Vanquish The Foe

2010 CONOCO MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRINGS
Wednesday, March 10
2 p.m.	First-round Game	No. 8 Wyoming vs. No. 9 Air Force
Thursday, March 11
Noon	Quarterfinal Game #1	No. 1 New Mexico vs. No. 8/No. 9 Winner
2:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal Game #2	No. 4 San Diego State vs. No. 5 Colorado State	/
6 p.m.	Quarterfinal Game #3	No. 2 BYU vs. No. 7 TCU
8:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal Game #4	No. 3 UNLV vs. No. 6 Utah	/
Friday, March 12
6 p.m.	Semifinal Game #1	Quarterfinal #1 and #2 Winners
8:30 p.m.	Semifinal Game #2	Quarterfinal #3 and #4 Winners
Saturday, March 13
4 p.m.	Championship Game

All times PST

Predictions after the jump...

First round:

We'll take Air Force over Wyoming. If the Falcons do one thing great it's control the clock. If they can score 10 points they can win because the Cowboys are just too depleted with injuries to score more than that...

Second round:

New Mexico will crush Air Force...maybe. Did anybody see them escape against TCU last week by six?

SDSU vs. CSU: If there's going to be an upset, I'm picking it here. It seems like there's always a team that surprises in the conference tournament, and CSU is actually a decent team. This is the end of the road for the Aztecs and their NCAA tournament dreams.

BYU vs. TCU: After playing the worst five minutes of a first half in the history of college basketball last Saturday, BYU still scored 55 points before halftime and cruised to a 30-point win in Ft. Worth. Need I say more?

UNLV vs. Utah: Before this last week I was hoping this would be the match up in order to give the Cougars a break in the semifinals. That was my hope until Utah got clobbered at home by Michael Lloyd and Brandon Davies, and then managed to lose by double figures against the Rams. Plus, it's really, really hard to beat a team three times in a season, not to mention twice on their home court. UNLV wins easily.

Semi-Finals:

New Mexico vs. CSU: Colorado St. will make it a game for the first half, but then the Lobos' talent and athleticism will dominate the 2nd half. The Lobos have earned a spot in the conference championship game.

BYU vs. UNLV: Oh boy. Does anybody remember what happened last month in Vegas? Does anybody remember the last time we beat UNLV in Vegas? It's been a long time. Surely, UNLV can't shoot the ball like they did in February again, and certainly the drought in the desert has to end some time. And listen, with the emergence of Lloyd and Davies, and the peaking of Emery, BYU can finally beat the Rebels, especially if Utah plays them tough the day before.

If this tournament wasn't the unfairest of unfair by being played on the Rebels' home court I'd feel better about things...but what the heck! BYU wins in OT and meets UNM in the championship.

Championship:

It will be a heckuva game with both teams fighting for a 3-seed. It's too close to call, barring injury. Don't miss it!

Cougars gig Frogs in Fort Worth, 107-77

2010-03-07T23:51:29Z

More photos » Tony Gutierrez - AP

Brigham Young guard Jackson Emery, front, drives past TCU guard Greg Hill, rear, in the first half, while simultaneously being checked out for the Frogs' cheerleaders. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Recap
Boxscore

PS - Our bench is ridiculous...

Final - 3.6.2010	1	2	Total
BYU Cougars	57	50	107
TCU Horned Frogs	43	34	77

Open GameThread: Cougars vs. Horned Frogs

2010-03-06T18:00:35Z

Patrick Smith - AP

about 1 month ago: BYU guard Jimmer Fredette (32) pulls up for a 3-point shot against TCU during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, in Provo, utah. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Patrick Smith)

BYU Cougars
@ TCU Horned Frogs

Next Game

Saturday, Mar 6, 2010, 3:00 PM PST
Daniel-Meyer Coliseum

Game Preview - BYU Athletics

GO COUGARS!!!

MWC Connection: BYU stereotypes don't escape the NFL Combine

2010-03-05T00:02:17Z

MWC Connection: BYU stereotypes don't escape the NFL Combine

"We all get the dumb BYU jokes that they are old and married. Haha, real funny, but at the NFL combine one would think ... those would not be brought up.

Well you are wrong. Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock crack jokes about BYU tight end Dennis Pitta being married for the past nine years - real mature guys - well, at least Charles Davis makes a point to try to bring it back to actual football by saying he caught a lot of balls."

Boiler Boylen goes off on Tribune's Monson

2010-03-04T05:59:44Z

Sure Jim Boylen is a passionate guy, but did you know he's also a jerk, a complete polar opposite to the classy Dave Rose? Well, if you didn't know this, look no further than Wednesday's post game spat with the Salt Lake Tribune's Gordon Monson:

Boylen: "Don't come here once every two years and ask those questions. I don't want to hear that from you."

"I can ask the questions," said Monson.

"Good," said Boylen. "I'm not answering it. Don't come here once every two years. I don't want to hear that from you."

Monson replied, "Coach, give me a break — show some class."

Said Boylen, "Yeah, nice of you to show up."

You may be wondering what the question was that angered Boylen so badly... "Coach, what was the reason for the offensive inefficiency?"

GIVE ME A BREAK BOILER BOYLEN. YOU'RE PATHETIC, AND THE REASON WHY YOUR TEAM IS PATHETIC. No wonder nobody shows up to your lousy games.

Cougs Crush Utes; Jimmer No Factor

2010-03-04T05:38:15Z

More photos » Steve C Wilson - AP

It's always nice to beat the Utes. And it's especially nice to crush the Utes at their place in the only game of the season when they've had more than a hundred fans in the seats. And to set a record for largest margin of victory is sweet. What's not sweet is that NM wrapped up the regular season conference title earlier this evening. But, what is sweet is the selection committee places a premium on winning a conference tournament (anybody remember Utah last year?), which may bode extremely well for BYU (or UNLV--ugh!@#@!$%)...

Anyway, in tonight's melee on The Hill, the Cougars simply destroyed the impossibly inconsistent Utes, 71-51. I wasn't expecting a blowout--I don't think anybody who's familiar with the rivalry (not so much in basketball) would expect such a thing--but it was simply that: a blowout. It was BEAutiful beating the morale of Boiler Boylen, my least favorite--er, make that second-least favorite coach in the MWC (Lobo-lover Steve Alford now owns the coveted spot).

If you're getting the vibe that I'm not too excited right now, you right! Why? Jimmer is sick. Some may argue he played only 19 minutes because BYU owned the game. Maybe. But in those 19 minutes he was 1-7 from the field and looked sluggish. My fingers are crossed Mono hasn't returned in the nick of time for tourney play--that would be worst-case scenario for the Cougars.

Having said that, I hope Brandon Davies' performance won't go unnoticed. BYU is so much better with an inside presence and that's exactly what he provided tonight--21 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes. Incredibly efficient. If he can make this a consistent effort BYU can go a long way in the tourney, because we've all seen the kind of team they are when the outside shots are falling.

And kudos again to MLJ for stepping up BIG TIME in place of Jimmer. 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. My word, kid! I can't wait to see you the next two years...

Cougars Annihilate Utes, 71-51

2010-03-04T05:20:23Z

More photos » Steve C Wilson - AP

Caption contest...write your own caption for this photo in the comments below! (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

Recap
Boxscore

Block U Recap

Final - 3.3.2010	1	2	Total
BYU Cougars	36	35	71
Utah Utes	24	27	51

Open GameThread: Cougars vs. Utes

2010-03-04T00:00:30Z

Kenny Crookston - AP

Go get 'em..."@$$ hole." (AP Photo/Kenny Crookston)

Next Game

BYU Cougars
@ Utah Utes

Wednesday, Mar 3, 2010, 6:00 PM PST
Jon M. Huntsman Center

Game Preview - BYU Athletics

Cougars still have much at stake - Salt Lake Tribune
Fredette's status up in the air - Deseret News
Utes focused on slowing down Fredette - Deseret News
Ute guard seeks out the spotlight - Salt Lake Tribune

Let's bounce back fellas...GO COUGARS!!!

Ute stats after the jump...

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Carlon Brown	28	29.4	4.4	10.4	42.5	1.3	3.6	36.3	3.1	4.2	74.6	0.8	3.5	4.3	2.6	3.0	1.0	0.0	2.1	13.3
Marshall Henderson	27	27.7	4.0	10.4	37.9	2.3	6.8	34.4	1.9	2.3	80.6	0.2	2.4	2.6	0.9	1.2	0.7	0.1	2.3	12.1
Luca Drca	28	30.9	3.1	7.6	40.8	1.3	3.9	32.1	2.8	3.4	84.0	0.6	3.5	4.0	3.3	2.5	1.2	0.1	2.6	10.3
Jay Watkins	20	23.8	3.3	6.5	50.4	0.0	0.1	0.0	2.9	3.9	74.0	1.8	2.5	4.3	0.7	1.1	0.4	0.1	2.0	9.4
Kim Tillie	26	18.7	2.7	5.2	51.1	0.2	0.5	30.8	1.7	2.2	77.6	1.8	3.6	5.4	0.9	1.4	0.5	0.5	2.7	7.2
Jason Washburn	25	14.7	2.0	3.4	57.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.3	84.4	1.0	1.8	2.8	0.3	0.6	0.2	1.0	2.1	5.0
David Foster	27	21.9	2.0	3.7	52.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.6	50.0	1.5	3.3	4.9	0.7	0.9	0.3	4.1	2.5	4.7
Shawn Glover	26	13.5	1.4	3.3	43.5	0.2	0.9	26.1	0.5	0.7	63.2	0.6	1.4	2.0	0.5	0.9	0.4	0.5	0.7	3.5
Jordan Cyphers	16	8.4	0.8	2.5	32.5	0.3	1.5	20.8	1.0	1.3	80.0	0.2	0.3	0.5	0.2	0.6	0.7	0.1	0.7	2.9
Chris Hines	24	6.6	0.7	1.8	39.5	0.4	0.9	42.9	0.6	1.0	60.0	0.3	0.4	0.7	0.1	0.5	0.1	0.1	0.8	2.4
Matt Read	13	7.4	0.5	1.4	38.9	0.3	0.7	44.4	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.5	0.8	1.3	0.1	0.5	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.7
Jace Tavita	27	19.3	0.6	1.8	30.6	0.2	1.2	18.8	0.1	0.3	33.3	0.3	1.5	1.9	2.1	1.2	0.5	0.1	2.6	1.4
Ricky Shoff	5	2.6	0.4	0.8	50.0	0.2	0.6	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.6	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.0
Tre Smith	6	3.0	0.2	0.5	33.3	0.2	0.5	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.5
Austin Robison	1	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0

Cougars drop (slightly) in polls

2010-03-01T22:30:00Z

Cougars drop (slightly) in polls

AP - 14th (13th last week)
Coaches' - 15th (11th last week)

Other updated rankings:

Pomeroy - 6th
Sagarin - 9th
RPI - 23rd

A Cougar Loss and the Emergence of Michael Loyd Jr.

2010-02-28T17:35:14Z

More photos » Kenny Crookston - AP

Michael Loyd Jr.: Because he's the hero Provo deserves, but not the one it needs right now. We doubted him but he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. AP Photo/Kenny Crookston)

When Fredette went back to the bench immediately after the break, the game had shifted for the worse. To quote Joyce: "The tide was near the turn and already the day was on the wane."

And then there was Michael Loyd Jr.

Loyd had a 17-point game earlier this season - but we assumed that was the exception rather than the rule. After all he had only reached double figures twice this year and just three times as a Cougar. You knew the guy was quick and athletic but he put up 16 ppg in high school and BYU's biggest competition in his recruitment came from Santa Clara. You knew Loyd had served as the third-string PG for most of the year until Lamont Morgan's knee injury had given him some extra minutes of late. So you figured, of all the guys on the roster to make an impact against New Mexico on Saturday, Loyd was one of the least plausible impact players.

But then Loyd didn't care what you thought. And lucky for us, neither did Dave Rose.

Now, Rose has a even deeper bench than anticipated heading into the MWC and NCAA Tourneys. Loyd can provide a wonderful change of pace - whether it's against smaller lineups or quicker guards that Fredette has some trouble with (See Gary, Dairese). Whatever the situation, Loyd won't be forgotten on the bench any longer and will be accounted for in the opposition's scouting reports moving forward.

Back to the game itself. The Hobson-Tavernari-Alford incident has seen enough attention. (See links below) It was a disappointing end to a game that featured a lackluster first half from the Cougars outside of Tyler Haws and a spectacular second half with what seemed like 300 lead changes.

Whether or not you feel Noah Hartsock was fouled in the final seconds, the ref could have blown his whistle. Unfortunately for BYU, he didn't and they lost. It was a nice playcall and it was executed properly. In a couple years when they call that play for Brandon Davies hopefully he's strong enough to throw it down despite the defender(s) in his way. Hartsock made a strong effort but fell short.

Really, the much more disappointing play was moments earlier when, at the 42 second mark, A.J. Hardeman escaped for an offensive rebound and put-back to go up 82-80. (Tavernari looked like the most blameworthy Cougar on the play.) That was the game in summary. Just when you thought the Cougars had a chance to go up and seal the deal, the Lobos made the play necessary. Before that it was the Hobson 3-pointer (3:00) and the Martinez triple (3:42).

These two teams are fun to watch. They are as close to an even match as you'll find in the NCAA this season and both have a chance to make some noise in late-March. Here's hoping they do and bring the MWC some deserved respect. So congrats to the Lobos and congrats to Mike Loyd. Let's get Jimmer healthy (again) and finish strong heading into tourney play.

RECAP
BOXSCORE

BYU loses big game, and big star - Salt Lake Tribune
Coach and Cougar get upset - Salt Lake Tribune
Lobos beat Cougars in showdown - Deseret News
Michael Loyd surprises everyone - Deseret News
Some day after thoughts... - Deseret News

Final - 2.27.2010	1	2	Total
New Mexico Lobos	43	40	83
BYU Cougars	35	46	81

"From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered - We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; he to-day that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother..."

College Basketball

Open GameThread: Lobos vs. Cougars

2010-02-27T17:00:24Z

Laura Rauch - AP

New Mexico Lobos
@ BYU Cougars

Next Game

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010, 1:00 PM PST
Marriott Center

College Basketball

GO COUGARS!!!

More Lobo stats after the jump...

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Darington Hobson	29	32.7	5.3	12.4	42.5	1.1	2.9	38.1	3.9	5.9	65.9	2.1	6.7	8.8	4.6	2.8	1.3	0.4	2.0	15.5
Roman Martinez	29	31.9	4.5	10.0	45.0	2.8	6.4	42.8	2.1	2.7	76.9	2.3	4.0	6.3	1.4	0.9	1.5	0.5	2.4	13.9
Dairese Gary	29	27.6	3.1	7.3	43.1	0.4	1.2	34.3	5.2	6.8	75.8	0.4	2.3	2.8	3.9	1.8	1.1	0.0	2.1	11.9
Phillip McDonald	29	26.8	3.7	8.6	43.2	2.1	5.4	39.1	1.6	2.3	71.2	1.0	2.0	3.0	0.8	1.2	0.5	0.2	1.9	11.2
A.J. Hardeman	29	22.6	2.8	5.2	53.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	2.9	50.6	2.8	2.7	5.5	0.4	1.0	0.7	1.2	2.7	7.1
Nate Garth	28	16.0	1.3	3.7	35.9	0.6	1.6	37.0	1.4	1.9	73.1	0.3	1.0	1.2	1.6	1.0	0.3	0.0	1.3	4.6
Will Brown	29	17.9	1.7	3.4	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.6	51.1	1.4	2.4	3.8	0.2	1.0	0.5	0.9	2.8	4.2
Jamal Fenton	29	12.8	1.2	3.1	39.6	0.6	1.8	32.7	0.9	1.4	63.4	0.3	1.0	1.3	1.3	1.1	0.7	0.0	1.4	4.0
Curtis Dennis	28	8.5	1.1	3.0	36.5	0.4	1.6	22.7	0.4	0.7	63.2	0.5	0.8	1.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.0	0.5	3.0
Chad Adams	26	5.6	0.5	1.2	46.7	0.1	0.3	28.6	0.6	0.8	80.0	0.3	0.8	1.2	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.9	1.8
Matt Staff	6	3.2	0.5	1.2	42.9	0.2	0.7	25.0	0.2	0.3	50.0	0.3	0.5	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.5	1.3

Jay Bilas: New Mexico vs. BYU preview

2010-02-26T19:10:39Z

Jay Bilas: New Mexico vs. BYU preview

"BYU wins if … The Cougars can rebound with New Mexico and limit the Lobos to one shot. If BYU allows extra possessions to New Mexico on the glass, then the Cougars will have a tough time.

New Mexico wins if … The Lobos can get to the free-throw line. BYU is the better free throw shooting team, but New Mexico gets to the line more often. BYU plays both man-to-man and 2-3 zone, but New Mexico has to attack off the bounce and get to the free throw line to win."

SB Nation Power Poll: No. 11 BYU

2010-02-26T17:47:15Z

SB Nation Power Poll: No. 11 BYU

"On Saturday, the Mountain West Conference's top two teams square off in a game that will put place- and likely the MWC regular season crown - on the line. If you're Versus, you're salivating at this, right? You would think, only there's no explicit mention of the game anywhere on the main page of their website. After a few carefully selected click-throughs, you're given a link to read a preview from one of the network's college basketball analyst. But that link is broken, and Versus wants you to feel like a complete idiot for their webpage FAIL."

Cougars beat Aztecs convincingly, 82-68

2010-02-25T09:06:46Z

A priest asks the sun god Kukulkan to let light return to the world after his beloved Aztecs were unable to overcome Jackson Emery - known throughout the Yucatan as simply "El Ladrón" or "The Thief" - on Wednesday night in Provo.

Recap
Boxscore

Bring on New Mexico... - Daily Herald
BYU beats SDSU... - Daily Herald
Cougars beat Aztecs in all phases - Deseret News
Emery is Cougars' defensive leader - Salt Lake Tribune
Fredette has Aztecs' number - Salt Lake Tribune
Fredette leads way in easy Y victory - Salt Lake Tribune
Fredette shines in front of family - Daily Herald

Final - 2.24.2010	1	2	Total
San Diego St. Aztecs	28	40	68
BYU Cougars	36	46	82

NCAA Basketball

A Pac-10 expansion look at attendance

2010-02-25T07:07:30Z

From the FanPosts...

It has been blogged to death that the most likely contenders to enter the Pac-10 are Colorado and Utah. The most prominent reason($) being that the Pac-10 would want to incorporate the Denver and SLC TV markets. However, those teams don't even own their own markets. Denver is "Bronco Nation," first and foremost, and Utah is over 70% LDS.

Also, for a conference that lost 3,164 Fans per game last year, it would help to pick teams that put fans in the seats (both at home and on the road).

A breakdown of attendance data after the jump...

	Ave Attendance	Capacity	States	LDS Population
BYU	64,236	65,000	Arizona	374,839
Utah	45,155	45,634	California	755,747
Colorado	50,088	53,750	Oregon	145,429
			Washington	257,710
California	59,472	75,662	Utah	1,857,667
Oregon	58,544	53,800
Oregon St.	42,328	45,674	Idaho	406,764
Arizona	52,555	57,803	Texas	278,492
Arizona St.	48,556	73,379
UCLA	64,547	92,542
Stanford	41,436	50,000
Southern California	84,799	93,607
Washington	64,356	72,500
Washington St.	25,909	35,117

	Average	Difference
Pac-10	54,186	-3,164
(the biggest loss of any conference)

Open GameThread: Aztecs vs. Cougars

2010-02-24T22:00:18Z

Lenny Ignelzi - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard and BYU's Tyler Haws get tangled while battling for a rebound during the first half of a NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 in San Diego, Calif. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

San Diego St. Aztecs
@ BYU Cougars

Next Game

Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010, 6:00 PM PST
Marriott Center

Game Preview - BYU Athletics

Cougars expect huge crowds - Daily Herald
Cougars facing huge week - Deseret News
Cougars prepare for huge week - Salt Lake Tribune
Emery vs. Foster for MWC Defensive POY - KSL
MWC now a contender - The Sporting News

GO COUGARS!!!

Aztec stats after the jump...

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Kawhi Leonard	27	30.9	4.9	10.5	46.6	0.4	2.2	18.3	2.5	3.6	70.1	3.7	6.0	9.6	1.8	2.1	1.3	0.6	2.5	12.7
Billy White	25	26.7	4.2	7.3	57.1	0.2	0.7	27.8	2.4	3.8	62.8	2.3	2.4	4.7	1.3	2.1	1.1	0.8	2.6	10.9
Malcolm Thomas	27	30.6	4.1	7.7	53.6	0.1	0.2	40.0	2.4	4.9	50.0	2.8	5.2	8.0	2.0	1.8	0.9	1.4	2.1	10.8
D.J. Gay	27	33.2	3.1	8.6	36.8	1.7	4.5	38.0	2.2	3.2	69.8	0.6	1.6	2.2	3.1	1.8	1.4	0.0	1.6	10.2
Chase Tapley	27	24.1	3.0	6.1	49.7	1.0	2.6	36.6	0.6	0.9	69.6	0.7	1.5	2.2	2.4	1.1	1.3	0.4	1.4	7.6
Tyrone Shelley	25	20.0	2.5	5.7	44.1	0.6	2.4	26.7	1.2	2.3	52.6	0.9	3.0	3.9	0.9	1.6	1.4	0.5	1.6	6.9
Kelvin Davis	26	18.0	2.2	5.5	40.3	1.1	3.9	28.7	1.2	1.7	69.8	0.3	0.9	1.2	1.1	1.6	0.5	0.2	1.9	6.7
Brian Carlwell	27	14.7	2.1	3.3	62.9	0.0	0.0	100.0	0.9	1.8	52.1	1.1	1.7	2.9	0.3	0.9	0.3	0.4	2.0	5.1
Tim Shelton	9	12.9	1.0	2.9	34.6	0.4	1.0	44.4	0.9	2.0	44.4	1.1	0.9	2.0	1.4	0.9	0.1	0.1	1.8	3.3
Alec Williams	11	6.8	0.6	1.5	43.8	0.1	0.3	33.3	0.5	0.5	83.3	0.2	1.0	1.2	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.0	1.2	1.8
Jason Deutchman	3	3.7	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.3	75.0	0.0	0.7	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.7
Bryan Horton	6	5.0	0.3	1.0	33.3	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.8	20.0	0.2	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.3	0.8

Sports Illustrated: Will the committee leave BYU in the West with the regional round in SLC?

2010-02-24T21:00:08Z

Sports Illustrated: Will the committee leave BYU in the West with the regional round in SLC?

This is a big question which is impacted by things like Question No. 1 and complicated by BYU's religious restrictions, which mandate the Cougars be placed into both a Thursday/Saturday subregional and regional. This season, that means BYU has to be in either the East or West region, and the West region would be an enormous home-region advantage.

BYU's situation will be handled similarly to Gonzaga's, with one additional caveat: right now, the Cougars are behind league rival New Mexico on the S-curve. In theory, that would give the Lobos first crack at the West regional and would force the Cougars into the East (because you can't have two of the top three teams from a conference in the same region).

In actuality, the cluster of Big East teams at the top of this week's bracket inadvertently hosed New Mexico, which was a 3 seed. Because Syracuse was the West No. 1, and the Big East also had two 2s (which couldn't be in Syracuse's region) and two 3s (which couldn't be paired in a region with a 2 seed from the conference), bracketing procedure forced the No. 3 seed in the West to be a Big East team. That pushed New Mexico out of the West region and opened the door for BYU to stay.

Bottom line: This situation is a lot more complicated than Gonzaga's, and we'll have to wait until right before Selection Sunday to have a real idea of how likely it will be that BYU gets to stay in the West.

BYU Basketball: Biggest Week Ever...

2010-02-22T18:46:25Z

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