call defensively.
Stanley
Burrell Xavier
To be quite
frank (and no I’m not screaming as I’m typing this)
if someone just glanced at a Xavier box score there is nothing impressive
about Xavier senior guard Stanley Burrell. He averages right around
10 points a game, almost 4 assists and shoots a sub-par 39 percent
from the field. Even more perplexing from a statistical standpoint
is how Burrell was named Atlantic 10 defensive player of the year,
yet at .8 steals per game is tied for third on his own team. Fortunately,
as any basketball enthusiast knows, there is more to the game than
just stats. An example of a typical Stanley Burrell defensive effort
is something like what he was able to do to Purdue freshmen E’Twaun
Moore. Yes, Moore scored 15 points, but it was on 7 of 18 from the
field or 38 percent. This becomes even more impressive considering
that against Baylor, Moore shot 54 percent on 7 of 13 shooting.
Because the versatility and athletic prowess of Musketeer senior
forward Josh Duncan and West Virginia’s Joe Alexander should
balance out, this game might be decided on the perimeter. Look for
Burrell to attempt to apply constant pressure on the Mountaineers
primary ball handlers.
Alex Ruoff
West Virginia
Although Joe
Alexander is a stellar player, one of the glaring limitations in
his game is inability to shoot from the perimeter, because of this,
teams would prefer to double team or throw a variety of zones in
Alexander’s direction. Unfortunately, for West Virginia opponents,
with the shooting touch that Alex Ruoff possesses, double teams
and gimmick defenses are becoming less realistic by the game. At
47 percent from the field (41 percent from three), Ruoff is remarkably
efficient considering his game is based on the perimeter. Through
the Mountaineers first two games of the tourney, he has scored 17
and 21 points respectively. Because Xavier’s frontline has
decent height and is very athletic, it is going to be critical for
Ruoff to knockdown his shots and provide Alexander and forward Da’Shawn
Butler adequate space to utilize their off the dribble ability.
Lastly, at 6”6 Ruoff has a significant height advantage over
both Xavier guards Drew Lavender and Stanley Burrell. If he can
get into catch and shoot situations, that’s a huge advantage
for West Virginia.
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