David West reappeared Wednesday after five days spent in semester exams and in the trainer's room, then re-emerged as Xavier's vocal leader.

        The junior center, who has started every game of his career, vowed to be ready for Kent State tonight despite an ankle sprain. Then he guaranteed a victory and also said XU would have beaten Cincinnati Friday if he hadn't gotten hurt.

        Asked about the possibility tonight of losing a second straight home game, West said: “We won't. No way; we can't do that.” And in his first comments about the 20-point loss to UC, he said: “If I played my normal amount of minutes, we win the game. Hands down, I feel we'd win. Because I hadn't even started to play yet (when the injury occurred).”

        Responded UC senior forward Jamaal Davis: “The game's over. It's over and done. You can't turn back the hands of time. That's a big excuse to me. We're not even thinking about Xavier anymore. Xavier's done. ... We're on to bigger and better things.”

        XU is on to Kent State (4-3), and West's health — and even his bravado — could be key tonight when XU (5-3) meets the Mid-American Conference favorite. “You're always worried about a team's mental state,” XU coach Thad Matta said. “We've been knocked down. We've gotta get back up.”

        West didn't practice Sunday or Monday, did some light jogging Tuesday and returned to limited practice duties Wednesday. Trainer David Fluker said West's right ankle had a Grade I sprain, the least severe, though West was still limping noticeably Wednesday.

        He is vital tonight because Golden Flashes are vulnerable inside. They returned three perimeter players from a team that won a single-season school-record 24 games and reached the NCAA Tournament's second round, but they are young and inexperienced in the post.

        West totaled 22 points, a then-career-high 17 rebounds and four assists last year in a 71-60 victory over KSU in Cleveland. “We're a little weak in the frontcourt, and unfortunately that's Xavier's strength,” KSU coach Stan Heath said.

        West said he has been frustrated since the UC game, largely because of the injury. “I couldn't believe it,” he said. “I don't get injured. For me to get hurt to the point where I couldn't play, in that game ... that was the most frustrating thing.”

        When West turned his ankle with 1:03 left in the first half, XU trailed by 13 points. At that point, West had nine points (4-of-6 shooting) and four rebounds. But he and Matta say West is sometimes a slow starter and had just started to get going, making three straight shots.

        An example cited was the 29-point, 17-rebound game at Miami, in which West didn't make a basket until just 5:21 remained in the first half. “My whole thing was, the first four minutes, just feel them out,” West said of UC. “The next four minutes, start scoring some baskets. Next four minutes, rebound. I was going to do it in quarters. I did basically what I wanted to when I wanted to score.”

        So Davis, largely credited in newspaper articles as shutting West down, didn't get the better of him? “Not even close,” West said.

        KSU will take aim tonight with three talented senior guards: Trevor Huffman (16.9 ppg), Andrew Mitchell (13.6) and Demetric Shaw (8.4). The Golden Flashes played Kentucky tough for a half before falling 82-68, but their other losses were puzzling: 67-64 to Hofstra and 75-70 to Youngstown State. In the YSU loss Saturday, KSU wasted a 17-point second-half lead.

        XU hasn't lost consecutive home games since falling to Massachusetts and Virginia Tech in February 1996.

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