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PROVO -- A storm of excitement has hit BYU as the Cougars have reached the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
Thursday's game will be a huge game for BYU and a rematch from last year's NCAA Tournament. BYU beat Florida in double overtime last year in the first round of the tournament.
Cougar fans are loving that the team is playing on into March Madness. Wherever you look at BYU, the talk is the Sweet 16.
"Extra busy would be a good way to put it," says Kyle Chilton, a spokesman in the BYU Athletic Communications office.
Extra staff is on hand to handle the flood of phone calls, voice mails, and emails - most of them requests for just a few moments with Jimmer Fredette.
"There's a lot of requests from different radio stations and newspapers that want to talk to Jimmer - even had one from France, they want to talk to Jimmer," Chilton said.
BYU merchandise is flying off the shelves in the BYU Bookstore.
"I'm excited they are going to the Sweet 16, so I want to watch and I want to support. So, I'm coming to buy a jersey," said Rachael McDonough, a student at BYU.
The Sweet 16 excitement on campus is certainly a distraction to learning.
"I think everyone is really excited, and everyone's trying to focus on school but they are all thinking about basketball," McDonough said.
Longtime BYU fans are stocking up too -- not just on merchandise, but a moment in BYU sports history.
"We love the Jimmer, and Jackson Emery is from Alpine, so we're loving the whole Sweet 16," said Cougar fan Colleen Robinson.
Fans like Robinson are reliving the last time BYU was in the Sweet 16, back in 1981.
"We were alive and remember Danny Ainge. Of course you guys don't. You're too young," Robinson told us. "But we remember. We love it!"
Email: spenrod@ksl.com
