BYU puts Gonzaga behind it and prepares for postseason play


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With a win against Gonzaga behind them and the West Coast Conference Tournament in front of them, BYU basketball players has been doing nothing but preparing for the upcoming weekend. With revived hopes for a good run in Las Vegas, and even bigger hopes at a possible spot in the NCAA tournament, the Cougars currently find themselves in a unique position.

“The biggest challenge for us is to make sure that (the win against Gonzaga) is not the highlight of our season,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “It was a good one, but it’s not the end all. We have a lot more to do.”

This is not to discredit the new world of possibilities that opened up for BYU after its 73-70 win over the Zags. Moving to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament was huge for the Cougars, and talk of going to the NCAA tournament proves that even after a rough midseason, it may not be over just yet. But the Cougars are choosing to take it one step at a time.

“I think just like any other team it would mean a ton to us (to win the WCC tournament), but I think right now we are just focusing on that next game,” said freshman center Corbin Kaufusi.

BYU’s strategy behind taking it one game at a time starts with Rose wanting the team to be playing its best basketball of the season in the upcoming weekend. If anything, BYU is holding off on celebrating success and looking to take this season as far as it will go.

“We have been here a lot of time you know, going into this tournament with the chance to win the tournament and a chance to qualify for the NCAA tournament,” Rose said. “The only way it works is if you win. Going into the last four weeks — which six games ago we were in a really tough spot, and the only way to get out of that is to win.”

Both Kyle Collinsworth and Tyler Haws have already had record-breaking seasons, adding quite a bit to BYU’s NCAA resume. Haws has put his stats behind him and is concentrating on finishing the season as strong as he and the team possibly can.

“It is nice having (my record) behind me, because I did hear about it a lot from media and from everyone I see at school. So, it’s nice to have that in the rearview,” said Haws. “We are just focused on what we are doing this year, right now.”

The Cougars will practice once more in the Marriott Center on Thursday before heading to Vegas where they will continue preparations for the conference tournament.

“I think the tournament will be good because it takes us out of your usual routine, for us Thursday Saturday, and kind of gets you to a different place,” said Fischer. “We have put ourselves in a good position and I think it’s up to fate now. We got here, we laid it all out on the line and that’s all you can do.”

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Katie Nielson

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