BOISE, Idaho - The most memorable Melvin Moment? It might have occurred the afternoon he threw in 10 three-pointers and scored 42 on Eastern Kentucky or the night he dunked the dunk of all dunks on the Houston Cougars, a one-hander from high altitude to complete a drive through the center of the lane.
Melvin Levett doesn't do a lot that fails to be noticed. Perhaps this is why his performance as the sixth man in UC's Conference USA title-game victory over UNC Charlotte was so special. It was just ordinary.
There were 15 points, six rebounds, three long-distance baskets. He has done that sort of thing many times this season.
''He just listened,'' coach Bob Huggins said. ''He was so into listening and doing what we asked, it was amazing.''
Levett, a 6-foot-3 junior, will open Thursday's NCAA Tournament game between No. 9 UC (26-5) and Northern Arizona (21-7) on the bench. This is what he has done for the last third of the season, not long after forward Ruben Patterson returned from his half-season suspension.
UC in NCAA
Seed: No. 2 in West
Site: Boise, Idaho
Opponent: Northern Ariz.
Game: 3:10 p.m ET, Thursday.
Odds: UC by 15
TV: CBS
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He does not just sit there. Levett has become a player who watches intently as the game develops, tries to find the area where he can make an immediate impact.
''I look at how the flow of the game is going,'' Levett said. ''If we're having trouble scoring, or having trouble on defense, I try to see where I can help. I look for spots where I'll be able to shoot. If we need defense, I'll see if there's something that might develop where I can make a steal.''
Levett has averaged 14.8 points this season, but circumstances prevented him from being recognized as Conference USA's sixth man of the year. The various suspensions that left only him and forward Bobby Brannen untouched among the top six players kept Levett in the starting lineup for 21 of the first 22 games, which made him ineligible for the award.
Levett dives for the ball in the C-USA championship game last Saturday.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Since Levett became full-time in his part-time role, however, the Bearcats have not lost. It began with their trip to Saint Louis, when he packed 15 points and four rebounds into just 19 minutes.
He has played better than 30 minutes only twice since, when point guard Michael Horton was suspended at the close of the regular season. And yet there has been almost no decline in Levett's production. His scoring has dropped from 15.6 points to 13.2 points as a sixth man, but his field-goal percentage has increased. UC is 9-0 with Levett opening on the bench.
''I think there is a connection,'' Huggins said. ''Every year we've been really good, we've had a good guy coming off the bench.
''He can change tempo. We've found a guy who can sit there and you can explain and show what needs to be done. He can pick up your energy level. I think it makes a huge difference.''
He has made impressive progress as a player. In the early season, Huggins criticized his affinity for dribbling in place, never really getting anywhere. Killing ants, Huggins called it, like he's standing over an anthill trying to make sure every ant in the vicinity is crushed by the ball.
Levett exults as the Bearcats wrap up the conference title.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Levett has gotten to the point where he can advance the ball from the top of the key and into the lane, where his astonishing leaping ability permits him to rise above the defense to launch jumpshots.
He is not as consistent with these shots as he might be, but the stress they cause upon the defense creates other possibilities. Opposing big men have no choice but to react and try to stop his progress, lest Levett continue down the lane for a show-stopping dunk. The missed jumpers tend to come softly off the boards, and Brannen and Kenyon Martin have less competition to collect the rebounds.
Some of those misses may be the result of sheer enthusiasm, Levett getting so excited about the possibility he might score. His is not an even-tempered game.
''Without emotion, I'm not a player at all,'' Levett said. ''I've tried not to play that way, but it's the honest-to-God truth.''
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