So MWC is a two-bid conference?

[MikeWaters]

Bracketology has UNLV and BYU in as 10th and 7th seeds respectively.

NM is not among the last eight out.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Bracketology has UNLV and BYU in as 10th and 7th seeds respectively.

NM is not among the last eight out.

I think UNM might be the team playing the best right now and the team I least want to face in the MWC tourney. I give BYU beating UNM in the Pit this year about a 25% chance. It will be interesting to see if Rose can devise a gameplan to stop JR Giddens as just putting Lee Cummard on him ain't gonna do it in the Pit, it will take a team effort.

I think UNM and UNLV end up tied for 2nd place. BYU is likely to get either SDSU or Utah in round 2. Beating Utah again would be priceless, but it is hard to beat a decent team 3 times in one year. I still recall that first hoops win over Utah in like 4 years back in 2000 when BYU beat a dinged up Utah squad in the innaguraul MWC tourney before the Y bent over for the Rebels and begged they use KY Jelly and go gently. I hope the Aztecs beat the Utes.

Saying that I think the Lobos might beat the Utes in the Huntsmen on saturday and that could put the Utes into a tailspin.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Bracketology has UNLV and BYU in as 10th and 7th seeds respectively.

NM is not among the last eight out.

To answer your question, I think only BYU can secure an at large bid. If it only loses one more regular season game, the Y is in. If it loses two more regular season games I think the Cougs are in if they win a minimum of one MWC tourney game. If the Y loses 3 regular season games they better win the MWC tourney. In other words if BYU wins the conference outright, they are in.

I think either UNLV or UNM wins the MWC tourney. In fact I think BYU might have a better chance against UNLV in the championship game than UNM.

[Spaz]

Just a note, but BYU has never NOT gone to the Dance with at least 21 wins.

That said, if they end this year with 21 wins, they'll have gone into a serious tailspin and probably don't deserve it.


I feel confident in saying that BYU will make it to the Dance even if they lose their remaining road games and lose in the second round of the Tourney.

[MikeWaters]

By the way, getting to the Dance is not the goal. Winning a freaking game in the tourney is the goal.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

By the way, getting to the Dance is not the goal. Winning a freaking game in the tourney is the goal.

Honestly, how many first round wins in BYU's history can you actually remember the details of?

You can't.

Not because they were so long ago, but because they were so boring and nondescript. That SMU win 15 years ago was a serious statement made by BYU.

All first round wins do is set you up for a bigger pounding in the 2nd round than you would have gotten in the 1st round if you had lost.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

By the way, getting to the Dance is not the goal. Winning a freaking game in the tourney is the goal.

I agree. BYU has underachieved in the tourney recently. There is little excuse for not winning at least one NCAA tourney game as good as the Y teams have been the last 3 times they went to the dance. Poor efforts on BYU's part that resulted in too many losses that hurt seeding and last year's second half meltdown need to be forgotten and BYU needs to just go in and win that tourney game.

The Cougs control their own destiny. If they only lose at the Pit and in the MWC tourney final they will get an 8 or 9 seed at worst. That is not an unreasonable expectation for this squad. It should beat SDSU and TCU on the road and get into the MWC final.

The "program" has risen to a point where winning the conference is fun but getting to the dance is no longer the exulting accomplishment it was after coming out of the dark days of the post Roger Reid fiasco.

I would go so far as to say this year cannot be a success a win in the NCAA tourney.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by Goatnapper'96

I agree. BYU has underachieved in the tourney recently. There is little excuse for not winning at least one NCAA tourney game as good as the Y teams have been the last 3 times they went to the dance. Poor efforts on BYU's part that resulted in too many losses that hurt seeding and last year's second half meltdown need to be forgotten and BYU needs to just go in and win that tourney game.

The Cougs control their own destiny. If they only lose at the Pit and in the MWC tourney final they will get an 8 or 9 seed at worst. That is not an unreasonable expectation for this squad. It should beat SDSU and TCU on the road and get into the MWC final.

The "program" has risen to a point where winning the conference is fun but getting to the dance is no longer the exulting accomplishment it was after coming out of the dark days of the post Roger Reid fiasco.

I would go so far as to say this year cannot be a success a win in the NCAA tourney.

I'll certainly be very disappointed with a first-round exit in the tourney. I may be somewhat mollified if we're matched up against an exceptionally difficult team, but I'll still be disappointed.

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by Spaz

I'll certainly be very disappointed with a first-round exit in the tourney. I may be somewhat mollified if we're matched up against an exceptionally difficult team, but I'll still be disappointed.

I've seen that four times this decade. Although last year wasn't an exceptionally difficult team, they just played a good game.

Getting sick of that story.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by jay santos

I've seen that four times this decade. Although last year wasn't an exceptionally difficult team, they just played a good game.

Getting sick of that story.

Giving credit where it's due, Xavier nearly took out Ohio State...Still, I was pretty dissapointed last year, given our leading throughout most of the game.