Las Vegas » When the BYU Cougars boarded their Southwest Airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament on Wednesday morning, the ticket agent at the gate asked coach Dave Rose if she needed to get another airplane.
Why?
Because the rival Utah Utes were on the same flight.
"I said, 'No, we will be fine,' " Rose said with a laugh.
The Utes (14-16) and Cougars (28-4) will meet for the third time this season on Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center if they win their games today. Utah's task is more difficult, as it is a 12-point underdog against UNLV. The Cougars are favored by 15 over TCU.
Rose said the impromptu Cougar-Ute meeting "wasn't pre-arranged," but described it as "fun to watch guys kind of chatting with each other. I got a chance to talk with [Utah] coach [ Jim ] Boylen , so it was good."
BYU guard Jackson Emery , who took a backhand from Utah's Marshall Henderson that resulted in a one-game suspension for Henderson when the Cougars beat the Utes 82-69 in Provo, said the situation wasn't awkward at all.
"We know some of their guys from AAU ball and stuff," he said. "There weren't any grudges or any hatred or anything."
Emery laughed when it was suggested he and Henderson shared a row.
"I did see Marshall, but I didn't sit next to him," he said.
Utah walk-on Rick Shoff (American Fork) and BYU reserve Logan Magnusson (Wasatch) sat by each other because they are good friends from their high school days.
BYU's Jimmer Fredette called it a fun trip.
"Coach Boylen is a great guy," Fredette said. "He came up and talked to us for a little bit. He cracked some jokes and everything."
Rose said it is the second time in the past 10 years that the Utes and Cougars have shared a flight, recalling another time when Steve Cleveland was BYU's head coach and Rose was an assistant.
Funny Fredette says he's fine
Not only is Fredette "feeling pretty good, no stomach problems, energy level is fine," he is also keeping a good sense of humor.
Asked about his memories from the last time the Cougars played at the Thomas & Mack, a game BYU lost 88-74 after trailing by 29 points in the first half, Fredette said, "I don't really remember what happened here last time."
Washburn must be big
Even though his ankle is feeling better, Utah center David Foster remains questionable for tonight's game against UNLV.
Foster, the MWC Defensive Player of the Year, has been out since he re-sprained his left ankle in the Utes' loss to BYU on March 6.
Foster said his ankle was feeling better, but didn't practice Wednesday. Also sitting out of Wednesday's practice was forward Kim Tillie , who sprained his ankle in practice before Saturday's loss at CSU.
If neither can go, the Utes likely will use the same starting lineup of Shawn Glover , Jason Washburn , Jace Tavita , Marshall Henderson and Luka Drca .
Washburn, getting just his second start against the Rams, played well and finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals in 24 minutes.
Boylen said Washburn has played well and needs to deliver again tonight.
"He's going to have to," he said. "I thought he played very well at Colorado State and impacted both ends of the floor. ... He is going to play 15, 20 minutes anyways, whether he is starting or coming off the bench. When David is out, he has to play good."
Drca assist
Drca, a senior, needs just five assists to give him 100 for the season, his third season of finishing with 100 or more. He is ninth on Utah's all-time assists list with 360 for his career. He had 121 assists in 2007-08 and 107 last season.
Last shot?
If Utah's game against the Rebels comes down to a one-possession game, Utah has a better chance of winning the game than losing it. The Utes are 4-3 in one-possession games this season, beating Utah State (68-67), Illinois (60-58), LSU (61-59) and UNLV (73-69). The losses were to Seattle (77-74), San Diego State (70-68) and New Mexico (68-65 in OT).
