BYU Receives 24th NCAA Invitation

PROVO -- The No. 25 BYU men's basketball team has received an at-large invitation to the 2009 NCAA Tournament and will play Texas A&M of the Big 12 Conference in first-round action on Thursday in Philadelphia, Pa., at the Wachovia Center. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. EST (10:30 a.m. MST).

"It’s a great opportunity for us to make it to the NCAA Tournament," said BYU head coach Dave Rose. "It doesn’t matter who you play because every team is going to be good. We're fortunate to find ourselves in a good spot.”

The Cougars (25-7) are the No. 8 seed for the third-straight year and are playing in the West Region. In a rematch of last year's first round matchup BYU will face the No. 9 seed Texas A&M Aggies (23-9). The winner of the BYU-Texas A&M game will advance to the second round to face the winner of No. 1 seed Connecticut and No. 16 seed Chattanooga on Saturday.

Texas A&M finished the season 23-8 and placed fourth in the Big XII with a 9-7 record. The Aggies lost to Texas Tech in the first round of the conference tournament. Junior guard Josh Carter paces Texas A&M with 14.1 points per game followed by junior guard Donald Sloan at 11.7 ppg. BYU has a 1-1 record all-time against the Aggies with an 83-81 victory on Dec. 28, 1972 at the All-College Tournament and a 67-62 loss in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament.

BYU shared the Mountain West Conference regular-season title this year with a 12-4 record, its third-straight league crown. Fourth-year head coach Rose has led his team to four consecutive 20-win seasons and has had the Cougars nationally ranked in the last three seasons. BYU is led by All-MWC honorees Lee Cummard, Jimmer Fredette and Jonathan Tavernari. Cummard, paces BYU with 16.8 ppg on 52.0 percent shooting from the field while Fredette adds 16.2 ppg and Tavernari adds 15.9 ppg.

This will be BYU's 24th NCAA Tournament appearance, third in the last three years and sixth in the last nine years (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009). The Cougars were also a No. 8 seed last year. The Cougars have an 11-26 record in the NCAA Tournament and a 1-3 mark as a No. 8 seed (1984, 1995, 2007, 2008). BYU is in search of its first NCAA Tournament victory since the 1992-93 season when the Cougars defeated SMU 80-71 on March 18, 1993.

TICKETS – NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND

Ticket requests will be taken from all BYU fans until 3 p.m. MST on Monday. Tickets will be distributed based on membership level, and date/time of purchase. There are no ticket limits assigned, however, due to the limited number of tickets available, placing an order does not guarantee tickets. Fans will be notified after 5 p.m. as to the status of their order.

First-round tickets can only be used for the BYU vs. Texas A&M and the UCONN vs. Chattanooga games. Should BYU advance to the second round, first-round ticket-holders will automatically receive and be charged for second-round tickets. If the Cougars fail to advance, BYU fans will be unable to purchase second-round tickets through BYU. Tickets will be available for pick up on-site at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., no sooner than 30 minutes prior to gates opening the day of the game.

Cougar Fans on file with BYUtickets.com will receive an email regarding a ticket link to purchase. Cougar fans may also call the Marriott Center Ticket Office at (801) 422-BYU1 for any other questions. Ticket prices are $70 plus a $6.50 per ticket fee.

TICKETS – STUDENTS

Student tickets will be distributed through a random drawing beginning Monday at 9 a.m. until noon. Students must visit the Marriott Center Ticket Office before noon to fill out the necessary form. They will then be notified by 5 p.m. if they have been selected and their credit card will be processed. Each student selected will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets. If selected, tickets will be available for pick up on-site at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., no sooner than 30 minutes prior to gates opening the day of the game with a valid BYU ID. Ticket prices are $70 plus a $6.50 per ticket fee.

For more information on tickets, visit www.BYUtickets.com.