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Australia's Luke Nevill aiming to follow in Andrew Bogut's footsteps

Former Australian Captain March 16, 2009

Australian basketballer Luke Nevill will hope to follow in the footsteps of NBA star Andrew Bogut at this month's US college national championships.

Nevill's college Utah has qualified for the NCAA Championships, a knockout tournament of the top 64 colleges in the US, which culminates in the prestigious Final Four next month.

The 2005 NBA No.1 draft pick Bogut also played his college basketball at Utah, leading them to the last 16 of the NCAA Championships in 2004 and 2005.

Nevill's journey begins on Saturday (EDT) when Utah takes on Arizona in the opening match of the midwest regional championships.

The 218cm West Australian is a senior at Utah, and has impressed for his college so far this season, posting four double-doubles in the Mountain West competition.

The 23-year-old former Australian Institute of Sport scholar is the leading all-time rebounder in Mountain West history.

Victory in the regional championship playoff in Indianapolis on March 29 would secure passage to the Final Four in Detroit, where the four regional champions play to secure the national title.

Utah are ranked fifth in the midwest competition.

Highly rated Australian Boomer Patrick Mills' college Saint Mary's missed out on a spot in the top 64.

AAP