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Provo • Having gone through easily the most tumultuous and emotionally draining week in program history, in which they received more national interest, scrutiny and publicity than anyone could possibly have imagined not to mention an 18-point thrashing at the hands of New Mexico BYU's basketball players and coaches finally got what they needed Saturday night and throughout Sunday.
Time.
Time to breathe, time to enjoy the program's fourth Mountain West Conference regular-season title in five years that came with Saturday's 102-78 win over Wyoming, and time to focus on how they will play without suspended sophomore center Brandon Davies in the postseason.
Of course, Tuesday's announcement that Davies would not be allowed to represent the university on the men's basketball team throughout the remainder of the 2010-11 season due to an honor code violation touched off a firestorm of national attention.
"I think the most important thing for us [looking ahead] is time," coach Dave Rose acknowledged Saturday. "Time for the players. Time for the coaches. We have found lots of different ways to win. We were ambushed."
Although San Diego State defeated Colorado State on Saturday to tie the Cougars (18-3, 14-2) for the conference title, No. 3 BYU gets the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament because it swept the No. 9 Aztecs. The Cougars will play the winner of Wednesday's Wyoming-TCU play-in game on Thursday in a first-round game at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
However, if there was any air of invincibility surrounding the Cougars, it is long gone, senior guards Jackson Emery and Jimmer Fredette acknowledged Saturday.
"Yeah, you can tell maybe people think we are wounded and they are going to attack us because they smell blood," Emery said. "But we have all the confidence [we need] that every guy will step up. … Wednesday was a bump in the road and we were a little unsure about everyone's role. But [against Wyoming] I think everyone stepped up and did a terrific job and we expect the same next week."
Fredette said it was apparent from how Wyoming played in the first half, trailing just 38-35 at the break, that opponents sense the Cougars are vulnerable.
"I am sure teams think that. But we don't think that," he said. "And that's the main thing. We just need to [stay] confident. I know that these guys are going to play hard every night, and I know the effort I am going to give every night. We are going to be OK."
And the Cougars aren't buying the notion that they will face a hostile crowd in Las Vegas, at least when they aren't facing UNLV.
"I think you are going to be surprised, how many [pro-BYU] people are going to come out and watch," he said. "I think there are going to be a lot of our fans at the Thomas & Mack Center. I think there are going to be a lot of our fans at the NCAA Tournament. That's a good thing about BYU. There's a lot of fans all over the country, and they are really into it this year. I don't think it is going to be a sold-out crowd, one way or the other. I think it is going to be more of a 50-50 thing. So it will be OK."
Twitter: @drewjay
Mountain West tournament game
P At Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
Brigham Young University vs. Wyoming-TCU winner, 1 p.m. MST Thursday
TV • The Mtn.