This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
San Diego State's best player, sophomore forward Kawhi Leonard, will play in tonight's epic BYU-SDSU game at the Marriott Center, but he probably won't be at full strength.
Leonard was throwing up in SDSU's locker room a few hours before the game, and connected to an IV. A member of the CBS College broadcasting crew said the big guy is definitely sick. He was not with his teammates when they warmed up on the floor at 7 p.m.
However, an SDSU spokesperson came into the press room just now and told reporters that Leonard is expected to play.
Tipoff is at 8:15 p.m. here in Provo. Officials for tonight's game will be Randy McCall, Verne Harris and Mike Reed. Reed worked SDSU's 55-49 win over UNLV in San Diego on Jan. 12 and also worked BYU's 87-65 win over Arizona in December. As expected, the pregame atmosphere is electric inside the Marriott Center. Students were let through the doors just before 6 p.m., and there was a mad rush for the best seats. The entire student section was filled 90 minutes before tipoff. Seems like every student brought a sign. Having covered college basketball for three years now, I have never seen a student section that brings more signs than BYU's. The crowd was entertained 90 minutes before the game by rapper T.J. Fredette, brother of BYU star Jimmer Fredette. It was tough to understand the words, but the crowd seemed to enjoy every minute of it.