BYU's Aly Khalifa heads into March Madness without food or water while observing Ramadan

OMAHA, Neb. — Aly Khalifa will set his alarm for 4:30 a.m. Thursday, a witching hour for a college kid if ever there was one, and roll out of bed for the same breakfast as always: scrambled eggs, yogurt, some fruit, all washed down with a whole lot of water.Then he will pray, prostrating in accordance with Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, not for leading BYU to victory in its game hours later against Duquesne but out of a profound sense of reverential devotion.

One of the Five Pillars of Islam is the"sawm," where during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar healthy adults are required to abstain from food and drink during daylight hours. The practice is intended to renew their awareness and gratitude for all that God has bestowed upon them, and to serve as a reminder of their religious obligation to help those less fortunate.

Cougars coach Mark Pope has provided leadership and guidance. Michael Davie, the school's director of sports science, has been meticulously monitoring his weight and hydration level. Robert Ramos, the director of sports medicine, is providing solidarity —"He's doing it with me," Khalifa said with a smile."Rob was like, 'I got you.'"

Cougars guard Richie Saunders, who has helped to raise money to build basketball courts in West Africa, knew Khalifa's fast would be a tremendous sacrifice. But he also knew that a close-knit team that had successfully navigated its first season in the Big 12 to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years would be there to help.

So far, tipoff times have worked in Khalifa's favor. Both of the Cougars' games in the Big 12 Tournament started before noon, and their game against Duquesne on Thursday will begin at 11:40 a.m. That beats a game that would start in the midafternoon, when Khalifa's hunger pangs and unquenchable thirst would be at their worst.

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