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DENVER -- BYU won a program-defining game Saturday night, 89-67 over the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs, in the Pepsi Center. The Cougars showed once again that they cannot only win without suspended forward Brandon Davies, but return to the dominance they possessed earlier in the season.
With Saturday's 89-67 victory over Gonzaga and the upset of No. 7 Butler over No. 1 Pittsburgh earlier in the night, a lingering question is forced into everyone's mind; just how far can the Cougars go?
This is a special team. I'm really pleased that they'll be rewarded with continuing on in this tournament.
–Dave Rose
"It's a great moment for this school. We haven't been here for the last 30 years. This is an accomplishment in itself," said senior guard Jimmer Fredette. "We're really looking forward to being able to play against (No. 2) Florida and have that opportunity to hopefully get to the Elite 8."
Florida is up next for BYU, and this is a matchup that the Cougars are very familiar with. BYU won their first NCAA tournament game since 1993 with their double-overtime win over the Gators in the first round of last year's tournament.
"I just hope it's not another double-overtime game," said junior forward Noah Hartsock, who had 13 points against Gonzaga. "It's going to be another good matchup. We're both excited."
Related:
BYU: Cougars win, doubters mum
Despite the higher seed, BYU went into Saturday's game as the underdogs against Gonzaga. But Jimmer Fredette and his Cougar teammates convincingly shut their doubters up."Florida's a terrific team. We know exactly who they are. They're big, they're talented, they're strong," said senior guard Jackson Emery. "We know next week they're going to have a little chip on their shoulder from us beating them last year."
Of the four teams left in BYU's region, they're looking like a possible favorite. No. 8 seed Butler, No. 4 seed Wisconsin, and No. 2 seed Florida are the teams left in the Southeast region of the NCAA tournament. BYU is poised to take it one game at a time.
"Now that we've moved past Gonzaga, we'll have to concentrate a lot on Florida," said sophomore forward Stephen Rogers, who scored 10 points in just 11 minutes. "Our coaches do a great job of putting together a scouting report that keeps us informed of what we need to do."
After 30 years of not making it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, this BYU team has made a statement that will hopefully translate into a bigger run in the tournament.
"This is a special team," said coach Dave Rose. "I'm really pleased that they'll be rewarded with continuing on in this tournament."
