Just some thoughts going forward. Gonzaga is ranked 8th and BYU is somewhere south of 40th in preseason poles. Gonzaga is has loaded up on top 25 games with the likes of Arizona, UCLA, Pitt, Wash, Wash St, Tennessee…meanwhile BYU has only Utah,Colo. and Harvard Auburn/New Mex as games they will be challenged in before league play. Gonzaga will have played a top #5 schedule while BYU has underwhelmed in scheduling and will take it on the chin in RPI.
The Zags will be a handful for anyone with the return of Wiltjer, Sabonis and big Poland Karnowski. They will miss Pangos but have senior Bell Jr. coming back. Coach Few is one of the best and you can bet he will have another solid Point Guard to take the reigns.
BYU is also full of senior talent having Mr. Triple Double and Fischer as leaders along with the return of Mr. D, Austin. Don’t worry about replacing Haws, there are plenty of scorers salivating for time. I worry more about replacing guys like Winder, who when he was healthy could score on anyone and defend with the best.
There is no doubt that the Bulldogs are deeper, better coached and have the legacy but…there is something about this BYU team that says to me we will be solid at defense and potentially better at scoring with Emery and Fischer at the wings and Aytes, Davis and Kaufusi down low.
Prediction: Gonzaga will stay ranked around the top 10 all year. BYU will crack the top 25 and contend for the WCC for the 1st time.
It sounds like dejavu’ to me… the same talking points as last season and the season before.
I have some thoughts that are based on actual reality, based on the same comments from past seasons’ hype and eventual results.
BYU will be a good team. They will likely win about 25 games +/=. They will lose some close games vs. good teams. They will lose a couple games they have no business losing. They will win a close game or two against a good team. They will finish second or third in the wcc (they have “contended” for the title every year, this won’t be the first time).
I know for a fact that certain players will go lights out in a game vs. inferior opponents and disappear in a big game. I know for a fact that BYU will be outplayed/oiutcoached during a critical moment of a potential big win and lose that game. I know for a fact that BYU will make it to the ncaa tournament and lose to a team that they are favored against or should beat. I know for a fact that there will be some players who mentally don’t show up for a game or get psyched out and play terribly because of it. How do I “know” all of this? Because I have witnessed it every single season since they joined the wcc and even before that.
Realistic reply-I guess what I will be looking at is how the front line plays and what kind of depth they have. IF they can score inside-if they can push other teams around-if they truly play the players that deserve the playing time-if they don’t get the deer in the headlights look. We will know pretty soon but not for a few games until they get past the milk toast-beat on them teams. I can hope, but time will reveal.
I take your comments as being totally appropriate and positive enough.
These are things that I try to point out and think about.
I agree, I would like to see some of those things happen in the first several games… so I don’t have to watch them fold up like a wet paper bag against a team like Pepperdine.
fair enough Jim, all true but barring injury I will stick with this will be a special team. No way does BYU end up 3rd in the WCC. St Marys lost all its talent. Pepperdine has all its talent back so I’ll go
Zags
BYU
Pepperdine
everyone else
its true, we always lose a couple to some weak team and that kills me but I can always hope this is not the year.
This year, we will see a big improvement each preseason game. The rotation will be set and this year, we don’t lose to the weaker teams. In fact, we don’t lose to anyone except split with Gonzaga. It’s going to be awesome! The next several years BYU will be different from the past.
So, according to SG, BYU will finish the season 29-1… that should definitely put them in the top 10 and give them a #3 or #4 seed for the ncaa tournament.
It is always fun to go back and see what we posted in October. BYU today has failed at Kaufusi and are too young at guard to contend this year so while I still think they have a solid chance to go Dancing, I can look back and say that a better coach would have played Kaufusi and Chatman THROUGH their problems rather than bench them. Clearly I was wrong about SMC. I also was a little off on Gonzaga and how much they miss Pangos, and now the big Pollock.
Gonzaga is suspect at guarding the 3 ball and there are plenty of hot shooting teams at their home in the WCC to give GU some more losses. I think BYU will lose to them at their place but GU will lose to BYU and SMC at their gyms.
SMC will lose some more…certainly @ BYU and GU and I am going to say @ SF. That is 4 conference losses.
BYU will lose to GU and one more, maybe 2 on the road…SF and a Pepperdine. Nail biting time.
It will all boil down to BYU making noise in the WCC tourney.
By the tournament we should be 9 deep and ready to go. Some in here call the a Rec league. Well, there are some really good coaches and teams in the WCC. Why can’t we just recognize that.
I have to say that last night the referees were a bit lost. There were some weird calls both ways.
