Cougars Prepare for the NCAA First Round

PHILADELPHIA -- The BYU men’s basketball team was at the Wachovia Center today for a formal practice and press conference leading up to its first-round NCAA Tournament match up with Texas A&M.

Here are some of the questions and answers from the press conference and locker room interviews.

On being in the NCAA Tournament...

Head Coach Dave Rose

We’re excited to be here. Philadelphia is a great city. It’s good for our players to have the opportunity to see another part of the country. We are really excited to be in the NCAA Tournament. We’re happy for our players because they have had a terrific season and they’ve played really hard. They deserve to be here.

Chris Miles

It means a lot to get back here and get a shot against [Texas A&M] again. Our defensive strategy is a little bit different than it was last year. We have to cover shots a little better and work on rebounding.

Jimmer Fredette

Being from back East, obviously it's a great opportunity to be able to come here and play and have some family and friends be able to come to the game. It's going to be exciting.

On playing Texas A&M again in the first round...

Lee Cummard

First, I was a little taken by surprise, but then I got to thinking, ‘it’s kind of a good match up for us.’ They are very similar to last year. It should be a similar game.

Jackson Emery

It’s exciting. You’re whole life you watch the madness on television and it’s just a fun experience to be here. They (Texas A&M) are a great team, athletic, and have some great shooters. They play really hard, and more than anything they have a lot of experience. They come from a great conference.

On senior captain Lee Cummard...

Jonathan Tavernari

Well, I think everybody would agree with me that Lee’s one of the top five to 10 players to every play at BYU. To top off Lee's senior year with a win would be amazing. He has done so much for the program. I don't really think that a win or a loss in the NCAA tournament will define his amazing career. He's the best player I ever played with. It's been an honor to play with him.

Jimmer Fredette

Lee’s been great for the program. He’s the leader of the team right now. Obviously for him, and for our team, we’d like to be able to get a win and advance. It would be something that would be very special for everybody and for the program to move forward.