Dec. 4, 2009

By Stacy Hicklin
USF Beat Writer

SAN FRANCISCO -- USF men's basketball coach Rex Walters thinks BYU might be the toughest team his young Dons will face during the regular season - and he can hardly wait for the contest to tip off.

The Dons head back out on the road against BYU (5-1) at 3 p.m. (PST) on Saturday, Dec. 5th at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Walters knows his attitude may come as a surprise - considering USF's 2-5 record - but this is exactly the kind of contest he lives to coach. He craves games that push his team to get better while showing him exactly how far the Dons have to go before once again being known as a premier program.

"People are going to think I'm crazy for saying this, but a 2-5 record is exactly what we need to be able to measure where we are with this program and where we have to go," Walters said.

He knows that USF has to play through a tough schedule while in the midst of a rebuilding process. Walters adds that the Dons' schedules are only going to get more challenging each season.

"Of course I want to build this team, but more importantly I want to build the program," Walters said. "Our team probably isn't the most confident team, but the only way we can show the guys where we want to be is to take our lumps."

The Cougars are powered by junior guards Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery. Fredette leads the team in assists and scoring; averaging 20.2 points with Emery adding 12.3 points per game while leading the team in steals.

As a team, BYU snags nearly 10 steals a game and has a +6.5 turnover margin per game. The Cougars have only lost four times at home since the beginning of the 2007-08 season.

"BYU is athletic, fast and really skilled," Walters said. "We may not see another team this year that cuts as hard and plays as fast as BYU. And that's a really compliment because we have to play teams like Gonzaga, St. Mary's and Portland."

BRIGHAM YOUNG PROBABLE STARTERS (As of 12/3/09)
G. #4 Jackson Emery, 6-3, 185, Jr. (12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G. #23 Tyler Haws, 6-5, 200, Fr. (7.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G. #32 Jimmer Fredette, 6-2, 195, Jr. (20.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.5 apg)
F. #24 Jonathan Tavernari, 6-6, 215, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)
C. #54 Chris Miles, 6-11, 235, Sr., (6.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.7 apg)

LAST TWO MEETINGS: at USF 84, BYU 72 (12/23/02; at BYU 65, USF 51 (1/2/02)

SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 5-4/USF won 1

ON THE AIR/ON THE WEB:
Television: None
Radio Broadcast: Green 960 - Pat Olson
Internet Audio: Yes - USFDons.com (Yahoo Broadcast)
Live Stats: Yes Official Website: BYUCougars.com

UP NEXT FOR THE DONS: After taking on BYU Saturday in Salt Lake City at the Energy Solutions Arena (home of the Utah Jazz), USF returns home to welcome longtime Bay Area rival San Jose State Tuesday, December 8. Game time against the Spartans is set for 7:00 PM at War Memorial Gym.