COACH: Dave Rose, six years at BYU, five years in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid.
GO-TO GUYS: Guard Jimmer Fredette leads the nation in scoring and is one of the country's most exciting players. The Mountain West Player of the Year knocked down 40 percent of his 3-point shots in the regular season, he knows how to create his own shot, gets to the line driving to the hoop and is a top-notch passer. As he has many times in his career, he's capable of carrying the Cougars' offense for 40 minutes. Exhibit A: He scored a career-high 52 points in No. 8 BYU's 87-76 win over nemesis New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference semifinals. Anywhere within 28 to 30 feet is in his range. Guard Jackson Emery is a solid 3-point shooter and tenacious defender, leading the team with an average of nearly three steals per game. Emery won the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award.
X FACTOR: Wing Charles Abouo came on late in the season and had several highly productive games -- his first three games with 18 points or more came in the final six regular-season games -- and BYU badly needs to him to be the third scorer in the postseason after losing third-leading scorer Brandon Davies (11.1) to a suspension. Abouo is the team's most-athletic player and can hit 3-point baskets in bunches when he gets rolling. But he is also prone to poor-shooting games and can be exposed on the defensive end.
STRENGTHS: The Cougars have one of the top clutch players in the country in Fredette and have several players with NCAA tournament experience. BYU is a potent offensive team and can score via the 3-point shot or by getting the ball inside. The Cougars take good care of the basketball and force an ample amount of turnovers. In late-game situations, the Cougars are able to protect leads due to the stellar free-throw shooting by Fredette (89.6 percent in the regular season), who seemingly never missed a clutch free throw.
WEAKNESSES: Losing Davies to an honor code violation won't be easy to overcome for BYU, which lacks bulk and size inside. The Cougars were thin up front even with Davies and appear to be vulnerable if they should face a team with dominant inside players. Forward Noah Hartsock is inconsistent and not always able to match physical play. The Cougars' bench is suspect with forward Stephen Rogers rating as the one player who can provide modest production.
