BYU basketball team makes me appreciate the
 

football team more.

You can see a clear difference in the mental toughness of the football team game in and game out compared to the basketball team.

Sure the basketball team was playing against a very tough opponent. But we expected more in the poise department. Too many turnovers, too many trips down without a shot. I think we shot 58% from the field, and we still got beat pretty handily at the end.

Rose can't be happy. And frankly I can't comprehend why Rose didn't play Ainge more. Broadhus was *terrible*. Plaisted didn't look like NBA material at all.

I think it's going to be either NIT or NCAA (one game) for the cougars. And they won't be ranked at any point. That's still an achievement. But we are not going to see a BYU that is making noise on the national scene, I'm afraid.

The men's team could learn a lot from the women's team. When they have a chance, they have come through.

It sounded as if the team just tanked mentally in the second half. Not what one would expect from a senior laden team. Too bad they stunk it up.

Stunk it up is probably too strong. They just had too many mental mistakes, and couldn't step up their game when UCLA stepped up theirs.

For a while in the first half we were shooting out of our minds. But you knew that wouldn't last forever.

They choked in the last 4 minutes, big time. Broadus was a turnover machine. But we will still be solid and contend for the MWC title.

Well this team has a long way to go, before it's worthy of consideration. Perhaps it will reach that point, maybe it won't.

We're not disciplined and we don't play defense well enough. We've rarely been a good ball handling team.

If we want a team to surprise on the floor, it will be the women's team. This men's team is likely to disappoint.

Well, that pretty much describes our basketball program every year doesn't it? I mean, there was '88 and there was 70whateveritwas when Ainge was there. But beyond that, one and done at the NCAA's is a GOOD year for BYU basketball. I'm happy when they make the NCAA.

Wow, that's a heck of a lot of conclusions to draw from one baskebtall game, the first of the season, on the road, against a potential #1 seed. Can you give them at least another say 40-80 minutes actually playing basketball before you write them off so summarily? ;)

actually it's fairly easy to come to some conclusions. There doesn't appear to be much help from the new guys. Ivanovic is a doughy tall guy who won't be a defensive presence at all and won't be able to do anything against an athletic defender. What does this mean? It means that Plaisted will be playing the 5 the entire season.

I'm not sure that Plaisted has the skill set to play the 4 anyway. He doesn't appear comfortable in the 8-15 foot range. If he wants to be a garbage guy at the 4, getting O rebounds, that is a different story.

It looks tough.

We won't get much help from anybody here, but last year's group. Unless substantial improvement is made, what we will see is some early season success and fade down the stretch.

The team will not play good defense, will be sporadic on offense, will not rebound and will occasionally have turnover banquets.

A season somewhat like last years.

AFA, and SDSU, may be head and shoulders above the rest.

I think we can compete for the Conference Championship. We'll have to see if these guys can step it up to a higherh level over last year. What we really need is another Keena Young. A consistent, athletic guy who can play defense and puts the ball in the hole when given an opportunity.