BYU basketball: Cougars have made a case for a No. 1 seed

ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan wrote that BYU is deserving of No. 1 seed consideration: "The Mountain West has been solid all season, and at some point, you have to give a team credit for winning the games it has won. It's not easy to get to 26 wins — or 30 wins, or whatever BYU will end up with this season — no matter who you play. And BYU has played plenty of tough teams. As we've learned multiple times this season, it's never a good idea to doubt The Jimmer. Nor is it wise to sleep on Jimmer's supporting cast."

It appears the Cougars could start the NCAA Tournament in Denver. If they can win two games to advance to the Sweet 16, they likely would play in Anaheim, Calif.

When this possible scenario was presented to Emery on Saturday at Viejas Arena, he said, "It would be nice because we have a great fan base out here (in southern California). You definitely shoot for the stars, right?"

BYU as a No. 1 seed? For the Cougars, yes, that's shooting for the stars.

PLANTING SEEDS

A rundown on BYU's NCAA Tournament seeding, going back to 1988:

1988 — No. 8 (lost in second round)

1990 — No. 12 (lost in first round)

1991 — No. 10 (lost in second round)

1992 — No. 10 (lost in first round)

1993 — No. 7 (lost in second round)

1995 — No. 8 (lost in first round)

2001 — No. 12 (lost in first round)

2003 — No. 12 (lost in first round)

2004 — No. 12 (lost in first round)

2007 — No. 8 (lost in first round)

2008 — No. 8 (lost in first round)

2009 — No. 8 (lost in first round)

2010 — No. 7 (lost in second round)

e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com