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DENVER -- Going into Saturday evening's game, the No. 3 BYU Cougars were considered by most to be underdogs to the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs despite the seed differential. The Cougars lacked the size that Gonzaga had, they were in a shooting slump and Gonzaga was coming off one of their most balanced games of the season.
Not to mention the Zags were on a 10-game winning streak.
It wasn't looking up for the Cougars, but the mood in the locker room was quite different.
Related:
BYU: Looking ahead to the Sweet 16
What does the road ahead look like for BYU now that the No. 3 Cougars have moved into the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 30 years?"We were focused on our team really," said senior guard Jimmer Fredette who burned the Bulldogs for 34 points and six assists in the Cougars' 89-67 victory. "We were focused on getting prepared. The coaches did a great job of that."
Most of the doubters have pointed out that the Cougars could not play at a high level without a strong presence in the middle, and after losing Brandon Davies to an honor code violation, many wrote them off.
One of BYU's strengths this season has been to ignore the doubters.
"The most important thing is that we believe in ourselves," said senior guard Jackson Emery, who finished with 16 points and three steals. "We've gone through a lot of challenges this year, a lot of adversity. The most important thing is what we believe in that locker room. We've always believed that we're a good team, that we can compete with the best."
"All year long we've been coming together," senior forward Logan Magnusson said. "Guys have been fighting, we've gone through a lot of adversity, a lot of trials, and guys have just pulled together. I just think this team is something special."
This team is the most special since Danny Ainge donned Cougar blue, which is the last time BYU made it into the Sweet Sixteen.
That was in 1981... 30 years ago.
When head coach Dave Rose was asked about what this win meant to the fans, he gave an emotional response.
"Well, you know, its been a long time for our (team)," Coach Rose said with tears in his eyes. "And I'm happy, really happy for them. I'm happy for our players, happy for our coaches, our administration.
"I mean everybody is in this. We're all in this together."
The team came together like they never had before. Throughout the season, Coach Rose has praised the team for its ability to find ways to win. Magnusson summed it up nicely when asked about how the Cougars approached the game against Gonzaga.
"They might be big, but we have bigger hearts."
Now, we'll see just how far those big hearts can carry them in the tournament.
The Cougars get No. 2 seed Florida in the Sweet Sixteen; a rematch of last year's first round matchup. However, in the Cougars' double overtime win, BYU was a higher seed (No. 7) than the Gators (No. 10).
Email: mhopkins@ksl.com
