OK, I was so exhausted after work yesterday that I forgot about the men’s basketball game completely and heard about it on the radio this morning. The men’s basketball team is mirroring the football team in that the seniors are finally getting redemption for the hard times up until now. It was great that Keena Young, Austin Ainge and Jimmy Balderson finally got a win at Air Force.

I still don’t know what to make of this team, though. It seems like the SDSU game was an aberration, but BYU got blown out in that game. That shows a lack of effort in that game, and BYU can’t get away with a lack of effort come tournament time. BYU needs to steel its resolve for each and every game regardless of the opponent or this season will likely end in disappointment again.

Which bring us to Saturday.

This game shouldn’t be a problem for BYU. Home game. It’s the Utes. A chance at an outright conference title, the first since ‘87-’88. Perhaps a chance to regain a national ranking.

Despite plenty of motivation, I’m not resting easy. Never at any point this season did I feel like BYU was completely in the driver’s seat going into a game. Shouldn’t a top-25 team evoke that feeling from fans? Shouldn’t a loss be devastating in that situation? I was disappointed that BYU lost to SDSU, but I wasn’t devastated. I certainly wasn’t shocked. I was surprised that BYU pulled off the win in Clune Arena last night. All of this makes me secretly (not anymore, I guess) wonder if BYU is for real. I’m not wowed. It could be because I’ve only seen them a couple of times this year, but let’s not open that moldy can again.

Here’s a few reasons why I just can’t seem to buy in all the way:

1. BYU’s best player can’t shoot from further than 15 feet. Their second best player can’t even make half of his free throws. Young and Plaisted will be counted on to take over games in the conference and NCAA tournaments.
2. BYU relies heavily on 3-point shooting. As we all know, 3-point shooting is a fickle friend. BYU could easily lose any game in which the threes aren’t falling. For the season, they’re shooting .406 from behind the arc, which is pretty dang good. Come tournament time, that figure needs to be a minimum, not an average–especially with the lack of depth inside.

In spite of those things, BYU does have some good things going for them:

1. They out-rebound their opponents (when they play hard).
2. BYU has a do-everything player: Lee Cummard. He’s not he first or second option on offense, but he is solid across the board–.551 from the field, .449 from 3 pt. range, .811 from the FT line, 5.6 boards per game. He’s also second in blocks and first in steals. I don’t even care that he went to Mesa High anymore.

I’m stoked for the rivalry game on Saturday. If BYU clinches an outright title, I may even have to snap a picture with my cell phone and rotate it as my wallpaper with my snapshot of the football team after they clinched the title against Wyoming.

The men’s basketball team is on a roll. They’ve won seven straight games, four of which were on the road. Two of the home wins were against then-ranked teams. Gonzaga lost at home, so we’re in and out of tying Air Force for the nations longest home win streak. Also for the first time in 14 years, BYU is ranked in the top 25. In the AP poll, the Cougs jumped up 7 spots to #21, and in the Coaches, 8 spots to #22.

There is also a bunch of other recognition being thrown our way. Joe Lunardi at ESPN.com Bracketology predicts us as a #6 seed for the NCAA Tournament. USA Today projects us as a #4, #4! Most places have us somewhere between a “probably in” and “definitely in” status.

So all of this is a little surprising to even me. A seven game win streak helps, I guess. I’m probably still a little guarded, because we have two really tough games ahead. After a Wednesday CSU meeting, BYU goes on the road to San Diego State and Air Force. SDSU has beat UNLV and Air Force at home also, and well Air Force at home, as by the numbers, is as good as BYU is at home. If we could find a way to at least split that trip, that’s going to help us big time. With Air Force losing to UNLV, the Cougs are a game and a half ahead of Air Force. We can still give one loss and win an outright championship. If we sweep the trip, then win the MWC tourney, I can definitely see us as a #4 seed.

The Cougs are playing well enough to have that possibility opened. Keena Young has been established as the go-to guy. If the opponents guard him one-on-one, he’s nearly unstoppable. If they double team, he either goes to Plaisted, who does well against one-on-one coverage, or it gets kicked out to the perimeter, passed around until an open guy is found. During our win streak we’ve shot 50% or better every single game. BYU is shooting this well because of passing up OK shots for great ones. So I love our game plan, and it’s solid and established. Young usually scores in the 20s, but the two games in our win streak that he has been held to double digits (at New Mexico and home to UNLV), BYU has won by more than 20 points. Ainge is running our offense really well, he can shoot the three but usually makes really good passes to set others up, Lee Cummard has stats in every category most nights. Our bench play is really helping. Mike Rose has the touch back that he lost for last two seasons. Jonathan Tavernari is going to be an awesome player and he contributes a lot of good things. Ben Murdock can come in at point and give Ainge a breather without us suffering horrendous drop-off. Vuk Ivanovic and Gavin MacGregor help out when Plaisted is in foul trouble, which used to kill us, but doesn’t anymore (most of that is the emergence of Keena Young as an awesome player).

Anyway, though I’m surprised that we’re getting so much attention, I’m excited about our chances. Last year when we lost in the NIT, I predicted that we’d be a Sweet Sixteen team with an outside chance of passing the “most NCAA tourney bids without a Final Four appearance” monkey onto someone else’s back. Earlier this season that looked like quite the far-fetched statement, but I believe it again. This postseason could be special.

I’m frustrated. BYU’s men’s basketball team is ranked in the top 25 for the first time since I’ve been old enough to drive, but I can’t see them play unless I tax my family’s budget by paying to go to games. Road games are no different, since BYU games aren’t readily accessible to many viewers, including me.

I feel a huge disconnect from this year’s team because I can’t see them play on a regular basis. I know this horse is already dead and decaying, but the conference and university presidents royally screwed up with the Comcast/mtn. deal and it is KILLING fans who don’t have money for cable or tickets, including me. When I was still in school at the Y., I had immediate access to games on TV and an All-Sports pass to go to home games, and it made a huge difference in my emotional involvement and connection with the team. Teams far less talented drew bigger crowds and had more people talking, but those days are over. The MWC was a burgeoning league with a lot of momentum, but lost it all with a poorly conceived TV deal that stripped away all its prestige and forced its teams to build from the ground up all over again. Should they have stayed with ESPN? No way. Not with all of the Big Monday 10-midnight games. However, the conference should never have signed off on the mtn. network and kept it to CSTV coverage. The mtn. is a joke of a network and most people can’t afford to get a cable package that includes the mtn. (or CSTV, for that matter).

The funny thing about this TV situation is that it doesn’t seem to be affecting national publicity as much as it’s affecting fan interest, which is even worse than a lack of national publicity. BYU is predicted by the media to finish with as high as a #4 seed in the NCAA tournament, but that doesn’t pay the bills. These schools all have placed a top priority on getting their arenas filled and are having to overcome the challenge of this disconnect with their fans. BYU is no exception. BYU’s last home game, versus UNLV–a top 25 team at the time–only drew 11,000 fans. That’s half of the Marriott Center’s capacity. BYU has never had a problem drawing for big games in the past. This season is a completely different story and it’s a direct result of this crappy TV deal.

Austin Holt, who many consider one of the top tight ends in the nation, just committed to BYU yesterday for 2008. The offers for 2008 seem to be more valued now, but Holt was already offered because of his obvious talent and skill set. Supposedly, the number of offers that BYU will be able to hand out for 2008 is around 19 or 20. Here’s to more great commits for 2008. Keep it up Bronco.

News reports released today reveal that Jeff Grimes will leave his spot on the BYU coaching staff, offensive line coach, to take the same position with the Colorado Buffaloes. A new search will start immediately for a replacement.

This is a bigger blow to the Cougars than most people might think. Coach Grimes worked miracles with an offensive line that was constantly beset by injuries. Grimes was famous for having his line prepared for any situation in any game and preparing young players to play early in their careers. He will be sorely missed.