At some point, they will have to play somebody

PHOENIX — It's all about teamwork, on some nights the referees doing their part for UCLA, on others -- the NCAA Selection Committee coming through with a patsy.

It was so easy the Bruins went to sleep for a while Thursday night, losing focus after running out to a 21-point halftime lead before winning by 10.

At some point it's going to come down to UCLA and just how good the Bruins rate against the top competition in the land, but that means fast forwarding to San Antonio.

The NCAA selection committee has already given the Bruins a bye into the Final Four.

UCLA towered in so many ways over Western Kentucky, and Xavier is even smaller. The Bruins won't even need a ladder to cut down the nets on Saturday. Just hand the scissors, like they do everything else, to Kevin Love.

If this was supposed to be championship basketball, then why were the Hillboppers here?

The school has a pregnant Elmo for a mascot, and while I realize there's probably not much to do in Western Kentucky, must they advertise it?

Their fans dress in red, call themselves the "Big Red," and right from the start I worry about people who come off like Nebraska wannabes. Maybe that's where they hope to move one day.

The two most famous celebrities to attend Western Kentucky are Michael Rosenbaum and Nappy Roots. I had to look them up too, Rosenbaum big in Smallville and the Nappy Roots a sextet of southern rappers. From a TV standpoint, at least six different faces give the camera a chance to find a celebrity in the crowd at Western Kentucky games.

As for basketball, Western Kentucky's claim to greatness so far is one Final Four appearance back when folks were using typewriters to write game stories. Thanks for the memory.

But at this time of the year, there should be something more challenging matched against UCLA than a No. 12-seeded team, which goes to show you how the NCAA Selection Committee stacked this bracket in the Bruins' favor.

The No. 2-seeded team was Duke, which struggled to beat Belmont. And Connecticut sure offered a challenge. Case closed.

It's tough enough watching UCLA basketball, as boring as it is with Coach Ben Howland's emphasis on control and defense, but how about making the Bruins work from start to finish?

No question, though, it's been more exciting recently -- what with everyone holding their breath every time Josh Shipp takes aim from long range, but these are not your Harlem Globetrotters.

Shipp made a three-pointer in the first half, and immediately a timeout was called, I presume to send the basketball to Ripley's.

A little later he made a driving layup, sending a rattled TyRogers to the other end of court to throw up an air ball. And Rogers was the guy who got Western Kentucky here with an overtime bomb against Drake.

"I thought Shipp did great for us," Howland said, Operation Keep Shipp Afloat continuing -- because this tournament might come down to one of his long-range launches.

This was a mismatch, though, from the start with Love and James Keefe looking down on Western Kentucky. The game evened up only when the Bruins began to play down to the level of the opposition.

Western Kentucky had no one to control Love or Keefe, and unless Xavier opts to stack players on top of each other, it shouldn't fare much better inside.

Darren Collison struggled, fouled out early, and so what when you're playing a team that puts such great stock on its website of being "runner-up in the prestigious National Invitation Tournament in 1942."