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PROVO, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – Hours after BYU pulled out a 91-89 thriller over Wisconsin to advance to its first Sweet 16 since 2011, hundred of diehard BYU fans showed up at Provo Airport at 1:30 in the morning to welcome the conquering heroes back from Denver.
“What a game!” said one BYU fan. “Sweet 16, here we come!”
The enthusiasm at the airport was similar to that in Ball Arena Saturday night, when the Cougars held off a furious Wisconsin rally to pull out its biggest win in over a decade.
“The energy in the building was you can’t describe it,” said BYU head coach Kevin Young. “It felt like a home game at certain moments. Cougar Nation was just everywhere. There was so much blue out there.”
BYU headed to Sweet 16 after 91-89 win over Wisconsin
And in the locker room, the celebration was pure jubilance.
“I’m super proud of our team,” said Trevin Knell, who scored 14 points. “The coaches gave us a game plan. I feel like we executed it and just the energy in the locker room the energy on the bench, the energy in the stadium, Shout out to Cougar Nation. It’s something that we remember forever.”
“A lot of joy just over what we’ve accomplished thus far,” said point guard Dallin Hall. “We’re celebrating because that’s what life’s about, right? Accomplishments, but also a realization after the job’s not finished, we’ve got more work to do.”
BYU advances to the Sweet 16, where they will face 2nd-seeded Alabama. The Crimson Tide beat Saint Mary’s Sunday night to get to Newark.
“It feels great,” said Mawot Mag, who had the key defensive stop in the final seconds to preserve the victory. “Not many people make it to the Sweet 16. I was once a little kid watching it on TV, and now to be a part of this, it means a lot to me. A lot of emotions for sure.”
This is BYU’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in 14 years when Jimmer Fredette led them there. With a win over Alabama, they’ll try to get to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1981 when Danny Ainge hit that incredible last second shot against Notre Dame.
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Even though he’s in his first year at BYU, Kevin Young was overcome with emotion at the end of the dramatic finish.
“It’s really just gratifying to be able to lead this team for everyone that supports it,” Young said. “For me personally, just seeing my kids over there and my wife and all my family. There’s just so many people that care about this. That part of the emotion kind of got to me.”
BYU and Alabama will tip off at 5:09 MT from the Prudential Center in Newark on Thursday. Duke and Arizona will play in the other Sweet 16 game afterwards.
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