BYU makes second trip to 'First Four'


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It was four years ago that the NCAA introduced the concept of the "First Four," the expansion of the opening round of NCAA tournament games to include the last four automatic-bid qualifiers and the last four at-large entrants, in a modified First Round. In the second year of the new format, the 2011-12 BYU Cougars came to Dayton, and made history.

Trailing Iona by 25 points at one point in the first half, the Cougars rallied for a 78-72 victory, setting the NCAA tournament record for greatest comeback.

On Monday, in Dayton, as BYU prepares for Tuesday night's First Round meeting with Ole Miss at the UD Arena, head coach Dave Rose was asked if the venue holds a certain "mojo" for his team.

"I hope it's the second-half mojo and not the first half," said Rose in a press conference preceding his team's early-evening practice session. "Because we were really struggling to find ourselves in the first half of that game. But then that was another team."

"We're all 0-0 and we're trying to move forward. If you end up with a win, you get to advance. And a loss, no matter who you are and where you came from, your season's over.

"I told the guys today there's one thing about this tournament that's magical and that's when you advance. And the three times we've been able to advance, one of them was here (in Dayton). And so that's a good memory from Dayton...and hopefully we can recreate that and experience it again, because it's pretty special being invited to the tournament and getting an opportunity. But that feeling of being able to advance and move forward is pretty special."

To advance, BYU will have to get past an Ole Miss team that went 20-12 out of the SEC, with a portfolio that includes wins over NCAA tournament teams Arkansas, Oregon and Cincinnati.

The Rebels, like BYU, are offensively efficient and not afraid to pick up the pace. Point guard Jarvis Summers is the active SEC career leader in points and assists, while shooting guard Stefan Moody is among the most electric players in the league and a First Team All-SEC selection.

"He's a short guard but has a lot of balance," said BYU guard Skyler Halford of Moody. "He's pretty athletic. He's a great shooter. We know they've got some great athletes on their team, and we know what it's going to take to stop them. We'll have to crowd space especially on Moody and make him drive and take away that 3-point threat."

"Their athleticism and length remind us one of the first games of the year, against San Diego State," Rose said. "San Diego State is more of a real controlled, slower-paced team, (but Ole Miss is) extremely athletic. They're really balanced but they have a scorer (Moody) who consistently can really score well. But it's a team that hopefully, that we can compete with their athleticism, because they're extremely athletic, and they play fast. And we look forward to that challenge."

Summers said pace won't be a primary concerns for the Rebels on Tuesday night; the senior guard is confident his team will be able to adjust to whatever style presents itself.

"It comes down to what the team needs to do," said Summers, "and if we've been struggling, we're going to grind it out. If we're making shots, that's good for us."

Kennedy was a little more emphatic about the need to deal with BYU's up-tempo attack. The Cougars boast the shortest average offensive possession length in college basketball, while running at the 6th-fastest tempo in the nation.

"Their style of play is such that they're going to put pressure on you with four guys on the perimeter all night," said Kennedy. "Their pace of play is unlike any we've seen this season. They're truly committed to playing fast."

"People think I'm a liberal offensive coach. I'm the most conservative coach you've ever seen compared to the way BYU runs and shoots quickly.

"We've got to run them off the 3-point line. We've got to do a good job of using our size and athleticism up front to make them play through us. And if we do that, and we can manufacture some baskets, it should be an entertaining game."

Tuesday night's game is scheduled to tip off at around 7:10 p.m. MDT. The winner will be awarded the West Region 11 seed and face 6 seed Xavier on Thursday afternoon in Jacksonville, Fla. You can hear tomorrow night's game on KSL Newsradio, starting with pregame coverage at 6:00 p.m.

You can listen to Monday's press conference sessions by clicking on the respective audio links in "Cougar Cuts," above left.

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