Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Following a morning charter flight to Las Vegas, the 8th-ranked BYU Cougars held a Cox Pavilion practice before walking downstairs to meet the media on the eve of their Mountain West Conference opener at the Thomas & Mack Center.
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You can hear group interviews with head coach Dave Rose and players Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery and Charles Abouo by clicking their respective links in the "Cougar Cuts" box.
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National/regional reporters present were still very interested in the Brandon Davies story, with players and Coach Rose asked about the significance of Davies traveling with the team and the plan to have him remain on the bench with his teammates.
Rose was least willing to talk about the situation, clearly tired of having to address the issue for a second week.
Asked whether having Davies present was for his benefit or the team's benefit, Rose said simply "Both."
A New York Times reporter asked Rose about the importance to "(Davies), and to the team, and BYU, in a broader sense," and Rose said "I just think it's important to be with his teammates."
Q: "What's the message you're trying to send to all those people?"
A: "There's not a message."
Q: "To the team, and to the BYU community?"
A: "This is about our team...and we decided to bring him because we thought it would be good for both of us."
Rose said Davies' travel status for the NCAA Tournament is "yet to be determined."
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Meantime, the Cougars went through a third day of pre-tourney prep without knowing the identity of their Thursday opponent (two hours after interviews, TCU would defeat Wyoming 70-61 to set up the Frogs' quarterfinal meeting with BYU).
Beyond the lack of a scout-able opponent, there is the uncertainty that comes with making personnel and tactical tweaks in light of BYU's shift to a more guard-heavy alignment.
"I don't really know if we all know how things are going to work," said Rose. "We do know we have got to get great play out of Jackson and Jimmer, our two leaders...we've got players that just need to step up. If Jackson and Jimmer can play well, I think that we'll be fine."
Rose called the current adjustment period "probably the toughest challenge" he's faced in a late-season scenario, but said "that's what this team has really responded to is challenges, so I expect them to be able figure out ways to win...that's what they've done all year."
Asked about those who have "written you guys off" as a 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and if his team will be motivated by speculation about how good BYU will be moving forward, Rose said "Not really. What people want to talk about with the time that they're given on the air is their business. What we need to do with our team is our business, and I don't think they really cross that much."
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Rose last lost a conference tourney quarterfinal game in his first-ever tournament game as head coach, versus Utah in 2006, at the Pepsi Center. BYU has won four straight opening games since, beating TCU in two of those four games (in 2007 and 2010).
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