Dallas ? There’s not going to be enough space under the basket for both of them.

Oklahoma’s Aaron McGhee and Xavier’s David West plan on turning the paint into a mosh pit in today’s second-round game of the West Regional.

The winner of their personal power-forward matchup, likely whoever manages to steer clear of fouls, could go a long way in determining which team advances to the round of 16.

“I won’t look to avoid any contact,” West said. “You lose your aggressiveness and it takes away from your game.

“Sometimes you get to land a good blow, so it really will be up to the officials to see what each team gets away with.”

So far, it’s not what they’ve been able to get away with, but what they’ve been able to take. Both players played key roles in rallying their teams from early deficits in first-round games.

The 6-foot-8, 250-pound McGhee battered Illinois-Chicago for 26 points and 12 rebounds in the first-round, lifting the second-seeded Sooners (28-4) to a 71-63 win.

In Xavier’s 70-58 win over Hawaii, West notched 13 points and 11 rebounds and cut off many of the layups and drives that had forced the No. 7-seeded Musketeers (26-5) into a 12-point first-half hole.

With both players jostling for position today, points and rebounds in the paint figure to be at a premium. For teams that have relied on their bullying defenses all season, the McGhee-West matchup could simply come down to who establishes position in the low post first.

Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson gave the early nod to West, a second-team All-American, whom he called “the best player on the floor 90 percent of the time he plays.”

“He’s an NBA lottery pick  period,” Sampson said. “We don’t have anyone as good as David West.”

Sampson has been reluctant to praise his senior forward, who arrived in Norman, Okla., last year after spending a season at Cincinnati and another at a junior college in Indiana.

When McGhee joined the Sooners before the 2000-01 season, he “had a body like Godzilla, but played like a nun,” Sampson said.

After spending this offseason working with Dallas Mavericks forward and former Sooners player Eduardo Najera on his conditioning and strength, McGhee has emerged as one of the country’s top players this season.

He’s averaged 17.4 points and 9.6 points over the Sooners’ last 14 games and was selected to the All-Big 12 team.

“I like the pressure,” McGhee said. “I’ve always wanted to be one of the go-to guys.”

McGhee’s teammates have also learned to rely on the player they’ve nicknamed “Ace.”

“We know every night that he’s going to give us a double-double,” OU guard Hollis Price said. “It’s definitely a plus for us knowing we’ve got him down there.”

In today’s other game here, a Midwest Regional matchup, No. 3-seeded Mississippi State will face No. 6-seeded Texas.