The Edge

How they got here: At-large bid.

They'll keep winning if ...: The big three play up to expectations. The Cougars went 9-1 to finish the regular season, but that's nothing new under fourth-year coach Dave Rose. They finished 10-1 in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and 13-1 in 2007-08. BYU is 22-0 this year when holding opponents below 70 points and 24-0 when leading with one minute remaining. The Cougars were 20-2 when winning the rebounding battle and 21-3 when out-shooting their opponents.

Memorable moment: The Cougars' only regular-season losses were against Arizona State (76-75), Wake Forest (94-87), UNLV (twice) and fellow league champs New Mexico and Utah. The Jan. 3 loss against the then-No. 6 Demon Deacons snapped a 53-game winning streak at the Marriott Center by BYU, the nation's longest home streak at the time. The second-largest crowd (26,096) in arena history saw Jeff Teague (30 points) and James Johnson (22 points, 15 boards) lead Wake Forest back from an eight-point second-half deficit.

Jonathan Tavernari

Go-to guys: Senior guard Lee Cummard (6-7, 190) withdrew from the 2008 NBA draft and returned to lead the Cougars' to a share of their third straight regular-season title, finishing in the top 10 in the MWC in nine statistical categories. Sophomore guard Jimmer Fredette (6-2, 195) joined him on the all-conference first team and was second in the league in assists (4.1), third in scoring (16.8) and fourth in steals (1.4). Junior sharpshooter Jonathan Tavernari (6-6, 215) made the third team for a second straight year and has drilled 165 3-pointers in the past two seasons.

Strengths: BYU led the Mountain West and ranked third nationally in field-goal percentage (49.0) entering the postseason, shooting 50 percent or better from the floor in 17 of 30 games. The Cougars also recorded more assists than turnovers in 23 of 30 contests and ranked seventh nationally with a 1.42 assist-to-turnover ratio. BYU led the MWC and ranked 12th in the country with 16.5 assists per game.

Weaknesses: The Cougars are 11-26 all-time in 23 NCAA tournament appearances, but they have made six consecutive first-round exits since beating SMU, 80-71, in 1993. BYU is just 7-16 all-time in opening-round games in the NCAA tourney and hasn't made it past the second round since 1981. They were vulnerable in close contests, compiling a 5-5 record in games decided by seven or fewer points.

How they got here: At-large bid. West first round: def. BYU 79-66.

They'll keep winning if ...: The first-round showing underlined the biggest factor in the Aggies' late-season run -- they defend and they don't give up second shots. The Aggies have to share the ball and avoid offensive funks. They are not the most gifted team and, on occasion, the guards are prone to turnovers that contribute to droughts. While Elonu and Bryan Davis can be productive inside, both must attack the glass to maximize their scoring potential. Depth is important, too. Contributions from backups helped key the late run.

Memorable moment: The Aggies stood just 3-7 in the Big 12 and their NCAA hopes appeared slim before an 81-66 home-court romp against Texas launched a six-game winning streak to end conference play. Texas A&M used balanced scoring to establish a 19-point lead in the second half, then withstood a Texas rally to seal the outcome from the foul line. The streak also included a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Josh Carter to pull out a 57-55 win at Nebraska.

Josh Carter

Go-to guys: Defending the Aggies can be tricky. Their scoring balance is reflected among the Big 12 leaders. Carter tops A&M with a 14-point average, yet ranks only 19th in the conference. Still, the senior wing is capable of sizzling from outside and is a tough matchup because of his length. Underneath, center Chinemelu Elonu was one of the Big 12's most improved players after stepping in a starter.

Strengths: Veterans on the Texas A&M roster are part of the winningest run in the program's history, a turnaround orchestrated by former coach Billy Gillispie and then maintained by Turgeon. The Aggies know how to win, particularly Carter, who is shooting for 100 career wins and will be the first player in A&M history to participate in four NCAA tournaments. A&M's defense is solid.

Weaknesses: A failure to connect offensively can be the result of cold shooting or sloppy ball-handling by the Aggies, who average more turnovers than assists. The lack of a big-time scoring threat can pose problems, particularly if Texas A&M is playing from behind. Carter is just as capable of going cold as getting hot from outside, and the two most productive big men, Elonu and Davis, occasionally disappear as well.