Brigham Young coach Dave Rose was reluctant Saturday to discuss the possibilities of a Denver assignment before actually seeing the brackets.
Rose, no doubt, didn’t want to jinx the chances of going to Denver. Now that it’s official, the advantage is all BYU.
First, the Cougars maintain the altitude advantage they have in Provo, Utah, at 4,553 feet.
No one in BYU’s path — Wofford, then the St. John’s-Gonzaga winner — comes close.
Plus, BYU is the only team in Denver that doesn’t have to adjust clocks to play in the Mountain time zone.
And it’s the only school within a day’s driving distance of Denver.
“I think we’re really pleased to be traveling to Denver,” Rose told reporters Sunday. “Hopefully, our fans will be able to travel with us.”
He tried to downplay the altitude factor.
“I don’t know if that will be an issue,” Rose said. “I don’t know what (Wofford’s) style is and how they play. I think you can expect us to play like we play.”
That means Jimmer Fredette pushing the ball up the court and rarely waiting to get into a half-court attack before he pops a shot.
“We want to control the tempo so we’re playing BYU basketball, which is to run and shoot the ball well,” Rose said.
Although all participants have the same maximum 550-seat allotment, it’s safe to assume BYU will pack more fans in Cougars blue into the Pepsi Center than will Wofford, which is located in South Carolina.
Of course, most BYU discussion begins with Fredette, the nation’s scoring leader who has eclipsed Danny Ainge’s school offensive records.
Fredette’s list of postseason honors grew Monday when he was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-America first team.
“It’s very exciting to get a three seed in Denver, which is fairly close,” Fredette said Sunday.
The exception to heavy focus on Fredette is ongoing conversation about suspended sophomore center Brandon Davies.
The Cougars were almost defiant at the MWC Tournament last week, insisting they moved on. Davies wore a sweater and a necktie on the bench and joined every timeout huddle.
BYU went 3-2 while adjusting to Davies’ absence.
Freshman Kyle Collinsworth, a 6-foot-6 guard, was forced to replace Davies in the starting lineup, with forward Noah Hartsock moving to center.
San Diego State outrebounded BYU 41-36 in the tournament championship game.
“It’s a big factor,” San Diego State forward Billy White said of Davies. “He’s a key player on that team. We took advantage and crashed the boards.”
The biggest difference could be the altitude factor. Maybe some of those sign-toting BYU fans can remind Wofford about the mile-high elevation. Or, Wofford coach Mike Young might want to counter with one of the all-time great lines attributed to former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian.
When UNLV came to Denver for the 1990 Final Four, legend has it Tarkanian told his players not to worry about the thin air because they were playing the game indoors.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
