BYU basketball: Dave Rose knows about Wofford

PROVO — When BYU coach Dave Rose saw Wofford's name pop up on the television screen Sunday as his team's opponent in the NCAA Tournament, he immediately knew at least two things about the No. 14 seeded Terriers.

First, he is acquainted with Wofford coach Mike Young, because Rose and Young have crossed paths during recruiting. Second, he remembered Wofford's impressive first-round performance last year in the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers, who were a No. 13 seed, threw a scare into No. 4 seed Wisconsin before falling, 53-49.

"We were watching that game as a staff," Rose recalled.

Now, Rose and his staff will spend the next few days learning much more about Wofford in preparation for Thursday's matchup in Denver.

The Terriers (21-12), from Spartanburg, S.C., have won eight straight games and claimed the Southern Conference Tournament championship.

Wofford's leading scorer is senior Noah Dahlman, a 6-foot-6 forward who averages 20 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Dahlman led the Southern Conference, and is in the top 10 nationally, in shooting percentage (61.2 percent). Senior forward Tim Johnson averages a team-high 8.6 rebounds per contest.

The Terriers are an experienced team with five seniors. Like BYU, Wofford starts an all-senior backcourt with guards Cameron Rundles (13.8 ppg) and Jamar Diggs (12.4 ppg).

"Wofford is a good team," said BYU forward Noah Hartsock. "It's the second year in a row they've been in the tournament. We've got to get ready for them. It's going to be a tough battle, so we've just got to prepare."

The Cougars, who are a No. 3 seed, and Terriers have played one common opponent — Air Force. Wofford lost at home in overtime to the Falcons, 72-66, on Nov. 24. BYU beat Air Force twice, 76-66 and 90-52.

"We have a tough team to play against in Wofford," said Cougar guard Jimmer Fredette. "We don't know a ton about them, but we know they're an experienced team that's played in this tournament before and almost won a game against Wisconsin. We know it's going to be a tough matchup. We're excited to play."

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