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PROVO — A year ago at this time, BYU coach Dave Rose was watching the NCAA Tournament bubble watch and bracketologists’ guesses pretty intently and tried to guess the selection committee’s final decision before the Selection Show on CBS the Sunday before the tourney.
His Cougars squad drew a 10-seed, and it shocked even him.
This year, Rose did everything he could — getting BYU to the West Coast Conference tournament final and beating then-No. 3 Gonzaga on the final night of the regular season — and then left it up to the NCAA figureheads in Indianapolis.
That strategy worked pretty well, too.
“These aren’t the guys deciding; the guys deciding are in a room in Indianapolis, and that’s who we’ve all trusted to get the best 68 teams in there,” Rose said. “Sometimes it’s not the best 68, because other issues come in there. But they’ve got them all ranked and in order, and we knew where we fell. We’re included in that group, and I think that’s the most exciting thing about the whole day.”
BYU will face Mississippi (20-12) in a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio, at 7:10 p.m. MDT Tuesday. The winner will advance as the No. 11 seed to face sixth-seeded Xavier (21-13) in Thursday’s West regional first-round matchup in Jacksonville, Florida.
Baylor and Georgia State are the other two teams in the Jacksonville sub-regional, which goes to the regional round in Los Angeles.
BYU (25-9) and Ole Miss have never played in men’s basketball, and the Cougars know even less about their SEC opponent. The Cougars are 3-1 all-time against teams from the state of Mississippi, including a win over Southern Miss in the 2013 NIT.
It's really special. Everyone in that locker room has worked really hard to put us in this spot. There was a time during the year when times were not good. A lot of people counted us out. But everyone stuck together, and still believed in each other.
–BYU guard Tyler Haws, the program's all-time leading scorer
But scouting will be left to another day, as the teams fly to Dayton on Monday and try to settle in for a quick tip Tuesday night on TruTV.
“I know they like to run, to shoot the three, and they are really athletic and physical,” said BYU guard Chase Fischer, a Ripley, West Virginia, native who remembers watching the Andy Kennedy-coached Rebels teams for a few years. “We really don’t know much; we’re just letting it bask that we actually got in.”
Just enjoying the moment is accomplishment enough for BYU, said senior guard Tyler Haws.
“It’s really special. Everyone in that locker room has worked really hard to put us in this spot,” said Haws, the school’s all-time leading scorer. “There was a time during the year when times were not good. A lot of people counted us out. But everyone stuck together, and still believed in each other.
“We finished on a good night. I think we played the right way, and hopefully we can continue to have that edge and win a few more games.”
The Rebels are 20-12 on the season, including a 3-1 record at neutral sites, but finished the year with only one win in their final five games — including a stunning 60-58 loss in the final second to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament on March 12.
Ole Miss is led by guard Stefan Moody, who averages 16 points, three rebounds and two assists with 71 3-pointers on the season.
But Rose said the bigger challenge barely 48 hours before tipoff is to focus on his team.
“Hopefully our guys are feeling their best, mentally and physically, when we get to tip,” he added. “That will be my biggest concentration with the guys, to manage the logistics of that. Our assistant coaches will help us prepare for what Ole Miss is going to do to us.”
BYU also has history in the First Four. The Cougars hold the record for the largest second-half comeback in tournament history with a win over Iona in Dayton in 2012.
“I hope this one goes a little better at the start this time,” Rose joked with reporters Sunday afternoon. “The finish was good. This is a tough turnaround. I think the experience of our staff will help this time.”
That’s been the job of a BYU team that was nearly left for dead midway through the WCC season, with a 5-4 league record after a 77-74 loss at San Diego on Jan. 24.
Rose said that this team the past month of the season has probably been as fun as any other team he has coached. “These guys have been determined, and I’m happy that the results today turned out good for them. I feel this is a good basketball team. Now we’ll get a chance to prove it and see how we do.”
