Journal-News.com

CINCINNATI — It's no surprise to Sean Miller that the Xavier vs. Bob Huggins basketball story line has taken hold, at least on the local level.

After all, Huggins — the former University of Cincinnati and current West Virginia coach — still makes news in the city in which Miller coaches his Musketeers.

So he knew the questions about Huggins were coming. But he also knows this: Third-seeded Xavier's (29-6) game against the No. 7 Mountaineers (26-10) today, March 27, at 7:10 p.m. in the NCAA tournament's West Regional semifinals supersedes this particular story line.

For the Musketeers, it's about advancing from the Sweet 16 to the Elite Eight. It's not about who's coaching the team that's standing in their way.

"I think it overrides it a tremendous amount," Miller said. "There's always a story line. If we were going to play Duke, the story would be the last time we were this far, that's who knocked us out.

"Now that we're playing West Virginia, you can focus on Huggins and who he is," he added. "Rightfully so, because he's a guy who is a flat-out winner and an excellent coach and someone I have an immense amount of respect for."

Miller has known Huggins since the former was a teenager — their fathers knew each other when they were high school coaches many years ago — and Huggins is just as complimentary about Miller.

But both probably would rather focus on tonight's game.

It'll be Xavier's postseason experience vs. a Mountaineers team that has acclimated well to Huggins in his first year at the head of the program. It'll be about whether Derrick Brown can slow down West Virginia forward Joe Alexander, who averages 16.8 points per game and has made a name for himself nationally. It'll be about whether the Mountaineers can defend the Musketeers' balance on offense.

To Xavier senior guard Stanley Burrell, it'll also be about the Musketeers' intensity level.

"All Huggins' teams are real physical and crash the glass and play hard, so we know they will bring that," Burrell said at Wednesday's pregame news conference in Phoenix. "Joe Alexander, he can go for 30 in any given night, and we have to do a really good job on him. The other guys do a great job of moving the ball. Our level of intensity will have to be at a high level if we want to advance to the Elite Eight."