BYU, Texas A & M get unwanted rematch

FOR BRIGHAM YOUNG University, it's like revisiting a bad date.

For Texas A & M, it's a matter of having to make the great escape again.

These two basketball teams find themselves in virtually the same position they were a year ago - each receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, each the same seed (BYU is an 8, Texas A & M a 9) and each facing the same opponent.

That's right. Somehow the Selection Committee must have decided that last year's opening-round game in Anaheim, Calif., in which A & M pulled out a 67-62 win, was so riveting, it pitted them together again. The rematch will take place today at 12:30 at the Wachovia Center, followed by Chattanooga-Connecticut in the afternoon session.

"I think there are always positives that you can look at, that you can take out of games," said Brigham Young coach Dave Rose, whose 25-7 team has won 10 of 12. "I think the game last year was a really close game. Then, late in the second half we lost the lead.

"One of the things that we've done as a staff is just try to find the things that were good, that we did really well in that game, that we can kind of emphasize. I think that all five of their starters were involved in that game last year. So we have a pretty good idea of how physical they are and how they like to play. I mean, that's a good thing."

In that game last year, Aggies guard Josh Carter went off for 26 points to lead his team to the second round, where it lost to UCLA.

Not a whole lot has changed since last season for either team. Both return their leading scorers from a year ago (Carter for A & M, Lee Cummard for BYU) and both are playing very good basketball at the right time.

Cummard, an all-Mountain West Conference first-teamer, is the team's leading scorer at 17.1 a game. The 6-7 guard shot 52.6 percent from the floor and grabbed 6.3 boards a game. Fellow guard Jimmer Fredette goes for 16.0 a game and a team-high 4.2 assists. Third guard Jonathan Tavernari averages 16.1 points and has a team-high 82 three-pointers.

Carter is the only player in Aggies history to collect 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists. He is one of four starters to average in double figures (14.0) along with guard Donald Sloan (11.4), forward Bryan Davis (10.4) and center Chinemelu Elonu (10.1).

"Well, there's three that can really score, then a bunch of them that can really shoot it," Aggies coach Mark Turgeon said. "We did a nice job on them last year. We held them to 62. If we can do that again, it will give us a chance. They're scoring close to 78 a game. To me it's all about transition defense and finding shooters in transition. If you can slow them down a little bit, you have a chance. If you don't do that, you have no chance against them."

Fans who file into the Wachovia Center this afternoon might not think they are getting much of a treat watching two relatively unknowns in this area. But they might just be in for the most highly contested game of the weekend. The winner will either face the West's top seed, Connecticut, or No. 16 Chattanooga.

BYU has lost in the first round each of the past six times it has made the Big Dance. Texas A & M is making its fourth straight appearance.

"I don't think there's any pressure to end the streak on myself," Cummard said. "I mean, we've only been here 2 years prior to this, so really we only have a little bit of the streak. We're just concerned with going out there and playing hard, getting off to a good start and letting everything else take care of itself."

For the Aggies, the thinking is different. They are coming off a win. They have the confidence. They have Carter.

"I figure they'll stay closer with me," Carter said. "Last year they were leaving me a little bit more. I don't expect them to do that. Pretty much, they run the same stuff. They have great players in Cummard, Tavernari and Fredette. I expect them to do a lot of stuff, but just do it better. They were a good team last year. I expect them to be the same." *