OMAHA, Neb. — Aside from the five-minute or so stretch when coach Mark Pope asked for silence in the arena so players could practice free throws in that kind of tense environment, BYU was a talkative, rowdy and even playful bunch Wednesday morning as the Cougars prepared for their NCAA Tournament game against Duquesne at CHI Health Center.
"Certainly they're going to feel all the juice that comes with playing in this tournament, but I think we're pretty prepared to deal with those emotions. I think we're just eager to race out and jump in the fray of this tournament and see what we can do. I feel like our guys are in a good spot."
"I think our guys are loose. I think they're full of energy," Pope said during a media conference held between a closed-to-the-public practice at Creighton's facility a few blocks west of the arena and the open-to-everyone session on the floor where BYU will make its 31st appearance in the Big Dance on Thursday.
Tipoff is at 10:40 a.m. MDT and the first matchup between the Big 12′s BYU and Duquesne — a small Catholic university in Pittsburgh — since a 69-47 Dukes win on Dec. 28, 1953, in Madison Square Garden will be televised by TruTv.
"Certainly they're going to feel all the juice that comes with playing in this tournament, but I think we're pretty prepared to deal with those emotions," Pope continued. "I think we're just eager to race out and jump in the fray of this tournament and see what we can do. I feel like our guys are in a good spot."
During the lighthearted practice attended by about 150 people, the majority of them BYU fans or media types, every Cougar who has been available to play this season participated with the exception of big man Atiki Ally Atiki . The 6-9 junior from Tanzania by way of Utah's Wasatch Academy, who didn't play in BYU's two Big 12 tournament games last week, appeared to be hobbling with a lower leg injury.
Meanwhile, fellow big man Aly Khalifa appeared to be fine, showing no ill effects from an ankle sprain he suffered in the 81-67 loss to Texas Tech. The Muslim, who is fasting during daylight hours for Ramadan , did head to the sideline seats for some rest before any of his teammates did.
Pope said the Cougars are "hopeful" that Khalifa can play.
Duquesne (24-11) will be without one of its big men as well; coach Keith Dambrot confirmed Wednesday that forward Tre Williams has a shoulder injury and will be held out.
"If it was up to him, he would play, but we're definitely not going to play him," said Dambrot, who has announced he's retiring when the Dukes' season ends. "It is a threat to his professional career."
Will Duquesne's first trip to the Big Dance since 1977 end Thursday?
It was a confident group of players that met with reporters before Dambrot did Wednesday — guards Dae Dae Grant, Jimmy Clark III and Jake DiMichele.
"Something that stood out to me about their team was they have a passing five-man (Khalifa)," said Clark, a transfer from VCU who is so adept at forcing turnovers that they call him the "Pittsburgh Stealer" in Western Pennsylvania . "So I feel like, if we can get a couple of deflections in the (passing) routes, (against) that type of style that they would like to run, and run their shooters off the line, I feel like we'll be good."
BYU is roughly a nine-point favorite, which is a bit high for a six seed vs. an 11 seed, but Pope shrugged off a Pittsburgh radio announcer's suggestion that being an "overwhelming favorite" might be hard to handle.
"'Well, we were picked 13th in the Big 12 (and finished tied for fifth), so sometimes the people that are the smartest just aren't that smart, right?" Pope said. "That's why these games are really brilliant because you get a chance to step out on the court, and you just drop your heart and soul and everything you have on the court, and that's where magical things happen."
Could magic happen for the Cougars, who are a disappointing 15-33 all-time in the dance and haven't won an NCAA Tournament game in the Round of 64 since 2011? Their last win came in a First Four game in 2012, over Iona.
"Everybody is super excited just to be able to get out here and compete against Duquesne," said senior Jaxson Robinson . "They're a great team. We are just itching to get on the court. … Everything is reset, 0-0, both teams. You just make sure that you don't dwell on the past or look at the past. You just move forward. Every game is a new game."
Speaking of the past, BYU point guard Dallin Hall said it will be important for the Cougars (23-10) to get off to a fast start and not repeat what happened last Thursday morning, when Texas Tech jumped on BYU early and never trailed.
"We want to make sure that we dictate what we do and not let the other team (dictate), and play our game," Hall said. "So we believe we are prepared. … We trust in one another. And if we lean into what we know makes our team special, we believe that we'll be good for the game."
While Duquesne will have the motivation of the underdog and the desire to prolong its coach's lengthy career a little bit more, BYU guard Spencer Johnson said being in the Big Dance for the first time since 2021 — and memories of what happened in that heartbreaking loss to UCLA — drives the Cougars.
"We're just excited to be here, man, and just feel the environment and the atmosphere," Johnson said. "That's super motivating in that we have worked so hard this whole season, this whole offseason, to put ourselves in a really good spot. Now we're here, and it's time to really show out."
BYU players and staff pose for a picture at CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, March 20, 2024. | Nate Edwards, BYU Photo
