lovelldog wrote:

NorthernCougar wrote:

Real.Men.Wear.Blue wrote:

Give credit to A&M. The only way they were going to win that game was to come shooting lights out. That's what they did. Add that to the Cougar's inability to rebound and shoot free throws (neither of which were totally unexpected, but far worse that hoped), and that is a formula for a solid loss. A&M is a good team, but BYU could have easily won the game if they really wanted to.

Sure, but this happens every year. Shouldn't we have known this could have happened and put a body on him? People are saying the exact same thing as the year we lost to Syracuse. "Wow! Who would have thought that McNamara was going to hit so many three's? Wow! That was very surprising!" I am tired of hearing this. It tells me that Rose is a good coach not a great one.

On the way home last night I told my wife that we would come out scared and fall behind quickly. 11-0 to start. It's time to wake up and realize that we suck at basketball. Our team is never ready for the big game under Rose, and the Louisville game doesn't count. One time this year doesn't change the fact that we lost 4 big games because we were scared, nervous, had the jitters, etc.

I really thought this team was going places when we beat Utah at Utah, until I realized that Utah is a really, really bad team.

I think a little more credit is due.

BYU beat UNM at UNM and utah at utah, to me those are big games.
Louisville absolutely should count.
We played a great game and lost to the number 1 team in the country (UNC), big deal that is still a great game we had, I would't call that not being prepared or playing scared.
We lost to Mich St, that is too bad but they are a better team than us.
We lost to WF on the road which I think is a game we were unprepared for and fits your argument.
We lost to UNLV, the 2nd best team in the conference on their home court.

Call it what you want but I don't expect BYU to beat the odds in every big game they play. Winning against against the odds isn't the norm for any team.

No, winning against the odds is not the norm, but look at those games you listed above. We won 3 out of the 8 "big" games you listed above (one against Utah). Not very stellar. We lost more big games than we won. Don't forget we lost to BSU. We couldn't even beat the WAC's best team.

Only bright side of this season is most our players will be back and the ones we lose didn't do anything anyways, so we're getting rid of some dead wood.

I'd like to think we'll "learn" from this season and come back stronger, but quite frankly that's what we were told and believed at the end of last season and once again we're in the same situation. Until they prove otherwise, I'm not going to buy into it.

the_other_blackguy@byu wrote:

In college it is all about the guard play. Most of our starting guards did nothing. For one, with the system we are playing (finesse) we need a really good point guard who knows how to get the ball inside. It would also help if the big guys would learn to hold their own and not get pushed out 20 feet from the basket. We have an ok team. Until they realize that they can be great, they will not get far in the tournament. If they are scared of the other teams, they just shouldn't be there. Where is that dang chip on the shoulder from losing the MWC tournament? Instead of coming out and proving they belong. They just.....wait! The season is over. I can't change a thing. The coaches don't read this board. The players don't read this board and I am just a "nobody." We all have the special potion for what ails the team. But none of us has the access to provide it. So, enjoy spring ball. Pray that the coaches and team have good "exit interviews" and assessments. And realize that all we can do is be fans, cheer, boo and hope for the best. C'st la vie.
GO Cougs!!!
the_other_blackguy@byu

I am sick of BYU having luckluster PGs (excluding Jimmer). You'd think Rose would realize in order to run his prefered run and gun style you need a PG that run the floor and drive to the hope.

A&M basically didn't have to guard two of our players. They could double Trent and Lee all they wanted knowing our guards (excluding Jimmer) would do nothing critical. One of the reasons I think Jimmer got as many points as he did is because A&M wasn't expecting our guard to take it to the rack.

If Rose finally allows a BYU PG to let loose and take it to the rim, I think we'll do better next season. In college hoops you need that sort of penetration to throw defenses off, open up shooters and keep teams on their heals. If we don't fix the PG problem once again we'll be knocked out of the first round, no matter how many 3-point bombers and 7 footers with 40" verticals we have.

ammoncougar1 wrote:

hamrdown wrote:

WACoug wrote:

This team needs to get picked up by a tornado, fly to Oz, see the wizard and ask him for a heart, a brain (Tavernari), and some courage.

PS And maybe the ability to hit a free throw.

I couldn't agree more. When Tavernari launched his 40 foot 3-pointer with a ton of time left, I knew the team was dead. He has done this over and over this year. He needs to be a smarter player.

When this happened one of my friends watching with me said, "he isn't on an academic scholarship is he?"

Go Cougs!!!

To be fair, I'd MUCH rather see an NBA 3 attempt at the end of a tournament game from Tavernari than the IDIOT 3-point attempt by Araujo at the end of the 'Cuse game (oh, by the way, with Mark Bigelow, the most prolific 3-point shooter in BYU's history, standing wide open 10 feet to his left). Even though neither shot shoulda gone up, I have to say, Hafa's decision making skills made JT's choice look absolutely Einsteinian!