BYU strikes it rich in Vegas

LAS VEGAS — So, the BYU basketball team played some Cards at the Orleans in Las Vegas on Friday night, beating the odds and coming out a winner.

Whoa! Before the university gets inundated with calls about student-athletes gambling and possible Honor Code violations, let's put everything in perspective.

Still unbeaten at 5-0, the Cougars upset the Louisville Cardinals (3-1) — the nation's sixth-ranked team — in Friday night's third round of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational at the Orleans Arena, with the 78-76 victory propelling BYU into tonight's championship against No. 1 North Carolina.

The Tar Heels (4-0) beat Old Dominian 99-82 in Friday's late semifinal game.

Jonathan Tavernari and Trent Plaisted combined for 50 points in a stellar display of outside shooting (Tavernari) and inside presence (Plaisted).

Tavernari posted a career-high 29 points, including five 3-pointers. And Plaisted made 10 of 16 shots from the floor en route to 21 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

It marked the Cougars' best victory over a highly ranked foe in nearly a half-century, dating back to the Dec. 21, 1965, win over No. 2 St. Joseph.

After the game, BYU head coach Dave Rose gave his players an hour's allowance to celebrate before focusing on tonight's game. For the Cougars, it's out of the sixth-ranked frying pan and into the top-ranked fire.

"I told them not to let this be the high point of our season," Rose said, "not to let it distract us from what we want to do."

Saying "BYU without question deserved this victory," Louisville head coach Rick Pitino bemoaned the combination of unforced Cardinal turnovers and BYU's torrid shooting.

"They made tough shots — they broke our back when the game was one the line," he said, then singling out Tavernari. "He takes a lot of challenged shots and makes them — he's a potent weapon."

After a Lee Cummard basket opened the game's scoring, the Cougars survived an 0-for-9 drought and a five-point deficit, rebounding to take a seven-point lead eight and a half minutes into the contest. But the Cardinals clawed back to within two several times — the last time at 26-24 with five minutes remaining.

Through the first 12 minutes, BYU was leading — despite getting outshot 67 percent to 26 percent.