BYU gets No. 3 seed, to play Wofford in Southeast region

PROVO -- The BYU Cougars earned a No. 3 seed in the Southeast region of the NCAA Tournament where they will face Wofford from the Southern Conference on Thursday, March 17 in the second round.

The Cougars will start the NCAA Tournament in Denver and a win against Wofford Terriers sets up a third round matchup against the winner of No. 6 St. John's vs. No. 11 Gonzaga. But the Cougars are not willing to look past their first matchup.

"I think that we'll be fully prepared, as will they," senior guard Jimmer Fredette said. "Don't know a ton about them but you know that they're an experienced team and that they've played in this tournament before and almost won a game against a good team, Wisconsin. You know its going to be a tough matchup and we're excited to play."

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Cats and Dogs in Denver

BYU matched the highest NCAA Tournament seeding in school history on Sunday, a 3 seed in the Southeast Regional, opening with the Wofford Terriers.

The Terriers have played well against top teams the past two years. This season, they took eight seeded George Mason into overtime and only lost the game by three points. The Cougars realize the importance of this first game, especially after a disheartening loss to the No. 2 seeded SDSU Aztecs.

"All of us need to step up," coach Dave Rose said. "The most important thing is it is a special time with a special time with a special feel and so much attention. What's really important is to be able to deal with all that, but then be able to execute like you play. We've played 34 games, what we need to do is play our 35 game with that same focus, the same preparation even though its on a different stage."

The No. 3 seed matches BYU's highest previous seeding, achieved in the 1980-81 season.

The last time they were as high as a fourth seed was 1987-88. Last season, when the Cougars beat the Florida Gators before falling to Kansas State, BYU was a No. 7 seed. The Cougars look at that experience as an advantage going into this weekend.

"I think it helps being there and being experienced," Fredette said. "To have some guys been there for three or four years…Almost everybody has been through the tournament experience except for a couple of the freshmen. I think that helps definitely with the distractions, knowing what to expect once you get there."

Related:

Utah State gets #12 seed, will face Kansas St. in NCAA tourney

The WAC champion Aggies will face Kansas St. in the first round of the NCAA tournament as a 12 seed.

Fredette has had to handle a much heavier load now that the Cougars are lacking depth down low. When asked about the pressure he will face in the tournament, Fredette described his mentality.

"I'm pretty used to it, I don't put any pressure on myself," Fredette said. "I try to stay away from that. and don't worry about what other peoples expectations are. Go out there and play your game and try to meet my expectations, because usually my expectations are even bigger than other people's expectations."

At this point, nobody is quite sure what BYU is capable of achieving. With forward Brandon Davies on the roster, the Cougars were 27-2. Without him, the Cougars are just 3-2.

Other NCAA tournament notes:Ohio State (East) is the tournament's overall No. 1 seed. Kansas (Southwest), Pittsburgh (Southeast) and Duke (West) are the other No.1 seeds. The No. 2 seeds are North Carolina (East), San Diego State (West), Notre Dame (Southwest), and Florida (Southeast). San Diego State will take on No. 15 Northern Colorado from the Big Sky Conference. Other No. 3 seeds are Syracuse (East), UConn (West), and Purdue (Southwest). Utah State earned a No. 12 seed in the Southeast region and will face Kansas State in the second round. UNLV earned a No. 8 seed in the Southwest region and will face No. 9 Illinois in second round.

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