PROVO – It was March last time Gonzaga and BYU played each other and the loser faced the doom of a one- way ticket out of the NCAA Tournament and though it’s only the beginning of February, Thursday night’s game could potentially carry that same ticket.

With the Zags and Cougs both unable to beat the No. 1 ranked team in the WCC, St. Mary’s, a win against each other is necessary for a bubble position in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

BYU’s loss against St. Mary’s is particularly fresh, having lost to them at home on Saturday. Though BYU players, and the coaches themselves, commonly state that their coaching staff does not dwell too heavily on past losses, guard Charles Abouo said that they are taking some lessons from their loss to the Gaels.

Cougar Tracks:

Rose: "The challenge we have is hopefully one we can respond to"

Saying that "with every loss comes renewed urgency," BYU coach Dave Rose previewed his team's Thursday night meeting with #24 Gonzaga- -a second consecutive conference home game against a ranked team.

“We still have confidence in our team but we definitely have to change some things right away,” Abouo said. “We have to play better and as players we got to do a better job out there on the court. We got to make more shots, get more stops and it’s really on us. This is a big game for us and there’s definitely a lot of games to play.”

Though the Cougars’ loss against the Gaels was, to say the least, greatly impactful on their potential NCAA Tournament entrance, point guard Matt Carlino clarified that his team has not given up.

“We haven’t just abandoned ship; we’re going to just keep on improving,” Carlino said.

Playing the second ranked team in the Conference, Gonzaga, BYU’s mindset of progression instead of digression is vital. Every “W” (especially potential ones against Gonzaga) from now on will weigh a little heavier for BYU than they did in the past.

“Every game is huge from now on,” Carlino said. “Every team’s a huge team because we have to beat them all now.”

With no other option but winning in the mindset of BYU’s playmaker, Carlino openly acknowledged his close attentiveness to the Zags; particularly their guards whom he’ll have to matchup against.

“I watch Gonzaga every time they’re on ESPN,” Carlino said. “[Kevin Pangos is] a really good player. He can shoot it really well, quick release, distribute the ball.”

Pangos and Elias Harris are Gonzaga two leading scorers, and with BYU’s perimeter players recently struggling to sink their three-pointers (barely hitting above 15 percent from the arc last game), a good shooting night from Zag guards could serve as extra salt to their already open wound.

With an essential win Thursday BYU can’t sit back and make any excuses. It doesn’t matter that they’ve had to competitively matchup against back- to-back nationally ranked teams, BYU is going into Thursday night with one thing in mind – beat theZags just like they did last time they met up.

Abouo acknowledged that the conference standings and past history with Gonzaga (beating them in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year) would only feed the fire for the Zags to equally desire a win.

“That was a big game last year,” Abouo said. “Anytime you can play an opponent that beats you, any competitor would love to get a chance to beat them. So I think they’ll come in here with a lot of energy.”

On the other end, BYU head coach Dave Rose says that the history of BYU’s basketball program gives reason for Gonzaga to be nervous about Thursday’s matchup.

“History will tell you that our team gets better through February and into March,” Rose said.

Karissa Urry is a Brigham Young University student majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Business Management. Follow her on Twitter @KarissaEUrry

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