USA Basketball Handles France: Kevin Love Second Highest Scorer

It's not a surprise that Kevin Durant was the top scorer for the United States by draining a bunch of outside shots. But what was a bit of a surprise that Kevin Love was right behind him.

Durant scored 22 points and grabbed nine boards, but Love acquitted himself well off the bench. As the primary power forward not in the starting lineup, Love made an array of strong basketball plays, scoring off of cuts, offensive rebound putbacks and jumpers. Love was five of eight from the field and scored 14 points overall while also grabbing three rebounds to lead the Pac-12 players in their 98-71 victory over France.

As for the remaining players from the Conference of Champions, Russell Westbrook struggled a bit more than his UCLA counterpart, shooting 2 of 6 from the field, turning the ball over twice and nearly fouling out, but he did have nine points, four rebounds and three assists. James Harden had five points on 2-5 shooting with one assist, one steal and one turnover, and Andre Iguodala showcased his athleticism with two assists, a rebound, a steal and a block.

You have to figure that as the tournament moves forward, every Pac-12 player on this roster will get the chance to showcase their talents. Tonight it was Love naysaying all the doubters about his value to this team, as he proved his intelligence, savvy and versatility as the power forward of the future would

Note: Ike Diogu of Arizona State had a double-double (13 points, ten rebounds) in helping Nigeria to beat Tunisia.