Game 36 - Cougars vs. Gonzaga in Third Round

Cougars vs. Gonzaga in NCAA Third Round on Saturday

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Ranked No. 10/12 in the nation, No. 3 seed BYU will take on No. 11 seed Gonzaga in the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 5:45 p.m. MT in the Pepsi Center. The game is a Southeast Region matchup with the winner advancing to play in New Orleans. The Cougars, co-champions of the Mountain West Conference, are 31-4 overall and reached the championship game of the MWC Tournament where they fell to No. 6/5 San Diego State. Jimmer Fredette, the MWC Player of the Year, scored 32 points and had seven assists in BYU’s 74-66 second round-win against No. 14 seed Wofford. He set BYU and MWC records with a 52-point performance against New Mexico in the semifinals of the MWC Tournament. Fredette currently leads the nation in scoring at 28.6 points per game and has been named to several All-America teams, including USBWA, CBSSports.com, SI.com, Yahoo! Sports and FoxSports.com. Jackson Emery was the MWC Defensive Player of the Year and averages 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.7 steals for the Cougars. He has a BYU-record 96 steals this season and is the program’s career leader in steals with 244. Gonzaga advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with an 86-71 win over No. 6 seed St. John’s on Thursday. Marquise Carter scored 24 points and added six rebounds and six assists to lead the Bulldogs. Steven Gray added 16 points, six rebounds and five steals while Elias Harris contributed 15 points and eight boards. Saturday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 4:45 p.m. MT on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City. The game will be televised live on CBS with Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery on the call and Lesley Visser reporting from the sidelines.

Up Next

The winner of No. 3 BYU vs. No. 11 Gonzaga will advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in New Orleans at the New Orleans Arena. Game time is TBA.

Cougar Quick Hits

— No. 10/12 BYU head coach and MWC Co-Coach of the Year Dave Rose is 158-44 in his six seasons at BYU and is the program’s all-time leader in winning percentage at .782. He is second all-time in wins behind Stan Watts, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Rose has been named MWC Coach of the Year a league record three times and has won four regular season titles, also a conference record. Rose was also named the USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year.

— MWC Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 28.6 points per game and adds 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Fredette also earned All-MWC First Team honors, has been named National Player of the Year by CBSSports.com and SI.com and has been named an All-American by USBWA and several other publications.

— MWC Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Emery leads the MWC in steals at 2.7 per game and adds 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Emery was named second-team All-MWC and to the All-Defensive Team and earned All-District honors from the USBWA and the NABC.

— Noah Hartsock adds 8.5 points per game on .494 shooting from the field and .415 shooting from three. Charles Abouo adds 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

— Brandon Davies received All-MWC Third Team honors and Hartsock was named honorable mention.

— At 31-4, BYU has the best 35-game record in program history and the most wins in a season in school history (2010-11). The 31 victories are a school record.

Southeast Region Bracket in Denver - Pepsi Center

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Second Round Game 1

No. 3 BYU (31-4) 74, No. 14 Wofford (21-13) 66

Second Round Game 2

No. 11 Gonzaga (25-9) 86, No. 6 St. John’s (21-12) 71

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Third Round - 5:45 p.m. MT

No. 3 BYU (31-4) vs. No. 11 Gonzaga (25-9)

BYU Game #36 Fast Facts

No. 3 BYU (31-4) vs. No. 11 Gonzaga (25-9)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Pepsi Center (19,155)

Denver

5:45 p.m. MT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (158-44 in sixth season at BYU; same overall)

Gonzaga, Mark Few (316-82 in 12th season at Gonzaga; same overall)

Series

First meeting between BYU and Gonzaga

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

TV

CBS (Verne Lundquist, play-by-play; Bill Raftery, game analysis; Lesley Visser, sideline)

Web

Live stats links are available on the men’s basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at Gonzaga

2010-11 Record: 25-9, 11-3

Conference: West Coast

Highlights:

- Gonzaga has won 10-straight games, including its 86-71 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs defeated San Francisco 71-67 and Saint Mary’s 75-63 in to win the WCC Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

- Gonzaga advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with an 86-71 win over No. 6 seed St. John’s on Thursday. Marquise Carter scored 24 points and added six rebounds and six assists to lead the Bulldogs. Steven Gray added 16 points, six rebounds and five steals while Elias Harris contributed 15 points and eight boards.

Coach: Mark Few (12th season at Gonzaga)

Gonzaga’s Last Outing — Zags Upset No. 18 St. John’s In Opening Game of NCAA Tourney

DENVER (AP) - Marquise Carter scored a career-high 24 points, lifting 11th-seeded Gonzaga to an 86-71 victory over sixth-seeded St. John’s on Thursday night to cap a stellar day for the underdogs at the Pepsi Center in the NCAA tournament.

The Bulldogs (25-9) were the third lower seed to spring an upset, joining No. 12 Richmond and No. 13 Morehead State.

These days, Gonzaga can hardly be considered an underdog, especially with its rich history of tournament upsets. The Bulldogs move on to face third-seeded BYU, the only team that survived a scare on this floor. The Jimmer Fredette-led Cougars knocked off Wofford, 74-66.

The Bulldogs used their size and strength to muscle around the Red Storm (21-12), who were back in the tournament for the first time since 2002. Gonzaga outrebounded St. John’s by a 43-20 margin.

Series Notes

Saturday’s game will be the second meeting between BYU and Gonzaga. The Zags won the first meeting 46-41 on Dec. 16, 1949 in the Los Angeles Invitational.