Cougars getting respect in OKC

We’re 30 minutes from tip-off and the BYU Cougars just took the floor for warmups in Ford Arena. It’s not a bad turnout for the Cougars, with a few hundred fans here already displaying their enthusiasm. In the past two days I’ve overheard several conversations from folks talking about BYU. A lot of Kansas State fans in our hotel, and they don’t want to see BYU on Saturday. Florida fans are amazed by BYU’s statistics and are mumbling about how they’re going to keep the Cougars from racking up the points. From sportswriters in the media room, the sentiment seems to be that BYU is a dangerous team. But a lot of Florida people believe the Gators are going to surprise the favored Cougars. Mostly, they seem to think the agility and quickness of Florida’s big men will get BYU in foul trouble. Myself, I think the wild card in this game is going to be BYU’s zone defense and whether the Gators can make outside shots. If Florida comes out hot like UNLV has the last two times the Rebels bested BYU, the Cougars could be in trouble. Also, there’s so much talk around here about Jimmer Fredette that it might be best for BYU is the junior from Glens Falls, N.Y. hasn’t been listening. If he thinks he has to live up to the pre-game hype, he might try to do too much.
We were just handed the NCAA Tournament program, and there are short, but nice, mentions of Fredette and Utah State coach Stew Morrill.
One last observation, the Cougars look relaxed and confident. Last year in all of the pre-game stuff, I always felt Texas A&M had a more confident look. I’m not seeing that same thing this year. Florida is not carrying the same level of swagger. Biggest key: A good start for BYU. When the Cougars come out slow, they tend to abandon the bread and butter strengths.