BYU Basketball with Head Coach Dave Rose


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BYU basketball head coach Dave Rose talked about this week's huge match-up with No. 2 Gonzaga during Tuesday night's KSL Newsradio broadcast of Rose's weekly show at Legends Grille.

Senior Brock Zylstra also came on the show and talked about his BYU career and the opportunity to make some national noise against the Bulldogs.

You can hear the entire show in "Cougar Cuts," left.

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Thursday's game with the Zags is also Senior Night, and Zylstra, along with forward Brandon Davies and guard Craig Cusick, will be playing their final regular season home games in a BYU jersey. Even though his career is coming to end, Zylstra talked about how he focuses on the game at hand.

"I haven't really thought about it that much," said Zylstra. "The only time I ever think about it obviously, is when the media guys talk to me about it and ask me questions about it."

"I think it's good for us seniors to have a game against a team like Gonzaga on Thursday so it's not so much as emotions come into it, I'm sure they will come when we are announced and when we are on the floor. But we are really excited to play Gonzaga and play a No. 2-ranked team in the country. I think we're more excited for that than our focus is on Senior Night. "

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The buildup for the Gonzaga game has grown all season as the Zags have climbed higher in the rankings. Now at No. 2, Gonzaga is the highest ranked opponent the Cougars will have ever seen in the Marriott Center. Rose talked about how the team feels regarding the match-up.

"We're excited to get them in our place," said Rose. "We didn't play very well the first time against them (an 83-63 loss in Spokane) and I think we can play better than that. I do believe that our guys are really looking forward to the opportunity."

"We could cause them some real headaches if we can figure out a way to beat them Thursday night."

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Rose described what makes Gonzaga so successful and the trouble BYU faces in tackling a team projected to garner a one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

"Their chemistry is just terrific as far as guys stepping up," said Rose. "They make easy plays, and they make the right play. You don't see a lot of selfish defensive plays or offensive plays. These guys are really dialed in together and their guard line is not only really talented but they're deep. They can bring in two or three different looks defensively."

Zylstra talked about the Gonzaga game from the players' perspective and what it means to play a number two-ranked team at home.

"I think all the guys are ready to go," said Zylstra. "Our last two practices have been pretty enthusiastic, pretty intense, and it's been fun to get after it these last couple days. We are ready to play Thursday and try to have that same enthusiasm and intensity on Thursday."

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With the season ending and the West Coast Conference Tournament coming soon, the Cougars need to get on a roll now if they want to have any dreams of the NCAA tournament. A win on Thursday versus the high-powered Bulldogs would be a huge step in the right direction and would give the Cougars a huge confidence booster.

Thursday's game will be broadcast on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM and BYU Radio (SiriusXM 143). Pregame coverage starts at 8:00 p.m., with the tip-off at 9:00.

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Clint Martinson Radio Sports Intern/Cougar Tracks contributor, and Greg Wrubell

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